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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24 Oct 10
Morning, special people.
Wow! I need to hurry again! I’ve done a jog, ate my
breakfast while here at the computer…now need to jump in the shower and
off to church.
Blessings. Love. Dad/Ray.
24 October 2010
Passage: 2 Timothy 4
Focus: “…be prepared…” 2 Timothy 4:2.
This
simple little phrase just about says it all. “BE PREPARED.”
Think about it. As I think about it, I have to make this
deduction: All my background, all my training, all my experience, all
my church activities, etc., don’t really amount to a “hill of beans” IF
it does not result in my being PREPARED to serve God in the present—and
PREPARED to meet Him at the inevitable termination of my physical life
in the future. And whereas God has provided so thoroughly for my being
PREPARED, I am without any excuse at being anything less. Can you
say, “Amen?”
This
passage between 2 Timothy 3:10 and 4:10 is labeled as “Paul’s Charge to
Timothy” in my Bible. It is such a tremendous section of
Scripture containing encouragement and challenge toward being PREPARED
that I have decided to present it here again from The Message
translation. Why not pretend that this is Paul’s charge to
____________ญญญญ____ (fill in your own name)?
“You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner
of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles,
sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up
with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that
God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a
lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it. Unscrupulous con
men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as
the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can
only get worse.
“But
don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed,
sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred
Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the
written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith
in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and
useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion,
correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through
the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
“I
can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your
shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on
everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open
with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your
watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever
quit. Just keep it simple.
“You’re going to find there will be times when people will have no
stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk
food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their
backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what
you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the
Message alive; do a thorough job as God’ servant.
“You
take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar.
This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the
finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the
shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest
judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for
his coming.”
“The proper time to do the proper thing is before you have to do it.”