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.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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3 May 11
Good heavens!...I mean, good morning, dear people.
I’m surrounded with a burst of noise and activity…with the arrival of Thano’s two little ones. I could never ask for a better training ground for developing internal focus and attention without being controlled by external conditions.
The list for the day is full. It remains to be seen how many things I’ll be able to cross off.
May you know His peace amidst whatever weather you face today.
Love, Dad/Ray
3 May 2011
Psalm 2
Focus: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” Psalm 2:1.
WHY indeed? That really is a very good question. It is a very important question. It is one you should answer for yourself. And I think it is a valid question to raise before the antagonists you meet. In this regard, it seems entirely appropriate to respond to such a one with words something like this: “Why are you so reactionary and opposed to the thought of God and His claims on your life?—your very existence so obviously NOT of your making? How do you explain this to yourself? Can you explain it to me? From my view it strikes me as incredibly paradoxical that here you ARE in front of me, SEEING with eyes He gave, BEHOLDING the magnificent panorama of a creation that He ordered, HEARING with ears that He designed, SPEAKING with a mouth He made, THINKING with a brain He imparted—yet exhibiting the arrogant boldness to oppose Him?!?! Excuse me, but the way my thinker is arranged, I have no choice but to regard this as the epitome of STUPID!—a terrible travesty of your God-given senses—a pitiful perversion of logic!” And you can be sure that if I spoke so eloquently to such a person, he would quickly hang his head in shame and say, “You know—you’re right.” NOT! Very little chance for that! And WHY? Here we are back at the same question.
If this view that I am expressing is TRUE and accurate, is there any wonder why “The One enthroned in heaven laughs?” (v. 4). It really is a huge JOKE! And as the old proverb goes, “He who laughs last laughs best.” At the same time I’m gripped with the fact that this is no laughing matter. And I want to resist any temptation to speak smartie-alecky about these things with cocky derision—which is just another form of arrogance. While I am bound to speak truth as I believe it, I am also bound to do so with compassion since I know that I myself am made of the same natural stuff that afflicts everyone else!—but for His Transcending Transformational Grace—which I choose to embrace.
The Biblical answer to this essential question can be summed up in one word—SIN. Even my secular dictionary gives a pretty good definition: “SIN: Transgression of a religious or moral law. Estrangement from God as a result of breaking God’s law.” That is accounted for in the Genesis account of the deception and illegitimate fatherhood of Satan injecting the virus of SIN into the very DNA of the human race. (See John 8:42-47)
We could go on and on with a Scripture study here. We just don’t have time for it. But one thing for sure—you can’t read Psalm 2 without recognizing Jesus the Son of God as the standard of God’s requirements for mankind. And you can’t avoid the wonderful solution and promise contained in the last sentence: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (2:12).
“To sin is human; to persist in it is idiocy.”