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  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 6 June 10
            Good morning, dear people.
            Charlie Peterson took me up on what I said yesterday…and called me near the end of the day to ask what I did with my day.  We had a good chat.  But, hey, Charlie, I forgot to tell you what consumed my entire morning.  I spent that time dismantling our toilet, installing all new parts and washers, and putting it all back together.  It had been leaking too much, leaving a perpetual puddle on the floor, which, as you know, could cause some real damage over time.
            I guess a lot of things can cause some real damage over time.  How about wrong thinking?  I’d better not get too carried away…we have some time pressure upon us now.  And I didn’t get in my jog.
            Blessings.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 

6 June 2010
Passage: Luke 11:37-54
Focus: “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”  Luke 11:51.
            How big is my guilt before God?  The way I am processing these words of Jesus (Check out the counterpart of this passage in Matthew 23:35-36), I’m inclined to conclude that my own personal guilt is very BIG—bigger than I can even comprehend.  Try to follow me through some thoughts as they are impacting me.  I’m seeing that my guilt is bigger than my being cruel to a classmate in 3rd grade—bigger than stealing a bag of candy when I was 12—bigger than telling a lie when I was 14, etc.  My guilt is bigger than my own history of wrongdoing.  The strong implication of Jesus’ words is that my guilt and responsibility is so huge as to include all the sins of all mankind from the beginning of man’s history till now…and beyond.  I am GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION.  Whereas I am a member of the human race, and “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), then I stand condemned with the ALL for it ALL.
            Before we get all upset and defensive over how unfair this seems, let’s balance out the matter with trying to comprehend the size and scope of God’s antidote for my guilty condition.  “For the wages of sin is death (BIG death), but the gift (BIG gift) of God (BIG God) is eternal life (BIG life) in Christ Jesus our Lord (BIG Savior)” (Rom. 6:23).  So God’s love gift is also BIG—bigger than I can comprehend.  In fact it’s way BIGGER than my guilt!
            Take a songbook and turn to page #469 and let’s sing at least the first stanza of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin.” 
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
            Here’s the bottom line point, as I see it: If, for whatever reason, I do not personally subscribe to this amazing Gift of God, I must accept the consequence (wages) for sin.  It’s an ALL OR NOTHING deal.  No one is partially saved…or partially lost.  It’s either one or the other.  So if I don’t accept the gift, it’s not just that I AM guilty for it all, but I may as well be. Does that make sense?
 
            “One may go wrong in many directions but right in only one.”