Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

We are plopped down into a world of money .  We deal with it every single day.  And yet, the Lord cautions us about our prone-to-wander hearts.  Don't let the affections that are for the Lord attach themselves to money.   Keep the treasure the treasure (God). Keep the tool the tool (Money). Here is a new thought for me today.  Though thoughts of money are daily, even hourly now, they WILL CEA...

Everybody gets time, talent and treasure. Some get time, talent, treasure and truth. Whatever we have, we are encouraged by an otherwise dishonest person, to use the Time, Talent, Treasure and maybe Truth to make friends that end up in heaven.  The charge is to get busy.  Find a way.  Make it happen.  Make a plan and execute it.  Get it done.  That is what is meant by shrewdness.   Be smart like t...

Welcome to 7 minutes of Biblical Lemon Ginger, or however else you might be using this podcast as a part of your life. Crazy story today.  Welcome to the Bible. It is a parable.  A DISHONEST person is commended.   Not for their dishonesty.  this is never condoned. But for something else: Their shrewdness in MAKING FRIENDS.   By shrewd we understand: Planning.  Foresight.  Thinking ahead.  Strategi...

So it is early in the year.  I am going to bless you with my spiritual giantness.  Just kidding, that is not how any of us come.   Rather, on this day, I will humbly put you and those in the web of your care front and center before a wonderful God. Fortunately, He's given us some clues to what He is like in the story of the Prodigal Sons.  Remember?  He's embowelled with COMPASSION.  He...

I never realized that BOTH prodigal sons get the father who GOES OUT to each of them. So the older son at this visit is ENTREATED.  It means to be called to his side; to plead, appeal, urge and exhort.  This older son now has a spiritual decision to make:  Do I listen and hear this appeal from the father? Do I agree and admit that I am now the lost one?  Do I have the willingness to receive the ca...

Do you know where your feet are right now?   It sounds like a stupid question, I know.  But, if you have ever been in the wilderness and have looked down at your feet and realized that YOU DON'T KNOW where you are on the planet, you will never forget that moment.  It is terrifying.  I t gathers your attention in a big hurry.  It opens the DEFCON 4 of woodsmanship .  All the tricks are pulled...

The Prodigal son returns and there is a big party.  Every element of a very special celebration is mentioned:  Food, dancing, music, clothing, and DECLARATIONS. To understand the full-stop party, I was struck by the declaration.  They viewed him as a child that was dead .  Either really dead or on a one way street to deadness . Perhaps you know people who have suffered the loss of a child in death...

What is God like?  Absent the Bible, we will DEFINITELY get this answer wrong. In our own making, we will create a god of sour disposition. (Recommending Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly ) Better to look to the Bible and find out what He is really like.   Today we find out that in His core, in His center, in "His BOWELS ", in His gut we find...wait for it..... COMPASSION .  More good...

Our prodigal son is a total knucklehead.  He has a zipper management problem, a money problem and most importantly a relational problem with God and man.  He has been DEVOURED by his error. Our prodigal son is a total hero.  His guts are on full display today.  He proclaims the 3 most important words.  He works on real repentance after realizing what a knucklehead he is.  Of him it is said somethi...

As we explore the Prodigal Son's ZIPPER MANAGEMENT problem, we will look to Solomon as both a good and bad example. The good example is in Proverbs 5:15-19.  Ironically, it is written by a younger Solomon.  This definitively shows that he should have known better.  In fact, he DID know better.  It is a passage about marriage and sexual satisfaction.  I am not making this up.  It talks about b...

Today is all about SEXUAL STUPIDITY.  Before we go any further, is there anyone here who has not been sexually stupid?  Physically?  Mentally?  For a moment?  For a season?  Right.  That is what I thought.  So that should help us approach this story with some zipper humility .  It is classically known as the prodigal son.  He engages in RECKLESS LIVING:  senseless, desperate, madness, wasteful.  P...

If the Bible is accurate, then what can happen after the end of this 7 minute podcast is truly remarkable.  Angels in heaven, could be in a JOYFUL state.  How did they get like that?  Because of potentially ONE of the listeners of this podcast.  That's right:  a whole posse of heavenly angels could go JOYFUL because of ONE single human being. What's the trick?  Two things:   She has to i...

Here is a typical definition of Christmas:  WE reJOIce that HE's Come. (We get the Joy) Here is an atypical definition of Christmas:  HE reJOICES that WE Come.. (He gets the Joy) Of course I am re-defining Christmas.  We are going to answer the Drummer Boy's (irritating! Sorry...) question:  "What can I bring?"  We are going to imagine Jesus in His pajamas, wiping the sleep out...

Before we really get into the story of the LOST SHEEP,  we need to understand the "Location" of the essence of the story.  I don't mean geographic location in this case.  I mean more this central square of repentance.   It is a story about repentance.  Sinners that need repentance. It is told to this group of people that are being drawn to the person of Jesus and and hopefully to th...

Apparently, the old puritan writers could write an entire BOOK on a single verse of the Bible.  So, if a 7 minute podcast is about a single verse, you know it is going to be good. Today is about being stuck on a single verse about HATING MY OWN LIFE of Luke 14:26.  Later the same life is Renounced. But the only way to "Hate myself", is with the help of God.  Why, because My SELF_LOVE, se...

Jesus sets a high bar for following Him.  One might even wonder whether it is worth it.   It is a bit like going to the moon. "You mean to tell me it is going to be expensive, epic, dangerous, require new priorities and will change everything?  Why would I do that?"  Because you get the moon. Similarly becoming a disciple of Jesus: It is what you were made for (the great adventure of fol...

Jesus does not lower the bar in our considerations about coming to Him.  In fact, He asks us to consider and probably keep-on-considering the 'costs' of following Him.  Don't get me wrong, it will be worth it.  Yet He asks us to not give this some casual thought. He gives four examples for us to consider RENOUNCING as we come to Him.  Seriously?  He couldn't give a softer word?...

Welcome to the Parable of the Great Banquet. The Master is having a great banquet.  He invites many.  Some make excuses and devalue and misvalue the invitation. We see today that the MASTER wants the banquet hall to be full of something:  that is YOU. There is still room!  For what?  Better question is for WHOM?  That is, for YOU.  So ultimately, who are the comers to the banquet? the poor of the...

I've got excuses, and so do you.  The guys in the story today have what I'd call GOOD EXCUSES:  big stuff: I just got married! I just bought 10 oxen, means of production, huge investment, lots of attention I just bought land, means of production, huge investment, lots of work ahead It is all about PRIORITIES.  These are pretty reasonable excuses IMHO.  That is, unless you compare them of...

I t is better to be Humble rather than be Humiliated.   It is better not to stand in a pathway of opposition from God.  It is better to stand in a place of grace that is promised in humility. Humility is a good way to live.  How do we know this?  Almost every message from social media, business, any organization I can think of preaches the opposite.  We know this by exposing ourselves to the Word...

In 1987, BABY JESSICA fell 22' down a well in Midland Texas.  She was 18 months old.  She was down there for 56 hours.  In the meantime, the E NTIRE WORLD's attention was directed toward that back yard emergency.  Every available resource was brought to bear to rescue that little girl. That picture of rescue is what our story elicits today.  The guy in the story isn't so young and i...

Jerusalem is the star of the show today.  It serves as a good example of being a BAD example.  Jesus actually laments over the city, as it represents the state of the official relationship between God and man.  In short, Jerusalem just WOULDN'T HAVE IT .  Nope.  Not interested.  Rebellion.  Resistance.  Arguments against.  Kill the messengers.  Kill the message. But God says I wanted to gathe...

There are no pretenders in the kingdom of God.  He knows who are in and who are out.  He makes a way for those who are OUT to become those who are IN.  He has made a way through Himself.  I think that is why He knows perfectly about this topic because, " all roads lead through Him."   The narrow door story is a sobering warning on one hand and it is an open-door-invitation as well .  He...

We get a bunch of pearls about heaven today. There is an upside down economy.  Last are first.  If you've been on the short end of this life, then this should be of some comfort to you there will be an international cast of characters from E W N and S there will be a bit of REPOSE.  All these people are RECLINING at table.  That's cool. There is some security:  there indeed is a DOOR The...

Jesus wants us to be CURIOUS about His CURIOUS kingdom. In fact, today, HE asks the curious question to get the ball rolling so that He can answer it.   Of note, then He asks the curious question a second time so we can stay frosty with anticipation at His answer.  The question:  " What is the kingdom of God like? " Careful here!  We may be familiar with His answer and so NOT HEAR THE AN...