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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23 April 11
Good morning, dear people.
What a gorgeous morning! But time and pressure have once again bumped me from my jog. I spent a lot of time outside talking with a guy who came to buy a bunch of firewood. That involved some preaching…and I even gave him a copy of this devotional that was already printed for Becki to critique.
One objective is to go buy a special spray to apply to our fruit trees. If I don’t deal with them now, I don’t expect to have any good fruit again. Every year, some kind of bug wipes out the baby fruit…even though we have a great batch of blossoms. Besides that, my list is a mile long.
Be good. Be blessed. And don’t wear yourself out, OK?
Love, Dad/Ray
23 April 2011
Proverbs 23
Focus: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” Proverbs 23:4.
BALANCE. That’s the key. That’s the vital bottom-line focus embedded in this FOCUS VERSE. On one hand the author has warned us of being a lazy SLUGGARD. Now he warns us of being WORK-FREAK—a “work-aholic.” So which is it? The best answer is BALANCE. And BALANCE IS WISDOM!
While you’re at it, DO NOT WEAR YOURSELF OUT TO DO ANYTHING! The fact is that time is going to cause us all to be worn out. If you live long enough, you’ll get OLD. And OLD means WORN. And WORN that is worn long enough ends up in OUT! You know what I mean? OUT where? Out in eternity. That is a God-established Biblical fact! And “there is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30) and what He has ordained. So here is what I believe is the principle to be embraced: DO NOT WEAR YOURSELF OUT PREMATURELY ON ANYTHING—ESPECIALLY ON THINGS NON-ESSENTIAL TO YOUR ETERNAL WELL-BEING.
The next verse is linked with this one: “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (23:5). Do you see how this principle can apply to virtually everything? Take one’s health for example—I could make it read this way: “Cast but a glance at your youthful buff or beautiful body in the mirror, and poof!—it’s gone!” I resonate with the person who says, “I’m at the point where when I step out of the shower, I’m glad the mirror is steamed up!” Someone else says, “When I look in the mirror these days, I have to agree that I am FEARFULLY and wonderfully made!”
Perhaps I will attempt to present a bottom line to the BOTTOM LINE: LIVE LIFE WITH A BALANCED VIEW TOWARD ETERNITY. That’s WISDOM. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37, KJV).
“A great fortune is a great slavery.” - Latin proverb