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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5 July 11
Good morning, dear special people.
And this morning is just about history…never again made available for editing. Where has all the time gone? Of course, I have a hard time comprehending that it’s already July!
Kash is at the sawmill. I’ve already been out shifting logs around and feeding them to the mill for sawing. A fellow dropped off a load of logs too…to be zipped up into board and bat for his recreation property home in Central Oregon. We’ve already commenced that order. There are several sign projects for me to get onto as well. And it’s all in the presence of two little time-consuming boys—Kaden and Nicholas. At least Thano is not working at Safeway today.
May your day go well…as you maintain the basics. And the basics, you know, is where we typically fail…not on the complicated high stuff. Be reminded that nothing is more basic than SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Love, Dad/Ray
5 July 2011
Psalm 64
Focus: “All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.” Psalm 64:9.
What? All mankind will fear? All will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done? Yup! ALL. 100%. This word of revelation and inspiration by David is quite compatible with Paul’s in Philippians 2:9-11. I know I’ve quoted that recently—but let’s take another look. “Therefore God exalted him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
If Biblical revelation is to be taken seriously, this is not a matter of IF, but WHEN. And the correct Biblical answer to the WHEN question is twofold: (1) SOONER, or (2) LATER. SOONER is wisdom—LATER is foolish. (Look at the FOCUS VERSE again and be reminded that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10.) The SOONER option puts one into the class of the UPRIGHT—“Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!” (Psalm 64:10). The LATER are those who are forced to recognize God and His goodness and grace which they ignored or rejected during their earthly lives. And because they choose the LATER option (by choice or default), it plays out to be TOO LATE. They are not members of the UPright, but of the DOWNwrong. I know I’m playing with the words, but it fits. The UPright inherit a wonderful UPward destiny while the DOWNwrong inherit a terribly DOWNward one.
There is a big movement in our Nation to ban private possession of firearms. I sure don’t like the stripping away of our American 2nd Amendment rights. I agree with the perspective that says IF GUNS ARE OUTLAWED, THEN ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE GUNS. I also agree that GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE—PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE. I mention this because I apply the same kind of reasoning to the Biblical doctrine of hell. So, if there really is a Biblical hell, as Jesus and other scriptures describe, I think it is most accurate to reason that GOD DOES NOT SEND PEOPLE TO HELL. Furthermore, I also believe that SATAN DOES NOT SEND PEOPLE TO HELL. The technical truth is that PEOPLE SEND PEOPLE TO HELL simply because they do not seek the obvious Creator, allowing Him to “turn on their lights,” and come to embrace the wonderful limited-time offer of His grace and salvation—a rescue from the impending consequence of unforgiven SIN—a hereditary condition that affects everyone.
Based on the story Jesus told in Luke 16, the memory is not erased after physical death. I know there are those who would argue this point—even denying such a state. I acknowledge that I cannot prove myself right with these deductions, but neither can they prove me wrong. According to this source of authority that that is bigger than my opinion, conscious existence continues on and on and on… I can only imagine the volume and nature of the PONDERING that will go on when it is TOO LATE. Seeking Him NOW removes from the seeker even the possibility of such an outcome.
“Those trying to prove there is no hell have obvious motivations.”