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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19 June 11
Special greetings, special people.
And Happy Father’s Day! It helps to confirm how dependent we really are. No one can claim true independence—that they are “self-made.” Hey—you can’t even exist without a father and a mother…and you can’t be one without inter-dependence.
We did our Gospel Sing at Country Meadows in Woodburn…joined by Thano and his two little ones. Following that we met up with Ray and Lorna Wilson at a neat restaurant in Woodburn for a neat buffet lunch. It is also Ray’s birthday. So before we left, I called the attention of some of the diners in the restaurant and had them join us in singing, “Happy Birthday”…and embarrassed Ray all to pieces.
Now…it’s time for Pheasant Pointe where we do another Gospel Sing at 3pm.
Blessings on your day. Love, Dad/Ray
19 June 2011
Psalm 48
Focus: “Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.” Psalm 48:1-2.
It’s impulsive to be singing that scripture song that we learned years ago taken from this passage in the KJV. I definitely resonate with the lead statement that says, “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised” (KJV). But I think all this praise and attention given to Jerusalem calls for some examination and clarification. I’m smelling another serious warning.
Bear in mind the historical context of this Psalm. It was during the reign of David who captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites, rebuilt it, and made it the headquarters of his kingdom. He obviously groomed it into being a city of spectacular beauty. It was also obvious from the historical account that God sanctioned and established this city as His City, a place that symbolized His presence and reign, and where the Temple was built by David’s son, Solomon. Much of its beauty and grandeur is described in this psalm. But did it last? Was it an unconditional arrangement? What if you were able to go back in time and talk with “The Sons of Korah” and tell them, “Hey, this is a very nice song you’ve composed, but judgment is to come upon Jerusalem and the whole place is going to be wiped out and made a heap of rubble by Babalonian King Nebuchandenzar?” I’m sure they would have been incredulous of such an announcement—maybe retorting, “You’re out of your mind!”
Even Jesus’ own disciples were caught up in the nostalgic and nationalistic glory of Jerusalem and the extravagant temple rebuilt by Herod, presuming that it would be permanent and perpetual. “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down’” (Matthew 24:1-2). History records the fulfillment of that announcement when the Romans wiped it out in 70 a.d.
To be sure, the glory and applause of Jerusalem will be fulfilled in “the new Jerusalem.” (See Revelation 21:1-4) But there is a lot to work through before that happens.
So what’s the warning? Well, if Jerusalem represented the presence and blessing of God, and if He allowed it to be destroyed more than once due to the wayward sin and backsliding of Israel, symbolizing the departure of His presence and blessing, what in the world makes present-day believers think they are absolutely secure just because they have a few spiritual trophies on their shelf that were clear displays of God’s grace and blessing? Please don’t be too presumptuous about once-upon-a-time “receiving Christ,” saying a prayer, being baptized, joining a church, and all that good stuff. Please don’t entertain any sloppy and neutralizing notion that you can get the benefits and blessings of God’s presence, grace, and goodness forevermore by any other means than personally SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS—which adds up to A HEART AFTER GOD.
“Join the TNT Club—Today Not Tomorrow.”