The Bible provides some important safeguards to prevent us from either under-reacting or over-reacting to major tragedies and world events such as the recent massacre in Paris. First consider Matthew 16:3 where Jesus scolded the Pharisees and Sadducees for ignoring important trends: “You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the … Read More
Jumping to Conclusions
Two recent examples highlight the importance of reserving judgment about others. Dianne Hoffmeyer recently shared her experience on the Internet of going to a coffee shop in Fort Gratiot, Michigan where she was ridiculed by two women about the looks of her hair and her weight. Apparently, neither of the women realized until after Dianne left the shop that she … Read More
Economic Lessons from Ancient Israel
Leviticus chapter 25 describes the Jubilee Year celebration of ancient Israel. This important event occurred only once, every fiftieth year. During the Jubilee year all private debts were forgiven. Additionally, land that had previously been sold was returned to the original owners! Imagine the tremendous relief of those citizens of ancient Israel who were released from the burden and … Read More
Our Daily Bread
We know from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew Chapter 6 that God wants us to recognize Him on a daily basis as the source of our physical sustenance—“Give us this day our daily bread.” Today there are millions who are living in food survival mode. They can easily identify with Jesus’ statement. In contrast, it’s harder for those of us … Read More