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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22 June 10
            Greetings, special people.
            We’re finally getting something like summer.  We ate lunch again on the deck beside the creek…and I was able to get a bunch of cutthroat trout feeding on tidbits from my chicken sandwich.  We have Becki’s sister and brother here working at going through stuff left by there mother (she doesn’t need any of it anymore  as we understand that everything is provided in heaven) in preparation to doing an ESTATE SALE the end of this week.  I’m involved too.
            Be blessed.  Love.  Dad/Ray
 
22 June 2010
Passage: Luke 20:20-21:4
Focus: “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”  Luke 20:38.
            What are the chances that our Biblical faith is just a bunch of fiction?—an elaborate maze of humanly-inspired fairy tales?  Those of us who embrace this faith know there is much more to the matter than intellect or history or science.  There is the metaphysical component of the Spirit of God affirming our status in our own spirits “that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16).  But rather than defend and debate the issue of a personal Biblical faith, I judge that a much more important (and risk-free) question is this:  What are the chances that this body of Biblical revelation is TRUE?
            The words of Jesus quoted above is about as profound a statement regarding spiritual life and reality as any I can think of.  Jesus referred back to the experience of Moses and his divine encounter at the burning bush where God presented Himself as “’the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’  He is not the God of the dead, but of the of the living, for to him all are alive.” (20:37-38.  See Ex. 3:6).
            Who besides Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are involved in this eternal spiritual existence that follows their physical deaths?  Jesus puts it this way: “Those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage (it’s not business as usual), for they are like the angels.  They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection” (20:36).  So the answer to this question is “those who are considered worthy.”  Considered worthy by whom?  By the Sovereign God…on His terms.  And what is the standard for determination?  I have to conclude that the whole matter of worthiness hinges on the personal condition of A HEART AFTER GOD.  (There it is again!)  That’s just another way of describing those who comply with the first and foremost command contained in the Word of God according to Jesus: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38).
 
            “God without man is still God; man without God is nothing.”