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 |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 Sept 11
Good morning, special people.
I know—it’s been a long time. Too long. My down time is evidence of the intensity of our busyness…beyond any summer that I remember. But since I don’t remember stuff all that well, maybe it was normal.
Let me clarify how I’ve approached dividing up these Psalms. I decided to take each of the sections of Psalm 119 as a daily segment. So we’re already near the end of it.
Even as I type, we have a family with us—still in bed—Ryan and Stacy Helbling with their 4 children as well as Stacy’s mother, Karen. They made it up to our little church yesterday for the tail end of a church potluck and had opportunity to share something of their missionary work and vision in Tanzania. Ryan and Stacy spent nearly two years with us in Vanuatu.
May your day be blessed…as you rejoice in the Lord.
Love, Dad/Ray.
19 September 2011
Psalm 119:161-168 (“Sin and Shin”)
Focus: “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165.
Is there any commodity more in demand yet short supply than peace? Whether we look at the macrocosm of national and international relations, or right down to the microcosm of personal and individual conditions—peace is anything but commonplace.
Is there any recipe for personal peace superior to this one? Listen to it again: “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”
Don’t miss the logical connections contained in this promise. Before Becki and I were married, we had to carry on our relationship with some mail correspondence. I loved her letters. Why? Because I loved her. Duh! So it only makes sense that if we love God (passionately—with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength), we will also love His written expressions to us. The result—personal passionate relationship with the God who clearly passionately loves us personally and individually. How can that NOT play out to render PEACE?!
There is a parallel of themes in my reading this morning that included Philippians 4:4-7. We would do well to not only read that passage again, but commit it to memory. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I don’t know about you, but I seem to be in constant need of this benefit. Is it valid to call the basic requirement A HEART AFTER GOD?
“Peace: In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.” - Ambrose Bierce