“Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with turmoil.”
Proverbs 15:16 (NIV)
In the early 1960’s I was in attendance at Seminary training to be a minister of the Gospel. I was engaged to be married and wanted my fiancé to come to the open house of my school to witness the classes and have a meal in our cafeteria. Because I was determined to graduate without debt my budget was very strict. In fact, if I bought my fiancé a meal that day, I would not have the funds to buy one for myself.
I got around my financial dilemma by making up some excuse about not being hungry at that meal time. So I got the one meal and sat and chatted with my guest while she ate her food. I was blissfully happy in spite of my economic poverty because I was with the one I loved. As long as she was present it mattered little whether I ate or not.
Many mature people I speak to, who have been very financially successful in life, will sorrowfully comment that their happiest days were when they were poor and struggling as a young married couple. The accumulation of wealth did not bring them the happiness they dreamed of. Instead of wealth giving the contentment eagerly sought after there came with financial prosperity a sense of longing for the “good old days”, days of poverty.
Continue reading 'How Much is Enough?'»
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:”
2 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV)
The title of our devotional today is a quotation from a truly remarkable preacher of the late 1800’s. His name was C.H. Spurgeon. His preaching alone was responsible for the first mega-church the world has ever known. He did not use gimmicks and business principles for growth to develop his church, he simply preached the Bible with extraordinary power.
His very remarkable memory, speed reading skills, and single minded devotion to preaching Jesus, were used of God to establish a ministry perhaps unequalled in the history of the Christian Church.
Yet, for all the blessing on his work for his beloved Master, he suffered physically and mentally for the greater part of his adult life. Spurgeon had a variety of illnesses including such painful ones as gout and Bright’s disease.
As a young preacher his fame in the British Isles was already so great that people would travel long distances to hear him preach. One evening he was scheduled to preach in the Surrey Gardens Music Hall, a vast auditorium that was filled with over 20,000 people eager to hear the young sensation preach.
Continue reading '“The only blessing greater than good health is illness.”'»
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house…”
Luke 5:29 (NIV)
Levi is better known in the Gospels as Matthew. His business of collecting taxes was located near Capernaum on a road that went from Damascus to Acre near the north west shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tax collectors were never popular people in Jesus’ time due to their common activity of charging too much tax and putting extra profit in their own pockets.
Matthew was not the only business man Jesus called to leave his work and follow Him. For example, in Mark 1:17-20; Luke 5:11, He called two pair of business owners to leave their work and follow Him. It says that James, John, Simon and Andrew, “…left everything and followed him [Jesus].”
Business men can become fine preachers and ministers of the Gospel. Although all of these men appeared to have good professions and made a considerable wage, they abandoned their prosperous work to become itinerant preachers trained by Jesus.
When Jesus called Matthew the verb used in Mark 2:14 meant to go on following Jesus forever. Because the fame of Jesus had spread in the area where Matthew worked and lived (Mark 1:21-34), it is entirely possible Mathew had heard of this wonderful circuit preacher (Mark 1:21; 2:1) as His fame spread everywhere.
Continue reading 'A Business Man and Jesus'»
“Believe me…on the evidence of the miracles…”
John 14:11 (NIV)
The phrase that is our title today originated in the early 1600’s. In modern times it has been shortened to “The proof is in the pudding.” What it means is that the results are what counts. If something is good and right it will show in what it produces. In many situations in life this is all that needs to be asked of the “pudding”. Does it taste good?
I thought of this phrase yesterday when I took a dear friend to a facility for convicted criminals. I desired to see a young man who had several convictions on his criminal record. It was my intent to urge the young person to seek the Lord for forgiveness of his obvious sins and to submit his life to the God Who made him.
The reason I took the older man with me was because my friend had an extensive criminal record many years ago himself. His crimes were of a most serious nature and he had spent some years in penitentiary.
Continue reading 'The Proof Of The Pudding Is The Eating'»
“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
and you perish in the way…
Blessed are all those that put their trust in Him”
Psalm 2:12
President Roosevelt of the United Stated described the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour as the “most infamous act in history”. I am sure the President thought it was. However, Christians have another act that they believe was more infamous.
The act I refer to was the way in which Judas Iscariot betrayed his Master. Judas had received the most gracious treatment at the hand of Jesus. Jesus had given him the same gifts and blessing on his ministry as the other eleven apostles received. He was given even higher privilege that the others as Jesus appointed him the treasurer for the group.
The sop at the Last Supper was always seen as the highest honour the master of the feast could give a guest. Jesus gave it to Judas in front of the other apostles. Even when Judas betrayed his Master, Jesus called him “Friend”. So Judas received more privilege than all the others.
Continue reading 'What’s In A Kiss?'»
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