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 has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.

|  Daily Reading Guide  |  2011 Devotion Archives  |  2010 Devotion Archives  |
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9 Jan 11
            Greeting, dear ones.
            I need to hurry.  It’s 2:48pm…and we need to get into town for our 3pm Gospel Sing at Pheasant Pointe, a senior assisted living center.  We returned grandkids at about 1:20pm.
            Remember…I’d like to rebuild my mailing list today.  So if you’d like to continue receiving these little tidbits of Bible brainstorming, please let me know.
            Be blessed.  Bye bye.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
9 January 2011
Proverbs 9
Focus: “Let all who are simple come in here!”  Proverbs 9:4 & 16.
            The more I process the themes and imageries presented in these early chapters of Proverbs, the more clear it becomes that the two key women, WISDOM and FOLLY, are really  representative of the two kingdoms of the universe—the eternal Kingdom of God, and the temporal Kingdom of Satan.  It’s a poetic and symbolic way to present the reality of the over-arching battle of the ages over the eternal souls of men.  It’s a picture of REAL spiritual warfare.
            Notice that both Mrs. WISDOM and Mrs. FOLLY say exactly the same thing.  “Let all who are simple come in here!”  Check out and compare verses 4 and 16.  WISDOM promises, “Leave your simple ways and you will live” (v. 6).  And it’s the TRUTH!  FOLLY promises that sin and deception are fun and fulfilling.  “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” (v. 17).  But it’s all a BIG LIE!
            Doesn’t this call to mind the well-known words of Jesus in John 10:10?  “The thief (FOLLY) comes only to steal and kill and destroy (…to do you eternal dirty!); I (WISDOM) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (…to do you eternal GOOD!).”
            As I see it, herein is not only the great BATTLE of the ages—it also presents the great DECISION (choice) of the ages!
 
“Adverse criticism from a wise man is more desirable than the enthusiastic approval of a fool.”