In the realm of wealth, we listen today to an expert. The teacher is Solomon, the wealthiest king of Israel. To put his life in modern terms—he owned cars, houses, yachts. Personal chefs, women, entertainment, the best food, an enormous wine cellar, gardens, and vineyards all occupied his life. In Ecclesiastes, he writes his report, […]
Malachi 3:6-10
June 18, 2017 by
A tale from India records the chronicle of a frightened mouse. So terrified is he of cats, he is too afraid to venture out. So, a wizard agrees to convert the tiny creature into a cat. Now graceful and stealthy, with his fears removed, he is courageous—until he finds a wild dog chasing after him. […]
1 King 17:7-16, Mark 12:38-44, 1 Timothy 6:17-19: Christ’s Stewardship for Us
September 25, 2016 by
The problem with the money in our lives is not the money, but how we handle it. We think, “Now if only we had more money, we could live!” We believe wealth can make us “take hold of the life that is real.” But we leave God out of the picture. We turn gold into […]
Luke 7:36-8:3: Generous Giving is not Accidental
June 13, 2016 by
Today, Scripture came to us and told us of a woman, a generous one. She expressed a deep devotion and affection toward Jesus in her generosity, by anointing His feet with expensive perfume. Her story is relational. Jesus loves her, and she responds with a deep love for Him. Her story is inclusive, for Jesus […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 6: Helping the Poor and Stewardship
May 7, 2016 by
We earlier looked at vocation—serving others in our everyday lives. For this to happen well, it requires managing what we have in a good way. Thus, a look into stewardship is proper. The Origins of Stewardship Genesis 1 tells us of God creating the world and everything in it. “The earth is the Lord’s, […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-11: Remember!
February 23, 2016 by
Church was cancelled because of weather on February 14. Not wanting to skip the first Sunday in Lent, we observed that Sunday on Feb 21. However, our pastor was away, preaching for another congregation to help them celebrate an anniversary. This is what our pastor would have preached, were he here. ——— Memories are […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 14: God the Source and God the Receiver
November 29, 2015 by
Christian giving flows from God’s grace changing us by the Gospel. Flowing from Christ’s gifts to us, the Christian gives as he is able. This flows from grace, not guilt. Yes, the Law makes us aware of how God wants us to live, but it’s the Gospel and empowers and moves us to do so. […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 13: The Delegation Coming to Corinth
November 21, 2015 by
Unlike some of our translations, what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 (last week’s lesson) began and ended with God’s grace. Paul finished vs. 9 opened ended, moving from Jesus’ self-giving love to how the Corinthians will channel the grace overflowing to them in Christ Jesus to others. Now, Paul goes back to the topic […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 12: Overflowing Grace from God Channeled by God’s People
November 15, 2015 by
Having expressed the joy that the Corinthian Christians were able to give to Paul through Titus, Paul now tells the Corinthians what God has been doing in the churches of Macedonia and what God’s grace has been doing through them. Paul and Timothy begin this section with, “We want you to know.” That was an […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 28: Conclusion
August 2, 2015 by
Paul now transitions to his conclusion, by saying “now concerning.” This was Paul’s way of responding to questions that he had received from the Corinthian congregation, as he did earlier in 1 Corinthians 7:1, 25; 8:1; and 12:1. But, more than that, he also expresses how the Corinthians could be “abounding in the work of […]
