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Bible teaching
ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Tuesday,
April 2, 2024
A
much younger
Mollie
scrambling up
our oak tree
for her
frisbee!
Daily prayer:
Father, we are
barraged with
colorful ads,
luring
commercials,
and attractive
displays
enticing us to
make grand
purchases.
When "material
things"
consume our
soul they
capture our
passion, our
wallets and
our time. You
have commanded
us to seek
first Your
kingdom and
Your
righteousness
and all these
things will be
added unto us.
As we do so we
will be
generous with
our resources
for the sake
of the
Kingdom. Help
us to be
generous with
our time,
talent, and
treasures so
that Your
kingdom is
enlarged and
our
investments
have eternal
dividend. In
Jesus' name we
pray. Amen.
Additional study notes:
1) The parable begins, "The land of a rich man was very productive". We need to remember where all blessings ultimately come from and "Praise God from whom all blessings flow".
2) Brooksyne recalls that when she was growing up she was not allowed to call any person a fool based on Matthew 5:22. The prohibition in Matthew 5:22 is directed to us in regard to calling others a fool. However all standard translations use fool in today's text in regard to what God calls this man. In other places Jesus addresses those whom he calls fools or foolish as well. (For example, Matthew 23:17 and Luke 24:25.)
3) I am intrigued by the man talking to his own soul (verse 19), and wonder if there's a deeper meaning to this? Some versions merely state that he was talking to himself but the Greek clearly states "soul". "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry'."
4) The issue was not his intent to build bigger barns but rather his motivation. What a blessing when God prospers a business or individual but they must remain humble and dependent on God.
"The
Peril Of
Foolish
Living"
Message
summary:
Today
let us examine
a very serious
life lesson in
the Bible on
foolish living
when God
called out a
rich farmer,
"You fool!"
due to his
faulty
reasoning
while talking
to himself
about how to
solve his
problem. The
entire context
is in a
teaching by
Jesus recorded
in Luke 12.
God wants us
to "not be
foolish, but
understand
what the
Lord’s will
is".
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
And He (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21). "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is" (Ephesians 5:17).
Yesterday was April Fool's Day, widely recognized all over the world as a day marked by pranks, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc. You may have been the recipient or dispenser of a good-natured prank, and hopefully you are over it by now!
And He (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21). "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is" (Ephesians 5:17).
Yesterday was April Fool's Day, widely recognized all over the world as a day marked by pranks, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc. You may have been the recipient or dispenser of a good-natured prank, and hopefully you are over it by now!
Companies
use it for
marketing and
getting
attention such
as 7-Eleven
and Miracle
Seltzer
announcing
they were
selling a new
flavored
seltzer dubbed
Big Bite Hot
Dog Sparkling
Water, as in
hot
dog-flavored
water. Sound
yummy to you?
We
chose not to
write about
April Fool's
day the day
after
Resurrection
Sunday
although the
disciples'
initial
reaction to
news of the
empty tomb
brought to
them by the
women was, "their
words sounded
like foolish
talk"
(Luke 24:11 in
the New Life
Version).
In
our family
Brooksyne is
the most
creative
prankster and
our most
memorable day
on April
1st took
place thirteen
years ago and
bears
repeating for
our new
readers. In
mid-February
Ester had
picked Mollie
out of a
litter of
abandoned pups
at the Humane
League in
Lancaster. The
day before
Ester's
birthday,
March 8th,
three month
old Mollie
joined us and
won Ester's
heart and
absolute
devotion. The
pup's name was
Reba at the
humane league
before Ester
renamed her
Mollie.
Several weeks later, early on April 1, 2011 Brooksyne woke Ester up startling her with news that one of the vet techs called from the humane league. Unfortunately the puppy in our possession, Reba, whom we now called Mollie, had been tagged with the wrong name and Ester was to take her back to the league. Reba was mistaken for another puppy sibling so Ester was instructed to return Mollie and then she would be given the correct puppy.
Imagine just how stunned Ester was at the dreadful mistake and her reaction to returning Mollie was heartbreaking. Brooksyne had second thoughts about her April fool's joke, but kept a straight face, including a sympathetic tone as she sought to comfort Ester. Just when Ester was about to break into sobs Brooksyne yelled out the "APRIL FOOLS!" tagline for permitting herself to make up such a horrible scenario. It's a story that has haunted Brooksyne ever since because Ester has never let her live down what a terrible joke she played - something totally unexpected from a loving mother which Brooksyne always aspires to be!
In
our family
Brooksyne is
the most
creative
prankster and
our most
memorable day
on April
1st took
place thirteen
years ago and
bears
repeating for
our new
readers. In
mid-February
Ester had
picked Mollie
out of a
litter of
abandoned pups
at the Humane
League in
Lancaster. The
day before
Ester's
birthday,
March 8th,
three month
old Mollie
joined us and
won Ester's
heart and
absolute
devotion. The
pup's name was
Reba at the
humane league
before Ester
renamed her
Mollie.Several weeks later, early on April 1, 2011 Brooksyne woke Ester up startling her with news that one of the vet techs called from the humane league. Unfortunately the puppy in our possession, Reba, whom we now called Mollie, had been tagged with the wrong name and Ester was to take her back to the league. Reba was mistaken for another puppy sibling so Ester was instructed to return Mollie and then she would be given the correct puppy.
Imagine just how stunned Ester was at the dreadful mistake and her reaction to returning Mollie was heartbreaking. Brooksyne had second thoughts about her April fool's joke, but kept a straight face, including a sympathetic tone as she sought to comfort Ester. Just when Ester was about to break into sobs Brooksyne yelled out the "APRIL FOOLS!" tagline for permitting herself to make up such a horrible scenario. It's a story that has haunted Brooksyne ever since because Ester has never let her live down what a terrible joke she played - something totally unexpected from a loving mother which Brooksyne always aspires to be!
Mollie
is still with
us though
puppy-hood is
long gone and
now at 13
arthritis has
taken its
place. Of
course we are
unable to
communicate
with her about
the inevitable
pains of
aging, but we
sure feel for
her now that
she has a hard
time lifting
her legs and
her jump now
only extends
to about a
foot, though
she sometimes
comes tumbling
down only to
try again.
But,
today on a
much more
serious note,
let's examine
a very serious
life lesson in
the Bible on
foolish living
when God
called out a
rich farmer, "You
fool" due
to his faulty
reasoning when
he was talking
to himself
about how to
solve his
problem. The
entire context
is in a
teaching by
Jesus recorded
in Luke 12.
I carefully probe this portion of Scripture and wonder why God called this man a "fool". After all, he was a successful businessman; working hard, prospering and planning ahead for retirement. Isn't that good? Isn't that the American way?
But after God had given him a very generous surplus of crops his goal was bigger barns, temporal pleasure and security. It was all about "me". Life's energy was expanded in this pursuit. When he felt like he had attained this goal he could lean back, feeling quite satisfied, and say to his soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry".
But that very night his life was demanded of him. Jesus ends the parable with this probing conclusion: "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21).
God calls this man and so many who live who live like him a "fool" for a specific reason.
The man's foolishness was demonstrated in three ways:
We all need to keep these three questions before us:
What's your fundamental outlook on life today? Are you storing up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal?" (Matthew 6:19). Or are you storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal? (Matthew 6:20).
Today let us commit ourselves to being "rich toward God"! Let us seek first the Kingdom of the resurrected Jesus! Let us build our lives on the solid rock of Jesus and be like the person whom He called the "wise man" (Matthew 7:24).
I carefully probe this portion of Scripture and wonder why God called this man a "fool". After all, he was a successful businessman; working hard, prospering and planning ahead for retirement. Isn't that good? Isn't that the American way?
But after God had given him a very generous surplus of crops his goal was bigger barns, temporal pleasure and security. It was all about "me". Life's energy was expanded in this pursuit. When he felt like he had attained this goal he could lean back, feeling quite satisfied, and say to his soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry".
But that very night his life was demanded of him. Jesus ends the parable with this probing conclusion: "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21).
God calls this man and so many who live who live like him a "fool" for a specific reason.
The man's foolishness was demonstrated in three ways:
1)
He was
self-sufficient.
"And I will
say to my
soul, 'Soul,
you have many
goods laid up
for many years
to come'"
(v. 19). He
forgot the
source of his
blessing, that
God was in
charge. The
farmer could
plant, but he
could not grow
his crop, only
God could do
that. He gives
us the ability
to create
wealth and our
lives are in
His hands.
Fools believe
they control
their own
destiny. "The
fool says in
his heart,
'There is no
God'"
(Psalm 14:1).
2) He was self-focused. "Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry." It was all about him and his comforts.
3) He was rich to self but not "rich toward God" (v. 21). He did not use his resources for God and His Kingdom but instead selfishly considered only his desires.
2) He was self-focused. "Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry." It was all about him and his comforts.
3) He was rich to self but not "rich toward God" (v. 21). He did not use his resources for God and His Kingdom but instead selfishly considered only his desires.
We all need to keep these three questions before us:
1)
Am I a barn
builder,
primarily
focused on the
present?
2) Am I a kingdom builder, primarily focused on the eternal?
3) Am I rich toward self or "rich toward God"?
2) Am I a kingdom builder, primarily focused on the eternal?
3) Am I rich toward self or "rich toward God"?
What's your fundamental outlook on life today? Are you storing up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal?" (Matthew 6:19). Or are you storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal? (Matthew 6:20).
Today let us commit ourselves to being "rich toward God"! Let us seek first the Kingdom of the resurrected Jesus! Let us build our lives on the solid rock of Jesus and be like the person whom He called the "wise man" (Matthew 7:24).
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, we are
barraged with
colorful ads,
luring
commercials,
and attractive
displays
enticing us to
make grand
purchases.
When "material
things"
consume our
soul they
capture our
passion, our
wallets and
our time. You
have commanded
us to seek
first Your
kingdom and
Your
righteousness
and all these
things will be
added unto us.
As we do so we
will be
generous with
our resources
for the sake
of the
Kingdom. Help
us to be
generous with
our time,
talent, and
treasures so
that Your
kingdom is
enlarged and
our
investments
have eternal
dividend. In
Jesus' name we
pray. Amen.Additional study notes:
1) The parable begins, "The land of a rich man was very productive". We need to remember where all blessings ultimately come from and "Praise God from whom all blessings flow".
2) Brooksyne recalls that when she was growing up she was not allowed to call any person a fool based on Matthew 5:22. The prohibition in Matthew 5:22 is directed to us in regard to calling others a fool. However all standard translations use fool in today's text in regard to what God calls this man. In other places Jesus addresses those whom he calls fools or foolish as well. (For example, Matthew 23:17 and Luke 24:25.)
3) I am intrigued by the man talking to his own soul (verse 19), and wonder if there's a deeper meaning to this? Some versions merely state that he was talking to himself but the Greek clearly states "soul". "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry'."
4) The issue was not his intent to build bigger barns but rather his motivation. What a blessing when God prospers a business or individual but they must remain humble and dependent on God.
5)
"I will
tear down my
barns and
build larger
ones".
Revealing my
analytical
nature I
wonder why he
just didn't
propose
building
additional
larger barns
and still keep
the old barns!
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Build
My Life"
Watch
on YouTube
Pat Barrett
Yesterday
we attended a
luncheon at a
company
honoring
Kenton, a man
who has worked
for the
company 25
years
beginning on
April 1, 1999.
In today's
consideration
of foolish
living we
consider those
who live
responsibly
and
resourcefully.
Don
and Ruth
Harnish.
Brooksyne
who very much
enjoys singing
in the choir
has gotten to
be friends
with Don who
sings bass.
He is 84 and
still works
installing
appliances for
the same
company (which
has morphed
through
several
owners) since
the mid
sixties. As I
recall his
main duty is
installing new
dishwashers.
Ruth and
Brooksyne have
shared recipes
as they both
enjoy working
in the kitchen
and we
husbands are
grateful for
that!
Yesterday
we passed this
church sign in
rural Lebanon
County.
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Weber -
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
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Weber
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Church Road
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Joy, PA 17552
To
donate
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here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering to:
Stephen and
Brooksyne
Weber -
700001-237376
serving in
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chaplaincy
(Daily
Encouragement
is our
endorsed
special
chaplaincy
ministry).Thank
you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Stephen & Brooksyne
2024
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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