Luke 12:13-15, “And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
While I was working at my computer, I was listening to Alexander Scourby read the Gospel of Luke yesterday and was intrigued by some of the things I heard. As I listened to Jesus' interactions with people, I realized that humans haven't changed over the past 2,000 years.
The Covetous Man
In our text Scripture passage, a man in the crowd approaches Jesus to ask Him if He will speak to his brother about sharing his parent's inheritance with him. We don't know the whole story. Did this man receive nothing from his parents when they passed away because he was a bad son? Did he squander his portion of the inheritance left to him, like the Prodigal Son did? We simply don't know. I find it interesting that a complete stranger came up to Jesus with money on his mind, not just asking for advice, but wanting Jesus to somehow coerce his brother to give him some money. That is sickening. I don't like money-hungry people. Truly, the love of money is the root (source) of all evil (1st Timothy 6:12).
I heard Jesus say something profound in Luke 6:30, “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” Wow! How many of us would let someone keep our stuff and not ask for it back, ever? Jesus taught that if someone steals our stuff (or permanently borrows it...lol), we should just let it go and not ask for it back. That intrigued me when I heard Jesus say that. Great fluffy biscuits in the morning! What is God trying to teach us here? The lesson I humbly think is that the greatest things in life are not things. Fearing God and keeping His commandments is worth more than all the money in the world.
Yet, we've all seen people go crazy in excitement when they win a lot of money or a big prize. My Mom used to watch The Price Is Right game show hosted by Bob Barker (1923-2023). Amazingly, the show aired on Tv between 1972 and 2007. As a boy, I remember seeing people on a daily basis jumping up and down on the show, screaming and crying in happiness when they won a lot of money, or a new car, or a world vacation, or all of the above. Even as child I can still remember thinking that it was just money and things. Money cannot buy anyone a home, family or love. I've never seen anyone get that excited over the things of God.
Sadly, over 90% of people are very materialistic. That is why everywhere I turn while driving my car in Pensacola, I see disgusting billboards by shady ambulance-chasing covetous lawyers enticing people to sue others for money. It just reveals the dark underbelly of our ungodly American society, showing how materialistic and covetous we really are today. It is sad and pathetic! Our culture has become so rotten that I don't even want to go out my front door anymore. I just want to stay home and watch the world destroy itself on Tv. I know that I am not alone in my feelings, because some of my blog visitors have told me so. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You will never be the mature Christian that God wants you to be, until you come to the place spiritually where having money means nothing to you. I don't have a lot of money and don't care about getting it. A Christian man, whom I consider a ministry friend, recently suggested an idea for making money online. He asked me if I wanted to partner with him. I didn't need to think more than one second to give him my answer. No thanks! I'm not interesting in making money. Since 2002 when God put the strong desire in my heart to start a website ministry, from day one I decided that money would never be a part of my ministry for the Lord. I have never, nor will I ever, ask or take a single penny for my labors for Jesus Christ. I don't need or want the money. I live a simple life. God takes care of me. I have never owned s new car and don't plan to. My used 2013 Honda FIT might as well be a $250,000 fancy sports car (I couldn't even give you the name of an expensive model). My old car gets me from point A to point B, which suits me just fine. ...
There's a roof up above me
I've a good place to sleep
There's food on my table
And shoes on my feet
You gave me your love Lord
And a fine family
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me
We were all born with nothing and we will die with nothing (1st Timothy 6:7). What matters most is that we are right toward God in this life. That doesn't mean giving most of your money to some covetous pastor who is living large. It does mean that you wisely spend and give the money which God has entrusted to you. If someone has more money than me, good for them, it doesn't impress me. My name is written in Heaven (Luke 10:20), and that is wealth that all the money in the world cannot buy. Thank God!
The Demon Possessed Man
As I listened to the Gospel of Luke, I heard the amazing true story of the maniac of Gadarenes. He ran around by the Sea of Galilee naked, throwing himself into the fire, cutting himself the Bible says. The townspeople had tried binding him with chains, but he broke free with super human strength (cf. Mark 5:1-19). The poor man was demon possessed! ...
Luke 8:26-39, “And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”
I was intrigued when I heard this passage, because the townspeople tolerated the insane man. They tried to bind him. They all knew who he was, where he dwelt, and what he did. But when Jesus cast out the demons and they saw the man sitting at Jesus' feet in his right mind, the Bible says they were terrified. Go figure! That is amazing! They were afraid of success!
I've never seen so much fear of a prospective U.S. President as toward Donald Trump. Countless famous celebrities (Tom Hanks, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, et cetera) have said that they will leave the United States if Mr. Trump is reelected in 2024. I hope Mr. Trump does get reelected, and that they do leave and please do not come back! What is so wrong with President Trump? He helped the farmers. He helped the veterans. He did MUCH good for our country, more so than any U.S. President since Theodore Roosevelt. It is the ungodly liberals, kooks, heathens and socialists who despise and hate him!
President Joe Biden is an incompetent fool who has done great harm to our nation in many ways, especially by opening the borders. President Trump spent $15,000,000,000 of taxpayer money to build a border wall, which Mr. Biden has mocked and undone. It is a travesty of justice. Jesus warned that a house divided cannot stand and America is divided on everything today. We cannot exist like this indefinitely. If something doesn't change soon, our country will crumble.
The Humble Man
I enjoyed listening to the Gospel of Luke yesterday. I heard the Apostle Peter tell Jesus in Luke 8:5 to depart from him, because he was a sinful man. I like that humility in Peter. And then again in Luke 7:6 the centurion whose servant was sick told his men to go tell Jesus there was no need to come to his home, because he was not worthy for Jesus to enter under his roof. I love that humility! I don't know about you friend, but I feel the same way as Peter and the centurion. I feel so unworthy of Christ's presence in my life, and that a King should bleed and die for a guilty sinner like me. I am speechless of what to say, except THANK YOU!
As I listened to the Gospel of John, I was reminded of how people are the same still today as back in Bible times. One man came to Jesus, wanting him to go convince his brother to split his inheritance with him. That sounds so typical of covetous people today! Some people only think in terms of making money, and it is sinful. Our affections (mind) should be set on things above (Colossians 3:1). This earthly life is short, too short if you ask me.
In 1977, I remember seeing Harrison Ford for the first time in Star Wars (one of my favorite movies), but today he is an old aged man with health issues, frail and it is difficult for him to walk. Time truly does change everything! We will all die someday. Hopefully we will all have the privilege to grow old, which many people do not get. Two children were just murdered this week in Florida, when a 66 year old drunken woman sped her car into a building where a group of children were gathered having a party. She was legally drunk! I have always hated booze and wish our ungodly government would stop sanctioning Liquid Devil and ban it. Sadly, we are governed by fools who don't care how many innocent people are murdered by booze.
Jesus met humble people. He met arrogant people. He met covetous people. I love the true story in Luke when Jesus was teaching the Bible, and suddenly He saw a group of men tearing a hole through the roof, and they lowered down a paralyzed man so Jesus could heal him. God loves that kind of faith! I commend those wise men for taking the initiative to find a way to get Jesus' attention, at all cost. That was clever! It also impresses upon my heart how much they loved and cared about the man whom they brought to Jesus.
Sadly, in our shameful American society today most people don't care about each other. But thankfully some people still do. I saw a tear-jerking news video this week where a group of strangers along a California highway, smashed out an SUV window to rescue a frantic driver who was about to be burned alive after a multiple vehicle accident involving a truck. Those courageous people are heroes!
The Sinfully Proud Man
Our dear Lord met all kinds of people. I also heard in the book of Luke where the wicked Pharisees, scribes, lawyers and unbelieving Jews were oftentimes attempting to trap Jesus in His words. I love how Jesus outsmarted them every time, shaming them with their own foolish plots. Job was right, who said in Job 9:3, “If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.” It is rare that a man can win an argument with God. Moses once did, when God wanted to destroy the Hebrew for worshipping the golden calf. Moses talked God out of doing it, lest the heathen nations would say God only led the Hebrews out of Egypt to utterly destroy them. So, it is possible to win a debate with God, if you are in the right. I love how that situation with Moses and God, shows how our Creator's personality exists in us humans. God gets upset, just like we do. God loves to be praised, just like we do. God loves to forgive and show mercy, just like a righteous man does.
Pride is a horrible sin, which precedes all other sins. I was thinking this week how we are to blame for the mess in America, not God. The Lord gave us the Holy Bible to guide us through life. It is our instruction Book. Yet, how many people regard God's Word. Not men, that's for sure.
I've been following the news concerning the abortion issue in the United States. It is sad to see thousands of woman rallying and protesting for their right to murder babies. I like what the state of Tennessee is doing. For the past few years, before being allowed to have an abortion, a doctor must legally let a pregnant mother hear her baby's heartbeat. I love that! It shows the mother that she is about to stop a beating heart. It let's her realize that a living human being is in her womb, and it is her precious child. Our ungodly society, and monstrous organizations like Planned Herodhood, have deceived pregnant women to view their living child as material in the womb, nothing more. The blatant disregard for human life in America is staggering!
The Bible commands in Exodus 12:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” Abortion doesn't make a woman unpregnant, it just makes her the mother of a dead baby.
People Are Still The Same
We serve a wonderful risen Savior! As I listened to the book of Luke, and heard about Jesus healing and helping sinful people everywhere He went, it humbled my soul to know that this same Jesus knows and loves me as one of His redeemed sheep. THANK YOU LORD!!!
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