Insightful Musings on the New Testamentby
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 has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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14 Jan 11
Good morning, special people.
Well…that unbecoming sawmill job yesterday was more unbecoming than I figured. I decided in a hurry that I don’t like cutting creosote stuff…and those timbers proved to be all that. Also, I became uncomfortable to learn that all these pieces would need to be cut according to some exacting grade specifications as they would be used in a high-end residential home. So when the guy gave me the option to bail, I took it. Whew! Glad to be free of that one!
But I’m certainly not free of challenges. Today will contain some too. At least they’re non-toxic.
Be blessed today.
Love, Dad/Ray
14 January 2011
Proverbs 14
Focus: “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:27.
This is definitely a recurring theme through the Proverbs. And most, if not all, of the other concepts and axioms presented in this collection of sayings are intertwined with it. It is indeed “a fountain of life,” producing wisdom and real success. But the absence of this premise theme promises to create another kind of fountain—one that is counter-productive to wisdom and success and LIFE.
Consider verse 12. It strikes me as a negative counterpart. “There is a way that seems right to a man (who does not fear the LORD), but in the end it leads to death.”
Before we leave this idea, relating these terms of LIFE and DEATH to only physical and eternal aspects, let’s take a moment to apply it to the aspect of FAITH and see if the shoe fits. James made a clear statement in this regard in James 2:26: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.”
Let’s face it—EVERYONE HAS FAITH—EVERYONE HAS A PERSONAL THEOLOGY in one form or another—whether or not it is well organized and clearly articulated. The big question to ask in regards to any FAITH is this: DOES IT WORK RIGHT INSOFAR AS YIELDING POSITIVE RESULTS? One package of FAITH (THEOLOGY) may state that God is very important and worth fearing, seeking, loving, worshiping, serving, and trusting, while another FAITH (THEOLOGY) may declare or assume that the knowledge of God is not important, that He is not worth fearing, seeking, loving, worshiping, serving, or trusting. This latter THEOLOGY “seems right to a man” who leans to his own sin-nature understanding. But it ends up where? “The wages (results) of sin (the reasoning and choices of the sin nature) is death (There’s that chilling “D” word again), but the gift of God (with its package of sound THEOLOGY received by FAITH) is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD” (Romans 6:23).
I think the shoe fits. It really is a matter of LIFE or DEATH.
“Pray for faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of affliction.”