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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26 Feb 11
Brrrr, dear ones.
They were right on the temperature prediction. It was down to about 18 degrees, F. It’s warmed up to about 28 now.
Thano just came in to announce that a bad critter has killed some of our chickens. My hunch is that it would be a raccoon. With short-haired Max inside, and our good outdoor dog, Daisy, no longer with us, we are definitely more vulnerable to that kind of thing.
Lots to pursue in the day. Be blessed.
Love, Dad/Ray
26 February 2011
Proverbs 26
Focus: “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.” Proverbs 26:2.
This calls to mind the age old saying that “You cannot prevent birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair”—or, as in my case, in your lack of hair. In other words, don’t be worried about what you can’t control, but be responsible for what you can.
One of the great challenges of our missionary cross-cultural ministry within the realm of ANIMISM was to build into our believers an adequate measure of Biblical faith that would effectively lift them above the fear of magical curses. In the Solomon Islands, that phenomenon was known as “custom poison,” and in Vanuatu it was “nakaimas.” (Note: A general belief within this worldview is that much, if not all, of what happens in the physical realm is caused by powers in the spiritual realm.) You don’t have to exercise too much imagination to comprehend how paralyzing and damaging this kind of fear can be when Biblical revelation requires one to oppose and abandon such beliefs—beliefs that have been instilled since infancy.
Another kind of UNDESERVED CURSE can come in the form of unjustified demeaning criticism. We as mature adults should understand the negative impact of establishing one’s self-esteem or self-worth on the basis of such peer pressure. Young people are particularly influenced by such pressure. So nothing can be more important for Christian youth (or Christian anybody), in my view, than to help them develop a healthy understanding as to WHO THEY ARE, along with a sound Biblical understanding as to WHY THEY BELIEVE WHO THEY ARE. It only stands to reason that if someone does not have such a clear understanding, they will be constantly pushed and pulled and manipulated by the assaults and opinions of others. And that’s a terrible crippling way to live!
I refuse to be intimidated by magical curses. (Romans 8) I choose to not be intimidated and controlled by the untrue criticism from other humans. That not only involves rejecting the content of untrue criticism, but also not condemning the criticizer. After all, Jesus instructed us to “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). (See also 2 Corinthians 10; Colossians 1-3.) But if the Sovereign God puts (or allows) a curse on me, or levels criticism against me, I need to pay attention to that and deal with it—it has to be DESERVED! To be sure, SIN IS A CURSE! It’s spiritual “poison”—spiritual “nakaimas.” So please don’t excuse it or ignore it. The ultimate consequence of this BIG CURSE is BIG DEATH—that is, eternal. But the amazing gracious GIFT OF GOD is deliverance—ETERNAL LIFE—THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD (Romans 6:23). Understand that we have been given UNDESERVED GRACE that over-rides our DESERVED CURSE.
“If anyone does not love the LORD—a curse be on him. Come, O LORD!” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
“Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down with incredible swiftness.” - Faith Baldwin