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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3 Mar 11
Hello, special people.
It’s way too late. I hope it’s better late than never. Some might think this little epistle is better NEVER.
The creek is a roaring river again. I notice that the “Tarzan” swing is hanging in the water…moving all around with the pull of the current. I don’t have much temptation right now to go down and use it.
My plate is very full again. I’d better get on with it.
Blessings on your day. Love, Dad/Ray.
3 March 2011
Proverbs 3
Focus: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.
I believe this is about as profound and complete a piece of guidance and practical advice one could ever hear. My mother had me memorize it when I was a little kid. It was displayed on the wall of our home growing up in the form of a plaque—in the King James Version, of course. So these verses have served as a kind of operating system for me personally over the years. Does this mean that all my choices and decisions have been easy and flawlessly made with the obvious stamp of divine authorship? I wish—but, no.
To be honest, I have a hard time identifying with the accounts of others who claim to have conversations with God. “God spoke to me and said, ‘When are you going to give away your pickup truck like I told you?’ I said, ‘Lord, how can I do that when I need it for my livelihood?’ The Lord said, ‘My son, if you would trust….’”—and they carry on with a story that contains amazing detail regarding things we didn’t know God was even concerned with. Do you know what I mean? (Some time ago someone mentioned to me that they were fasting and praying over what name that God would have them give to their cat. I confess that I didn’t offer to join in and post that “need” with the prayer chain.)
Please don’t take me wrong. I’m certainly not against conversations with God. Nor am I unaware of Biblical accounts of human/divine dialogue. It’s just that God has never seen fit to talk to me like that—nor does He give me such clear guidance in non-essential matters that I do not need to exercise FAITH and SOUND JUDGMENT. And I’ve noticed that people who are quite vocal about their conversations with God do not appear to live any more victoriously over SIN, SELF, and SATAN than I—leading me to believe that my personal walk with the Lord is not as INFERIOR as I might conclude if I only compared (2 Corinthians 10:12) my experience with their SUPERIOR claims. It all goes together to make me wonder if God, more often than we know, is “blamed” (made responsible) for stuff He didn’t have much, if anything, to do with.
All I know is that I’m talking to Him all the time. I’m doing everything thing I know to do to acknowledge Him in all my ways. And He keeps talking to me via the general inspiration of His Word that addresses specific needs. I’m highly motivated in this regard since I know that my puny understanding is no match for His Omniscience. I desperately need guidance and blessing beyond what I can provide. And you know what? As I look back, I can see a lot of rejoice-worthy evidence that He has done just that—without me even knowing it at the time—He has directed my paths and intervened by providing benefits to certain difficult decisions that I could not have anticipated.
Of course, the biggest decision that any of us make, for which we desperately need guidance is WHAT WE WILL DO WITH HIS REVELATION THROUGH HIS SON VIA HIS WORD. Make no mistake about it—He definitely wants to direct your paths right into His presence FOREVER.
“Man’s rules should never replace God’s requirements.”