Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear people.

It has already ceased to be morning. Where does the time go? Well I guess I know where some of it has gone. Besides grappling with this original devotional, doing a walk/jog with Becki, then partaking of the blueberry pancake “Fly-In Breakfast” at the Mulino Airport (where Ray and Lorna Wilson help out each year) and doing a little casual coveting of some of those attractive aircraft on display, we have returned to try to tune up this devotional before launching…and make contact with a guy that will be delivering his dump truck here shortly so I can apply some graphics.

The proverb I stuck on the end from one of my quip and quotation books captured my attention and provoked my imagination. On one hand it doesn’t apply…on another it does. I’ll let you try to sort it out.

Have a splendid day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Paul is saying SOMETHING very important about NOTHING. That’s a lot better than saying NOTHING about SOMETHING very important. And just to confirm how revolutionary is the Kingdom of God to the natural sin nature, the SOMETHING that Paul says is NOTHING is the very NOTHING that the popular worldview acclaims as really SOMETHING. Please don’t be confused.

OK, let’s get this nailed down—this SOMETHING very important that has the power to transform this category of NOTHING into SOMETHING very important is, in fact, the Love of God. And the Love of God is foundational to EVERYTHING GOOD (1 Corinthians 3:11)—the absence of which reduces EVERYTHING else to essentially NOTHING of any lasting eternal value. Understand that you and I are that essential NOTHING in and of ourselves. Our status is absolutely hopeless. Personally receiving the Gift of God (Love of God) through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23) is the only agent of change available. And once personally received this divine gift must be personally integrated, displayed, and passed along. If not, it provides profound evidence that it was never really received and integrated. The FRUIT (evidence) OF THE SPIRIT (this spiritual transformational union with Christ) IS LOVE (the positive opposite of sin, which is essentially self-centeredness)—Galatians 5:22-23. Thus the confirmational evidence of being born of the Spirit is to demonstrate the Love of God.

In order to review the pivotal importance of this theme, let’s revisit Paul’s prayer for believers at Ephesus in Ephesians 3:16-19: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” And remember—“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Whew! We could go on and on. But don’t let this core concept get by you. Too many do—and settle for NOTHING, thinking that it’s really SOMETHING.