Insightful Musings on the New Testament
by
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67

Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.

Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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3 June 10
    Good morning, dear ones.
    I've had a little setback with attempting to launch this.  I had it all ready to go about 8am and had a glitch that froze me up...couldn't move...and lost the stuff I wrote earlier.  Oh well.
    Earlier in the morning I went down by the creek and clicked a couple photos.  I'll stick one on for you to see.  Our creek isn't supposed to be looking like that this time of year.  Milk Creek is now Chocolate Milk Creek.  She should turn back to vanilla some time soon.  I just heard on the radio that we are seeing the wettest spring in 50 years.
    For no extra charge, I'll stick on another photo showing Thano's little dog, Max, along with our cat, Dallas.  They used to freak each other out...but now look at them.
    Be blessed.
    Love, Dad/Ray
   
 
3 June 10
Passage: Luke 10:25-42
Focus: “Mary has chosen what is better.”  Luke 10:42.
            I’m thinking that Martha and Mary can serve to illustrate two approaches to life and work—two mindsets.  Martha, we might guess, lives almost totally under “the tyranny of the urgent.”  She’s overwhelmed with all the work there is to do, and just goes flat out to try to stay afloat.  Mary, on the other hand, is not necessarily any less aware of all the work that needs to be done, but rather than just crashing ahead in a frenzy of stressed activity, has set some priorities.  She recognizes the importance of taking a “time out” to critique, calm, and condition her heart and mind so as to minimize the stress, balancing out the urgent with the important.
            I don’t know how you respond to this take, but I think I’ve gone to meddling now—for me—touching on probably one of the biggest challenges of my living—trying to strike that elusive balance between the urgent and the important.  Jesus said, “Mary has chosen what is better.”  Let’s understand that the basic fabric of life is made up of choices.  We’re not supposed to just be victims of life, but managers.  So more important than how you use your “browser” is how you use your “chooser.”  All I know is that I have come to a firm conclusion for me that I have chosen to protect with priority URGENCY—I need my personal quiet time with my Sovereign—time to sit at the feet of Jesus and receive some of His “wonderful words of life.”  For me, I have decided this is not optional.  It is more like an absolute.
            We don’t know the facts of the domestic environment surrounding Martha and Mary, but I have a hunch that if we could compare the actual achievement of Martha with Mary, Mary would be the higher achiever in the long run.  She would also enjoy better and happier relationships with those around her because she’s taking on the demands of the urgent with poise and peace.  And she would probably sleep better at night while Martha would likely be sleep-deprived.
            It is very likely that your prioritizing time with Jesus can actually help you to be a better wife, husband, cook, dishwasher, truck driver, wood chopper, ditch digger, student, whatever.  It’s all wrapped up in choosing “what is better” so as to make you better.
 
            “We never hear much about the resolutions of the apostles, but a great deal of the Acts of the Apostles.”