Jesus speaks quite a bit about the perils of money and wealth, but today this message is seldom heard. We seek wealth constantly, and in our society, success is often measured in dollars. So let’s dive into two key examples of what Jesus has to say about money and let’s also dive into what his warnings are truly trying to convey. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you … [Read more...] about Money vs. Heaven
Are Jews Too Legalistic?
Many non-Jews consider the vast number (613) of Jewish laws to be a bit cumbersome. This way of thinking often leads to negative views about the laws, and many people begin to consider the Jewish people to be too legalistic of a group. Non-Jews often say that the Jews care too much about the laws and not enough about “what really matters.” But is this a fair conclusion to make? We will back up a touch and look at the concept of Jews being the “chosen people” in the first place. Jews don’t view themselves being chosen with arrogance, they tend to look at it with humility. If we look at the Bible, it becomes painfully clear that the people God chooses aren’t always the best and brightest people out there. They are often seriously flawed just like everyone else. It seems that God chooses them to see what potential this unlikely group could achieve with a little divine guidance. This covenant and giving … [Read more...] about Are Jews Too Legalistic?
5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CREATION STORIES
5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CREATION STORIES Stories? The first strange thing you might notice is the word “stories” instead of "story." There are in fact two different versions of the creation story that are back to back in Genesis, with the cut off from one leading into the other being in the middle of Genesis 2:4. Some people take these two different versions of creation to be a contradiction and others think it works out just fine. We are going to work under the assumption that these two very different stories don’t pose a contradiction. The first story seems to focus more on terrestrial order whereas the second story focuses on the relationship between the human and divine. When taken together, we get a full and lively picture of creation. A very quick recap of the creation stories can be found below, which you can reference throughout. The First Story (Genesis 1:1-2:4): In the first Genesis story we hear that the heavens and earth were created in seven days. On day 1 we see … [Read more...] about 5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CREATION STORIES