Month: August 2022

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Is justice only a young man’s game?

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.” Psalms‬ ‭58:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​David’s gritty tune. The caption for Psalm 58 is “sung to the tune of Do Not Destroy.” Come on, you know that old song, Do Not Destroy 😂😂😂. The words, Al taschet (Hebrew: אַל-תַּשְׁחֵת, do not destroy. Catchy huh?

This Psalm was written when David was a younger man, for sure under 30 years old. Younger men are pretty angsty and far more black and white in their views of justice.

Saul and/or Abner was in constant and hot pursuit of David. He was running for his life, hiding in caves and scrounging for food. Saul had made David out to be an outlaw, a traitor. People risked their lives to provide food and shelter for him.

It’s ironic that David is so clear minded about justice when he’s being hunted, contrasted to how foggy he was on justice when he raped his neighbor’s wife and murdered Uriah later in his life and kingship. Late in the afternoon after his kingly nap, King David is wandering on his rooftop and feeling, you know, frisky. He sees, he PLOTS, he takes. Once a man of principle and character while in the caves, later he’s a power hungry pervert. He wasn’t singing “Do Not Destroy” as he aged and climbed the social ladder to the throne.

Should only young men be concerned and vocal about injustice? Do old men have more skeletons in the closet, more risk of losing what they had worked so hard to obtain? You see these patterns in many of our social structures today. Men of power having to hide more dirt as they climb in politics, business, and even the Church. Maybe old men should be more active in cleaning and clearing out our own dirt, our own injustices – confessing and repenting of our sins before God. David could clearly see injustice when young, but his heart became so clouded as he aged.

Prayer

Dad,
Is this why men become so less engaged as we age? Men not only lose heart, they also lose energy and clarity as we make our way through life. I would hope that wisdom brings both a sense of perspective and a renewed voice to speak out, live out a sense of justice for those who are weak and alone. Help us, as men, to continue to walk humbly and see clearly, constantly purging our hearts and minds of plans and plots to selfishly satisfy our own souls.

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My portfolio.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.” Titus‬ ‭1:6-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I made a decision to follow Christ at fifteen and another decision to be a Pastor at seventeen. In both cases, I had no idea what I was really doing! I say that, not because I have regrets, only to remind myself that I was in over my head from the very beginning.

I had to learn so many things that should have come, let’s just say more naturally, from being raised in a stable home environment. I was not. I was awkwardly, socially delayed in many ways. And to the ways of God, the things of the Spirit – I was super naïve. I didn’t know Pastoring came with a predetermined job description that the Apostle Paul laid out for Titus and Timothy.

Robin and I were married and we did have children, but from there it seems it took half my life just to qualify for this calling. You realize that Titus and Timothy were likely NOT married when Paul wrote this letter. Paul believed in both these young men to the point that he assigned them to Pastor the churches in Corinth (for Titus) and Ephesus (for Timothy). These were not easy assignments!

Paul lists these qualifications for Pastoring, but ALL of them are character qualities – not educational, nor business accomplishments but packed full of acumens. Marriage and non-rebellious kids are listed first. The kids can’t be “asótia: wasteful nor anupotaktos: un-submitted, unruly.” The general idea is, “how can someone lead when they have no one to struggle with/fight against wills with?” Marriage, coupled with parenting has a way of stripping a person down to their core and hopefully allowing them to rebuild their life to love and lead with a framework of servitude. A wife/husband and children know more about you than anyone else in the world. You just can’t hide character flaws from these folks!

An overseer, (NLT, church leader) is simply a “oikonomos: the manager of a household.” So it makes sense that Paul says, just find someone who is already managing their own household well. The rest of the qualifications are about a temper, drunkenness, violent and dishonest with money. All of these, again, paint a picture of a good manager.

Paul, however, then lists more leadership qualities: hospitality, loving goodness, righteousness (dikaios: correct, righteous, by impl. innocent) and disciplined (egkratés: mastered from within, an inner strength). These go beyond management and speak more of someone transparent, positive, and focused on what’s godly. These are folks that are trustworthy to follow! Echoing Paul’s words to “follow me as I follow Christ.” As a Pastoral portfolio goes, this is not just a job, it’s a calling. It’s also a lifetime commitment to continue to grow and mature, not to just maintain the “look” of a leader, but increasing in faith and love.

Who aspires to be this kind of person? Who desires to manage and lead their own life as well as others? Without the calling and grace of God, you would be crazy to even attempt it! I am never really qualified, I am humbled to believe that God would use me to fulfill this assignment!

Prayer

Dad,
At the end of my time here on this broken earth, I hope to live up to Paul’s portfolio of a Pastor, an Overseer, and definitely an under-shepherd for those who gather and are called your Church. I would be happy to cross the finish line with a “well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Sister wives and impolite dinner conversations.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.” Jeremiah‬ ‭3:6-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and it sounds like an episode from Sister Wives. God uses massive marriage, family and sisterhood language to explain just how inappropriate and hurtful are His own people, His chosen people are behaving towards him.

This passage reminds me of a couple of other Bible stories where the writers use very real, very course language to describe Israel’s sin. One is in Ezekiel 23, the other is the book of Hosea. It is interesting and disturbing that God would use and had to use such vivid, x-rated imagery to communicate Israel’s complete rejection of His love and care for them.

This was NOT polite dinner conversations! Oftentimes, parents today will not let their children read these Bible stories until they are old enough to understand the true consequences of choices and real and long lasting effects of sin.

God says, Israel has been having open love affairs with idols – actual wooden poles and stone figurines. Now, they weren’t having physical sex, but they were certainly giving themselves away in every other way. These idols, although dead, inanimate objects someone had a reputation for being really needy. They needed cash, fresh fruits, veggies and meat. They needed constant attention and in extreme cases demanded a human sacrifice for time to time, normally one of their children.

God told Jeremiah he thought Israel would go off, sow some wild oats and then come home, come back to Himself. Well Israel didn’t return and God served them divorce papers – God was done with that side of the family. But worse, Judah, the “other sister,” copied Israel’s behavior and just gave up the monogamous relationship all together.

It was through this long history of heartbreak that God shows us who we really are when we have full free choice! We all, like dogs in heat, just run off to find pleasure or “freedom” anywhere we can. This is Us! Read the rest of this story and you’ll see just how tiring it was for God to continue to pursue a people who were constantly running away from Him – not towards Him. These cycles of selfish pursuit are stories of God’s own chosen group, not some Philistine, Canaanite or Assyrian folks. Those people were KNOWN violent, brutal, highly immoral people. Yet, they weren’t any worse than Israel and Judah! When there’s no clear difference in the way God’s people live from the non-believers of God, there’s a serious problem, right?

Prayer

Dad,
Wow. We are a piece of work! History certainly does repeat itself. All I can think of is this impolite dinner talk being the real picture of what Paul said to the churches in Rome, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Oftentimes I think of the small sins and offenses and think, “I’m not that bad.” Then I read of the folks who regularly cheated on you and profaned your gifts of mercy, and remember “oh yeah, that’s in my heart as well.” I’m really humbled that I have to be reminded of how bad, how desperately wicked is my wandering soul, unchecked by your Holy Spirit! Forgive me. Forgive us as the Church.

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Greasy gossip and sleazy theology.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.” Luke‬ ‭13:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is told that Pilate had some Galileans murdered and mixed their blood with the blood of sacrifices to the Roman gods. Jesus’ response is pretty blunt. Word spread quickly about these rebellious Galileans who had been feuding with Pilate for years. Galileans taught that Jews should not pay tribute (taxes) to the Romans because it was a form of idolatry, giving money to Cesar.

However, the real gossip kicked in when people started talking about God’s judgment and the fact that the Galileans may have deserved death because of their wickedness. Jesus clarifies what God thinks about punishment of sinners.

Don’t confuse suffering with judgment!

Galileans are murdered, a tower falls on 18 people and you think God did that, or God “allowed it”? Read Jesus lips, “quit making stuff up and misrepresenting God!!!” Don’t you just hate it when people speak for God and they’re wrong about it?

Jesus has an edge in his tone when he talks about folks blabbing on about their theories and leading others astray when it comes to knowing God. So, maybe that’s why he says this stern rebuke: When you see these things happen (horrible suffering) maybe you should check yourself instead of falsely gossiping about God’s intent.

This is an often ignored truth – EVERYONE dies! But for those who will not turn (metanoeó: to change one’s mind or purpose – to “think different.”) there is a very real, very permanent ending for them. These stubbornly, self focused, my-truth thinkers have a very sad reality waiting. Jesus says, these “unchanged minded” will face a kind of obliteration (apollumi: to destroy, destroy utterly). God is always concerned about my heart, my attitude, my eternal destination. It does little good to try to back-seat drive someone else’s life and be all smug about it.

Prayer

Dad,
I never ever want to misrepresent you or purposely shoot off my mouth, presupposing I know how to run the world better or that I can clearly go around judging people’s final destination of judgment. I can barely figure out my own heart let alone peer, like a spiritual stalker, into someone else’s heart and call out their motives. What a sick, twisted thing to see a person or family go through a horrible tragedy and make some snide remark about how they may have deserved it! What part of that sounds godly? Yuk! Help me to stay clear of that and especially help me not misrepresent you to an unbelieving friend.

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Reading the end of the story.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” Revelation‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I never go to the end of a book to see how it ends! I read from the beginning and let the author take me where they want me to go. I follow.

Reading the book of Revelation, Revelation not Revelations, is very different. I believe God wants us to, invites us to see how it ends.

In the book that talks most about finality, then eternity, it’s a page burner. It reveals a winner, God and an eternal loser, evil. Yes, evil has a name for the long season called earth, it’s Satan – the deceiver. He was the character to introduce a human rebellion against God. He did so by not only introducing this idea of sin, but also the beginning of deep distrust of our creator. And there are, there will be humans who see God, believe God’s rescue plan from our own choices and spend eternity with him and others who are similar. There are also humans that want to follow the deceiver and play the rebel all the way to their own judgment and permanent separation from God. Each will get their own way.

John writes about these angelic pronouncements as the end draws near. This one is about the churches or types of believers that are like Philadelphia. The angel speaks kind and encouraging words. This “open door,” the protection, crown and a promise of being “pillars” in the temple. This are powerful annunciations to churches who were suffering from intense, bodily persecution. Everyone, if they understand what the angel is saying, wants to be in the Philadelphia church!

Doesn’t everyone want to live a life of meaning and reward that comes with that reputation. However, even knowing it now or reading about it in the first century, doesn’t seem to be enough to convince us of the work necessary, the faith necessary to BE that kind of church.

We want the results but not the lifestyle necessary to get them. This is our human dilemma! This is our cross to bear, our working out of salvation. I want to be the kind of person that obeys God. I want to be a part of a community that endures suffering, and holds on to their crowns of joy and kindness (real godly kindness, not the value-exchange, bumper-sticker kindness of today). The rewards are real. The struggles to BE and DO the deep work are also real.

Prayer

Dad,
You know that I would want these qualities the angel listed to about the churches of Philadelphia, but you also know there’s a lot of flesh-barriers and selfishness still running around in my heart. Plus, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I am just not a big “do it for the reward” kind of person. I would like to think that I’ll do it because it’s right and good. I see small, incremental bursts of goodness in me. But I also see all the other. Can I only think good, be good, do good when I’m not stressed or under pressure of performance? I fear I’m going to end up being one of those other churches 🥴.

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Lizard brain conversations.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Several axioms pop into my head when I read these passages about WORDS.

One: “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Two: “Better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Three, incorrectly attributed to St. Francis Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” The Franciscans are hopping mad about that wonky phrase being stuck to their founder. The closest quote Francis wrote is, “All the Friars… should preach by their deeds.”

These wisdom words out of Proverbs seem to be positive about speaking words. Words shape people’s thoughts! The cousin to this proverb is “The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive,” Proverbs‬ ‭16:21‬, adding the word “pleasant.” The Hebrew word is metheq: sweetness. And in verse 23, the key word is sakal: consider. Both verses, in Hebrew, are for the purpose of learning. These wise, sweet, considerate words are good for folks who want to learn. Their minds and hearts are open and ready to receive, like eager students who love understanding new concepts in school.

You know what’s sad? Humans are oftentimes to impatient to learn. Do you know what kind of words get quicker results, in terms of action? You guessed it – angry words! Accusations, angry, hateful words move MOBS! Crowds love angry words. No thought, no learning, no homework necessary. Just throw out the vile, trashy rap and it triggers the ol’ amygdala, the “lizard” brain.

Oh man, God’s ways are NOT our ways, His thoughts are NOT our thoughts – wisdom uses a different methodology. You notice how much of our country is filled with angry words and not sweet, persuasive words? Yeah, because we’ve stopped listening, stopped learning. And the results are clear, we’re just behaving like a bunch of raw emotional, darwinian neanderthals looking for a war!

Wisdom itself is a slower path, definitely one less traveled. Followers of Jesus must, must, must believe and behave differently! We must continue to use sweet, considerate words – wisdom words to persuade. Here’s the prefect contrarian picture out of the gospels. The crowd is screaming crucify and Jesus is saying, Father forgive them. Which words sound like wisdom?

Prayer

Dad,
Ouch, those proverbs sting a little. I have a lot of angry thoughts and want to let them fly out of my mouth! Your word challenges me to not only think through my words but choose them carefully to teach and persuade rather than just rile up a crowd and send them off, moshing into the world. I am so thankful for the tools of wisdom to help navigate our angry world.

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Leading in a vacuum.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” Acts ‭7:51-53‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​What in the world makes us so weird and trippy about religion? These men, and they were all men btw, who murdered Stephen for his mouthy truth telling were nothing more than elevated scribes from Ezra’s day, some 400 years earlier.

Ezra was a “scribe and a high priest” in the Old Testament, which was a well respected position and important place of honor in Israel.

Ezra did something extraordinary. He started a school, a school for “ready scribes.” These were writers, translators and keepers of the written laws of God.

Interestingly enough, it was the Persian king, “King Artaxerxes, King of Kings,” who appointed Ezra to this task. “This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.”

Artaxerxes speaking, “And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it. Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.” Ezra‬ ‭7:10, 25-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

God was certainly with Ezra, and I am sure he was a great guy for the job. However, it’s worth noting that God never told Ezra to create this special class of scribes who would eventually become the religious leaders of Jesus day (Pharisees and Sadducees). They were like a religious council both controlling the high priest and the people of God. And no doubt these religious council leaders still operated under the authority of the school of scribes started by Ezra.

Just remember it was Artaxerxes who charged Ezra and his appointees to punish, with death, anyone who would refused to obey the law of God. Plus, Artaxerxes was the first guy to finance their newfound positions, “Any silver and gold that is left over may be used in whatever way you and your colleagues feel is the will of your God.” Ezra‬ ‭7:15-20.

Whoa. This was still in place when the religious leaders used temple funds to pay Judas to betray Christ! All that power, all that wealth, used just to force the New Testament people to obey their massive rules attached to the law of God! So when they didn’t like what Stephen was saying, they were in their Artaxerxes given rights to stone him to death. Wild huh? Do you think keeping the priestly, scribe-like position is a good thing for the Church today? I am not a fan.

Prayer

Dad,
It is so disturbing to think of what we are capable of being and doing in a vacuum of godly leadership. I’m sure that Ezra’s motives were pure. Maybe his actions were a little off, but wow it started a very long line of spiritual abuses of excess and misappropriation of justice. It’s a good thing we don’t run the Church like that today… or do we? Christ’s example of servant leadership was supposed to be the preferred model, right? It seems hard to lead without power and money. Yet, this is how it should be done, if we are to lead under the authority of Jesus – right?

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The Real Housewives of Israel

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning looking for a drink of alcohol and spend long evenings drinking wine to make themselves flaming drunk. They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties— lyre and harp, tambourine and flute— but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing.” Isaiah‬ ‭5:11-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Holy cow! Did Isaiah get some kind of preview of U.S. reality shows in the 21st century? Was The Real Housewives of Israel or The Bachelor on ancient streaming services?

I grew up in the sixties, basically watching 50’s TV shows and some movies. Here’s what I saw, EVERYONE smoked and everyone drank hard liquor. Now, some of the “family shows” toned down both, but an average American house had a booze cart waiting for the man to get home to knock one down and people were constantly talking about a nightcap. Drinking brandy, bourbon, and cream-based liqueurs were thought to be a sleep aid? And, jokingly having morning margaritas or martinis was so vogue!

Oh, now it’s wine that pushed on every show or movie, and puttin’ down a bottle because they’re so stressed by life. Even whiskey and shockingly tequila has made a big comeback! Just about every party you see on media has got booze. Are you kidding me? Humans don’t change, we just rotate our ridiculousness. I am positive that God is not into promoting drunkenness, but He does want us to live a full, good life.

Personally, I don’t prescribe booze, “social” or otherwise, I’ll eat my sin in cheeses and carbs thank you. Isaiah hits hard with this whole idea. We can often wake up WITH sorrow, party-hardy all day and night and not once think about God AND not once even notice what He’s doing in the world around us. So we wake up with sorrow and crash on the pillow the same way.

I think we have seriously mis-read the “good life.” The good life is a godly life. The good life is walking with the good God who created us. The God life is the BEST life! Isaiah’s warnings fall on deaf ears, which still happens today. Isaiah tells Israel, God is going to give them a massive time out – a 70 year captivity under another nation. They all had to go cold turkey with no booze and parties for an entire generation. What’s the point?

You want to live like slaves to pleasure, never thinking about God who wants to do life with us, well here ya go Israel. Welcome to captivity. If folks are wondering if the only thing to get out of life is these cycles of pleasure, emptiness and sorrow, then they know nothing about the life wants us to live – all of us. Jesus came to give a FULL LIFE, not a cheap knockoff of some kind of fake scripted reality show.

Prayer

Dad,
Admittedly, I don’t use booze to boost my emotions and I haven’t thrown a party with live flutes in… well, never. However, I do struggle to find and engage in ways to be happy, oftentimes outside of you. I know the life you want me to live and I’m pushing the boundaries of my own fears and serious limitations to be obedient to the purpose you have for me. I’m sure there have been times you put me in a time-out, thankfully not for 70 years though. I want to find joy in you and be fully aware and fully engaged in what you are doing on our planet.

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Plan once, plan twice.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Plans, plans, plans – we all make them, we all have to live with them. I know people that “plan” their “free time,” days off, vacations, daily meals, and even sex! I have friends that are not just planners, they are OBSESSIVE planners. It gives them a certain amount of safety and control.

This wisdom chapter alone drops the word plan three times. And, if you throw in the word path, in a couple of verses, that’s five. We CAN plan… but God determines, God gives, directs the way things turn out.

I like to think of it as walking down a path, and with each footstep I lift my foot deciding where it lands, or maybe even when it lands. I’ve already picked my destination and the path chosen to get there. My feet just follow my will and desires to get to where I want to go. However, just before my foot hits the earth, God may alter its trajectory. Maybe it’s slight, almost unnoticeable, but when I arrive at what I thought was the destination I wanted, it’s different! How did I get here, I ask?

God ultimately gets us where we should go. And, ultimately it’s good. I love the verses paired with this one, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:3‬ or “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬. Plans show up all through Proverbs because it is wise to do so. However, not all plans are good and not all desires, wishes and dreams should come true. It is good that God determines those steps before they land. The Apostle Paul had a great piece of advice in 1 Corinthians 16:9, “There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.” See the opportunities. Make plans to go for it and carpe temporis! Just know that God, who knows what’s good and best will get you where you need to be.

Prayer

Dad,
I have had MANY plans, ideas and inspirations about where my life should go and what I want out out of it. Yet, through every step of the way you have not only been faithful, you have been extraordinarily gracious and gone beyond my wildest godly aspirations and pursuits. This Proverb, this wisdom nugget got me through the most difficult part of adulting, trying to figure out how to do life with no real roadmap. Yes, I followed my heart. Yes, I prayed. Yes, I got STUCK in indecision far to often for far too long. But every time I look back, I see your hand that directed, determined my steps and they were good. You are good. I am so very grateful for your guidance and patience in my life.

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The heckler.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke‬ ‭12:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke writes that some guy… just some dude yells out complaining about his brother. Is this a joke? Seriously. This could not have been a real comment with the guy expecting Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute with the family.

Then, instead of ignoring the comment, Jesus bantered back – haha “who made me judge?” It is kind of ironic response given that Jesus would judge ALL THINGS.

Arm-twisting is not going to be helpful in this case. However, Jesus does take a heckled comment to give the crowd a perspective on wealth as well as being poor. That’s right, he talks about a rich fool and those worried about their next meal.

For the heckler he says, looking beyond the cheap laughs, beware. He gives this younger brother a gift, the wisdom of God.

Guard against greed. Money? Yes. Power? Yes. Success, stature, social standing? Yes. Yes. Yes. Guard against every kind. Ah, but Jesus used the word, pleonexia: covetousness, avarice, aggression, desire for advantage. The word is two words combined: possess and more, the lust for more.

Jesus warned against the exceeding abundance of possessions. Where certainly the holder of such abundance loses control and the abundance now possesses or owns them! When there is an abundance, you no longer rule over it, it rules over you. Jesus, in a way, asks the brother, that’s not really the life you want, is it?

Who wants to be a slave of anything or anyone, let alone to a bunch of amassed wealth, power or influence. How many rich are trapped by their own wealth? How many politicians are trapped by their own power-base? How many celebrities are trapped behind the image or fame portrayed as success? All of them are simply rich, powerful or influential slaves – they are not free. Do you think money is what you need? How about power or popularity? Guard against pleonexia!

Prayer

Dad,
Whoa. I do not want to be a slave of abundance! No wonder you want me to be generous. Does generosity play a role in not listing for more? Not being owned or enslaved by the obsession for more? Wow. That’s amazing. Can the joy of giving BE the antidote for the poison of pleonexia? That’s a lot to think about. Sounds like wisdom to me!