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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22 Oct 11
Greetings, dear people.
As you might imagine, this production below called for more time and effort than normal. I’m now feeling the pressure to get out there and get crashing with my huge TO DO list for the day. It’s already close to 11am. Whew! Anyway, I hope I don’t stir up too much controversial dust as I put forth these ideas.
May your day be a good one. And it will…IF you love God and respond to His call (Rom. 8:28).
Love, Dad/Ray
Transitional Note: My preference is to remain in the “Wisdom Literature” sector of the Bible till the end of the year. And without having a great pre-determined plan, I face the decision of which way to jump next. I considered Ecclesiastes—but that seems a little depressing and repetitious on the theme of vanity and meaninglessness, till the end of that volume when Solomon wraps it up with a positive conclusion. And I’m kind of scared to take on the Song of Solomon as a basis for inspiration as I would have to wade through all that wonderful sexy sensuality and try to make devotional application. So I’m settling for the book of Job with an adventurous hope that we can squeeze enough devotional juice from this amazing piece of literature to make it worth our while.
22 October 2011
Job 1
Focus: “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Job 1:1.
Please—never forget this description of Job in the first verse as you proceed through the rest of this volume. “…blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” There is a huge amount of practical and devotional guidance right there. Therein are the essential qualities required and sought by the Sovereign Lord from among men. And if that is true, it should be the essential qualities that we seek within ourselves. Such a harmonious arrangement means we are seeking what God seeks, and shunning what God shuns. It really is the only recipe for success on this planet.
It’s not necessary to insist that Job was absolutely flawless—that he never made a mistake—never made an error in judgment—never broke a dish—never misspelled a word—never miss-cut a board. But his steadfast commitment to please his Maker was a non-negotiable priority for him. That leads me to a very worthy question for self-examination: How do I measure up to that essential standard?
I think we are all a bit amused to see Satan appearing before the LORD. It is as though Satan were a servant accountable to God. My own conclusion is that that is exactly what he is. No—Satan does not serve God directly—doing His positive will. But he is ordained of God to serve Him indirectly—offering mankind an option to choosing to seek first God’s Kingdom and rule. Without this option, God would have nothing but robotic or instinctive service and worship from among men. But He clearly desires His relationship with humans to be based on their voluntary choice—not by means of involuntary force. To be sure, Satan exists and functions within God’s permissive will. If not, he wouldn’t even be there. I judge that every other theological spin falls apart if this fundamental truth is not in place.
You can’t read the account of Job’s horrible losses that reduced him from prince to pauper in a single day, along with the death of all his children, without staggering in empathy under the terrible blow. Wow! It seems more supernatural than natural to note how the chapter ends—all evidence that Job’s integrity and commitment to God was not based on convenience, circumstance, or feeling. “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (v. 22).
May I propose a terrible challenge? Some may think this overly negative, but I don’t. Use your imagination to think up the most horrible thing that could possibly happen to you that might be so intense and unbearable so as to possibly cause you to turn your back on God, cease to trust Him, and turn away from seeking first His Kingdom rule. Go ahead and include the most unthinkable. OK? Now—DEAL WITH IT! In the process, please use the Scriptures and your pre-determinations to formulate a positive response. What better way to prepare for life’s inevitable set-backs in a fallen world?
“To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the storm.”