Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good day, dear ones.

Wow—there was some serious moisture dropped in the night. But Becki and I were able to do our little on-property walk/jog this morning with the maniac dogs. They get so pumped and eager to chase a ball and take off like an explosion when you just start to wind up for a throw, that they don’t pay much attention to where the ball is going. All they know is that they want to chase a ball. I guess it’s a picture of zeal without wisdom—like being sent without a mission—or shooting without a target—leaping without looking.

Here we are leaping into another day. I only have some general objectives. First is to take this second black walnut panel up to the sandblasting shop. Perhaps I will tease those guys and accuse them of sandblasting out a misspelling of a word—so we’re having to do it over.

May your day be blessed by His grace and guidance.

Love, Dad/Ray.

It had to be remarkable to behold Jesus performing miraculous healings of those who were obviously sick and physically impaired. It was particularly dramatic to see this paralyzed guy lowered into the crowded room by his friends from an opening they made in the roof. That act of urgency and faith was wonderfully rewarded and the paralyzed person went home walking on his own strong legs. It is no surprise that those gathered there would have been “filled with awe and said, ‘we have seen remarkable things today.’”

However, let’s be reminded that just seeing remarkable things doesn’t save anyone by itself. Observing the power of God does not necessarily align one with God. Seeing is not necessarily believing. In fact, just because one sees, does not ensure that one sees adequately or correctly. I am sure that there were present on this occasion those discerning souls who recognized Jesus’ forgiveness of sins and His healing power as profound evidences of his divinity and Messiahship. But there were others who judged what they saw and heard as acts of blasphemy. Same event—different conclusions.

It all goes together to confirm in my mind a basic thesis that I have held for a long time—a concept that you will see me often repeating in these devotional missives—and one I have not yet found any substantial evidence against. I may be like a broken record. THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGULAR INGREDIENT IN MY LIFE IS A HEART AFTER GOD—a heart that sincerely seeks to know God, to love Him, to please Him, and to serve Him—a heart that is willing to lay aside self-righteousness and preconceived ideas in quest of that high objective (Philippians 3:7-11). I have to believe that, with that heart condition, everything one needs will fall into place according to God’s sovereign grace and provision (Matthew 6:33). But without it, all those great experiences, even those “divine encounters,” all the miracles, all the healings, all the great meetings, all the ministry achievements, all the education and training, all the wonderful sermons, all the impressive memories, all the conviction, all the promises and commitments, all those prayers “to receive Christ,” all the “Pentecostal” outpourings, and all the ecstatic displays around church altars—they don’t really amount to a hill of beans.