Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
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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14 Dec 11
            Dear special people.
            The day is pretty much done.  So am I.  I think this head cold is making me feel older than I am.  I’m already lusting after the bed.
            I’m sticking on an attachment photo, for whatever it’s worth.  It simply reveals a bit of what things look like surrounding the sawmill operation. This will assist your visualization.  As you can see, we sure could use some gravel fill as the place is a mud hole when it rains.
            Have a good night.  Be blessed.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
            
14 December 2011
Proverbs 14
Focus: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.”  Proverbs 14:4.
            I have become a strong believer in strong tools—good tools, that is—tools that allow me to achieve things bigger, better, and faster than I can achieve with just my own skin, muscles, and bones.  I have also come to believe that good quality tools are superior to poor quality ones.  I have invested a lot of money in good tools.  I have a lot of them.  For the most part, they have paid for themselves by transforming their powers and abilities into productive trade value in the form of income or other services.
            The ox, of course, is more than an animal—it is a tool for farming that allows the farmer to do much more than he could do in his own strength.  A wise farmer would do whatever he needed to do by planning, saving, or trading to acquire such a valuable tool.
            There is no substitute for perseverance and hard work.  Those qualities produce.  Wishful thinking doesn’t.  That’s also the theme of verse 23—“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
            The application of this idea to practical work and profitable commerce is obvious.  But let’s take it beyond and apply it to our spiritual needs.  The Bible affirms that those needs are bigger than any of us can meet on our own.  We desperately need to access a power source and plan that is capable of achieving what we can’t.  In this regard, the Bible also reveals that we are all farmers—we all possess land that produces crops.
            If I were to rephrase the proverb with these thoughts in mind, it could go something like this: “Where there is no decisive planning and diligence to seek God, secure His free gift of salvation from sin, and live pleasing before Him, these urgent needs will never be met—spiritual destitution is guaranteed.  Meeting these needs is neither automatic nor accidental.  But by means of the big and powerful tools and resources that He supplies (His Word, His blessing, His Holy Spirit), an abundant harvest of eternal value is assured.”
 
“The Lord has given us two ends, they have a common link;
For with the bottom end we sit, and with the other think. 
Success in life depends upon which end you choose to use,
You’ll discover this, my friend, heads you win, and tails you lose!”