'Wealth' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’” vs. 13 Luke 12:13-15 There’s nothing that stirs up a family more than the division of an estate after a death has taken place. Ill feelings abound, attorneys are hired, and final disposition of lawsuits may take years to be settled. Even when a will exists and the intentions of the deceased seem crystal clear, family members end up at odds with…
Daily Devotions
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.’” vss. 20-21b Luke 6:20-26 As Luke recounts Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain we hear echoes of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, with one major difference. In Matthew Jesus’ words are directed to souls, e.g. blessed are the poor in spirit, while in Luke they are aimed…
Daily Devotions
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” vss. 52-53 Luke 1:51-55 Mary’s song gives definition to Luke’s vision of the peaceable kingdom. As he sees it, God is no unbiased bystander in the great scheme of things. Rather, God is intimately involved and has a pronounced bias for the poor and the hungry. Luke simply doesn’t buy the contemporary…
Daily Devotions
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” vs. 25 Mark 10:23-31 People have had a hard time with this saying of Jesus. In our wealth-worshipping culture, in a country where so many aspire to becoming rich, we wonder how in the world he could have spoken such heresy. Many preachers, to assuage the consciences of congregants, have bent over backward to…
Daily Devotions
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’’ vs. 21 Mark 10:17-22 The man was at a crisis point, and probably surprised to find himself there. He’d lived a good life, exemplary even, and had reaped the blessings of hard work and enterprise. He was likely envied by most of his peers–yet something…
Daily Devotions
Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.” vs. 11 Amos 5:10-15 Amos came with an outsider’s eye and he could see what the people of Israel could not. Because the abuse had gone so long, they had gotten used to it. Of course, the rich systematically took…
Daily Devotions
Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.” vs. 28 Ephesians 4:25-28 There’s something delightfully naive about this verse from Ephesians. Usually the writers of scripture come down hard on sinners–thieves are given warnings to change behavior or face harsh consequences. But here there are no threats or condemnation, just a heartfelt admonition for thieves to stop stealing and begin to work…
Daily Devotions
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?” vs. 36-37 Mark 8:34-38 Over the last dozen years or so many people in our country have taken advantage of the rising stock market to accumulate more money than they ever dreamed possible. And as tax rates have gone down they’ve found ever new ways to protect and increase their fortunes. And now they’re scared…
Daily Devotions
But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’” vs. 33 Mark 8:31-33 Having resisted the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, it must have surprised Jesus to hear the tempter’s voice coming from his most trusted disciple. But that’s how temptation works! Seldom can we be tempted by those who we don’t know well–we just don’t trust them…
Daily Devotions
Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. vs. 10 Psalm 62:9-12 The psalmist lived under a different economic system than we do. He would not have been familiar with either capitalism or socialism, but he did know the inclinations of the human heart. From the beginning of life in community there have been some who attempted extortion and robbery to get more goods for themselves;…
Daily Devotions
Luke 1:46b-55 “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” vss. 52-53 Mary’s song, the Magnificat, has long been a favorite for Christians, particularly at this time of year. When the vocalist is skilled, the tune lifts our hearts, and we’re entranced by its beauty. What we miss though is that the song is about revolution, the total transformation of…
Daily Devotions: November 2, 2019
November 2, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 6:20-26 … “Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” vs. 20 At first, Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain–as remembered by Luke–seems similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, but it soon becomes apparent that the message is radically different. Not only does Jesus modify his description of those who are blessed, he adds a series of woes…