Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, dear people.
My head popped open about 3am…so I rose about 3:30am. Not sure what the day looks like yet.
I wanted to mention one little special experience I had the other evening while traveling toward Mt. Hood. I encountered a herd of elk just off the road in a Christmas tree field. That was the first time I’ve seen elk in our area. It was easy to spot the big bulls.
Last evening I met Becki at the hotel where she’s staying in conjunction with that conference she’s helping with—the Airport Sheraton. We dined at a nearby Red Robin and had a good time…talking, among other things, about our difficult set of challenges. Yup! We have them too. You’re not alone.
However you do your day, maintain Jesus as Lord.
Love, Dad/Ray
Let’s consider some definitions of “grace” as supplied by my Webster’s New World Dictionary. “1. Beauty or charm of form, composition, movement, or expression 2. an attractive quality, feature, manner, etc. 3. a) a sense of what is right and proper; decency b) thoughtfulness toward others 4. good will; favor.”
Rather than quote the whole entry, I’ll jump to definition number 10: “Theol. 1) the unmerited love and favor of God toward man b) divine influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong c) the condition of a person thus influenced d) a special virtue given to a person by God.”
With these definitions in mind, let’s consider verse 23 again: “When he (Barnabas) arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” There were attractive qualities of love, holiness, and changed lives emanating from these new Gentile believers that could not be missed. Not only was this obvious to Barnabas, but it seems that the whole community was taking notice. For it says that “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (11:26).
Would to God we could see more CHRISTIANS like them in our own community—people who demonstrate more than a bunch of truth claims, but give clear “evidence of the grace of God.” Too often the title CHRISTIAN is represented by people who are about as goofed up in their personal lives as any other typical worldling.
Can we bring it close to home—like real close? How about you? To what degree is your life giving “evidence of the grace of God?” I’ve heard the question put this way: “If you were put on trial and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove you guilty?”