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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25 May 11
Hello, dear ones.
If I can pull it off, I want to hit the bed early. But it’s almost too late to go to bed early.
We had a surprise telephone call this morning from Honiara, Solomon Islands. Thano’s best friend when we lived in the Western Province at Noro called—Eddy Musuota. His father pastored another church in our community. Sad to hear that he passed away in 2007. We were able to talk our island language again.
Blessings on your night.
Love, Dad/Ray
25 May 2011
Psalm 23
Focus: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” Psalm 23:1.
This could be the most pivotal principle of the entire Bible. It’s the PERSONAL PRINCIPLE. “The LORD is MY shepherd.” It’s not adequate for me to say the LORD is his shepherd, or her shepherd, or their shepherd. God does not save by proxy or in groups. And when I understand how big and strong and all-sufficient MY SHEPHERD is, I have to agree—“I shall not be in want”—with Him, I have everything I need—I want what He wants—He provides my essential needs as I submit to Him and follow Him.
If this is true, it only makes sense that the arch enemy of my soul would strategize to make this priority relationship his priority target. Through the centuries, he has been remarkably successful at inspiring wants in humans other than those provided and prescribed by THE SHEPHERD—influencing people to bypass seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). I don’t think Satan is very concerned about my quoting Psalm 23—but he hates the idea of THE SHEPHERD being MY SHEPHERD, because then I am well cared for and protected from the enemy’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). This enemy is EVIL and wants me to FEAR EVIL.
Even great role models can allow this priority relationship to slip—including David, the author of this very Psalm. We won’t plow through that escapade again, but you can rest assured that David was not rehearsing Psalm 23 when he spotted Bathsheba from the rooftop that evening—and permitted himself to lust after another “want.” Does this not present a warning? To be sure, effective spiritual warfare is not a part-time occupation—it’s full time.
Besides this primary idea, I am staggering with the overwhelming volume of inspiration compressed into these 6 familiar verses. Perhaps I will simply respond to the second part of verse 3: “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Every mature believer must establish for himself the fundamental worldview conclusion that GOD IS NOT HERE FOR ME, BUT I AM HERE FOR GOD. That is the only arrangement that can allow the blessings and benefits of Psalm 23. So His sheep are actually called upon to represent THE SHEPHERD before other sheep not of His flock. THE SHEPHERD leads me into right relationship with Him not just for my own benefit and enjoyment, but that I might serve as a kind of ambassador for Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). Jesus put it in other words: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
“The most drastic and usually the most effective remedy for fear is direct action.” - William Burnham