Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people

We’re still enjoying this beautiful weather. Another clear sky is over head. I love it.

Fellowshipping and catching up with my brother yesterday morning ate into work progress and my regular routine. So I didn’t get this finished up and sent. I’ll go ahead and send it now and hope I can find some time to cook up the production for today. Can’t be sure.

Have a blessed day. Love, Dad/Ray.

PS: I continue to be amazed at how our general public is so generally unaware of the facts behind what is going on in our nation and world. This is not to imply a claim that I know fully. But I highly recommend that you

1. keep reading your Bible, and
2. be sure to view the DVD, “AGENDA: GRINDING AMERICA DOWN.” As confirmed in that DVD, this is not conspiracy theory—it’s an agenda. Here’s a good short article that offers important definition: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/10/21/why-obamacare-is-fantastic-success/.

In what way is it a “the valley of decision?” What is being decided? Who is the decider?—or the one(s) doing the deciding? God or man? Or is it God and man? Or maybe, man and God? Of course, we could spend time with lots of details that encompass the geographical location and historical fulfillment, but I’m deciding to focus on the general Biblical principles behind this specific Bible prophecy.

What do you think of this spin? God decided to create the heavens and the earth as a setting for His most treasured piece of creation—mankind (humans). Man is special in that the Creator decided to vest something in him that He vests nowhere else—His own “image and likeness.” He decided that those qualities would include the special abilities to think objectively and make decisions. Thinking and deciding are GOD THINGS. Dirt can’t do that! Mankind has been given the freedom to decide how he will manage his own gift of existence with these divine qualities—whether he will decide to use them for serving and honoring his Maker, or for serving and honoring himself, or any number of false gods and ideologies. In this regard, THE VERY REALITY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IS A “VALLEY OF DECISION”—WE’RE ALL THERE! So, I think this is the ultimate bottom line: A man’s decision regarding God determines God’s decision regarding a man.

Consider the challenge of an earlier prophet—the prophet Elijah. You will recall the dramatic miracle-enhancing revival he led on Mt. Carmel when he was pumped with boldness to confront backslidden Israel and their priests of Baal and Asherah, proposing a shoot-out. The core of his challenge involved the urgency of exercising human intelligence toward making a decision—not a flimsy opinion. “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’” (1 Kings 18:21). In other words, “You bunch of air-heads—you’re living way below your intended created purpose! God has given you minds to use! This up-and-down in-and-out SALVATION-SIN-SUFFERING-SORROW-SALVATION cycle has gone on long enough! Come on, folks—quit riding a fence and messing around! This is too important! If the God of the Bible is worth anything, He’s worth everything! If He is only a figment of our imaginations, He is worth virtually nothing! So let’s have a showdown right here and be resolved to follow the evidence. Let’s turn this into a MOUNTAIN OF DECISION!”

There is an implicit warning within the verse I quoted above. I left out the last little sentence. It shows how the low-information voters responded to Elijah’s loud challenge—“But the people said nothing.” Nothing? Really? Let’s understand that indecision equals a decision in this “valley of decision.” And it’s not a good one.