Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
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  |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15 Oct 11
            Good morning, dear special people.
            Howzitgoin4U? This is one of those rare mornings where I’m knocking out my preferred routine—get up, devotions, journal, great dialogue with my first wife, jog, breakfast, and devotional composition.  I still have a lot of things pushing on me—but not as intensely as normal.
            May you be truly blessed of the Lord today.
                        Love, Dad/Ray
 
15 October 2011
Psalm 144
Focus: “Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.”  Psalm 144:15.
            The first line of this last verse points back to the content of this psalm by David.  And since we all covet (or should) the BLESSING OF THE LORD, we should give particular attention to that content.
            The first and second verses prompt a lot of reflection and inspiration for me.  David begins, “Praise to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.  He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.”
            As I reflect again on this David dude, I can only be in awe.  Take the fictitious invincible exploits of heroes like Zorro, Robinhood, The Lone Ranger, and even The Roadrunner—mix them all together—and it doesn’t surpass the real-life exploits of David!  Equally impressive is his control over arrogance and his persistent HEART AFTER GOD while he could be so boastful of his amazing list of achievements.  The unavoidable fact is, however, that David eventually got old—couldn’t do that amazing stuff anymore—and he died.  I’m not dead yet, but I have to acknowledge that I’m well on my way.  Sorry, but you’re going to get old too—if you live long enough.
            Before you reach that terminus, I hope you are aware that the LORD wants to train you for battle too.  Please don’t neglect the defense and weaponry of Ephesians 6.
            And don’t overlook the potential of David’s testimony in verse 9—“I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you.”  What better source for a NEW SONG is there than one YOU create yourself?  A NEW SONG to the LORD calls for thought, creativity, and a desire to worship.  And it is based in the fact that creative MUSIC is a gift from the Creator—and is MUSIC to His ears.
            I’m not going to claim divine inspiration for a song I put together some time ago—but I think it’s compatible with divine inspiration along with unavoidable reality, tempered by humor.  The tune for the chorus I’ve pinched from a song I heard years ago on HEE HAW—“Where, O Where Are You Tonight?  I’ve titled it “WHERE, O WHERE HAS ALL MY HAIR GONE?”  I don’t think you’ll ever hear it on the radio.

CHORUS: