Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, “Not at all will I leave you, not at all will I forsake you, never!” so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me.”
The city of Laodicea was founded nearly three centuries before the birth of Christ. Built on a trade route, Laodicea was quite prosperous. The wealth of the city was legendary, as Jews who lived there sent 9 kilograms (20 lbs) of gold to the Temple in Jerusalem on a yearly basis according to historical records.
By the time John penned the book of Revelation around 90 AD Laodicea had survived an earthquake 30 years earlier. Though partially destroyed the city refused Rome’s offer to help rebuild, insisting it could take care of itself — Laodicea was self-sufficient. Tacitus, the Roman historian, wrote: “Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us.” The city was so wealthy it minted its own coins!
Yeshua’s parable of the seed sown among thorns speaks of the “deceitfulness of riches” which “chokes the Word making the seed unfruitful”. Laodicea’s history exemplifies this danger, and John’s letter to the church is the Holy Spirit’s warning to all who fall into the temptation of prosperity: “Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
It’s not difficult to understand how wealth can deceive us. Luxury, comfort, and prosperity can make life in this world a lot easier, causing us to forget spiritual essentials. The Lord understands this when He says to the Laodiceans, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent.” Yeshua wants all of us to store our treasure where it won’t rust or corrode, and where thieves can’t get at it either. So be careful not to allow your wealth to destroy your spiritual health… or your eternal inheritance!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When God called Gideon to lead Israel against their enemies, He wanted to show that a small army empowered by God was more effective than the largest armies. But notice how they fought – without weapons that an army would normally use. They fought with shofars and lamps! They fought with weapons that the world would consider ineffective, yet triumphed mightily over their enemies. They shouted as loud as they could, sounded the shofar, and broke the vessels that held the fire so that their lamps burst through with brightness.
As parents trying to raise kids in this world, we’re constantly reminded by the Lord of Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ The Hebrew word ‘train’, in this passage is, ‘Chanak’ which can be translated, ‘train up’ or ‘dedicate.’ It’s the root word from which we get the word, Chanukah.
While Chanukah is not a Biblical feast mentioned in the Old Testament, it is an important one. Chanukah commemorates the story of small group of men with much courage -- enough courage to defeat even the greatest of the world’s empires.
Some time ago, we wrote about pearl harvesting as an illustration of how the Lord takes us into His “shell” like an irritating grain of sand, and over time, covers us with His beautiful covering, forming us into polished and precious gems for his glory and delight. This image of sanctification takes the metaphor in one direction: but here is another interesting thought. The beautiful pearl inside the oyster cannot be seen or enjoyed without a great price being paid. The oyster must die. It must be torn open in order to find the treasure within. This speaks to me of the original foundation and source of our beauty. Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah had to be bruised, afflicted, torn and killed so that the beautiful treasures God intended us to be from the beginning, could be discovered and released from the darkness of sin.
Lately we’ve been receiving more and more calls and emails asking us what we think might happen in the near future and how they should prepare. I love what John Calvin had to say about the matter…
In his book, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful allegories about the journey we all travel as a believers. The book describes the hero, Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction to his heavenly destination, the Celestial City. Now there’s one part of Pilgrim’s Progress that I want to focus on today — walking through the Swamp of Despondency!
While many around the world are apathetic and lack understanding about the times in which we live, we as believers should realize these are merely signs of the times and have a sense of urgency to be about the Lord’s business.