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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22 July 11
Good afternoon, dear ones.
Whew! I had a little adrenaline rush of my own this morning. What I did was not absolutely necessary, but that big standing dead Douglas Fir was so tall and straight and beautiful, I decided to climb it, partly for the fun of it. The butt was approximately 30”, with no limbs up to nearly 100 feet. It had to come down anyway so we can saw it into lumber for Camp Adam’s building projects. I limbed it up to 126 feet, then dropped the top. It was an 8” diameter at that point. I brought my camera with me…but when I pulled it out to use it, it wouldn’t work…probably a low battery. Phooey! Then the fun—a 126-foot single rope rappel back to the ground. Then, using my big saw, I dropped the tree down through a narrow slot in the forest. And thankfully, I don’t think it fractured anywhere. It looks like it will yield about 80 feet of nearly clear lumber. I know, you’re probably saying, “You wouldn’t find me up there!” And you’re right—I didn’t—in fact, I couldn’t find anyone else up there at all.
Becki critiqued this devotional in a unique way this time. She was having her nails done in Molalla, so I sent a preliminary copy to her “nailer’s” (what do you call them?) email and they read it together. Pretty clever, huh? Both approved, so here you go.
Lots more to squeeze into this day. Be good. Be blessed. Love—Dad/Ray
22 July 2011
Psalm 81
Focus: “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Psalm 81:11.
“Strike up the band! Toot it, Tom! Strum it, Stan! Pick it, Nick! Flute it, Flem! Drum it, Dan! We have cause for celebration! Our God is worthy to be praised! Look at all He has done!” That’s about how Asaph begins this psalm. It begins with rejoicing, moving into a review of Israel’s cause for rejoicing—God’s documented exploits of deliverance and guidance in the past. But, right there in the middle of this psalm is a very big “BUT”—“But my people would not listen to me.” What? After all that, they still wouldn’t listen and “Seek first His Kingdom?” Yup! Take a careful look around you. Not much has changed, has it?
Verses 6 through 16 (the end of the psalm) is Asaph’s inspired version of God speaking. As I process this speech from the loving heart of God to His people, I’m drawing 3 main ideas:
(1) SALVATION COMES WITH A
WARNING. “Hear, O my people, and I will warn you” (v.8).
God’s love and blessing are NOT unconditional. However, His love and
blessing are very much unconditional in the sense that “Whosoever will
may come”—but with no activation of the will (making a decision,
commitment, surrender), a person simply won’t come—not really.
God is in love with His people, for sure. He loves you, for
sure. But as is the case in marriage, it’s absurd to think that a
successful, harmonious, and happy relationship can be achieved by only
one side following through with the agreement (the covenant). Can
you imagine a woman saying to her husband, “Sure, honey, I love you and
want to make this marriage work—but don’t be a spoil sport and expect
me to give up all my boyfriends and recreational affairs!”
(2) THERE IS A BIG IF CLAUSE EMBEDDED IN THIS AGREEMENT. “IF you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you…” (vv. 8-9). “IF my people would but listen to me, IF Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes” (vv. 13-14). And this IF CLAUSE is the spelling out of HIS terms and conditions for the relationship—NOT THEIR—NOT OURS. If I’m not willing to accept HIS terms, it can only mean that some other god or idol is in the works somewhere.
(3) IT BOILS DOWN TO AN ALL OR NOTHING DEAL. The first and foremost command of Scripture is not, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with half thine heart.” Jesus did not say, “If any man will come after me, let him carry on—doing business as usual.”
The New Testament terms for this covenant relationship are virtually the same as the Old Testament ones. And Romans 12:1-2 is a good exposition of those terms. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy (and wholly) and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
(2) THERE IS A BIG IF CLAUSE EMBEDDED IN THIS AGREEMENT. “IF you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you…” (vv. 8-9). “IF my people would but listen to me, IF Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes” (vv. 13-14). And this IF CLAUSE is the spelling out of HIS terms and conditions for the relationship—NOT THEIR—NOT OURS. If I’m not willing to accept HIS terms, it can only mean that some other god or idol is in the works somewhere.
(3) IT BOILS DOWN TO AN ALL OR NOTHING DEAL. The first and foremost command of Scripture is not, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with half thine heart.” Jesus did not say, “If any man will come after me, let him carry on—doing business as usual.”
The New Testament terms for this covenant relationship are virtually the same as the Old Testament ones. And Romans 12:1-2 is a good exposition of those terms. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy (and wholly) and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
“A person who can’t lead and won’t follow makes a dandy roadblock.”