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 July 11
Good evening, dear ones.
Well…the day is shot. So much going on…I didn’t get this cooked up till now. It helped to take my notebook computer to a private place…just to escape the activity going on around me with two little boys here. They’re in bed now. Whew! Kaden enjoyed going with me to deliver a trailer load of sawn lumber. Then he rode with me a good deal in the skid steer, moving logs and lumber around. In the mix I did some sign work.
Sleep tight. Blessings. Love—Dad/Ray.
19 July 2011
Psalm 78
Focus: “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.” Psalm 78:4.
The more I think about what is presented in verses 1 to 8 in this psalm, the more convinced I am that we are touching on a principle of life and godliness that we should not ignore. It’s not my interest to put undue pressure on you or manipulate you into doing something low in importance, but I would ask that you give some serious thought to personal responsibilities and potential influence.
Perhaps I will present a few simple questions to help guide you into my pathway of thought. Firstly, who are you personally responsible for before God? Yes—you are responsible for you. The Bible makes it clear that every individual believer will be called upon in judgment to give account for his life and service as a follower of Christ. But doesn’t it go beyond that? Doesn’t your personal responsibility include others, particularly your own children and family? I can’t believe that the principle contained in Deuteronomy 6:6 and 7 is obsolete—“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” When it says, “Impress them upon your children,” does it mean just your immediate children? Notice verse 6 of Psalm 78—“…so the next generation would know them (words of God, guidance in faith), even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.” Then verse 7 indicates the high goal and objective of these training and influence efforts—“Then they would put their trust in God.” My own prayer and heart’s desire is that not only my immediate children put their trust in God, but also my grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren, and great great great grandchildren, etc. To be sure, my great great great grandchild will be just as much an important eternal soul as any one of my immediate children. Yes—everyone must find their own way and make their own choices, but instruction, role-modeling, and encouragement are still important. And I personally don’t feel comfortable with abandoning those in the line of posterity to flounder and re-invent the wheel of godliness.
I’m reminded of that quip that says, “The best use of life is to invest it in something that outlasts it.” We have a lot of recording technology available to us today. Any one of them could be used for recording expressions of supportive encouragement even for “children yet to be born.” But don’t overlook the simple method of using pen and paper for writing down thoughts, stories, lessons, testimonies, poetry, even fiction with a godly spin. Who can tell what blessings God would add to such a discipline?
I was just a kid in 1956 when the news reached us of the killing of 5 evangelical missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador. Among them was Jim Elliot. I don’t know if he had any intent or idea that his inspiration would go beyond his notebook, but what he casually wrote in his personal journal one day has been used to inspire, encourage, and challenge countless thousands to “put their trust in God”—me included—“He is no fool who will give what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.”
Think about it. Why not write about it?
“People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to ancestry.” - Edmund Burke