Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Hello, folks.
It’s quite a pleasant scene from this window…hazy sunshine and calm…with smoke ascending straight up from our wood stove chimneys. (Thano has a wood stove in his place too.)
I wanted to get in a jog…but time has got away from me again. Besides that, when I was in the house and saw that Becki had fabricated one of my favorite breakfasts—biscuits and gravy (egg gravy)—I gave in to one of my favorite things. Another factor that influenced not jogging is that no one knows at present what happened to the tennis ball flinger that I use to throw the balls for Dandy. I’m not so sure I didn’t leave it on the bench at our entry—which would put it within reach of Dandy. Not sure. But you don’t have to pray about it.
Blessings on this another unknown day. And that’s another good reason to trust the One Who knows everything.
Love, Dad/Ray.
There remains a little video clip in my ailing memory that goes back many years to when I was conferring with a potential sign customer in Southern Oregon. He was a huge guy who looked like a professional wrestler—like he could take on grizzly bears. Inspecting the site for a sign called for walking across a grassy field. Midway across, we came on to a little baby garter snake slithering along in the grass. This guy freaked out—dancing and squealing like a spanked puppy—and almost climbed on my back—not good. I suppose the reason this scene is so memorable is because it was so crazy and paradoxical—that such a hulk of a guy would get so scared and traumatized by a harmless baby snake.
So, what else is new? Natural men seem to naturally be afraid of stuff that’s not worth being scared of—then turn around to remain fearless of things that should scare the starch out of them. But then—natural men don’t go to heaven, do they? And purely natural men don’t ever subscribe to the terms of discipleship as set forth in this passage by Jesus Christ Himself. Why is that? Because, “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV). If this is so, what are the odds that anyone will ever accidentally stumble in upon Biblical saving faith?
Even Spirit-enlightened and transformed disciples still live in a natural world environment where it is appropriate to fear poison snakes, angry grizzlies, burglars, rapists, un-safe ladders, identity theft, terrorists, and loaded shotguns. But taking into account the whole of this passage, here is what I understand to be the highest and most appropriate priority fear of a balanced Spirit-enlightened, transformed, Bible-believing follower of Christ—NOT HAVING A CURRENT UP-TO-DATE PASSIONATE COST-WHAT-MAY LOVE AND DEVOTION TO JESUS CHRIST AS MANIFESTING SOVEREIGN GOD. How many do you suppose are in possession of such a priority fear? Think about it. And please bring that question close to home.