Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67
Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.
Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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8 March 2011
Proverbs 8
Focus: “To the discerning all of them are right, they are faultless to those who have knowledge.” Proverbs 8:9.
All of what is right? Verses 7 and 8 clarify that. “My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.” And verse 1 identifies the speaker of these words: “Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?”
I have a theory: HONEST OBJECTIVE INTELLIGENCE WILL LEAD A PERSON TO GOD. And it is HONEST OBJECTIVE INTELLIGENCE that I regard as an accurate description of ONE WHO IS DISCERNING.
I have given a good deal of personal thought to the whole matter of OBJECTIVE thinking as compared with its counterpart—SUBJECTIVE thinking. We have waded through a family crisis recently (and it is ongoing) where these two perspectives are in sharp conflict. Let’s take a moment to clarify the terms. I’m looking in my dictionary and the definitions of OBJECTIVE that best apply here are these: “Of or pertaining to a material object as distinguished from a mental concept. Uninfluenced by emotion, surmise, or personal opinion. Based on observable phenomena.” The definition of SUBJECTIVE reads like this: “Of, produced by, or resulting from an individual’s mind. Existing only within the experiencer’s mind and incapable of external verification.”
Of course it is very unsafe to live life under the control and tyranny of random SUBJECTIVITY—pulled around by moods, feelings, and emotions. But neither is it safe to conclude that that OBJECTIVE is good and SUBJECTIVE is bad. Both are important components of our lives. But they must work together and be in proper balance in order to achieve the right result. And the right result we are most concerned with is BELIEF IN THE TRUTH—GOD’S TRUTH. OBJECTIVITY must function as the referee for SUBJECTIVITY.
The way I see it, GOD MAKES USE OF BOTH. He blends them together to form vital faith or vital belief. Here is how I think it works: When a person OBJECTIVELY seeks God, driven partly by the abundant evidence for His reality, God does not normally respond in OBJECTIVE ways (like miracles or supernatural demonstrations, although He can and occasionally does). But He does substantiate His reality and TRUTH in SUBJECTIVE ways—by the conviction, inspiration, and mystical intuitive witness of the Holy Spirit within the heart and mind of the believer. (John 8:31-32; 14; 1 John 2:5; 3:24)
Perhaps I’m getting carried away with unnecessary technicalities, but here is how I might paraphrase the main idea of the FOCUS VERSE: “Those who exercise HONEST OBJECTIVE INTELLIGENCE in the pursuit of God and His TRUTH receive the SUBJECTIVE confirmation of His Holy Spirit.” And for that I am very thankful.
“Philosophic argument, especially that drawn from the vastness of the universe, in comparison with the apparent insignificance of this globe, has sometimes shaken my reason for the faith that is in me; but my heart has always assured and reassured me that the gospel of Jesus Christ must be Divine Reality. The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a mere human production. This belief enters into the very depth of my conscience. The whole history of man proves it.” - Daniel Webster