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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9 July 11
Good afternoon, dear people.
A matter came up this morning that put me into scramble mode before I could get this off. The task is now accomplished. It involved finishing up refurbishing an old 275 gallon fuel tank, mounting it onto a base, then mounting the whole deal onto a trailer so I could go to a guy’s place who is selling me 500 gallons of off-road diesel for a very good price. We pumped the fuel out of his under-ground tank into the one on my trailer. Of course I had to make two trips. Now I only have about 2 hours for finishing my list for the day. Fat chance!
Have a good evening and an inspiring Sunday.
Love, Dad/Ray
9 July 2011
Psalm 68
Focus: “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah.” Psalm 68:19.
If you could pick and choose, what kind of a God would you want? I wouldn’t vote for an angry God. I wouldn’t prefer one who is unreasonable, harsh, demanding, and who enjoys using His Sovereignty to make His human subjects miserable. But my limited understanding of cultural anthropology indicates that that is precisely the most common concept of deity worldwide. But the God of the Bible is wonderfully unique. And it turns out that, in my view, the TRUE God is actually the BEST God. Consider Exodus 34:6-7: “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” The same description of this awesome God is repeated in Numbers 14:18-19.
The benevolent compassionate God of the Bible is celebrated in this psalm. David describes him as being “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows…sets the lonely in families…leads forth the prisoners…you provided for the poor” (vv. 5-6, 10). Social services are built into our faith. And if God cares about these classes of people, shouldn’t we? I’m reminded of Galatians 5:6: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” In other words, all theological debate is a bunch of futile nonsense if it is not joined with the practical application and demonstration of faith—summed up in LOVE.
Where could you go to find a provision and invitation that is even close to this one? “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
The God of the Bible “daily bears our burdens” as we daily give them to Him.
“Love God completely; love others compassionately; love yourself correctly.”