Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
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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8 Feb 11
Greetings, dear ones.
I haven’t even made my list yet. I decided to wait till I get this off before scaring myself too badly with what I must face today. I’ll have to bank on the truth that GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT, because mine isn’t.
Have a wonderful day…
Love, Dad/Ray
8 February 2011
Proverbs 8
Focus: “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old.” Proverbs 8:22.
Even advertisers use this style of presentation in communicating their messages. I’ve heard radio ads recently that give personality to one’s heart, one’s car, one’s roof, or whatever, and spin a speech or dialogue that presents them as though they were capable of independent thought and speech. It’s a very effective way to help humans connect dots and comprehend intangible and abstract ideas by ascribing to those ideas real and tangible independent personhood. This style of teaching was also used by Jesus where He made use of parables to teach unknown spiritual truths in terms of known physical realities.
Three basic ideas come to me as I take in Chapter 8 of Proverbs this time around. Firstly, (1) WISDOM IS A GOD THING. Here again we have intangible WISDOM presented as a tangible female person, telling about her origin and life history. She was “given birth” (vv. 24-25) and became the co-author of creation along with The Creator. We are familiar with John’s amplification of God when he says, “God is love.” From an overview of this chapter we can form a similar descriptive that says, “God is WISDOM.” True wisdom is a display and component of God.
(2) WISDOM IS NOT AUTOMATIC. True wisdom—the kind that really matters—must be sought and found. Man’s fallen sin nature causes him to more naturally be a Biblical fool than a Biblical wise person. And effectively seeking and drawing from wisdom is not a one-time deal—it must be continual: “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doorway” (v. 34).
(3) WISDOM YIELDS BLESSING. That word stands out for me in the verse we just quoted—“BLESSED.” If seeking God and His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) is on a par with seeking wisdom, or if they are integral, it only stands to reason that BLESSING would result. I’m seeing a similarity of this promise to that of Isaiah 40. Let me quote verses 28 through 31. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young me stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
That’s encouraging. That’s blessing. That’s WISDOM.
“Don’t pray for an easier life; pray to be a stronger person.”