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 |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 Sept 11
Hello, dear ones.
I guess I’m in a race against impending rain. And since we began that logging operation yesterday, with so much more to do, I’m feeling the pressure to get back at it so we can get as much log material out of that area, with enough time to also get my equipment out of there (crane truck and track hoe) before the rain hits and makes passage almost impossible. To add to the challenge, there are a couple big cedars that I need to drop there…one with a butt of about 48”. Here goes another round of adventure.
Be blessed…and may your mine field be free of explosion.
Love, Dad/Ray
24 September 2011
Psalm 123
Focus: “I lift my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.” Psalm 123:1.
This is another mini-psalm, with only 4 verses. It is representative of God’s people continually looking to Him, continually seeking first His Kingdom, and continually longing for salvation from the contempt and rejection of a fallen sin-corrupted world system.
Once again, I’m beholding an inspiring coordination of themes between this Old Testament expression and one I’m finding in my New Testament reading. Consider Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Isn’t that essentially saying the same thing? Isn’t that essentially a description of how we should all be living? If I don’t devote myself to this relationship with God, who will? If I don’t use His revealed Word as a gauge and guide for monitoring and staying alert to enemy influences in both my internal and external environments, isn’t it likely that I will be deceived and diverted from God’s plans and purposes? If I don’t recognize that I am totally dependent upon Him as my source and supply, wouldn’t I become very vulnerable to various forms of pride or depression—depending on whether things went my way or not?
I’m seeing life in this fallen world as a virtual mine field. Whereas His vantage is above (“in heaven”) and clearly sees where all the mines are, I am foolish to take one step without looking to Him. Please say, “Amen!”
“To know God’s will is life’s greatest treasure—to do God’s will is life’s greatest pleasure.”