Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear special people.
It’s overcast…but dry and warm. I want to get out soon to carry on with the roof frame for this mural structure.
I’m here returning to the computer following some good dialogue with Becki…discussing this devotional, discussing my discussion of yesterday with the unbelieving artist (We talked while we worked), discussing the significance of our national state of affairs against the template of Biblical prophecy. Wow! We are living in terrific tumultuous times! I kind of preached to Becki…and Becki kind of preached to me…and we had a hard time restraining tears…especially when she read from David’s poetic prayer in Psalm 57…”Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth” (Psalm 57:5 & 11). I sure want to subscribe to that attitude of heart and soul rather than just jumping aboard some reactionary conservative bandwagon that denounces the agenda of the liberal progressives (or visa versa). It’s a lot more fulfilling and fun to live life as a perpetual worship experience…in partnership with the One Who knows everything about everything…rather than joining the crowd and running off with a bunch of subjective opinions…that have no more substantiation than a bunch of subjective opinions. Does this make any sense? What are your thoughts?
Back to the day at hand…among other things, we’ll be attending a 50th anniversary for our friends, Ron and Jan Funk.
Blessings on your day. Love, Dad/Ray
Here is another principle of the Kingdom that is worth remembering: UNLESS JESUS, BY MEANS OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT, LENDS SPECIAL INFLUENCE SO AS TO OPEN MY MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES, I’M NEVER GOING TO GET IT. I can read and read and read, but NEVER GET IT! Without this special divine touch, the Bible is just a bunch of black print on white paper. It’s like reading someone else’s mail. It just doesn’t make sense. And even with this touch of His Spirit, there is no guarantee that I will get it all at once. Look at Jesus’ own disciples. The fact is, it is a constant ongoing revelation—an unfolding adventure in glory.
I want to quote from 2 Corinthians 3:16-18: “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord (activates A HEART AFTER GOD), the veil (non-understanding, confusion) is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (freedom from sin, self, and Satan—freedom to know things not otherwise known). And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory (from one glorious revelation after another), which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
For anyone not thus activated, this doesn’t make a lick of sense. I may as well be talking Martian. But anyone so activated will find their insides resonating with the words of Jesus in John 8:31-32: “If you hold to my teaching (with A HEART AFTER GOD), you are really my disciples (as opposed to Christian religionists). Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”