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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11 May 11
Good morning, dear ones.
But there’s not much morning left. Oops! Poof! It’s gone…and it’s now 12:31pm. I was distracted and wasn’t till sitting at the lunch table that I remembered that I hadn’t yet sent this. Whew! Take some deep breaths…just don’t do it too vigorously with your mouth full.
Have fun, be encouraged in the Lord, and have a good day.
Love, Dad/Ray
11 May 2011
Psalm 10
Focus: “He says to himself, ‘Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.’” Psalm 10:6.
I think I’ve related this story before, but hopefully you’ll forget if I did too. Imagine this window-washer guy who falls off his plank at about the 54th floor of a tall building. A person at the 26th floor happens to be drinking coffee with his window open when the window washer whooshes by. In the whoosh the coffee guy hears him say, “So far, so good!” So—do you remember now? At least I kind of remember the story.
David presents some insight into the psychology of an arrogant wicked person who is totally inflated with SELF—so full of SELF that “in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (v. 4). He not only arrogantly speaks lies to others, but he speaks lies to himself—and believes them. May I suggest that SELF-TALK is the most important kind of talk you can do. And you speaking TRUTH (God’s Word) to yourself is the most important speaking you can hear. The person who rejects God does not know how to speak TRUTH—even to himself. David offers three examples of this person’s futile SELF-TALK. (1) “He says to himself, ‘Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble’” (Psalm 10:6). He is striving to be an invincible tough guy, like the ones in the movies. He’s always watching John Wayne, Peter Sellers, and James Bond movies. (2) “He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees’” (v. 11). Oh, really? Are you sure? How do you know that? (3) “Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’” (v. 13). This guy has also been watching Superman movies. So he didn’t just fall off his plank—he jumped! His conscience assures him that he really is accountable to God and subject to the spiritual law of gravity. But he doesn’t want to believe that. So while he is moving toward his inevitable terminus, the best he can do is say, “So far, so good!”
David is a worthy role model for SELF-TALK. And the Psalms that he composed are a kind of window where you can eavesdrop on his SELF-TALK. I’m also reminded of a very difficult situation David faced back in 1 Samuel 30:6, when his own men wanted to lynch him. He somehow found a private place and the KJV says, “…but David encouraged himself in the LORD.” You are guaranteed to meet discouraging circumstances in your own sojourn where you too will need to encourage yourself in the LORD—circumstances when if you don’t, no one else can.
Let’s end with the last three verses of this Psalm. It’s another great example of David’s encouraging SELF-TALK. “The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more” (vv. 16-18).
“God tries our faith that we may try His faithfulness.”