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 |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 April 11
Good evening, dear ones.
I worked in some pretty nasty conditions this morning for 4 hours. Here it is April…but I felt like it was December in Fairbanks in a storm. It was blowing, raining, and sleeting in the 30s…pushing the wind-chill factor down. Mixed in with that was the blizzard of sawdust mixed in with the wet. I was plastered. I didn’t realize how chilled I was till I got in the truck for lunch. My hands wouldn’t work for about 15 minutes. I decided to bail…with plans to return in the morning. I’ll be a bit better prepared this time.
It’s presently 8:53pm. Now my head is shutting down. I need to do a few other things…then hit the hay.
Have a good night. Be blessed. Love, Dad/Ray
13 April 2011
Proverbs 13
Focus: “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Proverbs 13:11.
I would guess that the fundamental flaw at the core of DISHONEST MONEY is the popular quest to GET RICH QUICK. The wish to be wealthy is almost universal. And many seem to be constantly searching for quick and easy shortcuts to get there. That has to be one of the main attractions to casinos and lotteries. But HONEST MONEY is the result of wise planning and hard work—a principle of economy that is blessed by God. I don’t really know of any viable alternatives or shortcuts.
Allow me to take this a step further by suggesting that DISHONEST ANYTHING DWINDLES AWAY—even DISHONEST FAITH. In fact, since you brought it up, I’d like to dwell on that idea for a moment. Very likely the fundamental flaw at the core of DISHONEST CHRISTIANITY, for example, is a quest to GET SPIRITUAL QUICK—and to have that QUICK FIX set me up for sudden success, instant increase, fast fulfillment, and rapid recovery. “I want to be rich in faith—and I want it now!”
Well, sorry folks—God didn’t design things that way! And He doesn’t seem to be very interested in blessing attempts to circumvent His design. Think about it. He has established the principle of GROWTH throughout His creation. It’s absurd to think you could plant a garden this afternoon and harvest from it tomorrow. It’s absurd to think that if you became an instant millionaire by winning the lottery you would be set for a life of ease and happiness. And it’s absurd to think you could go to this big revival that’s going on in Whereverville and have Rev. What’s-His-Name pray some blessing over you that miraculously makes you spiritually mature. That quality of life is reserved only for those who “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
“A man without patience is like a car without brakes.”