Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings in the morning, dear ones.

Deer are coming into our area now with the apples dripping from our tree. But Dandy keeps running them off. Maybe I should tie Dandy up and sit out there to see if a buck shows up.

As I anticipated, one of the kittens died in the night. He was just too frail and scrawny to compete with his siblings for a nipple. We’re now down to 9 kittens—from the original 11. I’ve already performed the burial.

I have to be careful to knock out some objectives before arriving at a site in SE Portland at 1pm to hang a rather complicated 4x8 sign. This customer has been a pain to work with. I’ll be glad when it’s over.

Becki should be showing any minute to do a walk/jog excursion around our place—five circuits equal about 1.5 miles.

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Besides the point that “a faith not worth sharing is not worth having,” I think there is a valid principle contained in this short prayer by Paul for Philemon that deserves our attention. Notice the REQUEST: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” Now consider the REASON: “So that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Are you following this line of reasoning? In other words motivation in the activity of imparting your faith actually primes the pump of understanding. I think it stands to reason that the person who is not inclined toward PRESENTATION is not likely to be engaged in PREPARATION. Indeed this lazy and inactive approach can cause one’s faith to procrastinate, disintegrate, degenerate, deteriorate, suffocate, vegetate, and fornicate. Sharing your faith, however, will cause it to invigorate, stimulate, appreciate, activate, motivate, rejuvenate, and communicate. Since you can’t give away something you don’t have, the effective impartation of your faith requires an understanding of your faith. And understanding requires study, research, and thought, all of which are positive components of growth and strength. Please don’t allow yourself to believe that this is only a matter of cold sheer boring discipline. Please consider (and ask God for) the delight factor that David presents in describing the man who is blessed of God. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). (Question: How often is day and night?)

Do you agree that this prayer Paul prays for Philemon is a good prayer for us to pray for ourselves?