Insightful 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  |
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 12 June 2010
            Good morning, dear people.
            What a gorgeous day it is out there now!  I’m swamped with stuff I need to pursue.  I’ve done a little jog already. 
            I had a new experience last evening.  I put on a pair of high rubber farm boots to do a round of weed-eating.  I hadn’t used those boots for some time.  They were parked outside on the back deck on top of a freezer. I felt something a little strange in the toe…but it didn’t seem to be too big a deal.  When I removed them later, I noticed some strange stuff sticking to the toe of my sock.  I reached in and pulled out a…oh fiddle…I don’t want to bore you with my crazy stories.  But can you guess?  Maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow.
            Have a great day.
                                                          Love, Dad/Ray
 
12 June 2010
Passage: Luke 14:1-24
Focus: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11.
            Pay close attention here to the distinction between what a person can do to himself, and what he can’t do to himself.  He can EXALT himself…or he can HUMBLE himself.  But he cannot determine or control the long-range outcome of those choices.  If my main objective in life is to establish a high image of myself, I may get some favorable results for awhile, but the ultimate price tag is the exact opposite of what I’m wanting.  If, however, my main objective is to worship and please my Creator, recognizing that this is the very purpose of my existence, then I will choose to humbly and earnestly seek Him at every point…and ultimately win the reward of benefits far beyond my wildest dreams and imaginations…like, heaven, like, eternal life, like, who could ever achieve that on their own?!
            Have you noticed that it’s pretty hard to worship God with a big head? “O Lord, you sure are lucky to have me on Your planet!”  Oh phooey!  Get it straight.  Within the Kingdom of God, exaltation is never achieved by seeking it.  It is, in fact, the byproduct of humility—the kind that seeks first His rule and reign (His Kingdom), not mine.  “For thine (not mine, not yours) is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” (Mtt. 6:13).  I hope you can say a resounding, “Amen!”
 
            “Most of us carry around a stumbling block—some of us cover it with a hat.”