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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12 Jan 11
            Hey there, dear people.
            Here comes another day.  I began it about 3am…which is permissible when you drop into bed at 7:45pm as we did last night.
            Sawmilling and signage are on my list today…plus a lot I won’t try to list. May the Lord help us to be right as we process this day and do what we have to do.
            Ready. Set.  GO!
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
12 January 2011
Proverbs 12
Focus: “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”  Proverbs 12:28.
            Without consulting my Bible Dictionary, let me attempt my own definition of RIGHTEOUSNESS and put it in these simple terms: THE GOD-PLEASING MORAL OUTPUT OF A HEART AFTER GOD.  I will not insist that my definition is perfect—but I see it as appropriate, practical, and “righteous.”  If you can help me define it better, I sure would like to hear from you.
            Notice the close connection between this statement and the one near the end of the preceding chapter—Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” Both refer to the quality of “righteousness” and link it with “life.” To be sure, “life” is not just the antonym of something that is non-living.  It carries the idea of fulfillment and success.  I also see a close connection between the idea of “immortality” and “winning souls”  Both imply eternal success as opposed to eternal failure.
            Daniel 12:3 comes to mind as it also speaks of being “wise” in relation to “righteousness.”  Listen to it: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”  Doesn’t that sound like “immortality” and success in life?
            I regard David’s prayer in Psalm 19:14 as a good recommended prayer for both achieving and maintaining righteousness.  It’s the ongoing prayer of A HEART AFTER GOD.  “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”
 
“Notice on High School bulletin board: ‘In the event of nuclear attack, all bans on prayer on this campus will be lifted.’”