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  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 11 Aug 10
            Good morning, dear people.
            They are predicting 90 degrees for the day.  Sure doesn’t feel like it’s heading that direction right now.
            I started out on my jog with all 3 dogs about a half hour ago…but my mental to-do list was looming so big in my little bald head that I turned around after only about a quarter mile.  I need to get on with it.
            May you be blessed as you process THIS day.  It really is nice that we really only need to do ONE DAY AT A TIME.
            Love, Dad/Ray.
 
11 August 2010
Passage: Romans 4
Focus: “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God…” Romans 4:20.
            According to Jesus, there is a quantitative aspect to FAITH.  That is inferred in a statement like, “O you of little faith” (Matthew 6:30).  We have already established that BELIEF is the hinge on which FAITH turns.  Let’s now liken BELIEF to a valve through which FAITH flows—controlling its release and volume. 
            Consider a familiar scripture promise like John 1:12 and 13: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…born of God.”  It only makes sense that a person will only embrace a “truth” that they BELIEVE in—what they BELIEVE to be TRUE.  That BELIEVING opens the valve of FAITH so as to fulfill the purpose of that TRUTH—releasing divine power beyond what a person can do on their own—releasing divine revelation beyond what a person can know on their own.
            Let’s join verse 20 with verse 21as it offers a great description and key of Abraham’s exemplary FAITH.  “Yet he did not waver through unbelief (which closes the valve of FAITH) regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened (the flow was increased) in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”  I’m thinking that phrase, “BEING FULLY PERSUADED,” is a simple description of the quality of BELIEF that allows and achieves the works of FAITH.
            We are required to be faithful—faith-FULL—or full of FAITH.  I have to conclude that if I will simply keep BELIEVING that God’s TRUTH is true, I will be blessed with a very adequate measure of effective FAITH.
 
            “One can be a professor of faith without being a possessor of faith.”