Tag Archives: parable

Weeds and Seeds, July 20, 2020

2020-07-23-devotional-Weeds and Seeds

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

The headlines haven’t changed. Two things dominate our attention; the coronavirus, and the riots. Both tragic events consume us with the number of deaths created in their wake. The pandemic, we can do little about in the short term. It will ravage the world until we either build enough herd immunity from victims or a vaccine. The early rhetoric that a few weeks and it would be over have been proven false, and we seem to be in this pandemic for the long haul. Many predict at least two years, and some say five or more.

The second event does not have to continue, though. We can do something about it if we want. The problem is that, for the most part, I don’t think we do. In this country, the divide grows more extensive, and we refuse to enter into reasonable debate with each other. We no longer know how to listen to each other. We yell our position in each other’s faces and refuse to stop to understand the other side of an issue.

What’s happening in the protests when no opportunity presents itself for a reasoned dialogue appears on our screens and in the newspapers daily. Screaming at each other. Vandalism. Burning. Riots. Violence. Innocents dying. And what is all of that accomplishing? A deeper divide between the factions. No good will come out of the continued violence happening across the nation.

I expect the majority of us agreed with the brutality involved with the arrest and death of George Floyd. How many innocent people died since then? How many more must die before we stop? In some of our major cities, the cry to defund and dismantle the police, those called to protect the citizenry, found traction. The results in each of those places where city councils chose to reduce budgets stagger us. Crime increased in staggering amounts, double and triple the number of violent crimes from just a year ago, or even just before the pandemic began.

We can blame whatever we want, but I think the real answer is found in a parable Jesus gave found in Matthew 13. His disciples asked him to explain it after he was alone with them. Here is what he said:

³⁶Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came and joined him.

‘Explain to us,’ they said, ‘the parable of the weeds in the field.’

³⁷‘The one who sows the good seed,’ said Jesus, ‘is the son of man. ³⁸The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one; ³⁹the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰‘So: when the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, that’s what it will be like at the close of the age. ⁴¹The son of man will send out his angels, and they will collect together out of his kingdom everything that causes offense, and everyone who acts wickedly. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. If you have ears, then hear!’ (Matthew 13:36-43 NTE)

Somewhere along the way, intermingled among us came those ready to fight at the slightest criticism or perceived wrong. Our “it’s all about me” culture assumes everything said or written or created aims specifically at me. And I can interpret those words or artistry any way I choose because the world is all about me.

The world is not about any of us. God created it. It is his. He chose to create human beings with a mission in mind. From the first, he commanded us to take care of his creation. He created us to live in relationship with him and each other. (We don’t do any of those things very well.) He came to live among us and show us how to do it. We hung him on a cross rather than accept what he said. Why he still loves humanity and wants to have a relationship with us, I don’t understand, but he does.

Jesus told us his kingdom is near. He ushered into this world with his death and resurrection. He sent his spirit to live in us. Where he is, his kingdom reigns. So, here we are as his followers, good seed among weeds. What are we to do? What can we make of the mess going on around us?

First, recognize God still sits on his throne. Nothing happening now, in the past, or in the future surprises him. He doesn’t need to confer with anyone to determine how to handle the problems. He is in control. We may not see it. We may not understand. But we can be assured God is still God and loves his children.

Second, remember Paul’s words from Romans 8:

¹⁸This is how I work it out. The sufferings we go through in the present time are not worth putting in the scale alongside the glory that is going to be unveiled for us. ¹⁹Yes: creation itself is on tiptoe with expectation, eagerly awaiting the moment when God’s children will be revealed. ²⁰Creation, you see, was subjected to pointless futility, not of its own volition, but because of the one who placed it in this subjection, in the hope ²¹that creation itself would be freed from its slavery to decay, to enjoy the freedom that comes when God’s children are glorified.

²²Let me explain. We know that the entire creation is groaning together, and going through labor pains together, up until the present time. ²³Not only so: we too, we who have the first fruits of the spirit’s life within us, are groaning within ourselves, as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴We were saved, you see, in hope. But hope isn’t hope if you can see it! Who hopes for what they can see? ²⁵But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it eagerly – but also patiently. (Romans 8:18-25 NTE)

The world is groaning under the problems we see today. Creation waits to be freed from the decay that began with that first act of disobedience. It is on tiptoe with expectation waiting for the harvest when the weeds will be cast away, and the wheat will be gathered. And we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our body. We were saved in the hope of the resurrection. All this will come to an end one day. And Paul says, “The sufferings we go through in the present are not worth putting in the scale alongside the glory that is going to be unveiled for us.

I don’t know how that looks. I don’t know what awaits us. I don’t know what he has in store for us. But until then, we have a mission to share the good news with as many as we can. To do that, though, we must stop and listen to the story of those around us. They won’t listen to our story if we are not willing to listen to theirs. But when we do, we will hear how God can work in their lives and give them the peace and joy only he can bring to them. The legacy of peace Jesus promised.

What happens next with the two major events in our headlines? I don’t know. I hope God sees fit to slow the first about which we can do little. I hope we, who call ourselves followers of Christ, will listen to the stories of those not like us, and from there, share the good news that can heal our land and bring peace to our world.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Don’t you hate evaluations? October 28, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I remember throughout my military career going through my calendars searching for those events that would help me remember things I had done that I could list as accomplishments for my efficiency reports. I was never very good at keeping diaries or journals then. I’m hit and miss now when it comes to what I’ve done. But I would go through my calendars of ToDo lists and try to figure out what might appeal to promotion boards or schools or other entities that used those reports for different considerations.

I hated the process then, and I hate the process now. I’m delighted to be mostly retired and not have to worry about those reports anymore. Except I do. Every time I travel to another installation to help in the training of a medical unit, which I do part-time, now, I end up searching through those ToDo lists finding the good and the bad to create the reports that go to the clients I serve and the men and women who hire me.

It seems we never get away from evaluations. All through life, we find ourselves evaluated on something. Someone has something to say about our performance, our behavior, our personality, our wealth, our mood, something. No one is left alone without some evaluation. We all face the music, and we all probably dislike it to some degree or another.

Evaluations can be useful, though. They help us learn our weaknesses and give us opportunities to improve in areas we might not see in ourselves. They help us understand better the desires and directions our boss wants us to go instead of traveling in our own sometimes misguided ways. Evaluations can inform us in many ways if we let them.

Jesus gave such an evaluation in a parable. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. I sometimes wonder if Jesus’ simple stories were really stories or real events with unidentified people to protect the names of the guilty. Many of them are so true to life. I can visualize them happening then or today in our society.

Today, the one, in particular, I’m thinking of comes from the eyewitnesses Luke heard from recorded in chapter 18 of the gospel by his name. It goes like this:

18:9 He [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NIV)

Jesus draws an interesting comparison between the two. He talks about both of their prayers. The Pharisee tells God, “I’ve kept most of the 612 laws we’ve put on the backs of your people.” If Jesus had told the story with the whole prayer, the Pharisee would probably list 600 of those 612 laws he had not broken. He was a ninety-eight percenter — top two percent of his class.

The prayer did not impress the Father according to his Son.

If I could paraphrase Jesus a little in debriefing the Pharisee after the long-winded prayer he probably gave, Jesus might have said something like, ” Hey, bud. You’re right. You’re a two-percenter, but you got the position wrong. The Father put you at the bottom two percent, not the top. I hope you enjoyed listening to that beautiful oration you gave yourself because it got no farther than your own ears, according to the Father. And I should know, we’re on pretty good speaking terms. Oh, and by the way, he gave me the grade book, and I say you just flunked the course. Sorry about that.”

The tax collector, on the other hand, couldn’t say he got anything right. He just knew he needed help if he had any chance at redeeming his filthy, sin-ridden soul. He recognized where he stood before God. The tax collector understood that no matter how good he tried to be, God was so much better, and we are so far from true righteousness that our only hope lies in his mercy. So he pleads for it.

Who gets the crown in the end? The guy the Pharisee never expected. The one who broke all the rules. The tax collector who couldn’t even lift his face off the floor because he felt so unworthy to even be in God’s temple.

But aren’t the rules important? When you’re a toddler and mom has to tell you to keep your hands away from the stove, or you’ll get burned, the rules are important. When dad says, “Don’t play in the street, you’ll get run over.” Rules are important. But Jesus summed up those 612 laws that crushed God’s people in two simple commands. He told us to listen to him. All authority rests in him, not in the Mosaic Law. So do the two things he said to do. What are his two rules? Love God and love others with everything you’ve got.

If we could just catch his message and do those two things as his followers, what a difference we could make in the world. Oh, and that love others part, that means everyone. He said to go into all the world. I think that covers all races, all nations, all religions, all political parties, all. We are to love all. Do we have to agree with them? No, Jesus didn’t, either. But he loved them. And as people saw the love in his heart and the love in his disciples, they wanted what they saw. It changed the world. What happened to us? We started hating this group or that group. We began demanding people follow our rules. We wanted everyone to act and talk and look like us instead of loving people and letting God handle the rest.

Sounds rather like that Pharisee’s prayer, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s about time we who call ourselves Christian look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Do I love others the way Jesus loves me?” If not, I have some work to do – on my knees.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

Be Shrewd, September 22, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Being a pastor in several churches, you get to see some of the best and the worst in society. And honestly, sometimes it’s easy to get a little jaded if you’re not careful. You watch a small segment of society try to take advantage of the generosity of churches that try to reach out to those in need. Their stories tug at your heartstrings and make you want to do anything you can to help because of the sad plight they find themselves.

Then you happen to see them getting into their brand new BMW in the next county. They are a little surprised you’re there, but not embarrassed in the least as they have discovered a way to make lots of money through the generosity of others. And it’s all tax-free. No one knows about it. The church seldom keeps records or reports it to the government. They certainly didn’t. And so it goes. Money. Wealth. Things.

Jesus warns us about it. He said these words after a story that, to us, can be a little confusing. “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The confusing story is about a dishonest manager that got caught and was about to be fired. So he goes out and begins slashing the bills his master’s debtors owe. He hopes by doing so, he will gain favor in their eyes and have some means of survival after his discharge since he has no other skills. One bill is reduced by 20% another by 50%. His master finds out and gives this report. “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.”

Jesus goes on to say, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”^[1]

I’ve got to tell you, it’s easy for me to see the logic in the last part of Jesus’ teaching. Why would God entrust us with great riches if he can’t trust us with little things? I talk about that to the people that work with me all the time.

New people that come to the team are always scrutinized until I get to know them. It’s not that I don’t trust them, but we all think differently. We understand words in different ways and have different experiences, talents, and skill sets. So until I know how my instructions are received, understood, and carried out as a leader, responsible for the outcome of some project, those working with me to help complete that project are under some level of scrutiny to make the end result what it is meant to be. If I’m not sure the capability of one of the team members, I have to watch that team member more closely than those with whom I’ve worked in the past whose strengths and weaknesses I already know, so that I can make whatever needed adjustments early so work doesn’t need to be redone or a project fails because I fail to give appropriate guidance.

It’s all about communication. Learning how to trust and when to trust. And if one of the team members never learns to move in the same direction as the rest of the team, that member will never get critical pieces of the project. The outcome is too important to put critical pieces in the hands of someone that is not trustworthy. And if that goes on too long, that team member will disappear from the team. It’s just the way it is. Those who refuse to be trustworthy, dig themselves into a hole they have a hard time climbing out of.

So this trust part of Jesus lesson is pretty simple, especially when it comes to money. A few questions get to the root of it all. Whose money is it? Yours or Gods? All it takes is a quick peek at your bank account, and you can tell. Do you think you are a steward or an owner? Are your palms turned up or down when holding the funds God entrusts to you? Simple, but very tough questions we must answer when we read those last verse in this discourse.

But what about those earlier verses? “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Does God want us to be shrewd the way the world is shrewd? Does he want us to make friends with unrighteous wealth? What does that really mean?

I’ve been thinking about that the last few days since I read those verses and starting putting together my thoughts about this podcast. At first, I was going to skip over those words and just do what most of us do and go straight to the “you can’t serve two masters” part. But something stopped me from doing that.

First, the word used for wealth is the Semitic word mammon often also translated as money or possessions. It reminds us that whatever we have in this world is not really ours. We are just stewards. It doesn’t go with us into eternity. It’s not the eternal treasure that lasts Jesus talks about elsewhere. But we must have possessions here. We can’t survive with nothing.

Yes, most of us have more than we need. We live in a culture that pushes us to accumulate more and more and more. The motto “the boys with the most toys win” is alive and well in our culture. We seem to strive for that extra pay that bigger house, that newer car. But do we need those things? No. We want them, but we don’t need them. Our culture demands we have them. Our need does not.

Our need demands we have our daily bread. Enough to sustain us for another day. Enough clothing to stay clean and dressed appropriately for the climate in which we live. Not necessarily fashionable according to the cultural fad, but dressed comfortably for the environment. We need housing to protect us from the weather. Not mansions and not cardboard boxes, but housing sufficient to protect us from the weather in our particular locale. That’s about the extent of our real physical needs daily; food, clothing, shelter, and not much else.

Look around you at all the extras God has entrusted to you. And none of it lasts. It all goes away. It all requires time and energy and more resources to take care of it. And every single item you add to the list of things takes a little more time, a little more energy, a little more resources to care for it that could be used for something else. All of our time-saving devices …don’t. Even as I write this, I’m thinking of the time I have to spend removing the deck from my riding mower that is supposed to save time. It has a bent shaft, and so I’ll spend a couple of hours removing it, taking it to be repaired, a couple of hours putting it back on, and a bunch of dollars that could have been used for something else. What happened? I hit a hidden rock in my yard that is too big to mow with a push mower and probably too big for two people. But the culture caught me like it catches most of us.

So what does the scripture tell us? I think it says be smart with all that stuff. Use it the same way the world does. Don’t hold back. They use it to make friends. They use it to invite others into their piece of the world. They get people into their fold. They use their possessions, whether money or things, to capture the interest of those around them for some purpose.

Sometimes the purpose is nefarious. Sometimes it really is just to make friends. Sometimes it’s for business, to lure you into one of those pyramid schemes or something. But shrewd people of this world will use their possessions to capture the attention of those around them.

I think Jesus is telling us, God entrusted his followers with the same worldly possessions unbelievers use for their purposes. Why not use those same tools, those same kinds of possessions for holy purposes? Why not recognize those possessions as gifts from God and use them just to make friends? Or capture the attention of those around you to show Christlike behavior? Why not use the possessions at your disposal to do good in a world that has evil intent on its mind? Why not recognize as shrewd followers of Christ, we can use the same possessions, the same money, the same mammon the world treats at tools to tempt as tools to win people to God.

It’s incredible to me how many things God created that we have perverted. Why not turn the tables? If there is something we think we created (we probably didn’t, but that’s another story), why not turn it around and use it for God? Use the skills and talents and processes the world might have taught you in business and use them to build the Kingdom of God. Bring others to Christ with the same tools you use to bring others to your business. Christ will sell himself, we just need to make the introductions.

Be shrewd, not worldly, but shrewd. Use what God has put in your hands. And if he can trust you with the little things, you’ll be surprised how your life will change as you become a steward in his Kingdom.

^[1]Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Treasures in Heaven, August 5, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

A few days ago, I sat at my desk and saw one of those plastic Rubbermaid boxes sitting under it. I opened it and began to pull out the tangle of wires, connectors, chargers, plugs, and other assorted electrical contraptions associated with computers and their peripherals.

The tangle of wires stared up at me like the hair on Medusa’s head. I felt paralyzed for a few minutes, then decided the time had come to de-clutter that box. I started through the mess of stuff, trying to figure out what I still owned that needed those cables or chargers or connectors.

It finally dawned on me that the stuff in the box lived there for untouched, well, growing, never shrinking for at least two or three years. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually took something out of the box and used it. Into the trash went 85% of everything from the crate. The other 15% made up part of my travel kit, so I don’t have to switch cables and chargers when I decide to go somewhere.

Piles of stuff. Drawers of junk. Closets of clutter. Rooms of rubbish. I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a house that doesn’t have at least a few of those around. I know I have more than my fair share and get a little overwhelmed at the thought of de-cluttering the physical stuff that takes up space in my life.

You probably know what I’m talking about. You are probably thinking about that closet or that drawer you need to go through but just don’t have the courage to rummage through the contents without a decent dose of pain killers or antidepressants.

Jesus gives us a parable that talks about the accumulation of stuff in our lives and how dangerous it can be. In many Bibles, the parable bears the title “The Rich Young Ruler.” Luke records the parable in these words in Chapter 12.

“A person in the crowd got Jesus’ attention.

Person in the Crowd: Teacher, intervene and tell my brother to share the family inheritance with me.

Jesus: Since when am I your judge or arbitrator?

Then He used that opportunity to speak to the crowd.

Jesus: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions.

(then, beginning another parable) A wealthy man owned some land that produced a huge harvest. He often thought to himself, “I have a problem here. I don’t have anywhere to store all my crops. What should I do? I know! I’ll tear down my small barns and build even bigger ones, and then I’ll have plenty of storage space for my grain and all my other goods. Then I’ll be able to say to myself, ‘I have it made! I can relax and take it easy for years! So I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!’”

Then God interrupted the man’s conversation with himself. “Excuse Me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?”

This is how it will be for people who accumulate huge assets for themselves but have no assets in relation to God.” [1]

My collection of stuff in that box under my desk cost a few hundred dollars if bought new. It was pretty worthless to me or anyone else tangled up in that box hidden away under my desk. And even though the cables, chargers, and connectors may have been costly originally, now they were very much like the possessions of that rich young ruler. They have very little value to me or anyone else.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in material things. Our culture gears our brain to attract us to the glitter and gold of this world. We like stuff. We want stuff. We desire to be like that 1% at the top. We want our yachts and second homes and “our people” to submit to our bidding. The young ruler may have had it all. But…

Suddenly, things came into perspective for him. His barns full of produce meant nothing. He would never enjoy the wealth accumulated through his expertise and labor. The goods which made him so proud either would rot in his barns, or the villagers would take them in just a few short hours. All that wealth could do nothing for him.

I’m trying to start ridding myself of stuff. It’s not easy. Carole and I enjoyed living in many parts of the country and world because of my military service. We have lots of stuff that give us a lot of amazing memories. But still, it is just stuff in the long run. The memories are great, but the material things that prompt the memories just take up space and collect dust.

Do I like those things? Sure. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t. I live in the same culture as you. I’m bombarded by the same marketing schemes you hear every day. I’m told how possessions mean success and lack of them mean failure in our culture. But don’t believe the lie.

As Jesus told the crowd that day, things mean nothing. One day, we will all hear God say, “…your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?” ¹

What treasures won’t corrupt and live beyond our frail vessels that consume air and water and food? What treasures will last in heaven?

Relationships. My relationship with God. I will either be joining him eternally or separated from Him eternally. My relationship with him and his son determines that outcome.

My relationships with my Christian brothers and sisters. I believe we will be bound together in heaven with a shared knowledge of each other with an understanding we do not comprehend at this time. I think we see only a tiny glimpse of what heaven is like in scripture. But when we arrive, I think we will know each other. We will have perfect love for each other and God. Our relationships will be perfected through him.

Actions done in love to my fellow man. I think the things we do in love for others will follow us in our memories. Paul talks about the crowns we receive for our actions. I believe those actions will be part of our joy in remembering doing Christlike things for those who share this place.

As part of the community of men and women of every race and nationality, when we do something for one of the least of these, we do it to Jesus. These memories bring him joy and will carry to the other side as treasures in heaven. Make sure you’re collecting the right treasures. Not the junk that hides in drawers or in boxes under the desk, but the things that will last forever in heaven with him.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

How well can you be trusted? (Luke 16:10-12), July 1, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Trust cannot be underrated at home, in business, or with God. Jesus tells us about it in Luke.
Scripture
1. Luke 16:10-12
2. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Devotional
1. I know a lot of people who want more
  1. Money
  2. Property
  3. Time
  4. Friends
2. I don’t know very many people who want the things that go with ownership of those things
  1. Responsibility
  2. Maintenance
  3. Worry
  4. Additional workload
3. But Solomon gave us the proverbs about financial security a long time ago and Jesus reiterates it in these parables.
  1. He just talked to those around Him about the shrewd dealings of the world and the way they use their assets judiciously to better their situation
  2. Jesus then talks about this principle of trustworthiness
  3. Why would anyone entrust you with their assets if you were not trustworthy?
  4. They would be foolish
4. The government goes through pretty elaborate processes to grant security clearances to individuals
  1. Background checks into criminal records, finances, friends and family
  2. They look at business associates and foreign travel
  3. They look at your parents’ and siblings histories and anything that might cause you to be untrustworthy with the nation’s secrets
  4. If you’re not trustworthy in little things they don’t expect you to be trustworthy with big things
5. And so it goes
  1. Do you return extra change you get from a cashier’s mistake?
  2. Do you claim questionable things on your taxes?
  3. Do you take supplies from your employer?
  4. Do you work the time you say you work or spend it on Facebook or other personal activities?
  5. Are you trustworthy in the little things of life?
6. Before God can entrust you with the important things of His kingdom, He needs to trust you with the mundane things here. The stuff around us won’t last. If we can’t take of it in a responsible way, how can God trust us with the things that last forever?
7. Check your trustworthiness against His standard and see where you need to improve. Ask Him and He promises He will help.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Bible Reading Plan – Luke 15-16

It’s best to be generous (Luke 16:19-31) December 11, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 John

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 16:19-31
Jesus There was this rich man who had everything—purple clothing of fine quality and high fashion, gourmet meals every day, and a large house. Just outside his front gate lay this poor homeless fellow named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered in ugly skin lesions. He was so hungry he wished he could scavenge scraps from the rich man’s trash. Dogs would come and lick the sores on his skin. The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace.
He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!”
But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony. Besides, a great canyon separates you and us. Nobody can cross over from our side to yours, or from your side to ours.”
“Please, Father Abraham, I beg you,” the formerly rich man continued, “send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers there, and they’re on the same path I was on. If Lazarus warns them, they’ll choose another path and won’t end up here in torment.”
But Abraham said, “Why send Lazarus? They already have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to instruct them. Let your brothers hear them.”
“No, Father Abraham,” he said, “they’re already ignoring the law and the prophets. But if someone came back from the dead, then they’d listen for sure; then they’d change their way of life.”
Abraham answered, “If they’re not listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone comes back from the dead.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I don’t know if you’ve ever been around burn victims. It’s pretty terrible. Being stationed at Ft Sam Houston, Texas for the last few years of my service, I saw patients in the burn center more often than I’d like to remember. Most of them had recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan, victims of explosions on the battlefield in which fuel in the vehicles they were riding also caught fire before they could be extracted. Some of those soldiers were 60, 70, and 80% of their body surface covered with disfiguring burns. It’s a horrible, painful injury and recovery is also long and painful.

The average burn victim undergoes more than 20 surgeries during the first two years of recovery and usually never gets full range of motion of limbs affected by the burns. We still haven’t been able to perfect plastic surgeries to heal disfigurement, so every time a burn victim looks in the mirror, there is the constant reminder of that fateful day that changed their life forever. Post traumatic stress disorder often accompanies the injury and causes frequent nightmare interrupting much needed sleep and disrupting the healing process. Burns are horrible injuries.

Every time I read this story, I’m reminded of those soldiers I visited on the burn wards at Fort Sam Houston. And I think about how horrible hell must be. To continually exist in a place of fire and brimstone as Jesus describes it, always burning but never being consumed by it. Always experiencing that agony with no hope of the pain ever stopping. And in hell, there are no drugs to ease the pain, no narcotics to allow even the shortest, restless sleep from the intense agony.

Then I think about the rich man’s request. Just the amount of water that can be held on the tip of Lazarus’ fingertip to cool his tongue. Have you ever tried to quench you thirst with the amount of water that you can hold on the tip of your finger? It’s not much water. If you stick your whole finger in a glass of water you’ll only get about two or three drops of water off the end when you pull it out. But that was the rich man’s request. He was in such agony, such torment, he would be happy with just the amount of water that would fall from Lazarus’ fingertip.

I don’t know about you, but I never want to go to a place like that. Was the scene real? It seems to me that the parables Jesus gave the crowds were more often based in reality than not. They seemed to be scenes He had witnessed and then shared with those around Him. These were not Aesop’s fables with animals living out morals to be learned. Jesus’ parables always had truths in them that could easily be seen in every day life. So had Jesus witnessed just this kind of scene before He came to earth in human form? In His glorified form, had the Son of God witnessed the rich man plead for Abraham to send one of God’s children across the divide with just a few drops of water to cool His tongue?

There is always more truth in Jesus’ parables than not. I don’t want to find out, do you? I think that means we need to be generous with the things God entrusts into our care. Think about it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven is a beautiful pearl (Matthew 13:45-46) March 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 36-38

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus: Or the kingdom of heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. When he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We might associate a little better with Jesus’ parable under consideration today. Some that we’ve talked about the last few days are a little distant from our common understanding, but today we talk about jewels. We see jewelry everyday, so maybe we can understand this one better. Although we don’t see real pearls often, mostly costume or artificially cultured pearls, we still equate precious stones and jewelry with wealth and precious treasure a little more than some of Jesus’ previous examples of what heaven might be like.

Pearls were not so common in Jesus’ day. They didn’t culture them the way we do today. They didn’t have diving equipment like we have. Anyone who found pearls found them by accident and they were rare. Then to get enough of them to make a bracelet or necklace and large enough to drill holes in them without power tools, well, you can imagine the price. But since we are probably more familiar with gold, let’s use that instead of pearls since I think it carries the same message Jesus would convey today.

We’ve seen the cost of gold sky rocket over the years. When I was a kid, the price of gold was pretty stable at just over $35.00 an ounce. As I prepare this podcast, gold is $1217.23 an ounce. We sometimes talk about our weight in gold. As a kid of six or seven, I would have been worth about $1,500 in gold. Today, I’d be worth almost $3.5 million. Quite a difference in both weight and worth through the years, I guess. In any event, gold has increased in value almost 3500%. What does that really mean? It means if you had $100 worth of gold 50 years ago, it would be worth $350,000 today. Not a bad return on your money.

So here again, we have a wise jeweler looking for something of great value. Precious stones pass through his hands every day. He knew when he was looking at something of value. So when this one jewel came into his possession, he knew he had to have it. Like the man who sold everything to buy the field with the treasure in it, the jeweler, knew he must do anything to get that pearl. He sold everything he had to buy that pearl.

So I was thinking about Jesus’ heaven is like a pearl, and thought about a few things in comparison to valuable jewels. Heaven is rare. We think in terms of a few begin rare. We look for those few rare coins as a coin collector. Or those few rare painting by some great artist. Or those few rare moments that stir our hearts and bring warm memories. We can name a lot of rare things if we think about it. But talk about rare. There is only only God and He has one home, heaven. There is only one heaven. If there is only one of something, that by definition makes it rare.

Heaven is valuable. It is worth giving up everything. The writers of the books of New Testament tell us that over and over as they share the message of God’s good news. Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. Paul says we must die to self so we may live in Christ. The early church members gave all they had to the church to share with those in need because of the persecution the church felt. Everything is His anyway, we just need to acknowledge that He owns it and give Him control of it in our lives.

The jeweler was on the lookout for that valuable jewel. He wasn’t just sitting around. He spied out the things that passed through his hands and was looking for something worth his time and effort. He knew there was one special jewel out there that was worth everything and when he saw it, he wanted it. Heaven it like that. If we look for the very best there is to find, we will find Jesus. We will find heaven.

If we never look, though, we’ll never find heaven. If we keep our eyes closed to the truth, heaven will pass us by. If we refuse to do what is necessary to obtain it, it will be beyond our reach. Heaven is worth it. It is beautiful, valuable, rare, and precious. The parable of the pearl helps to teach us just how rich and wonderful it is. But like the jeweler looking for the pearl, we must look for heaven and then commit everything we have and everything we are to finding it. God accepts nothing less. After all, He gave His life for us.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven is a treasure (Matthew 13:44) March 29, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Samuel 11-15

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:44
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a field. A crafty man found the treasure buried there and buried it again so no one would know where it was. Thrilled, he went off and sold everything he had, and then he came back and bought the field with the hidden treasure part of the bargain.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus used some interesting metaphors to explain Himself to His listeners – farmers, seeds, weeds, coins, sheep, fields, and now a hidden treasure. All the things He used were familiar to those around Him. They understood far better than we probably do in our city bound service-age with all our technology. We don’t understand much about sheep or farming or plowing fields or pulling weeds. We don’t know much about seeds and planting and harvesting. Many of the nuances of Jesus’ parables probably pass us by because of our distance from the agrarian society in which He and His listeners lived. But that doesn’t keep us from learning from Him or finding out all we can about the culture of His day or the meaning behind His messages.

So what would you do if you happened upon something so valuable it was almost impossible to fathom its worth hidden in some obscure place? What if you were like the man in Jesus’ story? Would you gamble everything you had on that one treasure? Would you sell everything you had to obtain that treasure that you knew would make you one of the richest people in all the world? Would you plot to get the secret of its location and do anything you could to get that field or building or container that held the treasure?

I think if you’re like most of us, you would do exactly like the man in Jesus’ story. We would all like to be wealthy enough not to worry about where money will come from to pay tomorrow’s bills. We would like to have enough money to get the things we want. We would like to know our retirement is secure without worrying about what the stock market will do or whether Social Security will be solvent when it’s time to use it. Probably very few of us would just ignore the treasure if we found it.

So knowing all of us have this part of us that is somewhat like that man in Jesus’ story, why would he compare heaven to that hidden treasure? Let’s think about a few reasons. First and most obvious, heaven is a treasure. Heaven is worth more than we could ever afford. Even though the man in the story sold everything he had, he could never afford such a treasure. The only way he obtained it was because by selling everything, he was able to afford the field in which the treasure was hidden. The treasure’s value was beyond measure. So is heaven. There is absolutely nothing to which we could compare God’s home.

Second, heaven is hidden from the view of humankind. We can find it, but we must search for it. Heaven isn’t just given to us. God says, “Seek Me with all your heart.” He says, “Seek Me and you will find Me” God doesn’t make it difficult to find Him, but He wants to know we are interested in finding Him, too. He wants us to put out a little effort in getting to His kingdom. He doesn’t want our relationship with Him to be one-sided. He’s already died for us, we ought to be able to search a little to find Him.

Third, although we commonly use the word crafty as an adjective to describe someone with cunning, sometimes to the point of using evil schemes to get their aims, Merriam-Webster’s first definition is still skillful; clever. Continually and consistently in God’s word we find that wise men seek God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is found searching for and finding God. So the clever, skillful person is the one who seeks after God and meditates on His word to know Him better.

So here we are twenty centuries later listening to Jesus’ parables. What can we learn from them? We can still learn a lot if we pay attention. Heaven is worth more than we can imagine. It is worth giving up everything to obtain it, even yourself. Give yourself and everything you have to His Lordship. God wants us to find Him, but He also wants us to expend a little effort on our part. Anything worth having is worth working for. So get busy and do some searching in His word and you will find Him pretty quickly. Finally, it is the wise who understand just how precious and valuable heaven is and will expend the effort to get there. Will you show yourself wise by following God’s commands and letting Him be Lord of your life? Once again, it’s your choice. Make the right one.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

It’s okay, ask your questions (Matthew 13:37-43) March 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 48-50

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:37-43
Jesus: The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed represents the children of the Kingdom. The weeds—who do you think the weeds are? They are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who threw the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the workers are God’s heavenly messengers. In the parable, I told you the weeds would be pulled up and burned—well, that is how it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send His messengers out into the world, and they will root out from His kingdom everything that is poisonous, ugly, and malicious, and everyone who does evil. They will throw all that wickedness into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. And the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the verse before Jesus’ words, the disciples ask Him to explain the parable of the weeds. So Jesus answers them. This, I think, is an important lesson for us as we contemplate Jesus’ words for us today. Jesus spoke to the crowds around Him in parables fulfilling the prophecies given to Isaiah and Psalms. People would listen but not hear, try to understand, but not comprehend. He gives them His message, but they do not exercise enough faith to let His words break through to their heart and mind so they understand Him.

But the disciples wanted to know more about the messages Jesus gave the crowds. They weren’t content to just hear His stories and go away and live their lives as if nothing happened. They wanted deeper understanding. So they came to Jesus and asked what His parables meant. That’s the real message I’d like begin with from Jesus’ words today. We need to want to know more about Him so we ask Him to clarify His word. He wants us to delve into His word and learn about Him. He wants us to draw close to Him and ask questions. He wants to settle our doubts and calm our fears. But He can’t do that unless we engage with Him in conversation. We have to get away with Him and talk to Him.

And then comes the good part. Jesus didn’t ridicule His disciples because they didn’t understand. He didn’t send them to the library to look up the answers. He didn’t send them off to the seminary or tell them to go study their catechism. No. Jesus answered their questions. He understood their infancy in their faith and took the time to explain His teachings to them. He made sure they understood His message so they could better understand Him and His mission from the Father.

It helps us know that Jesus doesn’t want to be hidden from us. His message was plain: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. God has burst in upon the scene. He wants an intimate relationship with you. I’ll tell you stories to help you understand the relationship God wants to have with you. But He also wants you to exercise your faith a little. He also wants to see that His relationship with you isn’t completely one-sided. He carries the biggest load. He pulls the heaviest weight. He makes the greatest sacrifice. But He also expects us to do at least a little something in the relationship.

He spoke to the crowds in parables. Most of the people in the crowd listened to His stories and walked away happy to have seen His miracles and heard His message. But they didn’t understand and didn’t do anything else about it. It’s not unlike many who sit in the pews in churches all across America. We come and listen to the music, hear a good sermon, then go home and live the rest of the week without any thought about what any of it meant. We don’t think about the words we heard or the work God has for us to do. We don’t understand it, but we don’t ask about it either. We are happy just to keep our superficial appearance of righteousness, but there is no substance to our relationship.

Jesus answered the disciples questions because they asked them. He encouraged them to find out what His messages meant so they could draw closer to Him and His Father. He wanted them to understand His mission because He would soon pass that mission on to them and they would need that relationship with the triune Godhead vibrant and strong to withstand the fury of those Satan would throw in their way. They needed to know that no question was too insignificant for Him to answer for them.

So how about you? Do you just sit in the pew every once in a while or every week and just hear the words without really listening to the message God has for you? Do you leave the church without meditating through the week on the sermon and songs you heard? Do you fail to ask God what He wants you to know in building your relationship with Him and others? Then these words of Jesus were meant for you. You see, Jesus has answers to our questions. And He wants us to ask them.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven — the mustard seed. (Matthew 13:31-32) March 26, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Mark 5-6

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:31-32
Jesus told them another parable.
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a sower took and planted in his field. Mustard seeds are minute, tiny—but the seeds grow into trees. Flocks of birds can come and build their nests in the branches.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I didn’t know much about mustard seeds or how they grow until I did a little research. There are a few different kinds of plants, none really grow into real trees, but there is one that grows so rapidly and so tall that it could be considered a tree. It grows wild in some of the most inhospitable climates as long as it has a water source. And because the seeds are so small, when the seed pods burst at maturity, the wind scatters them so they have the potential of growing wild almost anywhere.

So Jesus talks about these tiny seeds, about one millimeter in diameter. These tiny little seeds germinate in one to five days and grow large enough to harvest in 60 to 85 days. Usually, the plants grow as clumps of bushes three to five feet high, but in the right conditions these wild mustard plants can grown together into tree-like plants as tall as 20–22 feet high. It’s interesting that Jesus would use this as a metaphor for explaining heaven.

Perhaps He compared heaven to a mustard seed to share how quickly it can grow when conditions are right. Certainly they were right when the Father sent His Son into the world at just the right time to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. At no other time in history, had the world enjoyed such a wide-spread commonality in language, freedom to travel, common government, and prosperity. The Roman Empire brought together the nations of the known world at a time that made Jesus’ entrance into the world the perfect time for breaking the chains of sin that bind humankind. So His message could spread around the known world more rapidly at that point in time that at any time before or for centuries after His earthly ministry.

Maybe He compared heaven to a mustard seed to demonstrate how much it grows. Heaven starts with God. He created heavenly beings to minister to Him, then created the rest of the universe and then humankind. Each person that accepts Jesus as Lord enters into His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven and it grows by one more person. The rapid growth of His kingdom happens as we share His word and His Spirit convinces and convicts those who hear His message and come to Him in faith.

Maybe He compared heaven to a mustard seed because like the seeds that scatter from the dried pods at maturity, Christianity, faith in Him, scatters broadly as His followers carry Him in their hearts.When we accept Him as Lord, He travels with us and in us. And like at the day of Pentecost when thousands gathered in Jerusalem to worship, then traveled back to their homes, they took with them the message they heard from Peter. Those thousands who became part of the church during those early days didn’t stay in Jerusalem. They were businessmen, housewives, rabbis, city officials. They came from all walks of life and all the surrounding countries. After they received Peter’s words, gave themselves to God, and received His Spirit in them. They took the message back with them to their several countries and cities and homes. Seeds were scattered. Heaven expanded.

Maybe Jesus compared heaven to a mustard seed because it grows under some of the most difficult conditions. He probably picked up one of these tiny seeds from the ground as He shared this parable. Most in the crowd couldn’t even see it. But they understood that when this tiny seed found its place in the soil, it would grow with just a little water. It grew in rocky soil, sandy soil, dry desert climates. It could withstand drought and floods. It grew under the intense heat of the middle-eastern sun. Just so, no matter what Satan does to try to defeat or slow the growth of God’s kingdom, His kingdom not only survives, but thrives and grows fast and high and strong.

Now that you know a little more about the mustard plant and those tiny little seeds that are almost too small to even see, think about this. Heaven is like a mustard seed. Stop and consider what a great thing to be part of God’s kingdom of heaven. It grows no matter the circumstances, it scatters broadly to every nation and every culture on the globe, it grows under the harshest of conditions, it grows as fast as we share His message, God army cannot be stopped.

What a marvelous analogy. Heaven is like a mustard seed. Are you helping it grow by scattering the message, watering new believers and your heart with the Spirit of God? Are you encouraged by the fact that nothing can stop the kingdom of heaven anymore than nothing can stop those mustard seeds from scattering around the desert.

Pretty cool metaphor when you think about it!

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.