Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
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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7 April 11
Gooooood morning, special people.
Cold and wet out there…with the creek very expanded and raging toward the ocean at about 45mph. I told Becki last night that I wouldn’t be surprised to see snow on the ground this morning. Sure enough! Not much, but some.
I hope the BCC thing will work today…hiding the address list. If things don’t transmit right, let me know.
Do what you need to do, to be what you need to be, to go where you need to go. OK?
Blessings. Love. Dad/Ray
7 April 2011
Proverbs 7
Focus: “(She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)” Proverbs 7:11-12.
I don’t really have any idea why these two verses in my NIV Bible are framed with parenthesis brackets. But I’m sure that this poetic description is full of significance and meaning beyond the hypothetical situation being presented—where the author watches a dumb kid be seduced and led away by a desperate housewife.
Two important points are worth making: (1) THERE IS A GOOD MEASURE OF DUMB KID IN ALL OF US. To be sure, you don’t have to be young to be a DUMB KID! Furthermore, you don’t have to be MALE to be a DUMB KID! Nor does a PROSTITUTE have to be FEMALE! (2) PROSTITUTES AND DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ARE ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. You can’t avoid them—unless you remain in a coma. They’re in the stores, on the streets, in your workplace, in your church, in your television, on your computer, in your newspapers, in your magazines—and in your dirty little heart!
Ah! THERE’S THE REAL PROBLEM! And we would do well to recognize that our dirty little hearts are given to gymnastic genius at shifting blame, avoiding responsibility, and barking up wrong trees. Isn’t that the essence of the description given in Jeremiah 17:9? “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
If it is true that temptation and sin are universal and constant for normal humans, you and I need to determine what we are going to do about it personally. I double-dog dare you to come up with a solution and standard for living that is better and safer than David’s in Psalm 19:14—or Paul’s in Colossians 3:1-2—or Jesus’ in Matthew 6:33!
“Opportunity knocks but once; temptation leans on the door bell.”