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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27 Sept 10
            Good morning, dear people.
            I’ve already spent time in the shop helping Thano finalize a fixture we’ve fabricated to help him with his firewood processing.  I’ll get this email off before hitting the shower and dressing.  I’m still in my jog togs.
            I wonder—are these the good ol’ days we will some day long for?
            Whether YES or NO, have a good day today.
                        Blessings. Love.  Dad/Ray
 
27 September 2010
Passage: Hebrews 2
Focus: “…do not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1.
            Let’s begin by looking at the whole verse.  “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
            Many years ago (about 1975), while crossing the lagoon of the Arno Atoll in the Marshall Islands, we came onto a nice boat totally adrift—no one on board—far away from safety.  It was fairly new with twin 70hp Johnson engines.  Fortunately, there was sufficient fuel on board with the ignition key in place.  I was able to go aboard, get it running, and we carried on to our destination with two boats.  The owners were finally contacted via radio and found a way to rendezvous with us and take custody of their boat.  
            I never did understand all the details as to why that boat was adrift.  But it was obvious that someone did not give proper attention to securing the craft to where they had wanted it to remain.  It represented a huge investment and great value.  Had we not been there to cover their negligence, most likely it would have been destroyed or seriously damaged on some reef. Any boat person should understand that the factors of wind, waves, tide, and current will combine to make it virtually impossible for any boat to simply remain where it is put if it is not properly anchored or secured.
            Your salvation also represents a huge investment of inestimable value.  The simple fact is that if you do not give careful attention to anchoring your faith to make it “steadfast and unmovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58), it too will naturally drift.  Besides the natural instability of the human heart, there are lots of winds, waves, and currents in this world to pull you around to where you shouldn’t be.  It can be very damaging.  It can be downright destructive.
            May I suggest that your faith is not so much at risk when you are out there using it—prayer, study, worship, meditation, and sharing your faith with others.  It’s at the end of a day’s run when you are inclined to relax that your faith is most at risk.  You know—flip on the TV, pick up a piece of reading, listen to the chatter of the world, or just hang out—they’re all factors laden with potential influence to cause your faith to drift.  The solution: “Pay more careful attention”—not just some of the time, but all of the time. This, to me, presents a strong case for the importance and practical need for DAILY PERSONAL DEVOTIONS.  Is such an exercise part of your daily routine?
            “For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape (or, avoid drifting away) if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:2-3).
 
            “The Christian cannot afford the luxury of loafing.”