Greed unlimited ∙

Greed unlimited ∙

Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.- Luke 12:15

Luke 12:16-23

 16 And He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was very productive.”

 17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’”

 18 Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”

 20 But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared?”

 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

 22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason, I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.”

 23 “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

The Great Unconformity refers to a gap in the geologic record of rock worldwide. The Grand Canyon exposures this gap in the rock layers or strata. An unconformity is a surface in the rock record, in the stratigraphic column, representing a time from which no rocks are preserved.

According to evolutionary time reckoning, this unconformity represents a long period of 250 to 1200 million years. The Grand Canyon divides rocks with familiar fossils from those with no fossils or only fossil bacteria. Why does this gap exist? How did it occur? There are many theories, but they are all nothing but educated guesswork. Without human observers or a written record, it is hard to explain why something is present. It is far harder to explain why something is absent. For creationists, the global flood of Noah provides a plausible explanation.

The life and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ are revolutionary. His teachings and principles exposed a tremendous gap between what people should aspire to and seek to be and what they actually are.

People should be rich toward God. But instead, they seek to be rich in the things this world provides. Consequently, they remain destitute, poverty-stricken indigents in their relationship with the Father.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the nonconformist, exposed the Great Unconformity of Greed Unlimited.

Luke 12:16-23 does not prohibit wealth. Instead, it reveals the Great Unconformity lurking within us all.

It is ironically tragic that in pursuing to provide satisfactorily for our own earthly needs, we become fools in the things that matter for eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ warns of the dangerous eternal ramifications of wealth. Wealth can create a seductive tendency toward complacency, self-sufficiency, and covetousness. Though the rich fool anticipates years of ease – a time to eat, drink, and be merry – instead, an eternal destiny apart from the Father is about to begin that night.

REFLECT & PRAY

Poverty and the poor will always be with us. But so will the rich. The real tragedy is to be rich in the things of this world yet poor, destitute in the things of the Father.

Father encourage me to honor You with my life to make my number one priority to be rich in You.

INSIGHT

The wealthy farmer had success, satisfaction, and security. He indeed had personal peace and affluency. What more could he want?

Alas, he was a rich fool. The rich farmer had the “I’s” of a fool. In Luke 12:17-19, the word “my” is repeated four times, while the term “I” occurs 6 times in English and 8 times in Greek. For him, it was all about “me.” The rich man’s ability to see beyond the now, the things that had eternal value, was catastrophically impaired. He never saw beyond himself nor beyond this present world.

Mark Twain defined civilization as “a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.”

The Greek word translated as greed is pleonexia. It comes from pleíon – more, and echo – to have. It is translated as greed, avarice, and covetousness. It can be simply defined as the desire to have more.

Luke 12:15 Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.

This rich farmer had an incorrect understanding of life and death. The Lord Jesus Christ and an entirely different perspective. He did not see the farmer enjoying life; He saw him facing death!

Matthew 13:22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.

Riches cannot keep us alive when our time comes to die. Nor can they buy back the opportunities we missed while we were thinking of ourselves and ignoring the Father and others. Greed Unlimited and the pursuit of wealth choke the Word of God out of our lives and render it mute (Matthew 13:22). We lose our hunger for it and do not pursue it.

His greatest tragedy is not what he left behind but what lay in front of him, eternity without the Father. The man lived his life without knowing the Father, died without God, and will be in eternity without Him.

What does it mean to be rich toward God?

It begins with salvation and our entrance into a relationship with the Father. The closer and more intimate we grow in our relationship with Him, the richer we become in the things of eternal value.

Solomon personifies wisdom and commends developing a deep relationship with it.

Proverbs 8:17-19

 17 I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me.

 18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.

 19 My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver.

The Lord Jesus Christ challenges us to recognize our propensity toward personal peace and affluency (Francis Schaeffer). We need to do a serious self-examination of our values and priorities. Are we driven by greed, consumerism, unethical living, materialistic values, and the need to accumulate?

True satisfaction in life flows out of fulfilling the purpose for which we were created and enjoying an intimate relationship with the Father. As a substitute for the Father, acquiring material excess only makes the heart feel more hollow (Stanley).

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© Dr. H 2022

Have you ever asked? ∙

Have you ever asked? ∙

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God – Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:1-3

 1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. 

In an article entitled “Knowing Persons,” David Matheson of Carleton University offered an answer to the question, What’s the difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone? He distinguished two types of knowing: impersonal knowledge and personal knowledge (Matheson, D. (2010). Knowing Persons. Dialogue Journal).

What is the difference? Impersonal knowledge is knowing about someone, while personal knowledge is experientially knowing someone. To know someone experientially requires what has been dubbed a “communication event” (Matheson).

As we have “communication events” with people, we get to know them. We become aware of the unique aspects of their personalities. We become aware of their temperament, nature, disposition, and likes and dislikes. We can often anticipate how they are going to respond. We find out what kind of a person they are.

Have you ever asked yourself what kind of a person the Father is?

The question may be somewhat surprising. Because usually, when children of the King think of the Father, we think of God’s attributes rather than God’s personality. The attributes of God involve His divine characteristics. He is eternal, holy, good, just, righteous, all-powerful, all-knowing, and infinite.

But what is the Father’s personality like?

When we consider an individual’s personality, we ask: are they friendly, warm, kind, or gentle; are they intelligent, funny, serious, wise; are they brave, protective, nurturing, and the like?

How can we know what the Father’s personality is really like? What kind of a person is He?

The Lord Jesus Christ came to reveal the personality of the Father. He and the Father share the same personal characteristics. They are two separate persons who share the same essence.

When we hear Jesus, we hear God. When we observe Jesus, we observe God. If we want to know what God is like, how he might act, or where he might go, we only have to watch Jesus.

Hebrews 1:3 He is . . . the exact representation of His nature,

The Greek term translated as exact representation is character. It was used as a mark or impression placed on an object, especially on coins, and came to signify a “representation” or “reproduction.”

In Greek, character means two things – first, a seal, and, second, the impression that the seal leaves on the wax. The impression has the exact form of the seal. So, when the writer to the Hebrews said that Jesus was the character of the being of God, he meant that He was the exact image of God. When you look at the impression, you see exactly what the seal which made it is like, so when you look at Jesus, you see exactly what God is like (Barclay).

Using very inadequate human terms, the Father has stamped or imprinted His being on His Son. The Son of God bears “the very stamp of . . .  [God’s] nature” (RSV).

The Greek term translated nature is hypostasis. It refers to the nature, quality, substance, and essence of something. In this passage, hypostasis refers to the very essence or being of God the Father.  

The Son is the exact representation, the embodiment of God the Father as He really is. His being is made manifest in Christ. To see the Son is to see what the Father is like (O’Brien).

When we get to know the Son experientially, we get to know the Father.

REFLECT & PRAY

The personality of the Father is revealed in the Scriptures. It is observed and known in His Son’s life, emotions, and actions.

Father please help me come to know You as a person, to enter a communication event. Allow me to be close to You and fall evermore profoundly in love with You.

INSIGHT

Sometimes we miss obvious things that are right in front of us because we are not paying attention. It seems as though it is part of human DNA. So it was with the apostle Philip.

John 14:6-9

 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”

The story is about a man who visited his doctor to have his hearing checked. The doctor removed the man’s hearing aid, and the patient’s hearing immediately improved! He had been wearing the device in the wrong ear for over 20 years!

There is a difference between listening and really hearing; Jesus often cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” This statement suggests that it takes more than physical ears to hear the voice of God. It also requires a receptive heart. When you hear his voice today, don’t harden your hearts (Hebrews 3:7-8) (Wiersbe).

Philip’s request shows that he has not yet understood the point of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Philip had not grasped that the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, came to reveal the Father.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself, God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

For children of the King, our close, intimate fellowship with the Father, through His Son, is our “communication event.” That is how we get to know Him as a person. The more we know Him, the more we love Him.

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© Dr. H 2022

Does intolerance remedy intolerance? ∙

Does intolerance remedy intolerance? ∙

We must obey God rather than men. – Acts 5:29

Revelation 3:1-3

 1 “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

 2 “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

 3 “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

The late spring and early summer of 2020 were marked by justified outrage regarding a Minneapolis policeman’s egregious, sadistic murder of an American citizen. Violent mobs joined peaceful demonstrators.

The indignation and demonstrations turned violent, destructive, horrendous, and anarchistic. The demand for ideological conformity overshadowed demands for social and racial justice. The “woke” had taken the underlying flames of “cancel culture” and stoked it into a blazing inferno.

On July 07, 2020, Harper’s Magazine published a joint open letter from 153 prominent signatories expressing their concern that “the free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted.” Freedom of thought and expression granted under the Constitution of the United States has been assaulted by intolerance. It is being aggressively and violently coerced into silence.

In its place is emerging an oppressive environment of compulsory conformity: “an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.” Presumed violations were met with harsh chastisement.

“More troubling still, institutional leaders, in a spirit of panicked damage control, are delivering hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms. Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study, and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes. Whatever the arguments around each particular incident, the result has been to steadily narrow the boundaries of what can be said without the threat of reprisal.”

The letter contends that injustice cannot be reversed by even greater injustice and mob rule. “The restriction of debate . . . invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away. We refuse any false choice between justice and freedom, which cannot exist without each other.”

Society itself, American culture, and civilization are under assault. Intolerance cannot be adequately countered by further intolerance.

How do we respond as children of the King? It is too easy to condemn and find fault with those we disagree with. Instead, we must examine ourselves and search deeply regarding our convictions and inconsistencies.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!

Where necessary, we must repent and change our way of thinking. Are we truly living out our faith, or are we just going through the motions?

Does our love for the Lord Jesus Christ still burn hot within our hearts? Or has our inner fire been quenched? Have we left our first love? (Revelation 2:4)

Revelation 2:2-5

 2 I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.

 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!

 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.

REFLECT & PRAY

Judges 21:25 Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Proverbs 21:2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.

Father You know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from You (Psalms 69:5). Open the eyes of my heart that I might see, recognize my own faults, repent, change my ways, and walk humbly with You.

INSIGHT

Each of us must determine where we stand in our beliefs. And then take a stand and stand firm (Ephesians 6:13).

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

There is something insidious lurking beneath the surface. Protesters and writers had been attacking federal buildings, businesses, and law enforcement officials. But on August 01, 2020, something changed. They began to burn Bibles. Yes, Bibles! Ask yourself why.

Jordan Davidson wrote, “As they turn to burning Bibles, Portland rioters show their true colors” (https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/01). Who burns Bibles? What exactly does burning the Bible have to do with protesting for social and racial justice? Is it nothing more than a not-so-veiled attempt to dismantle centuries of tradition, freedom of religion, and Western civilization itself?

The prophet Daniel faced certain death by not heeding the coercive entrapment of an unrighteous law.

For various and sundry reasons, administrators, and high officials in his day, tried to find fault or a basis by which they could criticize and condemn Daniel. But he proved to be a faithful, consistent, responsible, trustworthy administrator in government affairs.

Daniel 6:5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

So they tricked Darius, the king, into signing an unjust law designed to ensnare only Daniel. The punishment for his “crime” would be a horrific death by being tossed into the lion’s den.

You know the rest of the story; the Father sent His angel, and Daniel was supernaturally protected and preserved alive.

We may have to risk becoming lion food for our faith and convictions. What you do is between you and the Father!

Acts 5:29 We must obey God rather than men.

Dare to be a Daniel!

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© Dr. H 2022

Bioinspired ∙

Bioinspired ∙

All Scripture is inspired by God – 2 Timothy 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16-17

 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Discover Magazine, June 28, 2019, announced that a new type of virtually shatterproof glass had been created. Crack open an oyster shell, and the inner face shimmers in a rainbow of kaleidoscopic colors. This smooth material, known as mother-of-pearl, is beautiful and resilient, so resilient that it has inspired the creation of new synthetic glass. It is deemed unbreakable biology.

The engineers at McGill University who designed it named it “bioinspired” glass. It is 2 to 3 times more impact resistant than tempered or even “bulletproof” laminated glass. Upon careful inspection, they discovered that the microscopic structure of mother-of-pearl, whose tiny mineral “building blocks” slide apart under force, allows the material to endure substantial blows without breaking. The new “bioinspired” glass is transparent and does not produce any image distortions. When scientists used enough force to damage it, it dented and deformed rather than cracking.

How is the existence of mother-of-pearl explained? Many scientists and engineers might assert that there was no plan, no design, no research, no intelligence behind it. It just happened by chance, by accident over long periods of time.

Time is almost magical. Unlimited time will produce mother-of-pearl. Given enough time, it will happen; it did happen! What is the proof? Mother-of-pearl exists!

Here is the formula.

Time + Chance = Mother-of-pearl

Here is an alternative formula

Nothing + Nobody = Everything

Ultimately, this is not observable, repeatable science. This is a matter of faith! Faith is faith. There is little difference between faith statements from totally different ideologies.

What is the difference between saying, “Time did it” or “God did it?”

As children of the King, when we observe obvious design and honor the ultimate Intelligent Designer, our Father God.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Psalms 33:9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Genesis 1:20-22

 20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

REFLECT & PRAY

By faith, we understand that the spoken word of God created the world and everything in it. Our formula is Nothing + God = Everything.

Father only because of You and Your Word can I know and believe that all things were intelligently designed and created by You.

INSIGHT

Children of the King are not limited to bio-inspired realities such as they are. We have God-inspired realities. Where did the Bible come from? It is the product of God’s spoken word as given to mankind.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God

The Greek term translated as inspired by God is theopneustos. From theos – God, and pneo – to breathe. It literally means God-breathed, inspired by God. The Father’s written word is the result of His spoken word. He breathed it into existence.

The Greek term theopneustos stresses the divine origin and the authority of Scripture. The Father produced the Word of God. The human authors of Scripture are not inspired people. Rather the writings themselves are inspired.

Yet, at the same time, Peter explains that the Father uses people as His spokesman to create the product He ultimately desired.

2 Peter 1:20-21

 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,

 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

The prophets “spoke” as they were “carried along” by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the impetus and driving force. The writers spoke the Father’s words. Yet, at the same time, the Holy Spirit empowered them. The Holy Spirit used the style of each individual writer’s unique personality, knowledge, background, vocabulary, and style.

The Holy Spirit invisibly directed the prophets to say and write exactly what He intended without overruling the personalities of the human authors. It is a very unusual collaboration.

Yet to a much lesser degree, any of the Father’s children may be supernaturally guided and directed to accomplish His purpose.

The Scriptures are entirely the Word of God. The content of the Bible contains supernaturally inspired words written by human hands.

Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

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© Dr. H 2022

Be kind ∙

Be kind ∙

The LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

Ephesians 4:31-32

 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind” (Henry James).

Since the days of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), communication has been a problem between peoples. It is perhaps worse in our day of polarized and antithetical political views. Is there a universal language we could all speak that would allow us to communicate and understand one another?

The simple answer – is yes! Kindness!

Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear, and the blind can see (Mark Twain).

Kindness is a state of being that includes loving affection, sympathy, friendliness, patience, pleasantness, gentleness, and goodness.

Some folks seem gifted with a tender heart and a kind spirit. You can spot them anywhere. People who need loving care, sympathy, mercy, gentleness, and understanding are attracted to them. Simply follow the crowd.

But for the rest of us, it is not so simple. We get hurt and offended; we bear grudges; we close off ourselves to human relationships and dry up inside and become hard.

Anger is an acid that can harm the vessel in which it is stored more than anything on which it is poured (Mark Twain). “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle” (Plato).

Of all the possible things that we could possibly do to please the Father, what matters most? The Father has made Himself clear on this matter. Kindness is at the core of what we ought to be and do. It is not a suggestion; it is a requirement. Simply stated, if we are not choosing to be kind, we violate one of His prime directives.

Micah 6:6-8

 6 What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves?

 7 Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?

 8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 unequivocally answers the question. It rules out the possibilities of the previous two verses. Micah, the prophet himself, speaks for the Father. The Father tells us what He requires: to do what is just, show kindness, and live in humble fellowship with our God.

Without a right relationship with the Father, this is impossible, and all outward pretense and ceremony are useless and vain (UBS).

To do what is just and equitable involves right and fair relationships.

The Hebrew term translated as kindness is hesed. It is often translated as kindness, lovingkindness, reliability, faithfulness, mercy, and loyal love. The third phrase is literally “to walk humbly with your God.” It is not insisting on our own way but readily doing what the Father desires of us.

Hesed one of the most beautiful and fascinating words used in the Old Testament to describe the Father. It is profound and multifaceted. The Father has many attractive characteristics, personality traits, and attributes. Perhaps one of the most delightful of all is His lovingkindness.

The Father requires us to be just like Him in dealing with others.

REFLECT & PRAY

I have made so many bad choices. Is there one that stands out that I wish I would have done differently? The answer is an obvious yes. I would have chosen to be kind and tenderhearted.

Father, it grieves me deeply to have been so hardhearted and resistant to simple acts of kindness and forgiveness. Let me be tender, gentle, and accepting of others as You are of me. Let me start a new day and walk in a new way.

INSIGHT

The Father’s tenderhearted, lovingkindness is seen in the story of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32). The Father does not reject; He longs for reconciliation and restoration.

Luke 15:20-24

 20 But while he was still far off, his father saw him, felt compassion, and ran, embraced, and kissed him.

 21 And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”

 24 [And his father said,] this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found

The Father’s marvelous lovingkindness is revealed in His acts of tenderness and gentleness with those that have sinned egregiously and are embarrassed and ashamed. He does not condemn, He forgives (John 8).

John 8:10-11

 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

The Father has drawn us to Himself because of and through His lovingkindness.

Peter tells us how to get this done.

1 Peter 3:8-12

 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and keep a humble attitude.

 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

 10 For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.

 11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

 12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

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© Dr. H 2022