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 |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 Sept 11
Good afternoon, dear people.
In that logging exercise scramble yesterday, we vested about 12 hours. And I didn’t exaggerate when I said one big cedar that I needed to fall was about 48”. It actually measured 56”. We hauled out 4 loads of logs. The last haul was the track hoe well after dark, realizing that a hole had been punched in my pickup truck radiator, losing all my coolant. But we made it home OK. Whew! And sure enough, rain began falling before we were out.
May the help of the Lord sustain and empower you as you seek Him.
Love, Dad/Ray
25 September 2011
Psalm 124
Focus: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8.
David is reflecting on the past—considering the odds of Israel’s survival against the intensity and magnitude of her enemies’ attacks. His conclusion: We would have been wiped out if it were not for the intervention and protection of the LORD.
As I reflect on my own past, I have to draw a similar conclusion. I’m not still here because of my strength and intelligence. All that I can claim is that I’ve tried to take to heart the advice of Proverbs 3:5-6.
I also have to conclude that God’s sustaining grace and protection is bigger than we can know. An interesting point I heard long ago concerning the background scene described in the first chapter of the book of Job is worth remembering. That scene presents Satan as subservient to God, yet in opposition to Him. And when God describes Job as a role model of His redeemed relationship with man, Satan responds with a pointed accusation against both God and Job—“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (Job 1:10-11). The encouraging point is this: God did not deny the hedge of protection and His blessing of Job. Indeed there is a wall of protection God places around those who follow Him. But it’s not all physical—as Job’s experience confirms.
Can we take a moment to ponder this dramatic disagreement between God and Satan regarding Job and raise a very important question? Laying all pretense aside, what is your primary core purpose and motivation for seeking and serving God? I can only hope and pray that your answer to that question would not allow Satan’s estimation of Job to be true of you—that you choose this course only for what’s in it for you personally—which contaminates serving Him with self-serving. To be sure, there are guaranteed benefits to seeking and serving God, but the best and purest answer is one that is compatible with Romans 11:36-12:2. All other answers will fail over time, because the Maker of heaven and earth has made you for Him.
“God has a perfect plan for our lives, but it cannot be perfect until we accept it.”