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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21 Feb 11
Good morning, dear people.
I just ran out to meet a guy who rolled in with a big horse trailer behind his truck. I didn’t mind the cold without a jacket…as he handed me a check for $876…owed for a bunch of 2x8s that I milled for him last week. Our hungry bank account sure needs that nourishment.
Before I get to the breakfast table, I’m going to do a jog. Sure pretty out there—clear and cold.
Blessings on your day.
Love, Dad/Ray
21 February 2011
Proverbs 21
Focus: “A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.” Proverbs 21:28.
May I suggest that every adult (or developing adult) with a reasonably sound mind is a PHILOSOPHER and a THEOLOGIAN? While they may not have received training in these areas, and their packages of thought may not be very well refined or carefully developed, they, nevertheless, hold a form of philosophical WORLDVIEW with its accompanying view of God. In this sense, every person thus described is a WITNESS. So here is the big question: DOES THIS PERSON WITNESS TO TRUTH OR TO FALSEHOOD?—IS HE A TRUE WITNESS OR A FALSE WITNESS?
We don’t want to get carried away with hair-splitting in these areas. But it is important to develop a standard for determining the general difference between TRUTH and ERROR, between ESSENTIAL and NON-ESSENTIAL, between IMPORTANT and NON-IMPORTANT.
Do you ever marvel at the broad spectrum of views that are represented by people who appear so similar? Take, for example, a couple guys—they grew up in the same neighborhood, same age, same High School, same opportunities for knowledge, and surrounded by the same display of God’s handiwork in creation. Yet one embraces a view that GOD IS TRUTH, ESSENTIAL, AND IMPORTANT—that there is “a heaven to gain and a hell to shun,” while the other guy believes that GOD IS FALSE, NON-ESSENTIAL, AND UNIMPORTANT—that when he dies, that’s the end of it. Both cannot be TRUE. (However, both could be FALSE.) A good question then is WHICH VIEW IS SAFEST?—supported by the most compelling evidence and reliable source of authority?
I’m certainly thankful that there is a whole lot more fuel for my Biblical faith than mere logic. There really is that wonderful mystical WITNESS of His Spirit within that confirms my relationship with Him (Romans 8:15-17).
Anyway, don’t miss the ominous warning contained in the FOCUS VERSE. Let’s review it one more time: “A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.” That sounds pretty serious and important to me. It prompts me to give the utmost of my attention to what I believe and communicate by word and lifestyle.
“Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.” - Ramona C. Carroll