“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”
I still shake my head thinking back to that evening when my daughter tried repeatedly to talk to me while I stared obliviously at the television screen (it was a football game). “Earth to Daddy!” she finally said. Thankfully I heard that line and listened.
It hits me that I often treat God this same way – fixating on distractions while tuning out His voice. He is constantly speaking through His Word, nudging my spirit, even sending people to share wisdom. But often I ignore His loving attempts to guide me, missing out on life-giving truth.
Today’s text urges us to lean in and actively listen when God speaks. Be fully present and engaged, not allowing His words to go “into one ear and out the other.” For in His words are the pathway to abundant life! Just as a seed needs planting in rich soil, God’s truth can take root deep within us.
Today, let us fix our ears to tune into God’s words. Give Him our undivided attention. Let’s be ready to receive the treasures He wants to impart.
We need to ask God’s forgiveness for the times we have tuned Him out or brushed aside His wisdom and become a devoted listener who cherishes every word He says. We must be attentive to capture each whisper from Him. His word brings guidance, joy and purpose.
May we, with the boy Samuel, say, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening!”
In Matthew 7:12, Jesus gives a profound yet simple ethic. We call it the Golden Rule:
The full text is “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
But we focus on the phrase, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”
This timeless moral teaching calls us to look beyond ourselves and actively care for others through empathy and compassion. Rather than just avoiding harm, the Golden Rule encourages us to take the initiative in acting for the good and wellbeing of others, even strangers and enemies.
To really follow the Golden Rule requires imagining ourselves in another person’s situation. We must consider their perspective, their needs and their desires. Then, ask this question: “How would I want to be treated if I were them?” This principle of radical love and kindness counters the human tendency of selfishness and indifference.
Living by the Golden Rule is deeply challenging in practice. It demands intentionality, imagination, sacrifice and inconveniencing ourselves. However, if Jesus’ followers took this teaching to heart, acting out of empathy, compassion and goodness, they could bring reconciliation and healing to broken relationships, and families.
What would our world be like if we all embraced and applied the Golden Rule? There would be more harmony, connection and goodwill between people of different backgrounds. As Christians, may we lead the way in showing this kind of life-giving love and compassion to all people. It starts with each of us, one relationship at a time.
Tucked away in the pages of Scripture is a powerful quote from Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). This simple statement contains profound truth for all of us.
In a world consumed with acquiring more, these words cut against the grain. Our human nature is wired for self-interest—we want to accumulate possessions, wealth, influence, and recognition. But Jesus reveals a counterintuitive path to joy and satisfaction. He says that giving freely to others is the surer way to blessing.
When we humbly serve those in need, we unlock unexpected fulfillment. Making sacrifices to meet another person’s wants awakens our souls. In generosity, we live out Christ’s teaching to love our neighbor. We become conduits of His care and mercy in a hurting world. The act of giving becomes its own reward.
Giving also enables us to honor God. As His followers, we are called to reflect His extravagant grace. He has lavished love upon us; now we get to channel that love to others. Our generosity makes His goodness visible. It becomes an act of heartfelt worship.
In a culture obsessed with getting more, Christ points us to a better way. His wisdom calls us to reorient our lives around selfless service and radical generosity. When we heed His words, we discover the paradoxical joy found in giving ourselves away.
Few individuals in history can match the significance of Moses. Raised in a palace, he fearlessly confronted the mightiest army on Earth and led over two million people out of a land. He even had the rare privilege of speaking directly with God and receiving divine answers in return.
With that in mind, we read today’s verse:
Exodus 34:8
“Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.”
Wow! When this great man saw God his response was to bow his head toward the earth, and worship.As I read this amazing text and see how this great man responded to seeing God,
I learn about: 1. Reverence and Humility: The story of Moses’s humbling himself before God serves as a reminder of the gravity of the situation in which we find ourselves. It teaches us to be humble and to recognize that there are powers higher than ourselves.
I learn about: 2. Acknowledging God’s Authority: Moses recognized God as the ultimate authority, and his act of devotion reflected his willingness to submit to that power. In the same way, acknowledging and submitting to a greater authority in our life may provide us with focus, direction, and meaning.
I learn about: 3. Gratitude and Awe: Moses worshipped God with deep reverence and awe. This reminds us of the significance of cultivating gratitude and appreciating the wonders of life. Acknowledging and worshipping the divine can lead to greater fulfillment and joy.
I learn about: 4. Prioritizing Spirituality: Moses’ act of worship was not just a ritual; it represented his spiritual connection. It reminds us to prioritize our spiritual well-being amidst our daily responsibilities. Nurturing our relationship with the divine can bring peace, strength, and a deeper sense of purpose.
In conclusion, Moses’ act of worship in Exodus 34:8 encourages us to cultivate reverence, acknowledge higher authority, practice gratitude, and prioritize spirituality.
Solomon, hailed as the wisest man ever, possessed a peculiar trait that has always troubled me. Namely, he failed to follow his own wise counsel. The age-old saying, “Knowledge is powerless without action,” rings true.
Let’s look at one example. Despite having 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3), he adhered to the marriage principles outlined in Proverbs 5:18:
“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth”.
He had to have married once every two weeks on average for four decades (1 Kings 11:42). Regrettably, it was his wives who eventually led him astray from the divine path, as God foretold.
In 1 Kings 11:9–11, God says “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God…”,
It is a tragedy that despite being so wise, Solomon failed to act on his own words of wisdom. He should have known better than to marry so many women, knowing full well the dangers that come with it. I can only imagine how much more successful he would have been had he followed his own counsel and avoided the temptation of marrying so many wives.
His story serves as a reminder to us all: no matter how wise we are, we must always take action in order to ensure that our knowledge is put into practice. We must learn from Solomon’s mistakes and strive to make sure that our actions always align with our words.
Otherwise, even the wisest among us may fall prey to temptation and regret it later on.
I call this article, “The Need for The Irreplaceable Family.” As you get into the details, I think you will understand why.
For several years, I have thought about this subject because of Larry. Larry who? Larry was my half-brother that I did not meet or know about until I was in my late fifties. We only talked a few times, and we saw each other four times. I learned about the need for family because of how Larry died. Larry had no family but me. Well, he had a few distant cousins but had no contact with them.
He died alone in his home, sitting in his chair. With no family or close friends, Larry sat lifeless in his chair for three days. Finally, the teenage boy next door wondered about him and went to check on him. He found him dead. That story has haunted me ever since. We all need family to check on us.
The Family is the cornerstone of humanity, the anchor that keeps us grounded amidst the chaos of life.
Our family is our source of love, our source of support, and our source of belonging that shapes our identity and provides a safety net in times of need. The importance of family cannot be overstated.
Our families are there for us through thick and thin, offering emotional support when we feel overwhelmed, helping us navigate the complexities of life, and providing a sense of belonging and purpose.
When God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” (Gen 2:18) He wasn’t just talking about Adam needing a wife. He was foreshadowing the need for family—the irreplaceable family.
In the story of the Prodigal Son, the Bible says, he gathered all his possessions together and “took a journey into a far country.” In other words, he wanted to get away from his father’s watching eyes. Many people try to do the same thing with God. If only they can get out of his watching eyes, then they will be free to do what they really want. Alas, we learn that God is everywhere. There is no escape from his eyes. That attribute of God is called “God’s Omniscience.”
When you did deeper into this you will see that God’s omniscience is a good thing for Christians for several reasons:
It means there are no surprises. God knows everything about us and understands us completely – our thoughts, feelings, struggles etc. We don’t have to try to explain ourselves to God or wonder if He gets us. He already understands. Years ago, Hollywood made a movie called “Defending your Life.” In it the characters had to stand before God and explain why they acted like they did. They had to defend their lives. That is very simplistic. We don’t stand before God so he can find out what we did and why. We don’t have to explain anything. He knows all about us and loves us anyway.
It means we can’t hide any sin or mistake from God. This should motivate us to live openly and honestly before God since He sees all anyway.
It allows God to guide us perfectly because He knows our future and can see the consequences of our actions. His infinite wisdom and knowledge means His guidance for our lives is trustworthy.
It provides assurance that God knows our needs before we even ask and nothing escapes His attentive care for His children. Our loving Father is intimately acquainted with all our ways.
It inspires awe and worship of God. The depth of His knowledge is unimaginable for us as humans. Realizing this should humble us and draw us to reverence.
Further reading on the Omniscience of God:
“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5 NKJV).
Our God is all-knowing. He possesses infinite understanding and awareness. As Psalm 139:4 declares, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” There is nothing that escapes His notice.
I remember playing “hide and seek” as a child. I would find clever hiding spots, stay extremely quiet, and wait eagerly to see how long it would take my friends to find me. Sometimes I would even sneak across the yard to a new location while they searched the old one! Of course, I could never fully escape their pursuit.
In the same way, we can never hide anything from our omniscient God. He knows our actions, thoughts, and motives more intimately than we know ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 10:30 that “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
God’s infinite knowledge can be frightening at first. We are exposed and known thoroughly. But it also offers great comfort. No struggle or pain escapes His notice. No tear goes unwitnessed. He understands and cares for us better than any earthly parent ever could.
So take heart today. Bring your full self to God – joys, pains, questions and all. Rest in the security that you are fully seen and known by your loving Father. His perfect knowledge leads to perfect love and care. You never walk alone.
1 John 4:19 is a beautiful verse about the root of our ability to love others – “We love him because he first loved us.” Especially notice the word “Him.” It was added in some older Bible versions, but the most reliable early manuscripts do not include it. This change the meaning significantly.
This verse is not just saying we love Jesus because He first loved us. Rather, it means we are able to love others because God first loved us. This is a profound truth that has changed how I see love.
You see, my capacity to love was based on how lovable the other person was. I showed love to people who were kind, godly, and had it all together. But that’s not how God’s love works!
God poured out His love on us even when we were trapped in sin, unlovable, and His enemies (Romans 5:8). His love is not conditional on us being good enough. He loves simply because He is love (1 John 4:8).
When we fully receive this undeserved, lavish love of God, it should soften our heart and start to change how we view difficult people. We realize our one qualification for God’s love was our desperate need for grace.
This transforms our ability to love others – even unlovable people – through His power. With God’s love flowing through us, we can forgive those who hurt us, serve the needy, and embrace outcasts with compassion.
That this is the meaning is obvious in the verses that follow (1 John 4:20-21). They explain that hating people shows we do not truly love God. Loving the invisible God requires tangibly loving the visible humans created in His image. His love in us overflows.
God would fill us with His unconditional love for others. As recipients of His endless grace, may we extend that same grace and love to a people who are broken.
Our text for today is taken from Matthew 25:34-40:
“‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
In this passage, Jesus teaches us that serving others in need is like serving Him directly. He notices when we turn away from those who need help, but He also sees when we lend a hand to those who need help.
Once Liz and I were waiting in a lab for me to have blood drawn for my doctor. While sitting there, an older lady rose from her chair and walked haltingly toward the lab. Liz told me, “Go help the lady.” I questioned whether she wanted help so Liz did a typical Liz thing. She got up and helped the lady herself. When she came back to me, she said, “She has cancer of the spine.”
There was nothing I could say because I knew I had blown the opportunity to do good.
How often do we avoid helping someone because we judge their situation? Yet we never know the full extent of people’s needs. Like Liz, we must open our eyes to see the needs around us. Then we can serve Jesus by serving others.
To help others, the first thing to do is to open our eyes. There are many who need our help. A simple act of kindness done in His name can make a world of difference to someone going through a hard time.
Our text is Revelation 22:5. It tells us about heaven and says,
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. For the Lord God will give them light.”
For 40 years I have rarely preached a funeral when I did not relate the following story. I want you to have it because if you don’t need it now, you will one day. As the church song says, this earth is not my home, I’m just pass through. Along this line, one man said,
As a boy I used to think that heaven was a place with streets of gold and gates of pearl and with angels everywhere. But there was nobody there that I knew and wasn’t sure I wanted to go there.
By and by my little brother died, and I thought of heaven as a place with streets of gold, gates of pearl, with angels everywhere, but with one inhabitant that I knew.
Then my mother and father died, and heaven was a place with streets of gold, gates of pearl, angels everywhere and one little boy that I knew and my mother and my father.
Then other of my acquaintances died and so in time I began to think of heaven as containing several people that I knew.
But it was not until one of my own little children died that I began to think I had treasure in heaven myself.
Afterward another loved one went, and then another. By that time I had so many acquaintances and loved ones in heaven that I no longer thought of it as a city merely with streets of gold but as a place full of people I love. Now there are so many loved ones there I sometimes think I know more people in heaven than I do on earth.”
