Sometimes I get myself into trouble thinking that I have an idea about something based on Scripture to write, because I may not understand as much about a specific word as I think I do. I may think a word in the Bible and/or in academia means one thing, but actually it means something altogether different!
For this bowl of Webstable Soup, I want to create a sort of word study with the following words; maybe draw a conclusion; then I’ll tell you what I started out thinking.
- Acknowledge / Acknowledgement – the act of acknowledging something or someone
acknowledgment of a mistake
recognition or favorable notice of an act or achievement
received acknowledgment for his charitable works
a thing done or given in recognition of something received
an author’s acknowledgments of assistance
a declaration or avowal of one’s act or of a fact to give it legal validity
- Approve / Approval – to have or express a favorable opinion of
couldn’t approve such conduct
to accept as satisfactory
hopes she will approve the date of the meeting
to give formal or official sanction - Accept / Acceptance – the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable
His theories have gained widespread acceptance.
the act of accepting something or someone
the fact of being accepted
acceptance of responsibility
law: an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer
of another so that a contract is concluded and the parties become legally bound [i]
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When I worked in Corporate America, one of my duties as an Administrative Assistant was to prepare proposals for possible contract work projects. The companies or corporations that received the proposals usually returned a standard acknowledgement letter or form to let us know they had received the proposal and would let us know within a said amount of time, possibly less than thirty days, if the proposal would be accepted as written, or approved with modifications, or regretfully rejected in favor of a lower bid.
Unlike an approval, an acknowledgement did not initiate the workflow until the submission had been reviewed.
Mind you, this was a “hard-copy” time… not at all like the digital files we have now. So, there were rows and rows of tall four- or five-drawer metal file cabinets containing alphabetized file folders that held those contracts lining the walls, or maybe an entire room, within the office suites.
The project company’s choices in most cases were that they might like the proposal and agree with it; they might agree with part of it, or they might not agree with it at all. But under certain circumstances, they might disagree with it and still accept it due to managerial pressure, or personal reasons and preferences.
Truly, it could be quite challenging; a little like coordinating work among different cultures, because each project might have many disciplines included in one proposal. A Civil Engineer might manage one segment of the work, a Structural Engineer managing another segment, a Mechanical Engineer managing another. Even today, engineering as a career or profession is a lucrative choice for many people with the aptitude and personality strengths to sustain the specific requirements in a project. But it is not something that automatically happens to an individual… talent is desired, but training and education are acutely necessary. But let’s face it, not everyone is cut out to be an engineer. Not me, that’s for sure. However, I was trained to proof, edit, and type a page that was hand-written by one or more of those engineers, which was a feat of a different kind. (Smile).
Engineering disciplines include Mechanical, Design, Materials, Electrical, Instrumentation, Chemical, Mining and Geological, Petroleum, Aerospace, Nuclear, Marine, Health and Safety, and Scheduling, among others. A single proposal would not necessarily include all disciplines, but many proposals would probably include all those that were the primary needs of a specific proposal.
Now please listen, because this was one of the most important requirements: All of the inputs had to work together so that the output would be as near perfect as they could humanly make it. TRUTH!
And this is not just in engineering. It is necessary in medicine, religion, politics, auto manufacturing and repair, goldsmithing, garbage disposal, recycling, and landscaping, just to name a few.
Bringing that example into our present-day cultures, we currently seem to have great difficulties in accepting issues about which we disagree, even when it is just a matter of opinion or training. But before I get onto another track, let me tell you why I started this stroll though word studies from Scripture.
Our society today accepts many things that were not accepted or acceptable when I was a young adult. Many of them give me pause to ask myself what makes it ok now if it was not ok then? If there is a perfect answer, I may never find it, but not from lack of trying.
So, I will close with the suggestion that whenever we find ourselves in a difficult situation or disagreement, let us show kindness, compassion, patience, love, and forgiveness. Because this is what has been given to each of us through the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Amen!
Blessings,
Sandra
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Romans 14:18 – Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
2 Corinthians 10:18 – For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Philippians 1:9-11 – 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
2 Timothy 2:14-16 – 14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[b] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,
Matthew 10:32 – So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
Luke 12:8 – And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,
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English Standard Version (ESV) – The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
[i] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/