2007 picture of Ray SparreInsightful Musings on the New Testament
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 is following, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 27 May 10
    Good morning, fine feathered friends.
    Of course I base that greeting on the quip that "birds of a feather flock together."  I would like to believe that we are all wearing similar internal feathers in the sense that we are all seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
    I became so distracted with issues and phone calls that I forgot my plan to do a jog before breakfast.  It was in the middle of breakfast that I realized, "Hey!  I didn't do my jog!"  I have such a great memory...with a great aptitude for focus.
    I allowed Daisy to go with me on my jog yesterday.  She is still not really using her leg that was broken...even though the cast is off.  I'm a little worried that something might be amiss.  But she gets around quite well on three.
    Be good, wise, and blessed.
        Love, Dad/Ray
 
27 May 2010
Passage: Luke 8:1-21
Focus: “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.  Luke 8:18.
            If you have functional eyes, you will notice in the mirror those floppy little projections on either side of your head.  They are, of course, your ears.  They are incredible mechanisms of Darwin-defying design.  But what you don’t see in the mirror are your essential ears…the ears of your heart.  That mechanism is also of God’s design, providing humans with the potential of comprehension and understanding, essential to application and production.  At the end of Jesus’ cryptic story, He made reference to these two sets of ears by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (8:8).  In other words, “He who has functional physical ears needs to also develop functional psycho-spiritual ears so as to understand and apply.”
            What if Jesus told the story of the farmer sowing seed without any explanation?  We would be left to engaging in an endless guessing game as to what in the world it meant.  Thankfully, His disciples were not satisfied with just hearing the story with their physical ears…letting it waft in one ear and out the other.  They approached Jesus and asked for explanation and understanding.  That’s what disciples are supposed to do, you know.
            Let’s read again verse 18. “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”  So what is the commodity that Jesus says is so essential?  I have to conclude that the best answer is HEARING EARS…that is, ears of heart-level understanding that not only hear, but seek, understand, persevere, and apply…a vital recipe for production of God’s will (and the Fruit of the Spirit).  Isn’t that what Jesus is saying in His explanation of the parable?  He said, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (8:15).
            Also notice how Jesus responds to those who report to Jesus that His mother and brothers are just outside the house wanting to see Him.  He said, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice” (8:21).
            I know it’s early…but are you LISTENING?
 
            “Common sense is instinct; enough of it is genius.”