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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13 Sept 10
            Good morning, dear ones.
            We had a good trip to Bremerton yesterday.  Saw a lot of old familiar friends that I didn’t recognize.  Know what I mean?  It’s only been 60 years since we left that community.
            Lots to do today…and this week.
            May you be/stay blessed.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
13 September 2010
Passage: Ephesians 5:22-6:9
Focus: “There is no favoritism with him.”  Ephesians 6:9.
            It is not difficult to find favoritism in many human relationships.  Teachers often have favorite students who receive more attention and privileges than other students.  Bosses often have favorite employees who may receive an unequal amount of benefits.  Parents sometimes have a favorite child who is actually loved and cared for in greater measure than the other siblings.  The Bible reveals some of this kind of inequity when Isaac’s favorite son was Esau while Rachel’s favorite was Jacob. Then Jacob’s favorite kid was Joseph, and you remember all the jealousy and bitterness that resulted.  Probably the worst aspect of all this favoritism is when one is in the position of the non-favorite and feel all the hurt, anger, and rejection that can go with it.  Pause here for a moment and try to take in the flawless character of our God…our Heavenly Father.  “There is no favoritism with him.”
            This passage deals with the roles and responsibilities of several basic positions in life.  Favoritism can potentially plague them all.  There are responsibilities of wives, of husbands, of children, of servants, and of bosses.  It is good to know that there is no position or person that is more important or more highly esteemed before the Father than the other. Each one has equal responsibility before Him to perform their duties as if they were married to, parented by, or working for the Lord Himself.  Oh, I know that some of these concepts can be passed off as overly idealistic.  Truly the practical application of a concept like this may be a whole lot easier said than done.  But don’t allow yourself to toss the principle out the window because of that.  Ain’t nothin’ easy that’s important.  At least we are given a standard to strive for.  There really is a wealth of value in this simple concept toward achieving harmony and equity in many of our relationships.  Without any favoritism in the realm of your thoughts, think about it.
 
            “It is ours to obey His commands, not to direct His counsels”