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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1 July 10
                Good morning, dear special people.
                I trust this finds you well.  Well I trust this finds you.
                Lots on the agenda today.  One of the first things to do is return a Bobcat skidsteer that has been lent to me for a couple months.  Sure a neat machine. Wish I could buy it.
                We are about to face another Independence Day.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could declare our independence from trouble?!  But then, how would we learn the important lessons of life without it?  The challenge goes on.
                May you be blessed…with or without trouble.
                                Love, Dad/Ray
               
 
1 July 2010
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:16
Focus: “And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”  1 Thessalonians 1:7.
                Make no mistake about it: YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL FOR SOMEONE.  And it can either be for good—or not good.  So which is it?  You don’t have to tell me, but you really should give it some serious evaluation and give yourself an honest answer.  And don’t just do it once.  Keep doing it.  Without such constant personal surveillance, things can get real sloppy before you know it.
                Paul is here commending the believers at Thessalonica for being good role models.  He goes on to say, “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1:8).  “Rang out”—sounds to me like they were bell-ringer believers—just like you and I are called to be.
                Let me cite two basic conditions in this passage that caused these believers to be bell-ringers:  (1)  THEIR GENUINE REPENTANCE.  “…you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1:9).  Understand that anything that is allowed to come between you and your personal relationship with God is an idol.  (2)  THEIR GENUINE LIFESTYLE.  “We continually remember before our God the Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).  They practiced what they preached.
                If you let the Thessalonian believers be your role models, you will be a good role model.
 
                “A Christian shows what he IS by what he DOES with what he HAS.”