November 25, 2012

“Whatever a Man Sows, This He Will Also Reap” (11/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Galatians 4-6.

Paul warned the saints in the churches of Galatia of the importance of sowing the proper seed in order to be able to reap the desired harvest.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

When he told them not to be deceived and that God was not mocked, he warned them not to think that they would prove to be the exception to the rule. If we wish to reap spiritual rewards, we must sow “to the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8).

In the first ten verses of this chapter, Paul mentioned three examples of how to sow in order to receive a reward.
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September 20, 2012

"Consider Your Ways!" (9/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Haggai 1-2.

The following passage about the neglected house of the Lord contains a good reminder for us to be sure we have our priorities in order.

“Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?’ Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,’ says the Lord. ‘You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house’” (Haggai 1:3-9).

The point of this message was not to say that the people were wrong for having their own houses in which to live. Nor does this passage teach that it is immoral for one to be prosperous in life. In fact, the Scriptures teach that whatever prosperity we enjoy is a gift of God (Ecclesiastes 5:19).
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September 13, 2012

Why the Righteous Do Not Beg

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The psalmist had an interesting observation regarding the state of the righteous and how they were blessed by God.

“I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).

This is not to be interpreted as an absolute statement. There may be times when godly people are in such dire straits that they have no other option than to beg. Lazarus was one example of this. We know he was righteous because when he died he was “carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” to enjoy a place of paradise (Luke 16:22). Yet during life, he was “a poor man…covered with sores” who longed “to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:20-21). After he died, because he was righteous, he was “comforted” in a place of paradise (Luke 16:25).

Although there are exceptions, generally speaking, those who are righteous will be far less likely to have to beg than others. Even now when God no longer operates miraculously as He did during Bible times, the psalmist’s statement is generally true. Why is that? There are several reasons we can find in the Scriptures that explain why the righteous, in general, do not beg.
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February 19, 2012

"Leave Them for the Needy" (2/19)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Leviticus 19-21.

Sadly, helping the poor is a contentious issue in our society. It is not so much that people do not want to help the poor – most good, moral people want help to be provided. The issue is over how to best help the poor and whether this help should come from individuals, churches, charities, or government agencies.

The Law of Moses contains a way to help the poor and the stranger among the people. While we do not live under the same Law or with the same circumstances, there are principles that should help us determine how we can best help those in need.
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January 11, 2012

A Man of Integrity (1/11)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 29-31.

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? (Job 31:1).”

As Job defended his integrity, he stated that his purity in heart was such that he would not even look at  a woman. While many in our culture argue that there is nothing wrong with just looking, Job made a covenant — a conscious decision and commitment — that he would not look with lust at one of the opposite sex.
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August 30, 2011

Does the Bible Promote Socialism?

Socialism is becoming more accepted in our society. Proponents of it are more open in advocating for it and it holds less of a stigma than it once did. However, there is still a large percentage of people that reject this political and economic philosophy – many of these are religious people. Those who promote socialism, if they want it to gain popular support, must find a way to convince these individuals of the alleged virtues of the system.
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June 30, 2011

Sins of the Rich Man

Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is fairly well-known to most Bible students. One man lived a life of luxury but found himself in torments after he died. The other was a poor beggar in this life yet was comforted after death in a place of paradise.

Once in torments, the rich man appealed to Abraham to allow Lazarus to go to his brothers and warn them of the punishment that awaited them (Luke 16:27-28). Since the rich man ended up in this undesirable place, it would be good for us to notice this man’s sins that Jesus mentioned in this passage. These are a few of the things we need to avoid if we want to escape the terrible fate that belonged to this man.
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