On February 2, 1839, Edmond Berger is said to have invented the spark plug. I say it that way because of the differing accounts I found. In fact, the first mention of this I saw gave the date as February 3 and said he actually patented it that day. Several other places said the date was the second of the month and he never patented it at all. Perhaps the most reliable citation I found said that he invented it on the second, but since he was in France he did not patent it with a US patent, and that since the internal combustion engine was new at that time and extremely unreliable, the spark plug he invented would have been experimental at best. So we will leave it at that.
What I want to consider this morning are mental spark plugs. When I sit down to write, especially after all these years of doing so over 300 times a year, I often need a spark of an idea to get going. The ancient Greeks knew the problem and came up with the nine goddesses they called Muses. These, they said, were the inspiration behind all the Sciences, Literature, Poetry, and the Arts. No one could create any of these without their motivating spark. Which also gave you someone to blame when nothing came to you when you needed it, I immediately thought. Might come in handy—if only they were real.
And so I looked to the Scriptures to find anything about "sparks" that the Word of God might mention. As you might suspect, no spark plugs—or Muses—were mentioned. But I did find this verse: O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you (1Chr 29:18). David was finishing a stirring prayer after calling the people to give of their means for the building of the new Temple after his death. He worried that the emotion of the moment would fade and that Solomon himself, a young man, would falter in his determination to build what amounted to a Palace for God. So he prayed that the spirit that was then moving the people to give willingly and to support this monumental task would continue.
But notice: the fact that David prayed for this to continue in itself shows that this attitude is a choice. We are not talking about the Holy Spirit coming in and forcing His will upon us. In fact, Satan can come in as a "muse" and lead our thought astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Cor 11:3) in the same way. If one is a choice we make, so is the other. Our devotion is likely to fluctuate. That is perfectly normal, I think. But we have the choice of which "muse" we choose to allow to ignite our thoughts and deeds.
God promises He will help us out—without forcing us. Jeremiah tells us that we cannot walk in our own ways and do well (10:23), so it makes sense that if we have anything like a Muse in the Christian walk, it is the Word of God. Seek God's way, obey His commands, listen to His voice. With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped (Ps 17:4-5). Indeed, that is the only spark plug that amounts to anything at all.
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple (Ps 119:130).
Dene Ward
What I want to consider this morning are mental spark plugs. When I sit down to write, especially after all these years of doing so over 300 times a year, I often need a spark of an idea to get going. The ancient Greeks knew the problem and came up with the nine goddesses they called Muses. These, they said, were the inspiration behind all the Sciences, Literature, Poetry, and the Arts. No one could create any of these without their motivating spark. Which also gave you someone to blame when nothing came to you when you needed it, I immediately thought. Might come in handy—if only they were real.
And so I looked to the Scriptures to find anything about "sparks" that the Word of God might mention. As you might suspect, no spark plugs—or Muses—were mentioned. But I did find this verse: O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you (1Chr 29:18). David was finishing a stirring prayer after calling the people to give of their means for the building of the new Temple after his death. He worried that the emotion of the moment would fade and that Solomon himself, a young man, would falter in his determination to build what amounted to a Palace for God. So he prayed that the spirit that was then moving the people to give willingly and to support this monumental task would continue.
But notice: the fact that David prayed for this to continue in itself shows that this attitude is a choice. We are not talking about the Holy Spirit coming in and forcing His will upon us. In fact, Satan can come in as a "muse" and lead our thought astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Cor 11:3) in the same way. If one is a choice we make, so is the other. Our devotion is likely to fluctuate. That is perfectly normal, I think. But we have the choice of which "muse" we choose to allow to ignite our thoughts and deeds.
God promises He will help us out—without forcing us. Jeremiah tells us that we cannot walk in our own ways and do well (10:23), so it makes sense that if we have anything like a Muse in the Christian walk, it is the Word of God. Seek God's way, obey His commands, listen to His voice. With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped (Ps 17:4-5). Indeed, that is the only spark plug that amounts to anything at all.
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple (Ps 119:130).
Dene Ward
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