Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

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24 April 10

    Greetings, dear folk.

    We just walked in the door a few minutes ago.  It's presently 9:27pm.  I prepared this devotional early...but some work and unexpected stuff got in the way...didn't get it launced.  We left the house about 10:30am.  Our first stop was Kaken's 2nd birthday party.  We left that early to drive over 2 hours to the coast (Manzanita) to attend a memorial for Becki's cousin's wife, Marge Harris.  We left there around 4:15pm and ran to Dallas where our grandson, Devyn, was performing in a play.  It was quite a loop.

    Good night.  Sleep tight.  Walk in the Light...and do what's right.

        Love, Dad/Ray

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24 April 2010
Passage: Mark 14:1-26
Focus: “She did what she could.”  Mark 14:8.

            It seems to me that this line could be an appropriate epitaph on her tombstone.  “She did what she could.”  She may not have been extremely talented, famous, or influential, but she did what she could.  She made use of the resources she had.  She took advantage of opportunities to serve.

            Sooner or later this old body I temporarily live in is going to end up in some cold dark grave.  When that happens, I cannot imagine an epitaph more attractive to me.  I would hope that such a statement could appropriately characterize the few short years of my plodding on this planet.  “He did what he could.”  Not very fancy.  No flash.  No frills.  Not very famous.  Mistakes here and there.  A few little achievements.  Soon forgotten.  But, “he did what he could.”  I’ll accept that.

            It really is good to remember that the standard God uses to determine your success is, in fact, you yourself.  That is, He will never expect you to perform outside the parameters of your individual potential.  You will be measured against the standard of what you could have been and done.  And through Christ you CAN come the closest to living up to your potential toward becoming all you should be—and doing all you should do.  “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).