One of the most popular parables in the Bible is the Good Samaritan. What is Jesus trying to teach us? What does it mean to love your neighbor? Who is your neighbor? As Jesus often does, He takes it a step farther. This is not about salvation. Doing good deeds to your fellow man or woman does not save you. But it is the right thing to do. It is what a saved person would do. And as we discussed in the previous post, there are no excuses.
Continue reading “Being a Good Samaritan”Tag: compassion
Rich Fool
It is not a sin to be rich. Most of us in this country are very rich in terms of the entire world. What is important is what we do with our riches. Do we hoard them or spend them on ourselves and loved ones or do we share the blessings that God gives us? I don’t believe there is anything wrong with spending some of our riches on ourselves, but as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. We need to keep things in perspective. We complain about gas prices and slow internet while others do not know where their next meal comes from or whether they will be alive tomorrow. God always looks at our heart. He delights in our compassion and generosity and frowns on greediness and covetousness. This is what Jesus is talking about in His parable of the rich fool.
Continue reading “Rich Fool”Amos: Greed and Justice
Idols and justice are common themes in the Bible. It is in our society as well, but idolatry comes more in the form of pride and greed. Who or what do we put first in our lives? And, how do we treat others? These are two questions that God was addressing through Amos.
Continue reading “Amos: Greed and Justice”Racisim
There is so much bitterness going on in the world today. We have a history of racism in this country as well as many others. It has been going on throughout the world probably since there were races. Our country is struggling with this. It has gotten tremendously better since several decades ago, but we still have work to do. And racism is not the only problem. Right now we see hatred on both sides toward and from most races. We see people judging entire people groups because of what a few have done. We see disrespect toward those who serve and try to make this country a better place. We see people looking down on others because of their situation and others taking advantage of it and the system. We see bitterness toward those who believe differently, whether it would be politically, religiously or what their opinions are about certain issues. What are we to do? What did Jesus have to say about this and what was His example? It’s pretty simple, really. Be kind, love others and treat each other right. One parable comes to mind that tells us how we are to treat others. Continue reading “Racisim”
Forgive Them
Jesus’ words on the cross were profound. I believe each of the seven phrases he spoke while on the cross had a specific purpose. This whole event had purpose. To take our sins away and declare us righteous before God. For God’s glory. For our salvation. To do this, Jesus took our sins to the cross and paid for them, being forsaken (see previous post) and betrayed and mocked. He endured all of this for us so that we may be forgiven. Continue reading “Forgive Them”
My Daily Scriptures 