1 Kings 21:3 – But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” In this scene from Elijah’s life, the time has come for God to straighten things out with King Ahab. Ahab was not content, despite his family ruling over the nation of Israel for … Read more
Nehemiah 5:19 – Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. Upon hearing of this great injustice of what people would do to get money or position themselves to have more wealth in ungodly ways, Nehemiah was angry. Some commentators have wrongly criticized Nehemiah for his anger. God … Read more
Nehemiah 5:15 – The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. In Nehemiah’s day, it was not unlawful … Read more
Nehemiah 5:14 – Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The problem in western culture is that our thinking … Read more
Nehemiah 5:15 – The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. The crisis in Nehemiah 5 is internal … Read more
Nehemiah 5:18 – Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. There were constantly people around Jesus who lied about, attacked, and threatened Him. In a shocking plot twist, they were unable to murder … Read more
Genesis 13:1 – So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. When Abram and Sarai (who later become Abraham and Sarah) receive God’s call in the beginning of Genesis 12, God asks them to leave their family as, in 12:1, He … Read more
James 5:3 – Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. As we’re going through the book of James by Jesus’ younger brother, the blue-collar scholar of the New Testament, we come to James 5 … Read more
James 5:5-6 – You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. Our view on money, oftentimes, can be attributed to the way we grow up, either for good or for bad. If we … Read more
James 5:5 – You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. Exactly 160 years ago to the date I preached the sermon this past weekend, Nov. 13, 1861, a man named Rev. M.R. Watkinson wrote a letter that changed history. During the Civil War, … Read more
James 5:1-2 – Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. When it comes to wealth, we tend to think in the two categories of rich and poor. The Bible gives us four categories and not two: Godly Poor Godly Rich Ungodly … Read more
James 5:4 – Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. Several years ago, the world was outraged over the case against Bernie Madoff, a former stockbroker and investment advisor … Read more