Mark Spruill – Page 17 – Various stuff from the life of J. Mark Spruill

That reminds me of the time I had a cold . . .

Jan 222013

I have a cold. No major illness. No major trial. Just the minor inconvenience of a headache and a nasal system full of snot. None the less, I will be glad when it’s over and the sickness is a memory.

Colds do slow me down, but I try not to let them get me down. It’s a pain to have to deal with the headaches and snot. However, I realize it is only temporary. Colds are not typically life threatening, so in a few days, this one will just be a memory. But today, there is a battle raging inside my body.

While I write this, white blood cells are attacking the invading virus, determined to subdue it. In the end, the invading virus will be conquered. My body’s defenses will win, and I will feel better. In the meantime, this got me thinking about why God made the body “almost” perfect. His design allows my body to fight the germs, but why didn’t He design it so the germs never even have a chance? Why didn’t He make it so my defenses were so good that I would never even get sick in the first place?

One possibility: Because I was sick from the day I was born. This earthly body is not perfect. The disease of sin means certain death to this earthly body. A cold reminds me of that. Any trial, any sickness, any disease, any death of this earthly body is just a reminder that sin has to go. It also helps me realize that eternal life in this corrupt body would be a curse.

A God who would leave me to live forever in a sickened corrupted state would not be a loving God. Therefore, our Heavenly Father has provided a solution. Christ is the cure. He is a living example of the truth that the body must die so the spirit can live. Perhaps eons from now, looking back from the perspective of eternity, I may turn to one of my Christian friends and say, “Remember that time when we were all sick? Aren’t you glad we got over that?”

So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
– Romans 8:8-14 NKJV

Violence

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Jan 082013

The recent violence in this country, acts of pure evil carried out by what could only be godless, devil possessed pawns, is enough to bring many to despair, and all to unanswered questions. Shooting innocent children in school. Spraying bullets in a movie theatre. Gunning down random people in the street. Most everyone is saying something must be done to stop the violence. I would agree.

That said, I can’t help but believe there is something wrong with a culture that would look at the violence and blame the piece of metal that sprays the bullets, all the while flocking to the number one movie at the box office last week: The latest chapter of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”

Why Would God Lead Me to Temptation?

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Jan 012013

In preparing for a trip to Haiti, I have been thinking about the theme of “Crime and Punishment.” More specifically, this morning I was thinking about what is often a precursor to the crime: temptation. The particular bit of scripture I was pondering was in the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. “Lead us not into temptation,” he said. I have often wondered why we would need to ask God not to lead us into temptation. Why would God ever want me to be tempted? This morning, I think I got an answer. Perhaps this is something obvious to others. I’m just now learning it. I could be wrong. If you read on, maybe you’ll be tempted to tell me so. 😉 Continue reading »

Short Timer

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Dec 312012

There are only two hours left in the year. I need to write one more post to make my goal of at least three posts per month. So this is it. I almost figured it was too late to get it in. Procrastination can get you behind, but it’s no excuse for giving up. When time is short, it just means you have to focus and get busy.

But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Christmas Time

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Dec 202012

Perhaps I am a Scrooge. It is a little difficult to admit, but there is a part of me that leans toward the “Bah! Humbug!” side of Christmas. Maybe it’s because I am too selfish. Not with money. With time.

Christmas always comes with so many demands on my time. The to-do list is a mile long. Get the Christmas decorations out of storage, put lights on the house, buy a tree, decorate a tree, wait in traffic, wander through countless store isles looking for gifts to give, stand in line, Christmas musicals, services, parties . . . the list goes on and on.

Christmas demands too much of me. Although when I think about the real meaning of Christmas, I realize it might be quite appropriate that Christmas demand much of me. If I were to give to others all my time every December for the rest of my life, it would still only be a small sample of what God gave to us on the first Christmas. So what if for a few weeks at Christmas I have to give a little more of my self than usual? Maybe that’s just a little reminder that on the first Christmas, God gave all of Himself – Jesus Christ, “God With Us” – for all eternity.

“BEHOLD , THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON , AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL ,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US .”
– Matthew 1:23 NASB

A Christmas Shopping Story

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Dec 102012

We prayed for a good deal on a Sugar Glider.

We prayed for a good deal on a Green Cheeked Conure.

We saw the Sugar Glider for sale on Craigslist.com 15 minutes after it was posted, even though it was not listed correctly.

We went to the lady’s house for the good deal on the Sugar Glider.

We found the lady also had a bird she was trying to sell but hadn’t listed yet.

We asked what kind of bird it was.

We found it was a Green Cheeked Conure.

We heard her say, “If you will take them both I will give you a really good deal.”

We bought two presents for less than the price of one.

We were thankful, and a little amazed.

We wondered, how many households in North East Atlanta had both a Conure and Sugar Glider and were trying to sell both?

We didn’t wonder how we found this one.

We knew.

Prepared in Advance

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Nov 292012

While I slept this morning, my automatic coffee maker made coffee for me. My automatic bread machine made cranberry bread for me. When my alarm automatically went off at the right time, I got up to enjoy the automatically made coffee along with the automatically made bread, while reading an automatic electronically delivered devotion.

It may have seemed automatic this morning, but that’s only because of all the preparation the night before. If one were to look only at the events of the morning, it would be easy to assume life was easy. Just get up, pour yourself some coffee, and eat the hot, ready-for-you breakfast. But it’s not that simple. The preparation the night before took effort.

That’s the hard part for me. Knowing how and when to prepare, and putting forth the effort to do something with hope and confidence of a future benefit. Any fool can pick a tomato. It takes someone with a lot more foresight and action to plant the tomato plant three months earlier.

It might be nice to be the guy who is always prepared, but I am not that guy. Sometimes I miss the chance. Sometimes I don’t see what’s coming. Sometimes, when I am very tired or very busy, I don’t do what needs to be done to be prepared for tomorrow. It is in those times especially that I realize I am not in control. I can’t prepare for everything. Even if I had the energy and willpower, I don’t have the foresight. But there is One who does.

Perhaps at times I face situations where I am unprepared so that I will learn to rely more on the One who is always prepared. He knows the future and He is willing to direct my path if I will listen and follow. He is never surprised; always prepared for what is ahead. He is in fact, preparing a place for me. I am sure that place is in Heaven. But I think there’s a good chance He’s preparing some places for me on Earth too. Places I will be next year, or next month, next week, tomorrow . . . or this afternoon.

I will try my best to be prepared. To use wisdom and good judgement, paired with courage and willpower to act in preparation for the future. But if on occasion I should happen to arrive at a place in life for which I feel totally unprepared, I pray that God will give me comfort, and remind me of His presence. I pray that He will remind me that long before I arrived, He was already there, preparing for me.

A Bit About Drills

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Nov 132012

I was working on a mount for my telescope tonight. There was measuring, cutting, sanding, and drilling involved. I don’t have an excessive amount of tools, but I do have most of what I need, and when it comes to drills, I have more than what I need.

I have two drills; an old one, and a new one. The new one works the best. It has a strong, new motor. It’s easier to use because it doesn’t require a chuck. It has a nice case where I keep it all safe and protected, the cord neatly coiled. The old one is thrown under the workbench with the cord haphazardly wrapped around it. Tonight I used the old one.

I almost always use the old one, because it’s handy. The new one is better, but it’s usually not worth the trouble to unpack it and repack it in that nice protective case. The old one is beat up, rusty, and not as strong as it used to be, but it gets used because it’s readily available.

If I had to choose which drill to be, I’d be the old one.

Rope

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Nov 012012

Sometimes in life, people play games that we, as Christians, ought not to play. We may take the better choice and stand aside while others vie for the title of champion of something not worth winning. We may choose not to play the game, but that does not mean we can always avoid being involved. In a game of tug-0-war, we may refuse to join a side and pull. Unfortunately, that often means we get used as the rope.

How Not to Remove Kudzu

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Oct 302012

There is a crooked tree in our backyard. It’s my fault. When it was very young, I transplanted it from where it ought not be, to a place where it could grow nice and tall. Then a year or two later, in an overzealous effort to free it from an evil clingy kudzu vine, I broke the top out of it, leaving it damaged. I should have been more gentle in my attempt to free it from the vine’s choking clutches. Instead, I let my temper flair. I was mad at the kudzu and determined to free the tree my way.

That was several years ago when the tree was a baby and just starting to grow. The tree is older now. Its thickening trunk and limbs are strong and free of kudzu. Even if the kudzu were to start an invasion, the tree would be able to withstand determined attempts to yank it from the branches. But it still bares the scar of the day when it was young, just starting to grow, with tender branches reaching for the heavens. In my haste and anger, I played the part of the zealot. I will always see the result in the crooked tree, and regret it. Perhaps I have a little kudzu of my own to deal with.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
– Galations 6:1 NKJV

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