Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, special ones.
Beautiful! Sunshine is now covering the landscape from this window. I just returned from an excursion with Becki to deliver Kaden to his school bus stop. He spent the night. While driving back, Becki and I had more opportunity to process this composition.
Time to eat a late breakfast…then get on with the day. Blessings..
Love, Dad/Ray.
King Solomon wraps up his cynical composition of Ecclesiastes with a bottom line conclusion: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). After consuming so much space with life’s futilities, he finally gets it right and signs off with a valid Biblical mandate.
It seems that John is wrapping up his inspiring epistle with a similar bottom line conclusion. Perhaps it could be viewed as a basic job description for the life-long career of being human. He states the prescription in the form of two requirements (commands) that are simple yet profound:
- BELIEVE. This, of course, is a matter far more than a mental or intellectual exercise, but a total all-encompassing acceptance, commitment, and devotion.
- LOVE. True belief in and surrender to Christ and His Word will absolutely result in loving others. It cannot be otherwise and still be the real deal—any more than a healthy branch of an apple tree can produce cranberries.
Learning to live by the standard of what I know and believe will free me from the tyranny of living by the standard of opinion, peer pressure, or what I feel. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).