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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12 Feb 11
Hello in the morning…
However, it’s way later in the morning than I would like. I really slept in…till 5am. Of course there was baby Nicholas between us for some of the night…like trying to sleep in the middle of a dog fight. Not really. He’s really quite good. And I did do a jog with Kaden…some of the time on my shoulders. I normally follow the highway down to Short Fellows Road and turn to go up the hill through the woods. And I normally let Kaden walk and jog that section…partly because he’s a “short fellow”—he’s on his road. Snicker.
I’m now heading out to the sawmill where I have a big bunch of sawdust-making to do. This is just another “run of the mill” day. Snicker again.
Be blessed.
Love, Dad/Ray
12 February 2011
Proverbs 12
Focus: “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” Proverbs 12:19.
Wouldn’t it be nice and convenient if we could pull into a Bible Service Station, take the cap off the tank of our minds, and say, “Fill ‘er up!?” But, alas!—important things are seldom, if ever, easy things. To be sure, I can think of no need in my life that is more important than to purge my think tank of its original contents, deposited there by my inherited sin nature, and be filled with God’s Transformational Word (God’s thoughts).
Consider with me a couple verses from David’s penitential prayer in Psalm 51, verses 5 and 6. There is some vital theology being stated there. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Do you see the flow of ideas? We begin with a tank programmed for and filled with sin—diametrically opposed to God’s truth. That condition is intolerable and detestable to God. (See verse 22.) Yet He graciously offers human responders a redemptive plan to reverse that condition—a plan that replaces deception with truth, wrong with right, destruction with salvation, and the Lake of Fire (Remember? That’s where liars ultimately go! Revelation 21:6-8) with Heaven. Is God’s grace amazing, or what?!?!
The reason “Truthful lips endure forever” is because God and His Word are eternal. Jesus said, “Heaven (the solar systems) and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:36). So here’s how it works in simple terms: If you and I, as finite temporal beings, can align ourselves with God’s plan to incorporate His Eternal Word into our think tanks, we too have the opportunity of immortality!
And the reason “a lying tongue lasts only a moment” is because life on this planet, against the backdrop of eternity, is comparatively just that—“only a moment.” “What is your life?” James asks, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).
I realize we are continually repetitious with these themes. But their importance deserves it. I hope you agree.
“Always be truthful. It takes a fantastic memory to be a successful liar.”