Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear ones.

Not as cold this morning. Becki and I plan to do a walk/jog in a few minutes. Then I face big challenges…a main one being how to cut down this stump to about ground level when it is over 6 feet in diameter…and my big saw on which I can mount a 60” bar has a non-working bar oiler.

My friend, Gaylord, has been counting sentences in these little devotionals—tallying six and seven. But I really went over this morning—twelve sentences! Oh well…maybe you can just read seven, then quit if you want.

Have a great day. Love and prayers.

Love, Dad/Ray

This is commendable. This is what sets Abram apart from the crowd—a HEART AFTER GOD. Although there is nothing yet in the record that would indicate a divine decree toward worship—like, “Thou shalt build an altar and call on the name of the LORD.” He knew from his divine encounters that God was real. I would also assume that his gift of objective reasoning was healthy enough so as to examine the evidence in creation surrounding him and appropriately conclude, THERE CANNOT NOT BE A GOD.

BIG WARNING: A HEART AFTER GOD, while being of highest value, does not necessarily eliminate contamination from STUPID—a selfish heart after ME. Abram abundantly provides this very lesson when, rather than acknowledging the LORD in all his ways, he leans to his own understanding and cooks up a crazy deal with his attractive “Cover Girl” wife, Sarai, to say she is Abram’s sister—a strategy to avoid his being killed by those he knew would want his woman. Good grief, Abram!—what about the price tag for Sarai?

Amazingly, the LORD steps in to perform an intervening rescue and causes Pharaoh to know, in no uncertain terms, that he is dangerously messing around with a special man’s wife. LESSON: When a man embraces a basic HEART AFTER GOD, the LORD is released to intervene even in that man’s STUPID.

The hallmark of the Biblical Gospel is this: GOD’S GRACE IS BIGGER THAN MAN’S SIN-BOUND STUPID. Are you thankful yet?