WILL There are two words in the Greek that are predominantly translated "will". The one is (boule), [1012,Strongs], and the other is (thelema), [2307,Strongs]. The RSV renders (boule) everywhere, as "counsel". In fact, (boule) is the word used in modern Greek for the parliament; the place for deliberation and decision making. BEST CHOICE (Thelema) specifically relates to "the enacted will" of God, or "His will carried out", which is the result of (boule). (Boule) specifically

EPHESIANS 1:12 speaks of the Father who "...works all things after the counsel of His will.." (PARAPHRASE) "...He produces the results, that He has deliberately decided on, that fulfill His desire...". WORKS The Greek word translated "works" is (energia) [1754, Strong's], from which we get the English word "energy". There is another related Greek word called (dynamis), [1411, Strong's], from which we get the English word "dynamite". POWER (Dynamis) is the latent potential pow

KENNETH HAGIN Many years ago, the Lord Jesus appeared in a vision to Kenneth Hagin and told him, "Go and teach my people faith". His mother was told by the Lord, that she was to name him John, because he would come, like John the Baptist, to prepare the way for the return of the Lord. He was obedient to that heavenly vision, and as a result, there are Rhema graduates and churches, all over the world; teaching faith, preparing people. NORVEL HAYES The Lord told Norvel Hayes, a

WALDO Many parents have spent hours with their children, with the still popular children's book "Where's Waldo". Somewhere on each page, the tiny figure of Waldo has been drawn and colored, amid a couple hundred other figures, that look like, but aren't Waldo. The task is to try and locate Waldo among all the other colored drawings, and hopefully, enjoy the adventurous journey along the way. SENSITIVE Very enviable, are the couples who have spent time with each other, and th

LEGO Many years ago, creative minds invented "Lego"; little toy building blocks, that children and some adults use, to put together innumerable shapes and designs, from varied pieces, to assemble a cascade of possibilities, limited only by the imagination. A person can gather together, all different shapes and sizes, and form something new, and depending on the age of the assembler, something totally unrecognizable, that becomes a boat; a person; a spaceship; or whatever thei

PROVERBS 18:21 says: "Death and life (are) in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof" (KJV) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who make it a friend shall eat its fruit" (NAB) "Of life and death, tongue holds the keys; use it lovingly, and it will requite thee" (Knox) "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose" (The Message) "Death and life (are) in (the) handle of (the) tongue; and the ones

PLANTING I remember as a young child, every Spring, helping, with my other siblings, and my grandfather, preparing the ground on our 2-3 acres for planting. To a small child that large plot of ground seemed massive, and the corn; potatoes; and rows of peas and carrots, seemed unending, both in the planting and in the weeding. Every year we always gave away much more than we seemed to keep. I guess that was my grandfather's ultimate intention, since he was continuously giving

COMMUNICATION Years ago, I remember listening to an effective communicator, speaking on the subject of healthy marriage relationships. He talked about coming home from the office, and his wife was all dressed up to go out somewhere nice, for fine dining. When he asked where she was going, she replied, that he had told her, that they were going out to a fancy restaurant, once he got home from work. In bewilderment, he assured her that he had said no such thing, and in fact, ha

EPHESIANS 1:10 says, "...that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, (even) in him..." CHARITY Many words, in the English translation of the scriptures, are taken from the Latin, rather than the Greek translation of the text. For example, the ever popular, and often misinterpreted, word "grace", is from the Latin word (gratia), where we get the English word "gratuit

ROBIN WILLIAMS I believe one of the first times I heard the expression, "seize the day", at least to my recollection, came from a movie I once saw of Robin Williams, as a college professor, in a boys boarding school, trying to get his students to think outside the box, and make the most of their lives. I honestly don't remember much of the movie, and perhaps if I did, I would find that it may not be a good example of the concept, but the expression, from the Latin "Carpe Diem

EPHESIANS 1:11 speaks of "...the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will" "PURPOSE" is the Greek word (prothesis), [4286, Strong's], a combination of (pro), "before", and (tithemi), "to place". It has it's origins in the placing of the shewbread before the presence of God, in the holy place, and from there, came to mean anything that is set out in plain view, for all to see. ACTS 11:23 talks about Barnabas seeing the gift of God in the new Believ

Ephesians 1:13 speaks of "...the gospel of your salvation..." GOSPEL The word translated "gospel" is used 72 times in the NT and 54 of those times (75%), the word is used in Paul's writings; which means that 3/4 of the emphasis of the gospel, is in the epistles. PROCLAIM GOOD (euaggelion), [2098, Strong's], is the Greek word translated as "gospel". It is a compound word from (eu), [2095], "good", and (aggello), [n.f.], "to proclaim". FIELD OF BLOOD The whole concept of this w

EPHESIANS 1:13 says, "...in whom you also, after you heard the word of truth, the announcement of the good news of the victory, of your salvation..." IGNORANCE The traditional saying is that "people are always down on, what they're not up on". In other words, if people don't understand something, they generally have a negative perspective about it, not based on knowledge, but more so based on actual ignorance of the subject under discussion. SPACE The English word "salvation"

SCIENTIFICALLY Contrary to evolutionary theory; scientifically, everything goes from order to disorder. Case in point, the average neglected cleanliness of a teenage boy's bedroom. It doesn't get better, it gets worse. Anything neglected, whether house maintenance; changing oil in a vehicle; or the regular training and discipline of children; if there is not constant input and energy exerted, everything breaks down. POWER: HEBREWS 2:1-4, using a couple of nautical terms, spea

EPHESIANS 1:13 says we were "...sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise..." SEAL The English word "seal" is from the Greek word (sphragizo),[4972, Strong's] which is from the Greek word (phrasso), [5420,Strong's ], meaning, "to fence" in or "inclose"; to "block (something) up", or figuratively, "to silence". AUTHORIZATION Once something was "sealed", it was closed up; kept safe; so that no one could open it without the authorization of the person or persons, who had sealed it

EPHESIANS 1:14, "...you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise..." GOOD AS GOLD It used to be that a person's word was "as good as gold", and a handshake would seal a deal, to the point, that almost no one would even consider going back on their word. In other words, If somebody said they were going to do something, no one would question the fact. It was a done deal. Everyone knew that whatever was agreed upon, would most certainly be carried through. In fact, to not kee

EPHESIANS 1:14 says that the Holy Spirit is the "earnest" of our inheritance. DEPOSIT Whenever someone purchases a house, or property, generally, there is a deposit; a certain amount of security, indicating the seriousness of intention from the Buyer, to follow through with the commitment. However, in this example, if the purchase does not complete, due to lack of finance, on the Buyers part, or the property not passing inspection, the deposit is returned, and the purchaser s

EPHESIANS 1:11, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance..." INHERITANCE When a person thinks of an inheritance, there may be visual images of sacks of money; property; estates; business endowments, or a myriad of other possible pictures that leap to mind. The Greek word is (kleronomia) [2817, Strong's], and contains all of these possible interpretations. PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE One thing about an inheritance, is that it is generally speaking of something from the past,

FIELD of DREAMS Several years ago there was the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams", an artfully crafted story about a farmer who heard a voice telling him, "If you build it...he will come". He plowed under his corn fields and built a baseball diamond, and all the baseball greats of the past, showed up to play on the field, including his father, to play catch with him; which is the climax of the story. GATES of HELL Jesus said, "...I will build my church, and the gates of

RARE At the time of this writing, the most expensive coin in the world, is a 1794-1795 silver dollar coin made of 90% silver and 10% copper. It is named "Flowing Hair", because of the stamped image of the head of "Liberty", with her hair flowing down the back of her neck, and valued at $10 million. What makes it valuable, is that it was the first U.S. silver dollar ever minted, and it is very rare. VALUABLE The most valuable comic book in the world is the original Action Comi