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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20 July 11
Good morning, special people.
I’m in another hurry. Need to get folded up, loaded up, fueled up, and set up in Colton for a portable sawmill job. It’s a beautiful morning so far. Once Kash is up and running with the mill job, I need to get into Portland to get some sign supplies so I can finish some other sign work. Whew.
Have a good day…even if the country is falling apart. He is still LORD!
Love—Dad/Ray
20 July 2011
Psalm 79
Focus: “Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.” Psalm 79:13.
I can’t say that my reading of this psalm lit up my mind and morning with inspiration. It’s more lamenting over the consequence of Israel’s sin and rebellion against God. It rehearses the military casualties and losses and the destruction of Jerusalem along with the “holy temple.” It includes expressions of repentance—“Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake ” (vv. 8-9). I’m afraid that this condition of “desperate need” is about the most effective teacher in God’s curriculum of training His people to be submissive followers. As the quip goes, “Adversity is God’s University.” And we would all be wise to establish sooner than later the absolute spiritual law that is stated in Galatians 6:7-9: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
I am a little uncomfortable with how Asaph ends up the psalm. The FOCUS VERSE above is the last verse. It makes me want to recommend that we be wary of the temptation to make deals with God—the kind that says something like, “If you will do this for me, God, then I’ll do this for you.” That’s too much like “foxhole conversions” that have proven to have a very poor track record. The fact is, the Lord is worthy of our praise and submission whether or not we are in “desperate need.” I judge that if I don’t get that straight, I am already in a state of desperate insecurity.
“To grieve over sin is one thing; to repent is another.”