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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 30 Aug 10
            Dear ones…
            Thus commences another day…another week…the end of another month. Whew!  I’m not done with August yet!
            I had better get on with the continuing saga of Ray Sparre.  We’ll see what kind of adventure presents itself today.
            May your day be blessed.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
30 August 2010
Passage: Galatians 2
Focus: “…I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.”  Galatians 2:11.
            Here is the blunt disclosure where the upstart Apostle Paul confronts the super-star Apostle Peter.  Two things are noteworthy in regards to this case: (1) Paul had a clear, well-worded, and valid reason for his action. (2)  Peter apparently had a good attitude that accepted the rebuke since there is no indication that the relationship between Peter and Paul ever broke down.  Further evidence of this is that Peter states his respect for Paul and applauds his ministry in his own writing (2 Pet 3:15).
            I think it would be good to read some of Paul’s speech to Peter and the other leaders from the Message translation as it helps to give some additional clarity to the issues being addressed.  We have to acknowledge that those same issues are still with us today. 
“Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin?  The accusation is frivolous.  If I was ‘trying to be good,’ I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down.  I would be acting as a charlatan.”
            “What actually took place is this:  I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work.  So I quit being a ‘law man’ so that I could be God’s man.  Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.  I identified myself completely with him.  Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.  My ego is no longer central.  It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God.  Christ lives in me.  The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I am not going to go back on that.”
            “Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?  I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.  If a living relationship with God could come by rule keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.”  (Gal. 2:15-21)
 
            “We should have regular checkups to avoid truth-decay.”