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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8 July 11
Good morning, dear people.
A full day is in the making. And since it’s getting away from me, I need to hurry. Kash is milling. And I need to line out Thano with carrying on with more of our nearby logging operation before I get on to some urgent sign work.
May you continue to be blessed as you continue to seek Him.
Love, Dad/Ray
8 July 2011
Psalm 67
Focus: “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.” Psalm 67:7.
There is no better explanation, in my judgment, for all the conflict, chaos, and corruption that afflicts mankind than this—SIN HAS MESSED UP EVERYTHING! And at the heart and core of SIN is some sort of antagonism or indifference toward God that renders NON-FEAR of God. “The FEAR of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10), but NON-FEAR of the Lord is the beginning and operating system of SIN.
I constantly meet people who are mad at God. They have all kinds of criticisms of how He failed them—if He is even there. If He is as big and powerful and good as they had been led to believe, He certainly would not have allowed this abuse or that tragedy to befall them. So they either oppose God and those who claim to represent Him, or they ignore Him and seek to carry on doing life on their own—perhaps very attracted to those who appear to know how to do life quite well independent of God—since they add support and confirmation for their disappointment with God.
If human reasoning, healthy comfort, and personal opinions were the standard for measuring and judging God, I guess I could join the club and contribute all kinds of criticisms of Him as well. But there is a standard that I have come to embrace—one that is stated within this psalm—verse 4: “May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.” I’ve highlighted the phrase that reflects this stabilizing standard. In other words, GOD IS JUST—He does things RIGHT. I cling to that like a life preserver—indeed a faith preserver. And if I lose my grip on that conviction, I am too easily overcome by the torrent and turbulence. But it’s more than a buoyancy device—I also believe it’s TRUTH—a TRUTH that sets me free (John 8:31-32)—free from trying to use my puny limited knowledge to figure out unlimited knowledge. My little bald head pitted against His omniscience just doesn’t seem like a very fair competition. I’m entirely happy to give Him the benefit of any doubts my human understanding may develop. That’s why this is called a walk of FAITH. Let’s read these familiar lines carefully: “Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…And without FAITH it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:1, 6).
“The greatest act of faith is when a man decides he is not God.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes