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  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 August 10
                Dear special people.
                Can you believe it’s the first of August already?!  Where has the summer gone?
                Well, I didn’t get off a devotional for yesterday.  It was kind of a big day.  I took on a milling job mainly to give a little end-of-the-month jolt to our personal economy.  It went kind of OK…but I don’t really enjoy using my sawmill as a hack saw.  We hit a pile of nails in some old black walnut logs.  Anyway, I’m sticking on two days worth—yesterday and today.
                I didn’t get the story quite right the other day regarding Joe Horn. He wasn’t put in the hospital, but was tested and treated in ER (Emergency Room).  I understand he’s doing better…taking some serious antibiotics.
                I’m sure ready to hit the bed.  Good night.  Blessings.
                                Love, dad/Ray.
               
 
 
1 August 2010
Passage: 2 Corinthians 8-9
Focus: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:15.
            This last verse of our reading is like a “bottom line” to the whole matter of giving.  Without this attitude of gratitude for God’s amazing grace, financial giving too easily is reduced to reluctant inconvenience or painful duty, thus robbing the donor of promised blessing. But recognizing and being truly thankful for God’s “indescribable gift” will cause one to be what God loves—“a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).  It cannot be otherwise.  And while this must not be misunderstood as a matter of GIVING TO GET, the fact remains that God adds His blessing to cheerful givers as a means of encouraging and perpetuating what He loves.  (Read again 9:6-11)
            Have you seen those people on “Wheel of Fortune” freaking out with cheer and giddy rejoicing when they receive a bunch of luxury stuff?  They are demonstrating the status of being cheerful receivers.   That may be OK, but it’s not the best of objectives.
Let’s understand that one of the keys to Christian success is to learn to love what God loves, and hate what God hates.  Think about it: Wouldn’t you love to love what God loves?!  Sure, there’s a place for being a cheerful receiver, and there are times when receiving is a real blessing, but “God loves a cheerful giver.”  Similarly, Paul quotes the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35 saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
           
            “The caterpillar calls it the end of the world; God calls it a butterfly.”