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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21 Sept 11
Good evening, dear ones.
It’s certainly not morning anymore. I was hoping to be able to get this message off before the morning ended. It was another bee-hive around here. But Becki and I did manage a short jog/walk with little Kaden about 7am. Pretty morning. Beautiful day.
My head isn’t working right. It’s in urgent need of a pillow. Good night. Blessings.
Love, Dad/Ray
21 September 2011
Psalm 120
Focus: “Save me, O LORD, from lying lips, and from deceitful tongues.” Psalm 120:2.
The first verse reads, “I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.” I can only assume that what the writer says next identifies what most distresses him—LYING LIPS and a DECEITFUL TONGUE. He has come to be rightly disturbed by those dirty ingredients that are securely embedded in his own natural sin nature (Jeremiah 17:9). Most people who have not yet submitted to transformation are quite comfortable with those conditions within themselves—even though they are quick to condemn untruthfulness and dishonesty in others. A corrective rescue and cleansing from such destructive dirt is precisely what God has embedded in the Gospel. And all it takes to access this transformational solution is an honest CALL to the Lord. He has ways to ANSWER that kind of CALL.
I’m not exactly sure what to make of verse 5 that says, “Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!” I suspect that naming those barbarous tribes is a parallel to trying to live at peace with anyone who is unregenerated—who is not governed by truth and honesty. Mutual peace is not possible in any relationship if it is only one-sided. The psalmist exclaims, “Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (vv. 6-7). I know something about that kind of tension. I bet you do too. Nevertheless we can still be people of peace on the inside—where it counts—the by-product of relationship with the Prince of Peace.
“Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes