Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people….what’s left of it.

I just returned from a run to Woodburn where I purchased a “Trip Permit” for the crane truck…since I need to use it this afternoon to remove a cherry tree for someone. I did some other errands and stops along the way. Earlier, I managed to get in a jog. Now I need to gather all my equipment and rigging for this little tree job.

Oh my…now it’s 12:21pm. A guy rolled in an hour ago looking for a special slab of wood. After a lot of talk and considering the options I presented, he finally hauled away a piece of Sequoia Redwood for $100 bucks. Now I need to hurry to other urgencies.

May the rest of your day go well.

Love, Dad/Ray.

We don’t normally think of the word “the” as being one that is full of inspiration and encouragement. But it has occurred to me, while meditating on these things, that “the” could be, in fact, one of the most inspiring words in the Bible. Take for example Jesus words in John 11:25-26: “I am THE resurrection and THE life.” He is not A resurrection or LIKE a resurrection or symbolic of resurrection. HE IS THE RESURRECTION!—WITHOUT WHOM THERE IS NO RESURRECTION! And He is not A life, or life-LIKE, or representative of life. HE IS THE LIFE!—WITHOUT WHOM THERE IS NO LIFE! This is either a bunch of idealistic overstatement—or it is THE TRUTH—which is also what Jesus claimed to be—and which, by the way, I believe to be TRUE.

Since Paul has been enabled to comprehend a measure of this TRUTH, is it any wonder, that he would make this revolutionary confession of faith and priority? “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Please ponder.