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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15 Oct 10
            Good morning, special people.
            There’s that beautiful burst of sunlight again through the cedars out my window. But the time is 8:30am already…and I’m supposed to be out there right now making sawdust with my sawmill…then picking up more logs. I just had an urgent order placed yesterday.  Even though it’s late, I’m going to force myself to do a jog.  I didn’t do so yesterday.
            May your day be blessed with Son-shine…in you and through you.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
15 October 2010
Passage: 1 Timothy 1
Focus: “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you…” 1 Timothy 1:18.
            You want a prophecy over you?  I’ll give you a prophecy!  “The Lord would have you know that He wants to bless you and keep you unto Eternal Life.  He would have you know that He calls you to do your part in achieving that glorious objective.  So do your utmost to avoid contamination with the counsel and thinking of the world, because such thinking only makes it natural for you to join in the ungodly practices of the world.  Know that failure to listen decisively to this warning and instruction will lead you to sit down in the seat of those who mock and establish themselves as virtual enemies of God.  Instead, be filled with God’s thoughts—His Word.  Don’t let it depart out of your mind or mouth.  Memorize it and think about it day and night. It will cause you to be like one putting on the very armor of God, knowing strength far beyond your own.  So come out from among those who are made dull by conformity, those who lean heavily on their own limited understanding and strength.  Serve and love your God from the heart.  Make it your highest goal to please Him.  Understand that this really is the purpose of your very existence.  All this will add up to making you more than a conqueror because  much greater is His life and Spirit working in you than any other power in the world.  It will make you to be like a strong fruitful tree planted beside a continual river that no storm can bring down.  Whatever you do will ultimately prosper because whatever you do is aimed at pleasing Him.  This is what your God would have you know.”
            Whew! Did you catch all that?  Are you taking notes?  If you would like it to sound more inspired and convincing, I suppose I could edit this message and put it into King James-style English.  I could even write it in the first person and lace it with expressions like, “Yea, I say unto thee, my child…”
            Now don’t take me wrong.  It really is not my intention to mock the genuine exercise of Spirit-inspired prophecy, which I believe Paul is referring to in verse 18.  But some of the personal prophecy stuff I’ve been around impresses me as being more dangerous than edifying—involving people playing games and posing as anointed oracles of God when, in fact, they are really trying to bring attention to themselves as mediums of spiritual power to reckon with.  In some cases it seems to be a form of Christian fortune-telling.  May I suggest that you don’t really need someone to make some questionable prophecy over you.  And if someone does, make sure you scrutinize the message against the Word.  You mainly need to receive and digest His Word for yourself.  I will make no claim to being particularly inspired (I’m not using my “preacher voice, my hands are not shaking, and my eyes are open).  But since my attempt above at “prophesying” over you is simply a synopsis of essential scriptural principles, I believe it really is a genuine articulation of PROPHECIES ONCE MADE ABOUT YOU.  
            GUARANTEE: Following this “prophecy” will prevent “shipwreck” (1:19).
 
            “Beware of the danger of allowing your rights or revelry to subordinate your responsibility.”