But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven Matthew 6:20 Lay Up – A few days ago we looked at some very difficult verses about the poor. After reading the comments on Proverbs 17:5 and 6, a friend of mine wrote this: “You did a good job in explaining the problem, but what is the…
Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 If – Do we really have any clue what God is doing in the circumstances of our lives? Consider poor Martha. Her brother dies. Her life is thrown into tragedy and chaos. Nothing seems to make sense, especially the fact that…
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name Psalm 86:11 Unite – Our lives are often psychological memorials to the Titanic. We construct one isolated compartment after another, keeping the icy cold waters from overflowing and taking us to the depths. But all those…
“Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus” Luke 16:24 Send – How difficult it is to remove the blinders of our own cultural surroundings! When I returned from Honduras and wrote about a family in desperate need of housing, I received an e-mail from a woman who lives there. She said that it…
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak Genesis 32:24 Left Alone – We know the story. Jacob wrestles through the night with the Angel of the Lord. He is defeated but he will not succumb. In the process, God gives Jacob his new name, Israel. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy…
and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. Luke 8:14 Pleasures – Hedonism II, the infamous Jamaican singles resort, brings images to mind that appeal to sensual delights. The owners of this resort have gone to great lengths…
and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful Mark 4:19 Deceitfulness –The “worries of the world” really means “getting my share of the pie.” But getting my share is only one side of the story. Jesus…
and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful Mark 4:19 Worries of the World – The theme song of this world is musical chairs. Musical chairs is a zero-sum game. Do you know what that means?…
“No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 Looking – Jesus is hard to take. If I stop sugar-coating His words, I find a demanding severity that could lead me to utter despair. His blade cuts too deeply for me. His thought…
Whoever scorns the poor reviles his Maker Proverbs 17:5 Reviles – God has a special place in His heart for the poor. Perhaps He knows that the poor are our best example of our true spiritual condition. Perhaps His compassionate heart is best appreciated by those who are desperate. Whatever the reason, God loves the…
