Insightful Musings on theScriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Hello, nice people.

Sure has been a full and hectic day. Included was about 3 hours of running my sawmill. I did a trip into Portland to get a sawmill part—then to pick up a sailing kayak outfit that Thano is buying. It really is a neat little outfit. We’re both getting interested in doing some ocean kayak fishing.

I’m feeling like it’s well past my bedtime. Good night.

Love, Dad/Ray.

This is just one verse—but takes up over half the entire psalm. You are probably aware that Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible—just 2 verses—short and sweet.

Let’s focus on “his love toward us” and ask WHY?—why does He love us?—why does He love me? In my humble opinion, that is an extremely important question. My answer to that question determines almost everything else concerning my practical worldview—how I manage my thinking, my view of God, my view of myself, my choices, and my behavior.

Perhaps I will attempt to suggest two basic options for answering that question—along with their reasonable affects.

1. HE LOVES ME BECAUSE HE KNOWS HOW GOOD I REALLY AM—I’M SO WONDERFUL AND IRRESISTABLY LOVABLE TO HIM. Hand in hand with this answer is the notion of God’s unconditional love—that no matter how I treat Him and His love gift, He will continue to love me with an everlasting love. It only stands to reason that this perspective will reduce my sense of personal responsibility to seek Him, worship Him, obey Him, and represent Him.


2. HE LOVES ME OUT OF HIS GREAT LOVE AND GRACE WHICH HE MAKES AVAILABLE ONLY TO HIS HUMAN CREATURES IN WHOM HE HAS VESTED HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS (I understand that to be objective reasoning and moral choice as key mechanisms for determining the general course and quality of my life) WHICH HE PURPOSES ME TO USE FOR CHOOSING TO LOVE AND SERVE HIM. So He loves me even while I am in my sinful state, not because of my sinful state (Romans 5:8), but because of my potential for growing and developing into a useful servant by embracing His rescue plan—being BORN AGAIN and SPIRIT EMPOWERED by accepting and believing in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior (Rescuer) and Lord (Master). This perspective becomes highly motivational toward praising Him, worshiping Him, and obeying Him.

To be sure, the Sovereign Creator does not wish His human creatures to waste their divine gifting on folly, so as to become fools. But that option is still available to them for the choosing. How a fool thinks and behaves is the theme of the first half off Proverbs 26. I count 11 times that the word “fool” shows up within the first 12 verses. Probably the most gross example is verse 11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” Yuk! But it’s not difficult to see how the shoe fits.