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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 27 July 10
                Whew!...and greetings.
                I did a couple mill jobs today.  I wanted to get out and cut some grass and weeds down before retiring…but now the light is starting to disappear.  Maybe if you don’t keep me here much longer I can get out and do a bit of it.  We’ll see.
                I hope your summer is going well…and you’re staying cool. Blessings.
                                Love, Dad/Ray
 
27 July 2010
Passage: 2 Corinthians 2:5-3:6
Focus: “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” 2 Corinthians 2:16.
                Our American culture is quite caught up with the quest of making oneself smell good.  People are constantly trying to avoid what they reckon to be unpleasant odors by using deodorants, perfumes, colognes, powders, and soaps.  But in the spiritual realm, if you are a committed believer, you automatically emit a very foul odor to those who are against Christ.  In that regard, please be a stinker!
                You have heard the old saying that, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  In this case I suppose we could say that “Stink is in the nose of the smeller.”  The unregenerate noses (senses) of the antagonistic unbeliever cause him to react so adversely to the clean and honest life of the true believer as compared with the condition of his own life as to create a sense of deserved judgment that is likened to the SMELL OF DEATH.  To God (the ultimate authority on odors) and other believers, however, that same believer emits the “fragrance of life” and the “aroma of Christ.”
                Paul is here illustrating and emphasizing the truth that we as believers are appointed by God to be different and to have an effect on the world around us.  It is similar to Jesus saying that you are to be salt and light.  The lesson content of such illustrations is rich.  So, if we are not salt, we are useless.  If we are not light, we are dark.  If we are not alive, we are dead.  If we are not hot, we are cold…or lukewarm, which is worse.  And if we are not giving off the “aroma of Christ,” then we may be in urgent need of a thorough bath in the “water of the Word” (Eph. 5:26).
 
                “The tragedy of man is that he dies inside while he is still alive.”