Tag: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Mark 10:21-22

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“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

This is one of those sayings of Jesus that have given people trouble for a long, long time. What did He mean by this? Was He being literal with this command? Was this a one time thing or something He intended for a broader application? Is this something we can reinterpret as metaphorical, or was He somehow saying that just poor people can get into Heaven? What are we supposed to do with this? Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Mark 10:26-27

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“And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Consider the disciples’ reaction here. Jesus had just made His famous declaration that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (almost certainly a real camel and a real needle rather than some gate) than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. They understood Jesus rightly to be saying that rich people can’t get to heaven. And now that I have you hung up just like they were, if for a different reason, let me explain. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 1 Samuel 25:30-31

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“And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Abigail was scrambling. She knew that if she didn’t come up with something really good and right on the spot her husband, possibly her older children, and most of the servants under her care were toast. When she heard word that David was coming for war, she put together a generous gift, road out to meet him well before he arrived, and made her pitch. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 1 Samuel 25:13

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“And David said to his men, ‘Every man strap on his sword!’ And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

There are a lot of different kinds of mad. Very rarely is someone ever just regular old garden-variety angry. If you’re mad about something, it’s helpful to know what kind of mad you are. There is selfish-mad and disappointed-mad and jealous-mad. Parents may know well the feeling of being disobeyed-mad or disrespected-mad. Most of us have at one time or another been bad attitude-mad. Employees probably know overworked-mad. What student doesn’t know what it feels like to be stressed out-mad? But have you ever been hurt-mad? How about offended-mad? Those cousins are two of the most dangerous kinds of mad there are. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 1 Samuel 25:10-11

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“And Nabal answered David’s servants, ‘Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?’”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

We live in a day of declining manners. The state of public dialogue is growing coarser and coarser. This is a truly lamentable fact. Unfortunately, this doesn’t represent some kind of advance, but a great step backward with folks like Nabal as our guide. Read the rest…