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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 10 July 10, 2010
                Good morning, special people.
                With Katherine and Joe here from Missouri for a week, we’ve got a lot of activity around here.  Yesterday a high point for little 5-year-old Kate was letting her pull in a nice 11” trout from the creek.  She also enjoyed handling the sucker fish I speared out of the creek when I jumped in with mask and pole spear.  I cooked those fish up for the dogs and cat.  We have a lot going again today.  Little Kate is here beside me trying to get me to go out and do more fun stuff.
                Blessings on you and yours.
                                Love, Dad/Ray
 
10 July 2010
Passage: 1 Corinthians 3
Focus: “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.” 1 Corinthians 3:14.
                It deserves repeating that we are all building projects in progress—even if the project requires some demolition and/or remodeling.  Paul makes it clear that no one can alter the foundation that is provided us in our reception of the Gospel of Christ.  “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (3:11).  But there is a broad spectrum of materials and building styles available that one may incorporate into his building to suit tastes, preferences, choices, personality, etc.  However, care and wisdom are called for because every structure will be tested over time—and how it holds up under such testing determines its value and quality.  Does it survive, or does it fail?
                Paul indicates that the “Day” reveals quality, and “fire” does the testing.  While there is a strong inference that the “Day” speaks of the “Day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2) “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire” (2 Thess. 1:7-10), I think it is also valid to give it a practical spin in this sense: The DAY can represent the practical application of every person’s materials of choice over time.  Within those time boundaries there are sure to be “firey trials which are to try you” (1 Pet. 4:12-13; Ja. 1:2-4).  All I know is that the lasting quality of every person’s building (faith) is not to be judged by mere claims, talk, or good intentions.  It is proven by the real-life experiences of trouble, opposition, and difficulty over time.
                Please give your building frequent inspections.
 
                “You must establish your priorities before you can properly manage your time.”