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.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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13 December 2011
Proverbs 13
Focus: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.
This was spoken in ancient times, but I believe its truth is as modern and relevant as it ever was. Solomon is expressing a sound psychological principle of life. It supports the truth that how you and I think has profound influence on every other part of our lives—including our physical state of being. Let me repeat the practical axiom that says, “THINK RIGHT—LIVE RIGHT, THINK WRONG—LIVE WRONG.”
Clinical depression is a diagnosable condition. My understanding is that HOPELESSNESS and other wrong thought patterns, for whatever reason (chemical imbalance, brain tissue damage, etc.), are at the heart of the condition, making the “heart sick”—a form of mental illness. It is characterized by a loss of any confidence that things will get better than they are right now.
We all have hopes and dreams in regards to things we would like to do within our lifetimes. And when we lose hope that those hopes and dreams can realistically be fulfilled, it can be pretty depressing. Right? I think that’s really quite normal and natural. It’s just that when our entire list of hopes and dreams are physical, geographical, social, experiential, or monetary (in other words, temporal and self-centered), and our entire sense of success and purpose is bound to those personal hopes and dreams, we have a recipe for depression. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Correcting this condition does not require that we cease from hoping and dreaming, but that we re-evaluate and modify the objects of those hopes and dreams and bring them into compliance with goals and values that are bigger than ourselves—like LIVING TO PLEASE GOD. What an idea! If that is one’s aim and direction, just think of the benefits—it actually yields a “longing fulfilled” which can transform a human sojourn into “a tree of life.” Haleluia! (Sorry—I hope I didn’t damage your eardrums with my shout. But I won’t apologize for my general response to that truth. See again Psalm 1:1-3.)
I want to be cautious with dogma, but please allow me to state my dogmatic view once again, which I believe is consistent with the authority of Scripture. WHETHER OR NOT YOU KNOW IT OR LIKE IT, YOU ARE A PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL BATTLEFIELD! What is your view? Your responding to that simple question offers an urgent and worthwhile homework assignment.
“Though reading and conversation may furnish us with many ideas of men and things, our own meditation must form our own judgment.” - Isaac Watts