Above: The Talents, 1908 by artist Eugène Burnand (1850-1921). ————————————- Matthew 25:14-30: (Jesus said), “It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold (‘talents’ in older translations), to another two bags, and to another […]
3137) Doing God’s Business Read More »
The story of Stanley Tam (1916-2023), compiled from articles by Randy Alcorn at http://www.epm.org (6-16-21) and Todd Harper at http://www.ncfgiving.com (5-16-23). ————————— In 1934, as a young door-to-door salesman, Stanley Tam met a farmer’s wife who told him about Jesus. Six weeks later, while in a church, he placed his faith in Christ.
3067) God in the Plastics Business Read More »
I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say they didn’t like giving money to overseas missions, because, “How do we know the money gets there?” Here’s how I know. When I was a child in Sunday School, our mission offerings went to the African nation of
3060) Does the Money Really Get There? Read More »
Several of the last few meditations have been about prayer. Prayer is central in the life of a Christian. Prayer is commanded in the Bible, it is described in the Bible, there are many examples in the Bible of God’s people at prayer, and Jesus himself was often seen praying. Sometimes, we are
2913) Feed My Starving Children (a) Read More »
Joni Eareckson Tada, paralyzed since a diving accident when she was seventeen (she is now 75), was speaking to her husband’s high school government class about the implications of ‘right-to-die’ laws. She tells this story from the discussion that day in her book When is it Right to Die? (1992, updated 2018). ———————————
2898) “Society Should Do Something!” Read More »
When you think about what you will give to the Lord’s work each week, you should consider your offerings from the perspective of eternity. Let me tell you what I mean. Several years ago, in the old American Lutheran Church, the Division for Missions had a program by which congregations here
2868) Treasures in Heaven Read More »
Painting: Christ Healing the Blind Man, Eustache Le Sueur, 1652 ———————————————— (…continued) Mark 10:46-52 tells the story of Jesus healing a blind man. The man’s name is Bartimaeus, and in that society, being blind also meant being poor and forced to live by begging, as it says in verse 46.
2730) Feeling Sorry for the Wealthy (b) Read More »
Manuel is the pastor of several small, very poor congregations in rural Honduras, the second poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. Todd is the pastor of a large and wealthy congregation in Baltimore. In the 1980’s, Todd and Manuel were roommates in college. A while back, Todd went to Honduras to visit Manuel.
2729) Feeling Sorry for the Wealthy (a) Read More »
The 10% tithe for the Lord’s work is a Biblical concept that is worth emphasizing and striving toward. It is also a word at which many folks stop listening. I don’t want to lose you, but neither do I want to ignore this important Biblical guideline. So I would like to encourage you
By Johann Gerhard (1582-1637), a German Lutheran pastor and professor of theology. He wrote dozens of books, including Sacred Meditations, a collection of 51 meditations published in 1606 from which this piece was taken. The greedy man is the poorest of all men, because what he has fails him as much as what he does not have. He
2654) Avoiding Greed Read More »
