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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25 Sept 10
            Greetings on this clear cool morning.
            It’s presently 9:28am.  I’ve already done my jog and ate my breakfast…that included some zucchini squash from our tiny garden near our front door. Now I need to get on with some work around here.  I’m not sure how involved I will be in Thano’s request to help him do up some welding and fabricating of a more efficient system surrounding his firewood splitter.
            Maintain that vertical relationship—because if our only concern is horizontal, we’re headed for depression.
            Blessings. Love.  Dad/Ray
 
25 September 2010
Passage:  Philemon
Focus:  “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”  Philemon 1:6
            Besides the point that “a faith not worth sharing is not worth having,” I think there is a valid principle contained in this short prayer by Paul for Philemon that deserves our attention.  Notice the REQUEST: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” Now notice the REASON:  “So that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”  Are you following this line of reasoning?  In other words motivation in the activity of imparting your faith actually primes the pump of understanding.  I think it stands to reason that the person who is not inclined toward PRESENTATION is not likely to be engaged in PREPARATION. Indeed this lazy and inactive approach can cause one’s faith to procrastinate, disintegrate, degenerate, deteriorate, suffocate, vegetate, and fornicate.  Sharing your faith, however, will cause it to invigorate, stimulate, appreciate, activate, motivate, rejuvenate, and communicate. Since you can’t give away something you don’t have, the effective impartation of your faith requires an understanding of your faith.  And understanding requires study, research, and thought, all of which are positive components of growth and strength.  Please don’t allow yourself to believe that this is only a matter of cold shear boring discipline.  Please consider (and ask God for) the delight factor that David presents in describing the man who is blessed of God.  “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:2). (Question: How often is day and night?)
            Do you agree that this prayer Paul prays for Philemon is a good prayer for us to pray for ourselves?
 
            “No one can live wrong and pray right.  No one can pray right and live wrong.”