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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29 Nov 11
Good morning, dear ones.
Glad to get this off so I can get on with my big list. I’ve already done a jog with the dog in the fog. Kash is out stirring up sawdust. And two little boys are now here in the room stirring up their own brand of dust.
First…finishing up an invoice, then determining a more precise cut list for Kash at the mill. Then…I don’t remember. I’ll try to remember to check the list again at that point.
Be blessed.
Love, Dad/Ray
29 November 2011
Job 39
Focus: “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?” Job 39:26.
The LORD continues His volley of questions—like a machine gun—mowing down the stupid arrogance of Job and his “friends” in particular, and that of mankind in general—as if any created being could rise to out-strip, or even equal, the CREATOR! Absurd! How well does a teaspoon contain the contents of the ocean? And, to be sure, the arrogance and boasting of the teaspoon over how well it contains its 5 milliliters is entirely irrelevant.
The handiwork of the LORD in designing, creating, and programming the animal kingdom with such a broad spectrum of sizes, shapes, habitats, and unlearned abilities is nothing short of mind-boggling. This chapter describes only a tiny portion God’s oversight and management in that regard—everything from the birthing of a mountain goat to the disposition of a horse and the lifestyle of an eagle—extravagant variety with INTENTIONAL DESIGN.
Please understand the value of this kind of TRUTH—and don’t forget it! It’s the kind of TRUTH that will help you maintain proper perspective in regards to big and small, right and wrong, important and trivial, temporal and eternal. This TRUTH will set you free! Free from what? Free from stupid arrogance, for one thing. And that plays out to be a BIG thing!
Now that we have gained a measure of control over our built-in arrogance, it could be a good time to make use of our floundering humility and review the glory of the Biblical Gospel. Let’s follow through with an idea already mentioned and allow the volume of the ocean to represent the infinite capacity of the Almighty. Sorry—you and I are left to represent the capacity of the teaspoons. Got it? Now, try to compute the idea of the ocean actually loving and reaching out to the teaspoons. If this is representative of TRUTH, is there any other more appropriate way to respond to this ratio of size and capacity than the way the Apostle John does—“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Another John—John Newton—called it AMAZING GRACE. I’m convinced that this view of AMAZING GRACE can serve as a very effective antidote to AMAZING STUPID!
Notice that Job has talked himself to exhaustion. Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad have also worn themselves out with words and have finally given up. Elihu is likely sweating profusely at the end of his 6-chapter spiel. Notice that God doesn’t step in to participate in the discussion till everyone else is done pounding the table with their own viewpoints. I think that’s significant. It speaks to the principle that “MAN’S EXTREMETIES ARE GOD’S OPPORTUNITIES.” It supports the fact that GOD WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE LAST WORD. But here’s the deal—a deal you don’t want to pass over—you and I can get a preview of His LAST WORD if we want—and align our lives to synchronize and live wise in His eyes!
“The trouble with the ‘self-made man’ is that he worships the creator.”