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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17 Mar 11
Greetings, dear people.
The pressure is on. Thano will help me in the set up for this big show event in Albany. How things play out from there is a big question. It will definitely determine how we jump and scramble thereafter. We are committed to go with the flow…in partnership with our LORD. So it’s really not a matter of success or failure as much as it is a matter of testing and learning. We wouldn’t be opposed to your prayer support.
Breakfast is on…so I better get with it.
Blessings. Love, Dad/Ray.
17 March 2011
Proverbs 17
Focus: “A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.” Proverbs 17:20.
You wouldn’t want to use an expensive glass vase as a hammer. You wouldn’t want to use a crowbar for slicing tomatoes. You wouldn’t want to use a big beautiful Harley Davidson as a fishing boat. You wouldn’t want to use loaded shotguns as playground toys. You wouldn’t want to use your elegantly remodeled living room as a pig pen. And you sure wouldn’t want to use your HEART, which has been created and provided as a shared dwelling place for you and God, for stockpiling corruption and PERVERSITY. How could such an arrangement possibly PROSPER?!
Once again, I’m not a member of the “prosperity cult,” but I sure do need PROSPERITY (blessing) if I’m going to fulfill my intended purpose and destiny. I need PROSPERITY spiritually. I need PROSPERITY physically. I need PROSPERITY financially. And I will have all the PROPSPERITY I need—IF—I do everything I can to keep my HEART clean in partnership with my Sovereign and Holy Roommate. He can’t stand PERVERSE dirt! So I can’t either—at least I don’t want to.
It only makes sense that if a person’s TONGUE is PERVERSE and DECEITFUL, the rest of him will be too. It all flows out of the HEART. Therefore, your HEART needs to be the priority focus of your attention. If not, real additional TROUBLE is inevitable. And you sure don’t need more TROUBLE. Just maintaining a clean HEART is TROUBLE enough!—especially when you understand that your HEART, without attention to maintenance, is a virtual dirt magnet!
“Troubles are a lot like babies—they grow larger if you nurse them.”