2007 picture of Ray SparreInsightful 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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 20 Aug 10
            Good morning, dear people.
            Can’t believe the temperature.  Our outside thermometer read about 43 degrees this morning.  I made a fire in our wood stove.  But it sure looks pretty out there…the sun shining through the cedars along the creek at 8:30am.  I’m late again.  But I’m still heading out for a jog before I take on the adventure of the rest of the day.
            Blessings.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
           
 
20 August 2010
Passage: Romans 9:30-10:21
Focus: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.
            The combined engagement of four vital body parts are metaphorically called for in our reading—presenting a formula for vital SAVING FAITH.  Wouldn’t you agree that SAVING FAITH (effective faith, productive faith, successful faith) is the absolutely best kind of faith to pursue and possess?  Let’s identify those parts.
            MOUTH. Of course, mouths aren’t everything.  And mouths alone sure can’t save.  But the words that flow from one’s mouth in confession of Christ as Savior and Lord are highly significant—highly important—IF they are launched from an honesty of heart.  Notice the importance given to the publicity of SAVING FAITH—using one’s mouth to form words that express faith in terms that others can hear and understand.  Indeed, if a person has a faith that is not worth sharing, it is most likely not worth having.
            HEART. To be sure, the “heart” in Biblical meaning is much more than an internal organ that pumps blood.  It is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of one’s entire life.  It encompasses the intellect, emotions, and the will.  It is the center of beliefs, values, and choices.  It is here that one BELIEVES (or doesn’t believe) that Jesus is Who He claims to be—“the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE” (John 14:6) and that He really DID rise from stone-cold death as a guarantee of that fact—just like the scriptures foretold and recorded.
            FEET. The implied message here is that SPEAKING (the mouth) is not enough, even though it may be connected with honest THINKING (the heart).  There needs to be the further action and demonstration of GOING and DOING.  That’s what FEET represent when Paul quotes from Isaiah, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  Understand that when one uses his MOUTH to confess, and his HEART to believe, he is, in fact, proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel.  So how are your feet looking?
            EARS. I add this to the list because EARS symbolically represent the medium by which we receive Gospel input—HEARING.  This is actually preliminary to the activation of the MOUTH and the HEART.  “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (v.17).
 
            “Faith is spiritual life in action.”