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.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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13 May 11
Good morning, dear fellow sojourners.
Once again, I’m surrounded with some interesting chaos…and Thano has already gone to work at Safeway. Whew!
I need to get out and do some urgent milling, signwork, and building, and….. But I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful morning in which to be stressed.
Have a great day.
Love, Dad/Ray
13 May 2011
Psalm 12
Focus: “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, ‘We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips—who is our master?’” Psalm 12:3-4.
While I view David as an amazing role model, he is still VERY human. He launches this Psalm with a burst of understandable cynicism that I think could be paraphrased something like this: “Help me, God! Everyone around me is a jerk! Everyone wants to exploit me or do me dirty! I can’t trust anyone!” Have you ever been tempted to vent that kind of exclamation? David’s commendable role modeling is seen in the fact that he is here crying out to the LORD—rather than loading his shotgun.
In describing the core attitudes of these unbecoming people, David actually touches on a fundamental deceptive flaw of the human heart. It’s the wrong answer to the question of OWNERSHIP. He suggests that the SELF-TALK of these people goes, “We will triumph with our tongues—we OWN our lips. Who is our master?” (v. 4). That attitude is sure to play out with fatal consequences—like a cancer or AIDS (Always Ignoring Disobedience Syndrome) that infects every other life function. Besides saying, “We OWN our lips,” they also imply, “We also OWN our mouths, our stomachs, our ears, our eyes, our hands, our feet, and our sex parts—and we insist on using them as we please!”
The question of OWNERSHIP is answered properly in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. (You would probably be surprised if I didn’t call up this passage.) “Do you not know (Most don’t, you know.) that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” And understand that any other independent use of “your” body is to misuse someone else’s property—and dishonors the Owner.
I have my guitar here. Please join me in singing…
“I am not my own, I was bought with a price;
I was purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
All my debts were paid by His sacrifice.
Haleluia to the Lamb Who redeems my life.”
Please get it straight and please agree: YOU ARE NOT AN OWNER—ONLY A MANAGER OF WHAT HAS BEEN VESTED TO YOUR CARE. So, how are you doing today?
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our start, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” - William Shakespeare