Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good beautiful afternoon, folks.

I’m catching glimpses of little Nicholas throwing stuff for Dandy dog in the area where I recently dropped 4 cottonwood trees. Thano’s at work. Becki’s inside cleaning. I spent about 2.5 hours in a dental chair this morning. And I just returned home with the crane truck, having had a mechanic friend repair a few things. Nicholas rode with me in the cab. He thought that was cool. And I don’t have any idea what you wish to do with this trivia.

Work is waiting. Better keep moving. Blessings.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Let’s be bold and honest enough to examine our own psychology. We may not be formally trained in that field, but to be sure, we’re all in that field!—we’re all wired by the Creator with psychological functions of thought that drives behavior. The problem is that the NATURAL SIN NATURE messes up this wiring that was originally made perfect. And, of course, the Biblical word that encompasses human psychology is “HEART”—something far more than a blood pump. We might say it’s the central organ of our psychology that pumps (or drives) the out-put of our lives. Little wonder that we are given this Biblical instruction: “Keep thy HEART with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23, KJV). In other words, “Don’t let your own psychology be left to itself—to simply run on auto-pilot!—because your default setting is not good—and how you think and reason affects or determines everything else in your life.”

We don’t have time to exhaust this topic, but consider this question: Why is it that when you say something that states, or even implies, that your listener is wrong in their thinking or behavior that they immediately get uncomfortable, irritated, defensive, or even flat-out angry? That automatic response points to our almost universal magnetic attraction to being right or justified in the way we think and behave. “What I think and do has to be right—after all, that’s what I think and do!” But even vile criminals who know their behavior is morally wrong, conjure up psychological support to justify their wrong behavior—which, if twisted the right way, can be made to seem right. The idea coming to me again is that this condition can be regarded as a form of psycho-spiritual intoxication—causing people to be intoxicated with themselves. It’s a condition similar to alcohol intoxication in that it deceives the victim so as to govern their minds and behaviors without them knowing they’re drunk. Did you hear about the guy stopped by police who slurs, “Hi, Ociffer—I’m really not as think as you drunk I am?”

Do you see why no one is going to accidentally be saved by Biblical definition? Do you see any confirmation of the Jeremiah 17:9 diagnosis?—the heart-level self-deception that says, “I’m right and God is wrong to judge me as wrong.” Be reminded that the Biblical Gospel begins with God’s Sovereign judgment, “I’m right, and you’re wrong, but here’s what I have to offer to repair your wrong”—so it begins with SIN. And there is no escaping its intoxication short of the essential personal acknowledgment and agreement and confession that I’M WRONG.

Hosea comes down hard and heavy against obstinate back-slidden Israel. And it only makes sense that if one continues going backward, and justifies going backward, and never stops going backward, they will never go forward. Duh! “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God (…because they keep justifying or excusing their perverse behavior). A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD” (5:4). Psycho-spiritual intoxication is a parallel way of saying “A spirit of prostitution is in their heart.” Sadly, we are living in a world of predominant drunkenness—surrounded by a bunch of self-aholics—amidst people intoxicated with themselves—and high on their self-righteousness.

Please agree that a HEART AFTER GOD is the best anti-intoxicant available—our only hope for sobering up.