Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
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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7 July 11
            Greetings, dear people.
            Here it is, so late in the morning, and I’m still in my jog togs.  But a lot of business has been transacted already.  It’s kind of funny…that when we were returning from our jog/walk, I pointed out the five bundles of slabwood that I have stacked beside our driveway.  There’s at least a half cord of wood in each.  I mentioned that at $30 each, that was $150.  Without any previous notice, a guy just left the house after paying me for four of those bundles--$120.  Becki’s happy.
            The JOY OF THE LORD really is a lot more important than American Express—“Don’t leave home without it!”
            Blessings. Love.  Dad/Ray
 
7 July 2011
Psalm 66
Focus: “Shout with joy to God, all the earth!”  Psalm 66:1.
            David is pumped—like he’s standing on a chair SHOUTING to the whole planet.  Let’s subject this first line of this psalm to the analysis of WHAT, HOW, WHERE, and WHO.
            WHAT?  Shout.  Did you say, shout?  Yes, SHOUT! Hey—isn’t that a little extreme?  Isn’t worship supposed to be soft and silent?  When is the last time you shouted?  Was it with anger?  Was it with excitement over a sports event?  Or was it in worship?  I confess that I get nervous with shouting and noise for the sake of shouting and noise.  It’s possible to find some believers that are caught up in worshipping worship and praising praise, and the resulting noise is kind of hollow.  There are times when my own eardrums are offended in church.  But David is talking here about a genuine worship SHOUT.  To be sure, this kind of authentic SHOUTING is Biblical.  
            HOW? With joy—not just superficial fun and laughter, but with a posture of faith and assurance that runs deeper than that—a recognition of this wonderful relationship with the Creator God of the universe—with sins forgiven, new life, new perspective, new hope, new destiny, etc., etc., etc.  I guess this also covers the WHY question that we didn’t put in the list.  How can such recognition render sadness and depression?  This is the essential heart disposition that gets you through the tough stuff.  You don’t want to live without the JOY OF THE LORD—which is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
            WHERE? Where are these worship SHOUTS of JOY to be directed?  To God—of course!  Consider the next three verses of the psalm.  David goes so far to even suggest what to say.  “Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!  Say (SHOUT) to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!  So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.  All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.  Selah.’”
            WHO? The answer is ALL THE EARTH—everything and everyone.  And you know what?—everything and everyone who is moving and functioning within the boundaries of pleasing Him does exactly that.  However, not all humans are so inclined.  Instead of using their powers of free will to serve Him, they use those powers to oppose Him.  And that has to be about the saddest reality on this planet.
            The impasse that blocks true worship from human hearts is indicated in verse 18.  The NIV states it this way: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”  The KJV puts it this way: “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” And if the Lord is not pleased with these empty contaminated worship shouts, they are of no more value than the banging and clanging of a bunch of empty cans.
            Back to the matter of SHOUTING, here is what I think is the best rule of thumb: Rather than trying to put forth some kind of effort to shout, just continue to consume the Word, and become so full of the JOY OF THE LORD that you have to restrain yourself to keep from shouting.  When you can’t—that’s the best kind of shouting.
 
“One filled with joy preaches without preaching.”  -  Mother Teresa