Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, fellow travelers.

Yup…we’re going somewhere. Somewhere good.

“If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!” That’s a little quote from an email I just picked up. It makes me want to add this recommendation…that we not deal with life and death on a trial and error basis.

Lots pushing on me…and here it is 10am! Bye.

Blessings. Love, Dad/Ray.

Wow! Rather than getting all fearful and depressed over this inevitable terminus of life that we call death, this terrific passage fires me up to get excited about it. I hope you will take time to read this section again very carefully. I realize it does not present a popular view—but I’ll sure take it over the alternatives any day. Others can yield to their natural subjective fears and get all freaked out over dying if they want to, but we only need to be reminded as to where we have taken our stand—on the New Testament Gospel of Christ—which does not allow a dismal view of death—our departure from this dimension of life to the glorious next one

Paul captures and makes profound use of a supportive truth that God hides all around us in plain view. It’s a truth that becomes so commonplace to most people that they hardly give it a second thought. But let’s try to align our own minds with the same channel setting as that of Paul and take another look at our gardens—the whole amazing realm of vegetation life. Think about it. Here’s a little dry ugly dead seed, composed of little tiny bits and pieces of mindless matter, yet retaining a trace of the miracle of life. And I do mean MIRACLE! After all, what are the chances that little bits and pieces of mindless matter could invent the force of life on their own. Hey!—don’t you see it?! God’s fingerprints are all over that phenomenon! Right there in front of us—hidden in plain view—a profound demonstration of the supernatural empowering the natural! The MIRACLE goes on—there is that little seed buried out of sight in all that brown lifeless dirt—it’s like it is touched by the finger of God—changes begin—a little root, a little shoot, now visible—do you give a hoot? (Sorry—couldn’t resist.) By means of the presence of water and the DNA code miraculously embedded within, that little plant extracts more bits and pieces of mindless matter from that brown dirt, arranging it into a growing and unfolding composition of design, beauty, and function—not just in different shades of brown, but the full spectrum of the color wheel! There is no way mindless matter could do all that on it’s own. Please agree. I’m afraid that those who don’t are also demonstrating their own condition of mindlessness. The Bible calls that condition a FOOL (Psalm 14:1—while you’re at it, read the whole Psalm).

IF you embrace this Gospel, you are promised a wonderful, glorious, and heavenly future—beyond anything your little thinker can think! Be encouraged—and don’t resist or be scared over the process. So the next time to look in the mirror to behold the glaring evidence of that process, take it as a cue to say, “Haleluia, I see you’re getting closer to your obvious need for glorious transformation!”

The last verse sure offers wonderful closure to this discussion. “Therefore, my dear brothers (which includes sisters), stand firm (remembering where you have taken your stand). Let nothing move you (from this Gospel orientation). Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord (since the purpose of your existence is to serve Him), because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (A HEART AFTER GOD will be richly rewarded)” (v. 58).