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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24 Nov 10
Good morning, dear ones.
I trust this finds you warm. Sure cold here.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. More important than
participating in a special holiday for giving thanks is that we are, in
fact, thankful. Question: Who does an atheist thank when he feels
thankful?
I
have lots on my list. I need to get on with it. Blessings.
Love, Dad/Ray
24 November 2010
Passage: John 17
Focus: “Now this is eternal life...” John 17:3
As I move through this chapter of Jesus’ special
prayer to the Father, I’m taking time to list the various qualities
Jesus identifies as describing those to whom He ascribes ETERNAL LIFE.
I’ve come up with ten of them. Besides serving as a kind of recipe for
ETERNAL LIFE, I think it can serve as a checklist to help us determine
or confirm our own status.
1. PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE (v.
3). “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” This is a personal
interactive relationship, fueled by personal seeking, personal belief,
and personal love. (See also vv. 8, 25-26)
2. OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD (v. 6). “They have obeyed your word.”
3. GLORIFY JESUS (v. 10). “And glory has come to me through them.”
4. UNITED WITH OTHER BELIEVERS (vv. 11, 22-23). “…so that they may be one as we are one.”
5. JOY (v. 13). “…so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”
6. HATED BY THE WORLD (v. 14). “I have given them your word and the world has hated them.”
7. NON –CONFORMING TO THE WORLD (vv. 14-16). “They are not of the world even as I am not of it.”
8. SANCTIFIED (vv. 17-18). “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
9. COMMISSIONED (v. 18). “As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
10. DESTINED FOR GLORY (v. 24). “Father, I want those
you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory.”
“Error is often dressed up in the garb of truth.”