Insightful Musings on theScriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

There is some moisture on the ground as it rained a little last night. It’s generally overcast. That may be good for me, as long as the rain holds off. I have a huge oak tree removal to do today. It will be a set of major challenges.

Becki just left to go pick up Nicholas. Then she will go with Thano to a conference that may result in some assistance for Thano.

Should I do a jog? It’s not like I will not get some serious exercise today. OK…I’ll go…maybe a short one. And since this is something I have decided to do, the reading today instructs me to do this jog in the name of the Lord. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).

So…do today in the name of the Lord. Love, dad/Ray.

Every kid likes a new toy. I guess I’m no exception—I like new stuff too. But life and experience has taught me that there is a down-side to this persistent human hang-up. New stuff that is given any kind of use simply cannot remain new stuff. Nor does the new excitement that goes with the new stuff remain new excitement for very long. This can apply to a new doll, a new toy truck, a new bike, a new car, a new piece of property, a new girlfriend, a new marriage, and even a new faith or conversion experience. The best we can do in view of this built-in degeneration problem is to maintain what is valuable and desirable in a condition as close to new as possible.

Let me quote here verses 9 and 10 of our reading to set the context clearly before us. “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your OLD SELF with its practices and have put on the NEW SELF, which is being RENEWED in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” I’ve capitalized what I judge to be key words. Do you get the point? The NEW SELF, left to itself, will naturally run down and wear out just like any other self. But since the Creator of the NEW SELF is God Who is supernatural and Who does not run down or wear out, he offers a kind of miraculous maintenance program to those who will continually set their minds on things above (3:2) and “grow in grace and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18) through His inexhaustible Living Word. So in summary, it is not enough to simply replace the OLD with the NEW; the NEW must constantly be RENEWED.

Think about it. I highly recommend that every Bible believer adopt this as an ongoing routine and lifestyle.