Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear ones.

A few moments ago it was snowing like crazy. Now it has returned to just rain. If we can get these little boys wrapped up well enough, I think I’ll try to take time to haul them up the hill (Goat Mountain) into the snow…let them play a while. /p>

Oops! I had a pot of water boiling on the stove…and forgot it. I meant to return to it and put in the taro we bought the other day at an Asian store. OK, it’s cooking now. How many people in the US would be preparing taro for breakfast?

Lots of other work on the drawing board…besides play in the snow and eating taro.

May your day be blessed. Love, Dad/Ray

On this 29th day of February, our reading schedule lifts us from the Acts account and directs us to leap (…after all, it’s leap year) to the last chapter of Hebrews. It is definitely a hard-hitting multi-topical read. Since we can’t cover all the topics, I have selected verse 7 for special attention.

God forbid that we allow ourselves to be sponge-like people who thoughtlessly soak up the worldview and lifestyle of the circumstances and environment that surround us. These are unavoidable influences, to be sure, but they must not be our primary governing factors for determining why we live and believe the way we do.

In setting a course for our lives and beliefs, we are given here about as good a capsule of advice as we could ever find. “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” My thoughts are taking the form of a three-point outline.

• REMEMBER. I suppose one of the best ways to remember those who have served the Lord admirably is to read their writings, contemplate their biographies, and observe their influences. History is full of great stories of great people of great faith who refused to be manipulated by their surroundings. As a young person, I was deeply influenced by the life and faith of Jim Elliot. But there were many others—Dwight L. Moody, John Wesley, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, and Martin Luther—to name just a few. We could include men like the Biblical Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul, and even Jesus Christ. These role models were not only leaders in their day, but they continue to lead today.
• CONSIDER. By this we want to examine the quality of these leaders’ lives. What were their aims, goals, and sense of purpose? Look not only at how they lived, but how they died. This can help us in critiquing present-day leadership, and not just be pulled along by oratory, truth claims, and stage performance. “Outcome” would include factors like results, track record, and fruit. I’m convinced that God wants us to compare, evaluate, and think carefully as a guard against deception and gullibility.
• IMITATE. We may not be able to imitate every detail of a role model’s lifestyle and influence, but we can imitate the quality of their faith that produced their lifestyle and influence. God is intentional about providing us with lots of godly role models to encourage, lend positive influence, and help us to properly steer our lives. And make no mistake about it—He wants you to be one of them.