I've had an Epiphany!

We have all heard the expression: “You can’t take it with you.” We know it’s true. Deep down we know that all of our earthly possessions and all of our money, no matter how much or how little we have, will no longer matter to us when our earthly lives are over. So the question is this: if we can’t take it with us, what is the best way to make use of our earthly blessings? In his encouragement to Timothy, Paul is not shy about giving direction because God has made his will clear to us. Paul’s inspired words to Timothy are a great reminder for all of us who are so richly blessed, and verse 18 provides us with a four-pronged approach for using all of our physical blessings. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” First, “do good.” It sounds simple, but consider the amount of money we spend on entertainment. How often do we stop and ask ourselves, “Is this good for me? Is this good for anyone?” If we are focused on using our...

Title: The Parable of the Buried Treasure Artist: Edward Riojas Edward was a presenter at the WELS Worship Conference in July. I’ll be writing about this painting in next week’s Bread for Beggars art post. Study the painting and try to figure out the symbolism. Worship Theme: The Christian seeks spiritual wealth. Our Scripture lessons show people who have come into great wealth, but yet this earthly wealth only serves to illustrate where true treasure lies. We see that true, spiritual wealth can only be found in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ. Old Testament:   1 Kings 3:5-12 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his...

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells a parable about wheat and weeds. "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" This parable is fairly easy to understand … especially since Jesus gives His explanation of the parable to His disc...

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28 "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29 "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" … 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples cam...

Seen on a church sign recently: “The Day of Non-Judgment is Near.” Do we see the irony here? The closer we get to Judgment Day, the more we feel the worldly pressure to stop worrying about judgment—and perhaps more so, to stop judging everyone else. And maybe, just maybe, there is a small part of us that is tempted to give in to that way of thinking: If I don’t bother anyone else, if I don’t confront or condemn anyone else, then I won’t have to worry about them doing the same to me. Could it be that the standards have changed? Could it be that some parts of the Bible don’t apply in the same way they used to? Can so many Americans all be wrong? Do we need to be so strict in our teachings? Wouldn’t we draw more people into our church if we backed off a little? God’s Word in Joel chapter 3 gives us the opposite message of that church sign. God will sit and judge the nations on every side; he will judge all mankind. He will confront and condemn humanity for its great wickedness...

Title: Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Artist: Abraham Bloemaert Year: 1624 Worship Theme: The Christian lives as wheat among weeds as he waits for the harvest. We ask for the spirit to live like wheat—to think and to do what is right—even while we live in this sinful world. Living with an eye on the coming harvest gives us encouragement, comfort, and hope. Old Testament:   Joel 3:12-16 'Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat , for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. 13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow-- so great is their wickedness!' 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 16 The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem ; the earth and the sky will tremble....

Equipped with proper clothing for the dirty jobs Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. In our morning devotions, we are examining some of the difficult jobs Jesus assigns us in His Sermon on the Mount. Jobs like letting our light shine, turning the other cheek, praying, not worrying and not judging. During our daily Bible studies we are learning how to carry out the difficult jobs no one wants to do like confronting sin, sharing our faith, taming our tongue, dealing with death, and obeying God’s will. In our evening devotions, we will check out the clothing we are to wear in carrying out these dirty jobs. Garbage men wear weight belts in order to spare their backs from the extreme stress of liftin...