Don't Be Burdened By Surfeiting

Welcome to the inner workings of my brain. I am going to be transparent and let you in on where my mind goes during Bible Study. Yep, get ready, this is how I roll...

I like Luke 21. Oh, it's not a feel-good passage. It's about the signs of the End of the Age. There's nothing warm and fuzzy about wars, revolutions, famines, pestilences, fearful events, and persecution. But I like it because I can relate to it. We are definitely living in the End Times as far as I can see. Here is what I like: verse 28. Look at it! Well, ok, I will put it here for you so you don't have to go get your Bible. In the NIV it says, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Wow, that is so cool! When all these crazy things are happening, I should STAND UP and LIFT MY HEAD, my Jesus is coming back! Doesn't that excite you?

Well, as we wait, we can be tempted to get distracted. In this chapter Jesus goes on to warn us not to be distracted by things in life. Look at verse 34, ok, ok, don't get up, I'll type it for you. Here it is: "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on  you unexpectedly like a trap." Hmmm, interesting. OK, in case you are wondering, drunkenness is not a personal temptation of mine. Never has been. But there are two other things in that list. I decided to do a word study on anxieties and on dissipation.

OK, now, as an aside, you need to know that recently Kris told me he may have to quit letting me watch USA news. It gets me all rowled up (how do you spell rowl? Well, I don't know how to spell it, but it's the best word to describe me when I watch the news). The craziness going on is almost more than I can handle. I flail my arms and holler. All you who think I am calm and happy all the time, you should watch me watch the news. It's not pretty. There's a bunch of craziness going on and it frustrates me. DISSIPATION.

When I watch the news I am distracted by dissipation. Did you know that the KJV says verse 34 like this, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting."

"Thanks, Jana, that clears it right up for us!"

Hence the word study. I looked up "overcharged". The Greek word is "baruno" and it means "burdened." That describes me after watching the news. The next word is "surfeiting". Is that any more clear to you than dissipation? Not for me either. "Surfeiting" in Greek can mean "headache". But get this, the word in Latin is "crapula". Seriously, that's what it is! I love word studies! Again, the word reminds me of stuff going on in the news.

There you go. Now you know what happens when I do word studies. I am encouraged to not be burdened by the headaches from the *Latin word* I see on the news. So, when I see *Latin word* on the news, I resolve to quit flailing my arms and hollering. I resolve to remember that these are the end times and that I will NOT get distracted by nonsense. I will lift up my head, my redemption is near!