Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Becki and I got to talking at such length this morning that I didn’t get to writing an entirely original this morning. Besides that, I volunteered to do her taxi routine while she did her shower and dress routine. In that regard I did not run off at 7:45am to picnic—but I did run off to pick Nick. We do that every Tuesday morning as part of his visitation schedule.

Some of you will recognize that this is a recycled devotional from a couple years ago—having mentioned our dog Daisy. We don’t have her any more—sadly.

I think it’s back to the sawmill. It may be just another one of those run-of-the-mill days.

Be blessed. Love, Dad/Ray.

I often find myself marveling at the craft and creative composition skills of the Creator. I don’t have to go further than examining one little hair to get myself all overwhelmed with awe. I remember once taking time to look closely at one such hair from the back of our dog, Daisy. I have a jeweler’s loupe that allows me to see things microscopically. That may not sound very impressive—but I was impressed—beholding how it was so precisely shaped and sized with gradients of color. How do the nutrients and molecules in her body know how and where to deposit themselves to manufacture such a perfect component? Examining a single scale from a fish when we lived in the South Pacific, like a colorful parrot fish, has also sent me into marvel mode—that easily progresses to worship mode. (I guess it doesn’t take much, does it? I something wrong with me?)

Needless to say, you and I are composed of a lot more than hairs. There is bone, connective tissue, skin, glands, organs, brains, appendages, eyes, ears…ad infinitum. It’s for sure that I had nothing to do with making all that stuff—let alone with sustaining it. And it’s absurd to think it all just kind of accidentally happened on its own.

Jesus advises His followers to avoid popular presumptuous stupid talk by arrogantly making rash impulsive promises, then seeking to add credible weight to those promises by attaching to them things we didn’t make and can’t really control. Instead let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” Even though this kind of “swearing” that Jesus addresses is common in our culture, the practical point is that you and I have no business being arrogant or overly confident concerning things we had nothing to do with, and over which we have almost no control. At least one of the bottom-lines is this: My promises and commitments are no better than my own integrity. And that is something I can and must control.