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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29 May 11
Greetings again, dear people.
It’s another damp dark day so far (make sure you are careful to pronounce the ‘p’ in ‘damp’). I’ve already done a jog, picked up a bunch of beer cans on the road (which I collect and give to a guy who cashes them in for BGMC—Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade), made a fruit salad, and had my breakfast. Now I need to hit the shower and prepare to take off for Woodburn for our Gospel Sing routine at Country Meadows.
Have a great day in the LORD.
Love, Dad/Ray
29 May 11
Psalm 27
Focus: “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8.
Much of this debating over Bible versions and translations strikes me as silly! I’m convinced that the dynamic power and influence of God’s Word transcends translations—fueled by A HEART AFTER GOD—not by technicalities of language and words and theological precision.
David did it again! He made me cry. And when I delivered tea to Becki in bed this morning and had her read a section of this Psalm—verses 4 through 6—we both cried. Mind you, we read it from the NIV (New International Version)—a version of aversion to some. There are highly opinionated perspectives out there that would like to stand on a chair and yell at us and say, “You have no right to be so inspired and emotional and worshipful in that corrupted NIV! Don’t you care that your very faith is being contaminated and deceived?!” Oh phooey! I get tired of all this conflict!—it’s just a bunch of distraction that skirts the core need—A HEART AFTER GOD. I’m inclined to believe that the arch enemy of men’s souls is quite happy with the debate.
So what translation do you worship and praise and sing and cry in? KJV? NKJV? ASV? NIV? NASB? ESV? Message? Living? NCV? Amplified? We could make a list a mile long! Does it really make any substantial difference?
If you have ever wondered what I mean by A HEART AFTER GOD, wonder no further. I believe the best description you could ever hear is perfectly articulated by David right here in this Psalm. Just to clarify, let me quote here from those verses I mentioned above—verses 4 through 6: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in this dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.” Why are my eyes misting again? Add to this David’s self talk as indicated in the Focus verse above. If I were to put that verse in my own words, it could go like this: “I say to myself, ‘Self,’ I say, ‘Seek the LORD!’ So I answer myself, ‘Self,’ I say, ‘Gladly!’” That’s the RSIPIT (Ray Sparre Impulsive Personal Idea Translation).
“The less the Bible is read, the more it is translated.” - C. S. Lewis