Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Last day of July! Wow! And the tuna are running! While I’m stuck here with all this urgency! Oh well.

When I inserted the quote at the end of the devotional, I was made to wonder how things would have played out if Corrie only had nine Booms. I guess I’ll never know. Whatever.

I’ll be running my pickup into NE Portland this morning to load up a replacement rubber track for my excavator that I ordered up from Georgia and just arrived yesterday afternoon. $1523. Ouch! Now—to get it installed.

Another hot one today. I think I’ll jump in the creek again this afternoon. Be cool. Be blessed.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Question: What would we do without trouble?—without any consequences for living here in this FALLEN WORLD with a NATURAL SIN NATURE? If there were no negative results flowing from that mindset and lifestyle, would we not simply carry on with it? Why correct a life course that is filled with the illusion of success? So maybe it’s a good idea to pause right here and specifically thank God for all those blessed troubles—those painful consequences of selfishness and sin—all those shattered dreams that we so arrogantly figured were such done deals. Are not those ugly realities the very influences that have caused us to look beyond our deficient selves, seek God, and correct our courses by means of His grace, guidance, and forgiveness? I think that’s essentially what Paul means when he calls attention to the benefits of “Godly sorrow.”

There is an important technicality to be had here. It comes into focus when I ask, “What exactly am I sorry for?” Am I self-centered in my sorrow—just sorry for the personal pain and suffering my waywardness has caused me? Or am I sorry for violating His plans and purposes for my life—ignoring His gracious offer of forgiveness, restoration, and relationship? In other words, am I just sorry for my SINS, or am I more importantly sorry for my SIN—the root cause for SINS? If so, my general rejection of His Kingship is exposed—which excludes me from His Kingdom. Not good. “Worldly sorrow brings death.” Of course it does. Why? Because of the Sovereign decree, “The wages of SIN is death” (Romans 6:23).

Particularly noteworthy to me is the phrase, “…and leaves no regret.” I really like that because the opposite orientation is so automatically stuffed with regret. To be sure, you will never hear anyone say, “Oh phooey!—I’m saved! I’m redeemed! I’m forgiven! I’m on my way to heaven! What a bummer!”