(Jesus said) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."[Matthew 6:19-20]
The story begins about a month ago in Vancouver, British Columbia.
This story centers around a homeless man who has asked that his name not be shared by the news organizations, which have been telling his tale. The public part of the man's account began when he found a suitcase on the street. Understand, this was not just any old suitcase; this was a suitcase with $2,000 in it.
Now nobody can tell you whether the man was tempted to keep the money for himself.
No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man took the suitcase to the police and turned it in. Later on, he explained: it was "the right thing to do." Now that story touched other folks and some of them began to raise money to help the homeless man. More than $5,000 was raised to help give the man a new start.
Now nobody can tell you if that man had a "check list" of the ways that money could be spent.
No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man declined the money for himself and asked it be given to a local homeless shelter. They contributors gave him time to reconsider. When they saw the homeless man the next day, he gave them a note. The note reaffirmed his desire to have the shelter benefit from the gift, but the man had now added a request.
He said he would sure appreciate it if someone might help him find permanent employment. By saying that, it shows he understood the old adage: "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for his life."
You know, I wish the rest of the world were as wise as this nameless, homeless man.
Think about it for a moment. We are like that man in Vancouver. We've got nothing. But then the devil and the world walk in and say, "You know, you'd be happy if you owned this or had that or ...." Well, they come up with a million things that are supposed to make us happy.
And those things might do the trick ... for a short time.
But short-term satisfaction is not what we need. Short-term satisfaction doesn't change our circumstance or situation. What we need is something that lasts an eternity. Our happiness, hope and joy in life must be based on a gift that does not tarnish, which can't be lost or stolen.
And that's where the Lord steps in.
He says, "Here is My Son. Believe on Him as your Savior; rely on Him and your life now -- as well as throughout eternity -- will be transformed. Not only will you be forgiven all your sins, you will also have the assurance that the Lord is with you and always listening to you. Believe on Jesus as your Savior and you will have a home in heaven and a seat at the eternal banquet.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I have the wisdom to see the contrast between the time-sensitive gifts which are offered by the world and the devil and the eternal blessings which are provided by You, when we are given faith in the Savior. This I ask in His Name. Amen.
The story begins about a month ago in Vancouver, British Columbia.
This story centers around a homeless man who has asked that his name not be shared by the news organizations, which have been telling his tale. The public part of the man's account began when he found a suitcase on the street. Understand, this was not just any old suitcase; this was a suitcase with $2,000 in it.
Now nobody can tell you whether the man was tempted to keep the money for himself.
No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man took the suitcase to the police and turned it in. Later on, he explained: it was "the right thing to do." Now that story touched other folks and some of them began to raise money to help the homeless man. More than $5,000 was raised to help give the man a new start.
Now nobody can tell you if that man had a "check list" of the ways that money could be spent.
No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man declined the money for himself and asked it be given to a local homeless shelter. They contributors gave him time to reconsider. When they saw the homeless man the next day, he gave them a note. The note reaffirmed his desire to have the shelter benefit from the gift, but the man had now added a request.
He said he would sure appreciate it if someone might help him find permanent employment. By saying that, it shows he understood the old adage: "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for his life."
You know, I wish the rest of the world were as wise as this nameless, homeless man.
Think about it for a moment. We are like that man in Vancouver. We've got nothing. But then the devil and the world walk in and say, "You know, you'd be happy if you owned this or had that or ...." Well, they come up with a million things that are supposed to make us happy.
And those things might do the trick ... for a short time.
But short-term satisfaction is not what we need. Short-term satisfaction doesn't change our circumstance or situation. What we need is something that lasts an eternity. Our happiness, hope and joy in life must be based on a gift that does not tarnish, which can't be lost or stolen.
And that's where the Lord steps in.
He says, "Here is My Son. Believe on Him as your Savior; rely on Him and your life now -- as well as throughout eternity -- will be transformed. Not only will you be forgiven all your sins, you will also have the assurance that the Lord is with you and always listening to you. Believe on Jesus as your Savior and you will have a home in heaven and a seat at the eternal banquet.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I have the wisdom to see the contrast between the time-sensitive gifts which are offered by the world and the devil and the eternal blessings which are provided by You, when we are given faith in the Savior. This I ask in His Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
2 Kings 15:1 It was in the twenty-seventh year of Yarov‘am king of Isra’el that ‘Azaryah the son of Amatzyah, king of Y’hudah, began his reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Y’kholyahu, from Yerushalayim. 3 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father Amatzyah had done. 4 However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered on the high places.
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
___________________________________
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
2 Kings 15:1 It was in the twenty-seventh year of Yarov‘am king of Isra’el that ‘Azaryah the son of Amatzyah, king of Y’hudah, began his reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Y’kholyahu, from Yerushalayim. 3 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father Amatzyah had done. 4 However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered on the high places.
5 Adonai struck the king, so that he had tzara‘at until his dying day, so that he lived in a separate house, while Yotam the king’s son ran the king’s household and was regent over the people of the land.
6 Other activities of ‘Azaryah and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah. 7 So ‘Azaryah slept with his ancestors the kings of Isra’el, and they buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. Then Yotam his son took his place as king.
8 It was in the thirty-eighth year of ‘Azaryah king of Y’hudah that Z’kharyah the son of Yarov‘am began his reign over Isra’el in Shomron; he ruled for six months. 9 He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective, just as his ancestors had done; he did not turn from all the sins of Yarov‘am the son of N’vat, who made Isra’el sin.
10 Shalum the son of Yavesh formed a conspiracy against him. He struck him in the presence of the people and killed him; then he took his place as king.
11 Other activities of Z’kharyah are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el. 12 The word of Adonai which he had spoken to Yehu was, “Your descendants down to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Isra’el”; and that is exactly what happened.
13 Shalum the son of Yavesh began his reign in the thirty-ninth year of ‘Uziyah king of Y’hudah; he ruled in Shomron for only a month. 14 Menachem the son of Gadi went up from Tirtzah, came to Shomron, struck Shalum the son of Yavesh in Shomron and killed him. Then he took his place as king.
15 Other activities of Shalum and the conspiracy he formed are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el
16 From Tirtzah Menachem attacked Tifsach, all the people in it and its territory, because they had not opened their gates to him. So he sacked the city and ripped apart all its pregnant women.
17 It was in the thirty-ninth year of ‘Azaryah king of Y’hudah that Menachem the son of Gadi began his reign over Isra’el; he ruled ten years in Shomron. 18 He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective; throughout his life he did not turn from the sins of Yarov‘am the son of N’vat, who made Isra’el sin.
19 Pul the king of Ashur invaded the land. Menachem gave Pul thirty-three tons of silver, so that he would confirm Menachem’s hold on the kingdom. 20 He did this by taxing the wealthy men in Isra’el; from each he required one-and-a-quarter pounds of silver to give to the king of Ashur. Then the king of Ashur turned around and left the land.
21 Other activities of Menachem and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el. 22 Menachem slept with his ancestors, and P’kachyah his son took his place as king.
23 It was in the fiftieth year of ‘Azaryah king of Y’hudah that P’kachyah the son of Menachem began his reign over Isra’el in Shomron; he ruled for two years. 24 He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective; he did not turn from the sins of Yarov‘am the son of N’vat, who made Isra’el sin.
25 Pekach the son of Remalyahu, one of his commanders, conspired against him. With Argov, Aryeh and fifty men from Gil‘ad, he assassinated him in the palace stronghold in Shomron. After killing him, he took his place as king.
26 Other activities of P’kachyah and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el.
27 It was in the fifty-second year of ‘Azaryah king of Y’hudah that Pekach the son of Remalyah began to reign over Isra’el in Shomron; his reign lasted twenty years. 28 He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective; he did not turn from the sins of Yarov‘am the son of N’vat, who made Isra’el sin.
29 During the time of Pekach king of Isra’el, Tiglat-Pil’eser king of Ashur came and conquered ‘Iyon, Avel-Beit-Ma‘akhah, Yanoach, Kedesh, Hatzor, Gil‘ad, and the Galil — all the land of Naftali — and took them captive to Ashur.
30 Hoshea the son of Elah conspired against Pekach the son of Remalyah, struck him, killed him and took his place as king in the twentieth year of Yotam the son of ‘Uziyah.
31 Other activities of Pekach and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el.
32 It was in the second year of Pekach the son of Remalyah, king of Isra’el, that Yotam the son of ‘Uziyah king of Y’hudah began his reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Yerusha the daughter of Tzadok. 34 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything his father ‘Uziyah had done. 35 However, the high places were not taken away; and the people still sacrificed and offered on the high places.
He built the Upper Gate of the house of Adonai.
36 Other activities of Yotam and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah.
37 It was during this period that Adonai began sending against Y’hudah Retzin the king of Aram and Pekach the son of Remalyah.
38 Yotam slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David his ancestor. Then Achaz his son took his place as king.
16:1 It was in the seventeenth year of Pekach the son of Remalyah that Achaz the son of Yotam king of Y’hudah began his reign. 2 Achaz was twenty years old when he began to rule, and he reigned sixteen years in Yerushalayim. But he did not do what was right from the perspective of Adonai his God, as David his ancestor had done. 3 Rather, he lived in the manner of the kings of Isra’el; he even made his son pass through fire [as a sacrifice], in keeping with the abominable practices of the pagans, whom Adonai had thrown out ahead of the people of Isra’el. 4 He also sacrificed and offered on the high places, on the hills and under any green tree.
5 Then Retzin king of Aram and Pekach son of Remalyah, king of Isra’el, came up to fight against Yerushalayim. They put Achaz under siege, but they could not overcome him. 6 It was at that time that Retzin king of Aram recovered Eilat for Aram and drove the Judeans from Eilat; whereupon people from Edom came to Eilat to live, as they do to this day. 7 Then Achaz sent messengers to Tiglat-Pil’eser king of Ashur with this message: “I am your servant and your son. Come up, and save me from the king of Aram and the king of Isra’el, who are attacking me.” 8 Achaz took the silver and gold that was in the house of Adonai and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a present to the king of Ashur. 9 The king of Ashur heeded him — the king of Ashur attacked Dammesek and captured it; then he carried its people captive to Kir and killed Retzin.
10 When King Achaz went to Dammesek to meet Tiglat-Pil’eser king of Ashur and saw the altar that was in Dammesek, he sent a drawing and model of the altar to Uriyah the cohen, with details of its construction and decoration. 11 Then Uriyah the cohen built an altar exactly according to the design King Achaz had sent from Dammesek; Uriyah the cohen had it ready by the time King Achaz returned from Dammesek. 12 When the king arrived from Dammesek he saw the altar, and the king approached the altar and offered on it. 13 He offered his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering and splashed the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 The bronze altar, which was before Adonai, he brought from in front of the house, from between his own altar and the house of Adonai, and put it on the north side of his own altar. 15 Then King Achaz instructed Uriyah the cohen as follows: “Henceforth, it is on the large altar that you are to offer the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, together with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering and their drink offerings; and you are to splash all the blood of the burnt offering against it and all the blood of the sacrifice. As for the bronze altar, I will take care of that.” 16 Uriyah the cohen acted in accordance with everything King Achaz ordered. 17 King Achaz removed the panels of the trolleys and took the basins off them; he took the Sea off the bronze oxen supporting it and set it on the stone pavement; 18 and, because of the king of Ashur, he removed from the house of Adonai the colonnade used on Shabbat that had been built for it and the king’s entranceway outside it.
19 Other activities of Achaz and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y’hudah. 20 Achaz slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then Hizkiyahu his son took his place as king.
Galatians 3:1 You stupid Galatians! Who has put you under a spell? Before your very eyes Yeshua the Messiah was clearly portrayed as having been put to death as a criminal! 2 I want to know from you just this one thing: did you receive the Spirit by legalistic observance of Torah commands or by trusting in what you heard and being faithful to it? 3 Are you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit’s power, do you think you can reach the goal under your own power? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing? If that’s the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing! 5 What about God, who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you — does he do it because of your legalistic observance of Torah commands or because you trust in what you heard and are faithful to it?
6 It was the same with Avraham: “He trusted in God and was faithful to him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness.”[Galatians 3:6 Genesis 15:6] 7 Be assured, then, that it is those who live by trusting and being faithful who are really children of Avraham. 8 Also the Tanakh, foreseeing that God would consider the Gentiles righteous when they live by trusting and being faithful, told the Good News to Avraham in advance by saying, “In connection with you, all the Goyim will be blessed.”[Galatians 3:8 Genesis 12:3] 9 So then, those who rely on trusting and being faithful are blessed along with Avraham, who trusted and was faithful.
10 For everyone who depends on legalistic observance of Torah commands lives under a curse, since it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the Scroll of the Torah.”[Galatians 3:10 Deuteronomy 27:26] 11 Now it is evident that no one comes to be declared righteous by God through legalism, since “The person who is righteous will attain life by trusting and being faithful.”[Galatians 3:11 Habakkuk 2:4] 12 Furthermore, legalism is not based on trusting and being faithful, but on [a misuse of] the text that says, “Anyone who does these things will attain life through them.”[Galatians 3:12 Leviticus 18:5] 13 The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, “Everyone who hangs from a stake comes under a curse.”[Galatians 3:13 Deuteronomy 21:22–23] 14 Yeshua the Messiah did this so that in union with him the Gentiles might receive the blessing announced to Avraham, so that through trusting and being faithful, we might receive what was promised, namely, the Spirit.
15 Brothers, let me make an analogy from everyday life: when someone swears an oath, no one else can set it aside or add to it. 16 Now the promises were made to Avraham and to his seed. It doesn’t say, “and to seeds,” as if to many; on the contrary, it speaks of one — “and to your seed”[Galatians 3:16 Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7] — and this “one” is the Messiah. 17 Here is what I am saying: the legal part of the Torah, which came into being 430 years later, does not nullify an oath sworn by God, so as to abolish the promise. 18 For if the inheritance comes from the legal part of the Torah, it no longer comes from a promise. But God gave it to Avraham through a promise.
19 So then, why the legal part of the Torah? It was added in order to create transgressions, until the coming of the seed about whom the promise had been made. Moreover, it was handed down through angels and a mediator. 20 Now a mediator implies more than one, but God is one.
21 Does this mean that the legal part of the Torah stands in opposition to God’s promises? Heaven forbid! For if the legal part of the Torah which God gave had had in itself the power to give life, then righteousness really would have come by legalistically following such a Torah. 22 But instead, the Tanakh shuts up everything under sin; so that what had been promised might be given, on the basis of Yeshua the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness, to those who continue to be trustingly faithful.
23 Now before the time for this trusting faithfulness came, we were imprisoned in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism, kept under guard until this yet-to-come trusting faithfulness would be revealed. 24 Accordingly, the Torah functioned as a custodian until the Messiah came, so that we might be declared righteous on the ground of trusting and being faithful. 25 But now that the time for this trusting faithfulness has come, we are no longer under a custodian.
26 For in union with the Messiah, you are all children of God through this trusting faithfulness; 27 because as many of you as were immersed into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah, in whom 28 there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. 29 Also, if you belong to the Messiah, you are seed of Avraham and heirs according to the promise.
____________________________________
The Lutheran Hour660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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