Treasure Christ! The Parable of the Rich Fool

If you are reading this blog, you're likely rich like I am. I may drive an older minivan, but only 10-20% of our global population owns a vehicle. Our single-story, three-bedroom home is well below the median sale price for U.S. homes; however, it's substantially larger than the average home in the world. The world tells me to buy a full-size truck and move into the bigger home being sold across the street, but newer and bigger aren't always better. The world is telling us we need to do more to maximize our income and savings, but what does the Bible say about wealth? A lot! Did you know there are more than 2,000 Bible verses about money?

With the Bible saying so much about cash and currency, we have no excuse for not having a biblical understanding of money. Money is needed to survive in modern society, and big bucks can do much good. Money may not be everything, but don't ever tell a poor person that money doesn't matter. Money matters. How does one afford a safe home, healthy food, and mounting medical bills? Money. 

Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Job, David, Solomon, Job, Nicodemus, and Lydia all had deep pockets, and there is much good that we wealthy people can do. God wants us to be cheerful givers (2 Corinthians 9:7) and honor Him with our wealth (Proverbs 3:9). We do need to be careful and not allow money to become a god in our lives. This is something I did in my early 20s. Being rich is not a sin, but we've all heard stories of people pursuing wealth in a way that wrecks their marriages, careers, and lives. Let's always choose God over money (Luke 16:13) and not forget that 1 Timothy 6:10 says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

What's with all the money talk? This month at our ECS chapels, we'll be looking at the Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:13-21. Here Jesus warns us against being greedy, materialistic, and thinking money will solve everything. A man from a crowd asks Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute with his brother, probably an older brother. Jesus refuses to judge the matter and tells all who can hear that we should be content with what God has given us and that our lives are much more than accumulating a bunch of wealth. 

Jesus then proceeds to talk about a rich farmer whose land produces a massive harvest. The farmer's storage space was too small, so he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store all of his grains and goods. The farmer tells himself he is set for years, so he can now relax and enjoy the good life. God calls him a fool, saying the farmer's life will be taken from him, and asking who will get his goods now. Jesus says that we are fools to store up earthly riches and not be rich towards God.

What's Jesus' point?

1. Our worth is not based on what we own.
2. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Money can't buy us everything.
3. When we have extra, we should share it.
4. It's far greater to be spiritually rich (close to God and loving others) than to be materially rich.

I hope you believe this. If you want to hear about setting your heart on Christ and blessing others, please join us at our chapels. I believe you'll be blessed and will gain wisdom that can help you better invest in God's kingdom. To Him be the glory! 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7 

Are YOU a Good Neighbor? The Parable of the Good Samaritan

We live in a society that struggles to listen, learn, and love. Turn on the TV or jump on any social media platform, and you'll quickly find that many of us can easily lose self-control and scream at those we disagree with. Instead of trying to better understand those who are different from us, we often do what makes us comfortable and hang out with those who are like us. We're creatures of comfort who want what we want, and we want it now!

When we fail to look at the cross and allow the Spirit to lead us, this is bound to happen. Even those who know God's Word well can succumb to panicking and being proud people-pleasers who stay within their own tribe. This certainly isn't how Jesus loved God and others! What did Christ say about loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind? How can we be good neighbors?

A fantastic parable that helps us better understand how to love God and others is the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. A wealthy and educated lawyer asks Jesus two questions. 

1. Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
2. And who is my neighbor?

Jesus responds with questions of His own and with this popular parable. The rich man of law didn't really want to learn from Jesus. He was trying to prove that he was a good person who didn't need to change his thoughts, words, and actions. 

As Jesus begins telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he tells about a Jewish man who is robbed, stripped, and severely beaten. First, a Jewish priest saw the bloody man on the desert road and left him to die. Later, a Levite (an assistant to the priests) also saw the bloody man on the desert road and left him to die. Finally, a Samaritan, a biracial man whom Jews looked down upon, tended to the man's injuries and took him to an inn where he paid for the stranger to be cared for. 

Jesus concludes the parable by asking which of the three people was a neighbor to the badly battered man. The lawyer had asked the wrong question. The question isn't, "Who is my neighbor?" The question we all should be asking is, "How can I be a neighbor?"

So, how are we doing when it comes to loving God and others? Are we humble and looking to God's holy standard, or do we defend ourselves like a legalistic lawyer and get together with only those who make us feel good? How are we serving and loving those different from us whom God brings into our lives? 

Let's be sure to obey God's Word and love even our enemies (Luke 6:27). When we trust in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to love God and others wholeheartedly, no matter who they are or what their background is. To God be the glory!

And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39

A Heart Check: The Parable of the Sower

What is the condition of OUR hearts?

• Are you a curious learner, or do you quickly reject what others say if they aren't in your camp?
• Were you a big fan of God at one time, but something ugly happened in your life, and now you want nothing to do with Him? 
• Did you once call yourself a joyful follower of Christ, but you now chase hard after fame, fortune, and fun?

WE must evaluate OUR hearts. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test! Too many people say they believe in God, but their lives don't show it. They may have an intellectual belief in Christ, but they don't really love Jesus. They just love what He gives them and often have a critical spirit, simply following the culture. We can't treat King Jesus just as our ticket to Heaven; He must be the all in our lives. 

If you've been given a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), you'll grow in God's grace and knowledge and bear beautiful fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Is this the fruit people see coming from you? It's impossible not to when you're trusting in Christ and having His Spirit guide you in what can be a challenging life. Yes, we slip at times and sin, but are we hating our laziness, pride, and other sins we commit that Jesus died for? Below are a few more questions to consider.

• Do others see patience, kindness, and grace from you, or do you often complain and get bent out of shape when things don't go your way?
• Do you rejoice, pray, and give thanks even when things are hard and you're suffering?
• Do people look at you and think, "That person is like Christ. They absolutely hate sin and seek to live a life of holiness."?

These questions are for ALL OF US, and they are questions I've been thinking about recently as we are learning about the Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Soils) in chapel this month. I encourage you to go to Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8 and read and meditate on Jesus' words. Jesus is the key not only to eternal life, but to life itself. We certainly need counseling, education, and medicine, but apart from Christ, we can do nothing! As John the Baptist said, May He increase, and we decrease.

And as always, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you and your family. To God be the glory!

to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Romans 16:27

Jesus' Parables: Perfect Stories That Speak Profound Truth

Everyone loves a good story. If I talk about how Megan and I fell in love, how we were led to adopt our three children, or how we moved from a Chinese city of 15 million to Southern Indiana, people are all ears. It doesn't matter if the person is seven or seventy, Jew or Gentile; people of all ages and all walks of life find good stories engaging, prompting them to think and feel deeply.

Jesus, of course, knew the power of stories. He was the master storyteller, and He frequently told stories to teach truth in a way that was relatable and easy to remember. These stories, called parables, may seem simple, but they have deep symbolic and spiritual meaning. Over 30 of them can be found in the Synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. 

You don't have to be a Christian to be familiar with some of the parables. Many people can tell you a little about the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Do you have a favorite parable? What is it about that parable that you like so much? If you have children, consider discussing this with them this week. A conversation like this will probably stick in your child's mind longer than a long list of do's and don'ts.

So what's up with all the parable talk? Well, it happens to be our theme for this year's chapels. At our SIX chapels (preschool and prekindergarten, kindergarten-1st grade, 2nd-3rd grade, 4th-6th grade, 7th-8th grade, and high school) at Evansville Christian School, we'll teach six popular parables from the Gospel of Luke. Please join us if you can! I also want to encourage you to read and study these parables on your own and with others. If you have a genuine hunger for the Lord, I assure you that you will be blessed with divine truth that can help you live a life honoring to God. To God be the glory!

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1

The Parable of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Ten Minas

The Parable of Ten Minas from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Rich Fool

The Parable of the Rich Fool from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Sheep from Mark Wickersham

What Kind of Dirt Are You?

The Parable of the Six Soils (Mark 4:1-20) from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Lost Son - Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son from Mark Wickersham

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8) from Mark Wickersham

How Can I Be A Neighbor?

How Can I Be A Neighbor? The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) from Mark Wickersham