Building on the Foundation

  In Luke 16:10-12, following the parable of the unjust steward, Yeshua/Jesus told us, 10 “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? There are at least two things we can conclude from this statement. First, we must love, obey, and be faithful to our Creator in all things, no matter how big or how small. Secondly, we must not waste our Master’s goods, but be good stewards of the blessings He has bestowed upon us. In a previous blog post , we examined how to be good stewards of the physical bodies and health that God has blessed us with. In this one, let’s examine the specific topic of Jesus’ statement: money. How can we be good stewards of the money and physical possessions He has given u...

 Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, and Luke 18:25 contain the following statement from Yeshua/Jesus: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Though the meaning is clear, the analogy is somewhat puzzling. The meaning is straightforward enough: it's very difficult for a wealthy man to enter the Kingdom of God. Prizing one's physical possessions may distract us from following God, and may even give us the illusion that we don't need God. For this reason, we find the following prayer in the Book of Proverbs: "Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches— feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Prov. 30:7-9). Why a camel passing through the eye of a needle, though? Some have suggested that "th...