Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear one.
Nice afternoon out there. And it was a nice morning for Becki and me to do our walk/jog routine on our place. It’s been hectic all morning. I’m in scramble mode—trying to get prepared—oops!—a guy just rolled in whom I’ve been waiting for—needing some black walnut logs unloaded from his trailer. So—now I’m back at 2:23pm.
Now I’m loaded and ready to run to Andy’s shop in Dallas where I will pick up a print he has for a 4’x8’sign—probably applying the print to the substrate I have on the truck there at his shop. Then it’s more of the scramble mode, preparing to take off early tomorrow morning to do a few days of bow hunting way down in SE Oregon—Burns/Hines area. Both deer and elk will have targets on them. Hope to get some blood on my hands. But I won’t hold my breath.
Blessings on the rest of your day.
Love, Dad/Ray.
If I could reduce Paul’s main concern for his readers to one basic message, I think it would be something like this: THE VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT A LEISURELY, CASUAL, RELAXING, “WHATEVER,” “HO-HUM,” “WALK-IN-THE-PARK” COURSE—BUT ONE OF DECISIVE LOVING GOD, COMMITMENT, DILIGENCE, FOCUS, GROWTH (development), AND SELF-DISCIPLINE (thus “discipleship”)—AND NOT JUST SOME OF THE TIME, BUT ALL OF THE TIME!—24/7! I cannot comprehend how any true believer can take exception with this view. As I regard Paul’s example as one that is worthy of following, I see this approach to life and faith paying valuable dividends, not just for me personally, but also in the lives of others who are of like-minded persuasion. This faith description seems reminiscent of the comparison Jesus spoke of regarding the broad and easy way that leads to destruction, versus the narrow disciplined way that leads to LIFE (Matthew 7:13-14). Once again, I can’t seem to avoid the conclusion that it all boils down to a matter of CHOICE—where one chooses from the full range of options a HEART AFTER GOD.
Let me quote verse 12: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” You’ll notice that I underlined the last phrase. I think it’s worth raising the question as to why “Christ Jesus took hold of me?” Without any doubt, God has gone to great lengths and vested big-time in my salvation. The CROSS proves that! But why? Does He love me because I’m so loveable? No. Is it because I am of such sterling character? Certainly not. The best answer I can come up with is that He loves me NOT for what I am, but for what I may become IN CHRIST—for the potential I hold in embracing the above-mentioned approach to living. Let me repeat it—a life of LOVING GOD, COMMITMENT, DILIGENCE, FOCUS, GROWTH (development), AND SELF-DISCIPLINE (thus “discipleship”)—AND NOT JUST SOME OF THE TIME, BUT ALL OF THE TIME! This is an absolutely impossible job description for anyone NOT loving God. That’s the premise of it all.
Let me carry on this track by quoting verses 13 through 15: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”