The Simple Life

This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it, therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. Luke  21:13-15  (ESV)   The tough times we face give us the most evident testimony of God's mercy and grace. None of us know what the future brings, so none can be truly prepared for what lies ahead. God knows the future and is and has been preparing His children for such a time. If we have been walking with Him, and enjoying Him, we will be ready for what is coming.   During the "crisis" times in life, we will be able to boldly proclaim victory as we live demonstrably in God's wisdom and power.   For those in God's family, those who focus on Him, the dark future is looking bright. For those in the family, there will be a sunrise. I am thankful.    

Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.” Luke  21:10-12  (ESV)   Nations are rising against nations. Earthquakes and volcanos are common, as are devastating storms. There seems to be continual famines and pestilence, and just yesterday, I read how the sun has some solar hiccups that will cause havoc to those on earth. During these challenging times, those who know God will be hated.   We seem to be in those times. Fear not, for when the end is near, the victory celebration is not far off for those identified with Jesus, who already conquered the final enemy, death.  

And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." Luke 21:5-6 (ESV)   It is hard to imagine the end of something. As we live, we think the way we are today will last forever. Yet, it is evident that things change, and, one day, all that we see today will be gone.   The walls of Jericho fell, Sodom and Gomorrah were instantly destroyed. The magnificent temple was destroyed. In their day, all who were part of any of these magnificent structures would consider it a tragedy that they were destroyed, and they would not have believed that the destruction could take place so quickly.   Everything we have in this life will one day belong to another, be thrown on the garbage pile, or be destroyed. The wise are those who live for the thing that will not and cannot be destroyed.

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4 (ESV)   Is giving out of our abundance or giving things we no longer need or want truly giving? Am I considered generous if I give in a way that costs me nothing?   Would God ever condone the giving of everything I have? Would this even be "responsible?" If all I have belongs to God, if I am a steward or manager, am I the one giving? What does a greedy person look like? What does a generous person look like? This passage evokes these questions and more. It would be good to ponder these for a while.

"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." Luke 20:46-47 (ESV)   Popularity in life never delivers true satisfaction in life. Those who focus on what people think about them tend to manipulate and use those people to foster their feelings of superiority and satisfaction. We will always be in danger when we place "self" on the pedestal.   A society that prides itself on each man doing what is best for themselves is doomed to failure. That mind frame creates many subcultures that often become desperate in their attempt to equalize life's experiences. Since the norm is to justify each man in their own eyes, regulatory forces are viewed as the enemy of the people.   We need to beware of those who are motivated by adoring fans,...

“Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." Luke 20:38 (ESV)   Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, Peter, and Timothy are alive and well in the presence of God. God gives us life during our lifetime and life at death. When we are in the presence of God, we enjoy life as it was meant to be.   It seems easy to focus on our lives today, and rarely do we see today as a springboard for eternity.   As I write this, my mom and dad are doing something. Moses, Elijah, and the Apostle Paul are up to something, as are Adam and Eve.   God does not have perspective. We do. When we lose perspective, we become miserable individualists who live by the mantra "each man does what is right in their own eyes." When a society degenerates to that level, misery is more abundant than joy. It does not need to be this way.

"Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Luke 20:24-25 (ESV)   We have responsibilities to our governing authorities. We need not agree with all our political leaders, and we certainly do not need to agree with how they use the resources they extract from us.   If we were to stop supporting government or businesses that did not use our resources properly, we would pay no taxes and buy nothing, for all men are sinful.   We often choose the most acceptable sins, and support those people causes and institutions with whom we agree. We then boycott those whose sins we find bothersome.  Paying taxes to an evil government is not wrong. Those who cheat others will be held accountable for their actions.   My trust should always be in God, not myself, my resources, or my government.