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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14 May 11
Good afternoon, dear people.
I just returned home from doing a sign refurb. It’s been a busy day. And every time I intended to send this earlier, I had distractions. Even now I need to rush off to mount a little sign in town and get some chicken feed before the feed store closes at 4pm.
May the rest of your day go well.
Love, Dad/Ray
14 May 2011
Psalm 13
Focus: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Psalm 13:1.
Three main thoughts emerge as I process this Psalm. Perhaps I will simply present them in the form of a three-point outline.
GOD IS NOT OFFENDED BY HONEST QUESTIONS. They just need to be HONEST. I believe this to be so even if many, if not most, of the questions we raise before God are kind of dumb ones—when measured against the whole of Biblical revelation. Similar to the “How long?” questions are the “Why?” questions. Becki and I just talked of this somewhat last evening when she reported that recently a pastor and wife we know from several years ago were instantly killed by a runaway vehicle while they were walking on a sidewalk. I have no doubt that there are many in that family and community asking, “Why, Lord?” And I have little doubt that God will NOT speak from heaven with a clear detailed explanation as to WHY to everyone’s satisfaction. To my knowledge, God NEVER gives detailed explanations this side of Heaven. Here’s the Biblical standard: “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Another good piece of Scriptural advice is contained in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things (That which has no adequate explanation) belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
EITHER YOU’RE GOING TO LIVE OR YOU’RE GOING TO DIE. There you are, folks! Those are your options. Deal with it! And to assist us in dealing with it, I can’t imagine a more wonderful all-encompassing belief system than our Biblical faith. It’s a WIN-WIN deal! The most concise statement of this WIN-WIN faith that I know of is in the words of Paul: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Please soak that up.
SONG IS HEALTHY FAITH THERAPY. When you read these Psalms, you are actually singing—less the music and instrumental accompaniment. Of course, you can add some of your own. At the end of the Psalm, David exclaims, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me” (Psalm 13:6). So David begins this piece with some frustration and depression. But after reflecting on God’s faithfulness and singing “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS”, he arrives at a totally upbeat conclusion—“You know what? God really has been good to me!”
Do you see how it works? Besides your Bible, keep your songbook handy. You’re going to need it.
“He who sings scares away his woes.” - Spanish proverb