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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27 Nov 10
            Good morning, dear special people.
            Well, it’s still dark out—so I can’t give you a report of what it looks like down toward the creek.  But whereas rain has been on the roof all night, I’m sure it is a torrent.
            If rain continues on into the day, I may postpone a plan I have to mill up a bunch of his cedar logs.  If I don’t, I still have more to do than I can do in one day.
            Continue to SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and your day will go right.
                                                                    Love, Dad/Ray
 
27 November 2010
Passage: John 19:17-42
Focus: “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true.”  John 19:35.
            John, one of Jesus’ close disciples, is clearly the author of this piece of recorded history.  John chooses to use a form of literary styling where he speaks of himself in the third person.  So John himself was an eyewitness of this entire story and presents himself as “The man who saw it…and his testimony is true.”  Let’s complete verse 35: “He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.”
            Notice John’s statement of purpose: SO THAT YOU ALSO MAY BELIEVE.  He wants to affirm that this is not just some made-up fiction—“I was there.  I saw it all with my own eyes.”  But since YOUR BELIEF is his main aim, he is also implying, “Don’t just take my word for it.  Check out these Old Testament prophetic predictions that demonstrate their amazing fulfillment in Jesus’ life and death by crucifixion.”  Three times in this reading John makes reference to things happening in a certain way “that the scriptures might be fulfilled” (19:24, 28, 36).  Those scriptures confirm the TRUTH, encourage your BELIEF, and support your FAITH.
            I believe we have before us an absolute—THAT GOD’S WORD WILL BE FULFILLED, NO MATTER WHAT.  Furthermore, I believe that YOU AND I PARTICIPATE IN THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S WORD, NO MATTER WHAT.  What I mean is this: Our individual choices are the key factors that determine which part of a passage like Hebrews 10:39 we will fulfill: “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who BELIEVE and are saved.”
 
“A witness who tells the truth saves good men from being sentenced to death, but a false witness is a traitor.”  Proverbs 14:25.