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  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20 July 10
                Dear special people.
                It’s overcast and cool at 8:44am.  Lot’s to squeeze into this day. And this is to report that I probably won’t be able to get these little productions sent over the next few days.  We’ll be running north, meeting my brother and wife, spending a couple nights at a beach cabin on Orcas Island, then attending a college reunion, back home on Saturday night or Sunday morning.  The present plan is to use my boat to transport us from Anacortes to Orcas.
                Until next time, keep doing Proverbs 3:5-6.
                                Love, Dad/Ray.
 

20 July 2010
Passage: 1 Corinthians 12
Focus: “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 12:3.
                I think it is very significant that Paul gives focus to the centrality of Christ at the outset of his expounding on spiritual gifts—a topic that has given rise to all kinds of controversy within the Body of Christ.  I am also inclined to believe that giving such balanced attention to Christ would go a long way toward minimizing the debate and help to achieve healthy balance.  I’ve beheld too many cases of imbalance—where spiritual gifts are more the focus than is Jesus and His Lordship.
                Without doing a lot of expounding, I think I will simply attempt to paraphrase this verse in my own words and thoughts: “Whereas we speak by much more than just words, anyone who says with words, or even implies by lifestyle or attitude, that Jesus is just a man or that He’s not really very important, is way off course with truth of God.  And anyone who says with words that Jesus is their Lord, and supports that claim with their lifestyle and attitudes, they are actually demonstrating the power and authenticity of the Holy Spirit—which is the Spirit of Christ.  That person’s life, in various ways and degrees, actually becomes an example of Christ ministering through His people to His people.”
                In keeping with Paul’s illustration, I acknowledge that I am not the Body of Christ.  But I am a part.  And even this little composition can be a medium for my functioning in The Body as a part—a very little part—kind of like one little blood cell.
 
                “We need to be careful what we think, because we are becoming what we think.”