Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Hello again, dear people…

…on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. We had a great lunchtime on our creekside deck with Andy and Delaine and family coming over after church. The problem was that it was clipped shorter than we would prefer since Becki and I had to run to our regular Gospel Sing session at Pheasant Pointe at 3pm. We had a good time there. But I guess the pleasant part of this Sunday afternoon is due to the fact that I fit in my old man nap after that session. Yaaawn. Sigh. To help enhance the setting, Becki requested that I make up a bowl of popcorn. So I did.

Now I need to think about going 69 different directions this next week to get some urgent things done—largely motivated by an urgent need to generate some income.

Have a bless rest of your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Favoritism can be found in many, if not, most, human relationships. Teachers will often have favorite students who receive more attention and privileges than other students. Bosses often have favorite employees who may receive an unequal amount of benefits. Parents sometimes have a favorite child who is actually loved and cared for in greater measure than the other siblings. The Bible reveals some of this kind of inequity when Isaac’s favorite son was Esau while Rebekah’s favorite was Jacob. Then Jacob’s favorite kid was Joseph, and you remember all the jealousy and bitterness that resulted from that. We could even point out some Biblical cases of a favorite wife and the inequities and problems that arrangement presented. Probably the most negative aspect of all this favoritism is when one is in the position of the non-favorite and has to cope with all the hurt, anger, and rejection that can go with it. Pause here for a moment and try to take in the flawless character of our God—our Heavenly Father. “There is no favoritism with him.”

This passage deals with the roles and responsibilities of several basic positions within human relationships. Favoritism can potentially plague them all. There are responsibilities of wives, of husbands, of children, of servants, and of bosses. It is good to know that there is no position or person that is more important or more highly esteemed before the Sovereign Father than the other. In general, each one has equal responsibility before Him to perform their duties as if they were married to, parented by, or working for the Lord Himself. Oh, I know that this kind of concept can be passed off as overly idealistic. Truly the practical application may be easier said than done. But don’t allow yourself to toss the principle out the window because of that. Ain’t nothin’ easy that’s important! At least we are given a standard to measure by and strive for. There really is a wealth of value in this simple concept toward achieving harmony and equity in our relationships. Without allowing any favoritism in the realm of your thoughts, think about it.