Boo! - Luke 24:36-37

"And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!" After Jesus appeared to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus, He made another appearance to the eleven apostles and others gathered with them in Jerusalem at the very time these two were telling them about His appearance on the Emmaus road. The whole group was startled as if they were seeing a ghost--not that any of them had ever seen a ghost before. So Jesus tried to reassure them by telling them to touch Him and see the scars on His hands and feet so they would know it was Him in a physical, resurrected body: "Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do" (vs. 39). When they still seemed unconvinced, Jesus asked them to give Him some food and He ate it while they were watching (vs. 41-43). In addition to these appearances, the Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was seen by more than 500 of His followers in one appearance (I Corinthians 15:6). In spite of this clear demonstration of His physical resurrection body, our understanding of death, resurrection, and eternal life gets filled with misconceptions. Sometimes we think of the final state of God’s people as becoming like ghosts--disembodied spirits wandering around in an ethereal existence. However, Jesus depicted resurrection as corporeal or bodily existence. In other words, resurrection means our temporal, physical bodies will be transformed into what the Apostle Paul calls imperishable or immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). Bodily resurrection is a fundamental premise of the redemptive plan of God for human beings and for the created order. Instead of yelling "boo" at people, those who die and are resurrected to eternal life are going to be shouting, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne" (Revelation 5:10)!

Grave Diggers - Luke 24:5-6

"Then the men asked, Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" After Jesus was crucified one of the Jewish religious leaders, Joseph of Arimathea, removed His body from the cross and placed it in a new tomb carved out of rock. It was a tomb that Joseph had probably purchased as a family tomb in much the same way that we pre-arrange burial plots and funerals. Some of the women who followed Jesus took note of the tomb’s location because they would return on the day after the upcoming sabbath with spices and ointments to anoint His body. The spices were used to mask the stench of a rotting corpse. A dead body would be placed on a stone bench inside the tomb until the flesh decomposed. The bones would then be collected and placed in a small ossuary, or bone box, and placed on a shelf in the tomb. Thus, a tomb could be used for multiple family members over an extended period of time. Several of the women including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James went to the tomb early on Sunday morning to prepare the dead body of Jesus. When they arrived the stone covering the tomb was rolled away and they inspected the inside of the tomb and found no dead body. They were puzzled about this turn of events when two angels appeared to them and asked why there were looking among the dead for someone who is alive! When tragedy strikes, we seem to look for answers everywhere and from everyone except the One Who Is the answer. We become like grave diggers searching the graves and tombs of the cemetery of this world trying to find hope and reassurance. "But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings!" (Isaiah 8:19-20). True hope is found in the words and life of the One and Only Who has been raised from the dead and lives eternally--Jesus Christ. He is our solace, He is our answer, He is our life. Look to the One Who has authority over life and death for guidance in times of trouble and despair. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying" (John 11:25).

God's Vineyard - Isaiah 5

"The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence" (vs. 7).

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus told a parable about a landowner who planted a vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19). In the minds of its hearers this parable was a familiar Old Testament theme alluding to Isaiah’s song of the vineyard in Isaiah 5 (see also Psalms 80:6-16).

In Isaiah’s song of the vineyard, the nation of Israel is described as the vineyard of the Lord. Then God pronounces woes and judgments on Israel because of its wickedness and hypocrisy: "What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever" (Isaiah 5:20-21).

Something To Live For - Luke 22:7-30

"When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God" (vs. 14-16). The Passover meal had as its ultimate goal the messianic banquet (see Revelation 19:7). Jesus’s death as the true Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7) inaugurated the Kingdom of God that will be completed at Jesus’ second coming. When God came to Earth as the Man, Jesus Christ, the future age broke into this present age. This Kingdom has entered into this present age and is at work in this world to bring about its future consummation. Although this world of human beings has not completely submitted to the rule and reign of God, one day in the future God’s Kingdom will reign supreme on this earth. Dallas Willard says that the rule and reign of God has entered into the present age largely unseen, but is nevertheless actively at work occupying the human race. Jesus Christ is the undisputed King and His Kingdom rules and reigns over the universe forever. King Jesus has come to earth to proclaim and secure our redemption and He is coming again one day with formidable power to reconstitute the universe. However, God's Kingdom is not something to die for but something to live for. Jesus came to this world not only to die for our sins, but also to teach us how to live in His present and future Kingdom. This same Jesus, who will reign over God’s future Kingdom, will also rule and reign over your present life if you will only swear allegiance to Him as your Savior and King for all eternity.

The Immortals - Luke 20:27-40

"Jesus replied, Marriage is for people here on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection" (vs. 34-37). The Sadducees were a branch of Judaism that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. To refute the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, they posed an ad absurdum argument to Jesus regarding a woman widowed seven times. But Jesus's rebuttal proved to the Sadducees the absurdity of their own argument (vs. 40). Jesus first discredited their argument about marriage in heaven. He said that resurrected people are immortal like the angels and so there is no need for marriage (vs. 36). (Jesus does not say that resurrected people become angels, but that they are like angels.) According to Jesus, marriage is an accommodation for this earthly life. God instituted marriage and the family as a way for mortal people to enjoy His promises and blessings during their life on earth in this present age. But in the age to come, marriage is not necessary because resurrected people, like angels, are immortal and will themselves dwell in the very presence of God. Next, Jesus turned to the larger question concerning the resurrection. Jesus used the books of Moses, Genesis-Deuteronomy, which were the only scriptures the Sadducees recognized as authoritative, to prove the resurrection. Jesus pointed out to the Sadducees that when Moses referred to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after these patriarchs had died (Exodus 3:6), Moses was indicating that God was still their God and, therefore, they must have a continuing existence after their deaths. We have been set free from the life of sin and death by Christ; His resurrection life is now at work in our mortal lives through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and we begin to experience His eternal life now. "For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever...For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die, our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies" (I Corinthians 15:52-53).

The Problem with Political Correctness - Luke 20:1-8

"They talked it over among themselves. If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet. So they finally replied that they didn’t know. And Jesus responded, Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things" (vs. 5-8). One day near the end of His earthly ministry while Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the religious leaders challenged His authority. Jesus responded to the challenge by asking them by what authority did John the Baptist teach and baptize. It didn't make any difference to these leaders what was the truthful or right answer, but rather what was the politically correct response. That's the problem with political correctness--there's no conviction in it; you don't have to take a stand on anything. It's all about compromise. These leaders talked it over among themselves and came up with an answer that didn't hurt anybody's feelings or didn't make anybody mad, especially at them! In response to their pusillanimous reply to His question, Jesus told a parable to demonstrate how God's judgment would be on Israel's leaders for rejecting God's Son. Jesus told them that His way is not the easy way--but it's the only way. Therefore, He becomes an obstacle for compromisers: "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on" (vs. 17-18). But even that story had no effect (except to make them more angry) because the leaders watched for opportunities to denounce Jesus by sending out spies to get Him to say something against the Roman government (vs 20). Jesus is still the only way: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Therefore, following Jesus is not a compromise we make, it's a conviction we live by.

Handling the Truth - Luke 18:34

"But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about." What Jesus was talking about was His impending death and resurrection. Has this ever happened to you? A signficant work of God--even a miracle--occurs right in front of you and it goes completely unnoticed by you, until later! This happens to me more often than not! God is at work around me and I'm even praying for God's will and then I don't understand the unfolding of His plans because it's not what I expected or wanted to happen. All of us are familiar with the old saying, "Hindsight is better than foresight." That is what happened to the disciples here, as I am certain they understood the significance of His words after He was resurrected and appeared to them. While the saying may seem trite, it is often the way God works with us. We seem to understand and appreciate God's fortuitous circumstances only after they occur. God works this way with us for a reason that is best illustrated by a famous movie line. In a scene from the movie, A Few Good Men, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Commander Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) is under pressure by defense attorney Junior Grade Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) during his testimony before the courtmartial of two of his Marines. Becoming unnerved by being caught in a lie, Colonel Jessep furiously declares "You can't handle the truth!" and dismisses Kaffee as disrespectful of a Marine doing his duty. The fact is, we can't handle the truth! We either deny it or refuse to accept it at least until it personally impacts us. Why don't we "get it" when God shows us what He is doing? If we fully processed all that God is doing around us, then we might try to take things into our own hands. Certainly, God uses human beings to accomplish His will, but when His will affects us personally then we can find ourselves working against God's plans either because we don't like the plan or because we think we can accomplish it better than God can! Sometimes miracles need to remain unnoticed until after they occur when we can fully understand their significance from God's perspective. That's how we learn how to trust God!

Jumping Upside Down - Luke 17:33; 18:14

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it...For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." In Luke 17 Jesus told His disciples about His second coming to earth and how those that try to hold on to their life in this world will lose it in the end. In Luke 18 Jesus told the story of a Pharisee who prayed he was thankful that he was not sinful like other men, while a certain tax collector prayed and called on God to have mercy on him as a sinner. Jesus exposes the prayer of the Pharisee as self-exalting. Both of these stories conclude with a fundamental principle of the gospel that Dallas Willard in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, called The Great Inversion. The behavior Jesus taught always seemed to be the inverse of what was normal or typical in this world, like jumping upside down! It was behavior that was future-oriented. So, it turns out that in God's Kingdom little in this life is considered much in the Kingdom of God, those who are always last in this life will have the honor of being first in the age to come, and that leaders should also be like servants. God is not only concerned about our personal relationship with Him, but also about the expression of this relationship in action and behavior that will ultimately manifest itself in eternal life. Thus, Jesus always related to people in terms of what they could become in God’s Kingdom, not what they had been in their past or present life. God wants to prepare you for eternal life so He wants you to begin to act and behave now how you will live in His Kingdom eternally.

Note to Myself: God Is in Charge - Deuteronomy 32:8-9

"When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court. For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession." These verses are part of a song that Moses composed under divine inspiration as a witness to God's covenant with Israel (see 31:19-22). Presumably, the people of Israel would sing the song as part of a regular covenant-renewal ceremony to remind themselves of the covenant’s judgments and promises (see 31:21). These verses describe God's sovereignty over His created order. We, like the ancient Israelites, need to be constantly reminded that God is in charge. Ultimate control and supreme authority over the universe emanate from the throneroom of God, the unseen Kingdom of Heaven where God resides and rules over the universe. The events of this world--and your life--are decreed, ordered, and managed from heaven. So you need to remember that you belong to God; He has plans and purposes for your life. Therefore, all you do in life should be directed toward fulfilling His life plan for you. Live your life in this world as if it was preparation for an eternity in fellowship with God, because it is!

Choices - Deuteronomy 30:11-16

"Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster." (vs. 15). We begin each day by making a choice between walking in the way of life or walking in they way of death. No, I'm not saying that you have to get saved everyday, but, in a way I am. Getting saved and staying saved are different aspects of the same grace that God gives us. Jesus told us to do both--be born again (John 3:3) and endure to the end (Matthew 10:22; 24:13). So, when you wake up, you need to make a choice to walk in the way of life each day: "For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways" (vs. 16). It's not really that hard of a choice to make because God places the power to do so within your reach: "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey? It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey? No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it." (vs. 11-14). So, when you wake up each morning, reach over and pick up your Bible (or Kindle or iPad with a Bible app) laying on the stand beside your bed and read and study it. Then you will be enabled to enter into your day with the words and way of life resonating in your mind and renewing your spirit!

Eternal Accountability - Deuteronomy 29:29

"The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions." Anticipating his death, Moses preached a farewell address to the Israelites. In the sermon he briefly reviewed Israel’s history since the Exodus. He charged the nation to be faithful to God. Moses made it clear that the sovereignty of God undergirds every aspect of Israel’s relationship with Him and they are accountable for the knowledge of God they have received from Him. The Israelites still had a lot to learn about their covenant with God: "But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!" (vs 4.). Yet, what they did know and understand, they were accountable for--not just in the present but for eternity. When you receive a revelation of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ, you are eternally accountable for it. There's no going back; there's no quitting; there's no do-overs; there's no work-arounds; God doesn't take any of it back, He gives you more. Jesus told His disciples: "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required" (Luke 12:48). You don't receive more and more grace and knowledge of God without the corresponding responsibility. God doesn't reveal Himself without a reason. He wants you to share more and more of your revelation of Him and His grace with others.

How to Have a Bad Day - Amos 5:18-20

"What sorrow awaits you who say, If only the day of the Lord were here! You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light" (vs. 18). In these verses Amos confronts the distorted view of the Israelites concerning their status as God's chosen people. In the Old Testament the day of the Lord was a time when God would intervene in the world to set right those things that had gone wrong. The Israelites thought that on that day God would save them despite their bad behavior. Unfortunately, tragic circumstances awaited Israel and Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, fulfilling this prophecy. In our own lives we can become self-assured like Israel was. Because we are God's people, we think we should somehow be exempt from crisis and tragedy. But sometimes we just have a bad day, or a series of bad days. Amos explains what a bad day is in vs. 19. A man runs from a lion only to meet a bear and he escapes from the bear and while seeking refuge in his own home leans against a wall and is bitten by a snake. Now that's how to have a bad day! And it can happen just when you think everything is going great. In fact, that's usually when a bad day comes along. When everything is going great, we have a tendency to forget God and get secure in our own selves. Then, when misfortune strikes we bemoan God for our difficulties. Don't let bad days be obstacles in your spiritual development; rather let bad days be opportunities for spiritual renewal. When you seek the Lord for restoration and deliverance from your troubles, He will more fully become your hope and joy!

Today! - Deuteronomy 27:9-10

"O Israel, be quiet and listen! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. So you must obey the Lord your God by keeping all these commands and decrees that I am giving you today." Israel is preparing to enter the promised land when Moses makes this declaration to the Israelites. Although the Israelites were already God's people, each time they affirmed themselves to be God’s people and renewed the covenant with God, they became God’s people in a fresh, new way. Recommitment to the Lord is like beginning a new relationship with Him. We should recommit ourselves to the Lord daily. God is the God of today, but we like to make Him the God of tomorrow. Tomorrow I will start reading the Bible and praying more. Tomorrow I will have more time to help at church or serve in ministry. Tomorrow I will start being a better Christian. With us, it's always later, with God it is today. "If only you would listen to his voice today" the psalmist (Psalm 95:7) implored us and the Hebrew writer reiterated (Hebrews 3:7). We must reaffirm our relationship with the Lord and receive the empowerment of the Holy Spirit daily so sin does not slip into our lives and so we can persevere in our faith in God: "You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ" (Hebrews 3:13-14). Eternal life starts now, not later, not when we die--your eternal life starts today!

What's Jonah's Problem? - Jonah 4:1-3

"This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen." The book of Jonah presents some difficult theological issues, not least of which is represented by Jonah's memorable complaint to God in these verses. His complaint seems so reprehensible that it's enough to make you question, "What's his problem, anyway?" Jonah is given the hardest conceivable assignment by God--to go to the capital of Assyria, the greatest earthly power in his world and the archenemy of Israel. So Jonah, like others, is a most unlikely prophet but reacts to God's call not with expressions of inadequacy and reluctance but by taking action. When told to go east, he gets on a boat heading west. Jonah's flight proves futile and he himself becomes a receipient of God's mercy in a most remarkable way by being swallowed by a large fish (a whale, possibly) and preserved from drowning at sea. When Jonah finally does reach Nineveh, he has only to preach a half-hearted sermon in order to achieve astonishing results. Everyone in Nineveh repents and turns to God to the extent that even their livestock are included in their acts of repentance. In response to their repentance, God relents from executing judgment upon the Ninevites. Then the storyline turns into a dialogue between Jonah and God about the meaning of what has happened. This dialogue is where this discussion takes up. What's Jonah's problem with God's amazing grace? Jonah complains to God that He is too merciful--His grace too amazing--and therefore, God should therefore kill him. Maybe Jonah despaired of life because God is so merciful (towards the unrighteous) that it was difficult to discriminate between who are God's people and who are not God's people. The prophet Malachi raises that same concern: "On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not" (Malachi 3:17-18). Possibly, Jonah despaired because he thought the Ninevites just didn't deserve God's mercy or because of the potential risk to Israel by the dispensation of God's grace on Assyria. My personal belief, however, is the story of Jonah describes a simple case of selfishness--selfishness about the mercy of God and how he personally conceived of God's mercy. Jonah received divine mercy himself, yet selfishly begrudged it to others, an attitude that itself nullifies the very nature of that mercy. Unfortunately, we all have a little Jonah in us and so Jesus warned us against such behavior in the Lord's prayer and the postscript to the prayer: "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15). The parable of the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18:21-35 reinforces this teaching: "Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart" (Matthew 18:34-35). So here's the moral of the story of Jonah. God is predisposed to save rather than destroy--we are not. Therefore, we must not begrudge the mercy of God that we have received to others because doing so nullifies His grace in our own lives. The imperative of receiving God's mercy is to show mercy to others!

Signs of the Times - Luke 12:49-59

"You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times" (vs. 56). Jesus told His disciples His ministry would radically change the status quo by bringing judgment on the wicked and purifying the righteous. Then Jesus turned to the crowd and prevailed upon them to recognize that He was the bearer of God's judgment and justice. The people could interpret the weather patterns, He said, but they didn't recognize the coming judgment of God (vs. 54-56). They filed lawsuits against each other to get justice but failed to reckon with God when His day of judgment was at hand (vs. 57-59). And as the end draws closer, we are yet still the same--maybe even more so. There are whole television channels devoted to weather and then we watch it on the morning and evening news. You may even have a weather radio and a weather app installed on your cell phone! While we prepare for each day according to the daily weather report, the fact that the time of God's final judgment is near should impact the way we live each day. We file lawsuits against one another seeking justice for ourselves when we should be getting right with God before He comes to judge us. Jesus is saying the Kingdom of God has come and even now the King is assembling His new government and you should anticipate it by preparing yourself for this new world order. You should recognize the signs of Jesus's coming and be prepared for Him to return and administer judgment and justice on the earth.

Worry is a Faith Matter - Luke 12:22-28

"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing" (vs. 22-23). Jesus told a parable about greed to a crowd of people and then He turned to His disciples and proceeded to tell them not to worry about their daily needs for life, specifically, food and clothing. Jesus said that ravens don't plant or harvest crops yet they have enough food (vs. 24) and King Solomon was never dressed as beautifully as a lilly (vs. 27). God takes care of both the birds and flowers, so how much more will He take care of human beings (vs. 28). What's interesting is after Jesus admonishes His disciples to quit worrying about their basic needs for life, He then indicts them for a lack of faith. Jesus links worry to faith. In other words, when you worry you are demonstrating a lack of faith. Thus, worry is a faith matter! So the way to reduce or eliminate worry from your life is to build your faith in God. And the way to build your faith in God is to seek His Kingdom above all else. Before pursuing your everyday needs you should first and foremost seek the Kingdom of God. Then when you seek God's Kingdom first each day, your daily needs (and more!) will be supplied as a result or benefit of working for His Kingdom (vs. 31). The point is that when you work first for the Kingdom of God, the other work you undertake each day will serve to supplement your main vocation of building God's Kingdom. And then you won't have to worry about all your other needs because you work for God and He takes care of you.

You Can't Take It With You - Luke 12:15-21

"Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own" (vs. 15). A man from the crowd of people who constantly gathered around Jesus called out for Him to tell his older brother to divide up the estate of their father so he could receive his inheritance. Jesus replied that He was not a judge who makes decisions about legal matters. Recognizing that greed rather than spiritual development was the man's focus, Jesus made the statement in vs. 15 and then proceeded to tell an alarming parable. I characterize it as alarming because the financial plan of the prudent protagonist of the story is frightenly similar to that of most of us. In the parable Jesus described a rich man who was a successful farmer and so he kept building bigger and bigger barns to store his crops. His plan was that once he had enough stored up then he would retire, relax, and enjoy life. (Of course, the implication is that enough is never enough.) Then God confronted the man and said that He required his life that very day and asked who would get everything he worked so hard to accumulate. Jesus concluded the parable with this observation: "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God" (vs. 21). If we're not careful, we can spend our lives working for a bigger house, a bigger car, a better vacation, a bigger savings account, or a comfortable retirement. Accumulating "earthly wealth" or even saving for the future is not necessarily evil or sinful. However, spending your life saving and accumulating to the detriment of building a "rich relationship with God" is foolish because it has no eternal significance. The meaning of the parable is that your focus in life should be on God's Kingdom and fulfilling His plans and purposes rather than being obsessed with accumulating possessions and saving for the future because in the end you can't take it with you and somebody else gets it all.

Dark Corners - Luke 11:33-36

"Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light" (vs. 35-36). These verses from Luke are a reiteration of Jesus's well-known teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:22ff. Light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil. Luke develops the metaphor with some details about the properties of light--specifically, the magnitude and direction of light. Light travels in a straight line and if it is not bright or intense enough or is deflected by a surface, then it can leave dark corners in a particular space. If Jesus is the light of your life, then make sure that there are no dark corners caused by a lack of intensity (radiance) or because something else in your life is deflecting His light. The light of Jesus should be so radiant in your life that it is like a floodlight filling you with the light of God's love and salvation.

Four Reasons, No Five You Should Read the Bible - Deuteronomy 17:18-20

"When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives" (vs. 18-19). Included in the book of Deuteronomy are guidelines that future kings of Israel are admonished to follow. Some of these guidelines address a program of daily Bible reading and study. The king was to make his own personal copy of God's instructions by writing them down himself and then reading them daily. (Writing about what you read in the Bible is a good practice as it will help you remember what it says and means. That's what this blog tries to do.) Four reasons are given as to why the king should have a daily devotional time of Bible reading and study:

1. "That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees." Daily Bible reading and study facilitates spiritual growth; it develops one's relationship with God through a better understanding of who He is and how He works.
2. "This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens." Through daily Bible reading and study, the Holy Spirit reveals one's sinfulness and imparts the power to overcome sin.
3. "It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way." By being rooted and grounded in the Word of God, a person is enabled to remain faithful when problems arise because God's presence through His Word and Spirit will be a sustaining force.
4. "And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel." Daily Bible reading and study makes an impression on one's children and grandchildren; they are more likely to follow an example and serve the Lord when a life of devotion to God and His Word is modeled to them.

And there is a 5th reason to read and study the Bible daily suggested by these scriptures. If the king of Israel was commanded by God to read and study the Bible on a daily basis, then shouldn't that be a good practice for us to follow as well?

The Great Society - Deuteronomy 15:4-11

"There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession. You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today" (vs. 4-5). In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson declared that America had an opportunity to become "The Great Society" where poverty and racial injustice would be eliminated. God intended for His people to be a society where no one would be poor because of His blessings and because of the generosity of His people: "Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need" (vs. 10-11). So while God's intent is that there should be no poor in His society because of His blessings, the reality is that there are poor people and people in need. So the problem of poverty is mitigated when God's people are generous with His blessings. Unfortunately, God's people often perceive giving as a command. However, these verses clearly illustrate generosity is an attitude that God's people should have because of His blessings--the mercy and lovingkindness He shows toward His people--and giving is the result of having such an attitude. Besides, there's really nothing to be lost from giving and when you give generously or because you are generous then God will bless you in everything you do. In God's Great Society, when you are generous, you receive back more than you ever give away!

Mercies in Disguise

"What if your blessings come through raindrops. What if your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near. And what if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise." Unlike other posts, this post is not based on a scripture reference but on the lyrics to Laura Story's song, Blessings. The lyrics are so powerful, biblical, and personally meaningful that I was impressed to write about it. The song describes how we pray and ask God for blessings and His answer often comes to us in the form of trials. While blessings and trials are both the product of God's mercy, it's not so obvious to us how trials are actually the dispensation of God's mercy. So the song suggests that trials are God's mercy in disguise. You may wonder how this makes theological and biblical sense, especially since Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to pray for blessings ("give us this day our daily bread") and to pray for deliverance from trials ("deliver us from the evil one"). However, this tension between blessing and trial is the praxis upon which God's plan of redemption is based: knowing the right way by experiencing the wrong way, redemption by non-example. In teaching, a non-example is an illustration of a wrong way in order to learn the right way. We know we need redemption because we are sinners (Romans 3:23-24). When you are a follower of Jesus, then your life becomes God's classroom. Trials are the lesson theory and blessings are the lesson application. It is through trials that you can best learn about God and how He works and it is through blessings that you then apply what you have learned about God by sharing the message of redemption with people through words and deeds. Thank you, Jesus, that you love me and want me to know you better.

Eraser - Deuteronomy 12:2-5

"When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods...Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars...Completely erase the names of their gods....you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored." When the Israelites were about to enter the land of Canaan, Moses instructed them that an important aspect of possessing the promised land would be to dispossess the evil that was in the land. God cannot cohabit with sin and evil. The Israelites were commanded to destroy every vestige of pagan worship and build a nation where only God would be recognized as God among them. And then God would live among his people in a designated location by placing his name there. What was true for ancient Israel is also true for us in our present lives. When God places His name on you and lives in you, you must eliminate all visible trace or evidence of those things that once existed in your life but no longer exist because of the new life you have in Christ: "So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life" (Romans 6:11-13). When you possess the life of Christ, then you must erase sin and all the things that can cause you to sin from your life.