The Rich Ruler

Wealth or Heaven?

27 "Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
- Luke 18 : 27

Vitals                

Focuses on: Luke 18:18-30

Job Description:  A Certain Ruler

Significant events in worldly position: Lived a life without committing any huge sin

Aftermath: Grows sad of Jesus's order in giving away his wealth

Is this person one with desirable traits of a Christian?

          In Luke 18:18-30, a wealthy ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus than tells the ruler of the commandments that he needed to follow such as not committing adultery, not murdering, not stealing, etc. The ruler would reply to Jesus stating that he has kept all of these. Christ would than follow by telling the ruler to sell everything he has to the poor, than he will have a spot in Heaven. The ruler would be very reluctant to do so and would grow really sad. He than talks about how hard it is to reach salvation. 

          This one caught me a bit. Not because of how selfish the ruler was, but because the way the ruler reacted would've been the way that I would've reacted. The Rich Ruler is the featured "Servant of The Weak" because of what a dilemma he was in. 

          Of course, everybody's taught to do as well as they can. Do well in studies, do well during office hours, do well during any moment of the day. All of this is done so that one day in the future, a fat paycheck could be earned. That's exactly what the rich ruler did during his life. 

          He said that he followed all of the commandments since he was a boy. That combined with the fact that he's currently a rich ruler means that he had to deal with quite a lot to get to his position. But after all that, Jesus told him to simply give it all up, without any hesitation if he wanted to go to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

          With all honesty, if I was the rich ruler, I certainly would not have given it up. Possibly, I would've spared some change to the poor. But offering every last penny? Throwing all my success across the room just like that? That's ridiculous. 

          I worked hard for what I have, I best keep it all shouldn't I?

          As much sense as that makes, that's wrong. Just like the the rich man in the parable featuring Lazarus, we need to find it within ourselves that no material belonging in the world is of any value compared to what's really important. There's really only two things that are important once some thought is put into it, God and people.

          All these nice clothes, watches, and houses are all nice, but can those things be taken with us once life is over? They can't. 

          The ruler is this entry struggled mightily on the task of pouring away all of his wealth to the poor. But wealth alone is nothing compared to the sacrifice that was made by that one guy. Jesus gave up everything on that day when he was crucified. To not even want to give up our money just shows how flawed we all are. We have to realize that nobody can do this alone by themselves. In Luke 18:27, it says "What is impossible with men is possible with God." We have to exchange everything. We have to lay it all down, wealth or burden, at the foot of the cross, because Jesus laid it all down for us. 

Jonah

1 "But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry."
Jonah 4

Vitals                

Focuses on: Book of Jonah

Job Description:  A Prophet

Significant events in worldly position: Spent 3 days and 3 nights in a giant fish and delivered a message to Nineveh 

Aftermath: Becomes angry about God's compassion to the people of Nineveh

Is this person one with desirable traits of a Christian?

          The book of Jonah definitely has some interesting events. Most notably of how a guy was able to spend three days and three nights inside a fish and come out alive. So unexpected.

          This book tells of the prophet named Jonah. He would deliver messages and let people know of God's word. However, the story begins with God telling Jonah to preach to Nineveh, which was described as "wicked". Jonah did not do as the lord said and instead headed to Tarshish, which was awaay from Nineveh. As he was traveling, his ship gets caught in a storm. The storm was so violent that Jonah knew that God was angry with him. His shipmates throw him off to calm the weather. Once Jonah is at sea, he gets swallowed up by a "giant fish". Whoe. Within the corners of the fish's stomach, Jonah prays to his lord. God than tells the fish to vomit out Jonah. Once Jonah was out, he was able to go to Nineveh and finally deliver the message. That message would save Nineveh and rid them of their evil ways. However, Jonah was not happy. Jonah was not happy that God did not punish Nineveh. He wanted Nineveh to fall but God elected to not destroy the city. Jonah throws a fit afterwards.

          Jonah is the featured "Servant of The Weak" because he lacked to show a trait that is extremely important and that is forgiveness. 

          Towards the end of the story, Jonah becomes angry at the Ninevites because he believes that they should just be forsaken for their past ways. Even though he delivered the message, he did not like Nineveh. 

          Jonah didn't care about how the Ninevites came to their senses and repented. He still had the perspective that Nineveh was just plain no-good. He didn't want to give them a second chance.

          But you have to remember, this whole story started with Jonah disobeying God. He refused to preach to Nineveh and he turned his back to the lord. That was the reason he got stuck inside the fish in the first place.

          But God decided to forgive Jonah and save him from being digested. God was showing mercy. God will once again show mercy when he tells Jonah that he isn't going to bring destruction upon the city of Nineveh. 

          Jonah responds by complaining and telling God that he "is angry enough to die". He must really like not Nineveh.

          But the problem that Jonah has is similar to what everybody has, hatred. It's probably safe to say that Jonah hated Nineveh as he wanted the city to be destroyed. Jonah's hatred was what led to his refusal to forgive the Nineveh people. Jonah had a grudge within him that prevented him to let it go. 

          We as Christians have to go by life striving to forgive others. There simply is no use, there simply is no time for anybody to waste their time pondering about how they can't forgive somebody.  That's only going to lead to unnecessary and complications. There really isn't nothing to be mad about once someone says their sorry and agree to change their ways. God made us so that we are all equal and that nobody as more chances nor does anybody has less chances.

          God doesn't play favorites, this is what makes him great. No matter how much power and authority he holds under his command, he will forgive you and offer you a second chance. The generosity that God showed in this story is why God is such a benevolent king and why the quantity of how much he loves us is to another degree.  

          

          

The Lost Son

21" The son said to him, 'Father. I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "
- Luke 15:21 


Vitals                
Focuses on: Luke 15:11-32
Job Description:  A son who asked his father for his father's wealth and left home to indulge himself
Significant events in worldly position: Came back home 
Aftermath: Had a party held by his father to celebrate his return

Is this person one with desirable traits of a Christian?

          A dad's always looking out for his child. It seems that it doesn't matter how badly his child messes up as the father always seems to forgive his kid's mistakes. 
          A perfect example of this is in Luke 15:11-32, when a boy asked his father for his share of property. The father would grant his son's wishes. The son would than leave home and set off far away to enjoy his newly given riches. It wouldn't be long before a famine hits his current area and  he ends up living in extremely poor conditions. Realizing that he had slipped up, he goes back to his father in hopes that he will be able work for his father. Coming back and taking in the pleasure of being his child again was out of the question in his mind at that point. Little did he know, as soon as his father saw his lost son, he leaped and ran out to welcome his son back. Not only that, he throws a huge banquet just to honor the return of his child. 
          The father in this parable is easily a man of many righteous characteristics. But the "Servant of The Weak" is the son not because of how great of a person he was, but because of how he was able to find it in himself to come back home.  The son demonstrated repentance and desperation, to recognize your undoings and go to who you truly need. In the situation that he was in, suffering would've been inevitable if he would've chose not to return.
          When the son asked his father if he could have his share of the property, it was a huge gesture of disrespect. The son asked for his father's inheritance, which are things given away after one's death. The son asking such a question left a message to his father that his son doesn't care about him. The only thing that the son was interested in was the material belongings that were currently under the possession of his parent. Despite this, the father simply just gave him what he asked for. 
          To add insult to injury, the son would later leave to another country after he got what he wanted. That's two unbelievably horrible acts that a child could ever do to his father. Taking his inheritance and running away. He committed acts that were despicable to immense levels.
          But, as bad as that sounds, all people are like the son at some point in their life. Some more than others, but it's part of human nature to disregard anybody in order to fulfill your personal desires. 
          The son simply did what he wanted and he was able to get away with it. However, once that famine struck, he basically had nothing left. He worked to feed pigs, but he was hungry, he wasn't going anywhere being in where he was. The key was the moment of realization when he came to his senses to come back. He was in a situation where there was really no other option left. He was desperate. 
          His return basically summed up everything. The pivotal point of the son's life was when he cried to his father for forgiveness. Needless to say, his father forgave him and the son was able to live comfortably once again. 
          That's sort of how we are all. We're all in a situation where we have nowhere to go unless somebody saves us. Everybody is born with origins of sin. But it doesn't matter of what we did in the past and how dark it may have been. What's important is that repentance happens because life is filled with situations where we are hopeless by ourselves. We are put into circumstances that render us useless by ourselves.
          We cannot go by living on our own. Sooner or later, we'll all find ourselves placed into a dilemma just like the lost son. 
          What matters isn't about how scornful we had been, what's important is that we learn to call to God for help. It's only than can our prayers be answered. Once you call for help, I guarantee you that the Lord will come to rescue.

          

Daniel

"Daniel's Answer to The King" by Briton Riviere

"23The King was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God."
-Daniel 6:23 






Vitals
Focuses on : Daniel 6
Job Description : Man appointed to a high official position because of his talents(notably dream interpreting)
Significant events in worldly position : Interpreted dreams and messages to Kings, defied the King's law of praying to nobody but the King for 30 days
Aftermath: Exited the lion's den without sustaining any form of injury
Is this person one with desirable traits of a Christian?

          The book of Daniel has a bunch of interesting stories with many diverse themes. The one that caught my eye the most was the situation of Daniel in the lion's den which is in chapter 6 of Daniel. The story takes place under the reign of King Darius. Because of Daniel's history filled with exceptional deeds, the King favored Daniel and put him in a position more distinguished than any administrator or satrap that was out there. These people with less authority than Daniel wanted to expose him for any negative trait that they could find. They eventually pin-pointed his faith in God as a target. They persuaded King Darius to issue a law that anyone who prays to anybody other than the King himself will be sent to the den of the lions. Daniel would neglect the content of that command and continue to pray three times everyday. He would be caught much to the dismay of King Darius who liked Daniel. Daniel would spend the night in the lion's den only to be discovered by a jubilant Darius in the morning to be still alive. Daniel told him that his God had sent an Angel to save him from the lions. The accusers that wanted to rid the kingdom of Daniel would than be sent to the lion's den, where they would be brutally ripped apart. 

          In life, there will always be people who will wish to persecute you and set you up in a situation where nothing but death seems to be in store for you. Daniel is this week's featured "Servant of The Weak" because he didn't care about the law, he insisted on praying and defying the King's decree. He put himself in danger just because of how much he loved God and the end result would work out for Daniel because of his powerful belief.  

          It's just amazing at what Daniel really did in this chapter. An order from the highest power in the kingdom was given, it was an expectation to be obliged to these rules. Daniel chose to turn the other way and continue to pray to God. And the punishment wasn't a simple five-dollar fine or two hours of community service, it was sleeping with the lions which is pretty much identical to a death penalty. Despite knowing all of this, Daniel just acted as if the decree was never made, he knew what he was getting himself into.

          If there was any sort of law to charge someone when you pray, I'd probably be hesitant to do it. If anything, I'll probably do it when nobody's looking. That wasn't the case for Daniel, he just pretended like nothing happened. He didn't hide it, he allowed himself to be seen by the accusers. He just didn't let any elements of this command to change his routine whatsoever.

          When Daniel was sent to the animal cage, everybody thought it was over with for him. I mean, who in the world can spend a whole night with hungry beasts such as lions? But someone like Daniel was able to do it. Still, Daniel didn't protect himself by scaring, slaying, or amusing the lions in any fashion. He really didn't do anything at all, he just remained there. Daniel claims that an angel was sent to cover the mouths of the lions. This just really goes to show how great God is, God was able to shield Daniel from the blood-thirsty lions and safety was the only thing that happened to Daniel throughout his time inside. 

           Daniel is a considerably strong example of how to act in times of distress. It was illegal to pray and what did Daniel do? He prayed. Lions were going to absolutely destroy him and Daniel didn't have to do anything. He put all his trust in God and his life was saved.

            The force of a prayer can be tremendous. It's powerful enough to hold off a pack of lions from eating a man. The horror of being persecuted can really get into your skin, but you have to remember this. It's a symbol of your strength when you express your faith in moments of peril. 

          In Matt 5:10 the beatitudes actually say that persecution is a positive thing. 

          "10Blessed are those who are persecuted

                     because of their righteousness,

               for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

         No matter how bad it looks, we just have to think and look at the huge picture that it can't actually be that bad. If we stop and ponder for a second, we will be able to realize that the impact of how bad things could be have a limit. A problem or conflict might be overwhelming at first, but putting our trust in God is how one can rise above it all.

          Daniel could've cared less about the decree. He knew that he was going to be okay because he knew his God in whom he prayed for. He had nothing to fear of because he knew that he was under God's wing and God will never let go.              

Thanks Maria Lim for telling me about this chapter!

King Nebuchadnezzar

"33Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird."
-Daniel 4:33


Vitals
Focuses on : Daniel 1- 4
Job Description : King of Babylon

Significant events in worldly position :

• Had dreams interpreted by Daniel
• Attempted to have Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego thrown into a furnace
• Driven away from people and lived with wild animals for seven years
• Praised God 

Aftermath: Was returned back to his throne now with sanity and the state of mind to glorify God


Is he one with desirable traits of a Christian?
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          In the book of Daniel 1-4, King Nebuchadnezzar is featured greatly. The king of Babylon certainly encountered a series of unexpected events in his life. He would live a majority of his life in a pretty corrupt manner. In chapter 2, he has a dream and cannot understand what it means. He calls for magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to help him  grab a sense of what his dream means. When the astrologers told him that a task like that is impossible, Nebuchadnezzar became furious and ordered all of the wise men in Babylon to be executed. Daniel would eventually help the king interpret his dream. In chapter 3, he built a gold statue of 90 feet high. He made a decree that whenever the people would hear music, they were to bow down and worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar has made. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (the three men who Daniel trained with in chapter one) refused to bow to the golden image. King Nebuchadnezzar would have these three men thrown into a blazing hot furnace. Needless to say, they would come out of the furnace with no scent of fire on them for an angel came down to rescue their bodies. 

          Probably the most important event for Nebuchadnezzar came during chapter four. The king would have another dream to be interpreted by Daniel. Daniel would tell him that dream's meaning is that he will be "driven away from his people and live with wild animals". He would "eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven". Daniel tells of how he will be in that state for seven years until he acknowledges God. The prophet than proceeds to advice the king to "renounce his sins" so that his current life may continue. Evidently, King Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't take Daniel's advice as 12 months later, Daniel's prediction would come true. At the end, Nebuchadnezzar would recognize God and glorify him which in turn would give him back his sanity. He was returned back to his throne and became better than ever. 

          Most of the descriptions regarding the king of Babylon would show that he wasn't exactly a man of moral perfection. King Nebuchadnezzar is the featured "Servant of the Weak" because he is a good example that you shouldn't choose to take the path of exalting God only when you're in a rather sticky situation.

          King Nebuchadnezzar was able to enjoy many luxurious things because he was the guy in charge. He did anything as he pleased ranging from summoning the services of any specialized professional to building a golden statue that's bigger than my house. He had the power to get his hands on just about everything.

          However, despite how comfortable his living conditions were, he was not a good man. All the actions that he did in the book of Daniel shows that Nebuchadnezzar was not a pure individual at all. Too be honest, the stuff that he did in this book shows that he's a complete wretch. Just think about the things he does in order to get his way, whenever somebody fails to follow his orders, he executes them. The manner in which he approached others show that he basically has no heart. Not a single sign of humanity was shown during his rule before he turned absolutely insane for seven years.

          Nebuchadnezzar is pretty much a typical king of any nation. He only really loved three things, luxury, people serving him, himself. All king Nebuchadnezzar cared for and did was based on his own appeal. Everything that happened was all about himself. He didn't give a rat's tail about others because he went about life with the mentality that he was the center of everything. It's shown by his deeds, he would resort to death penalties in order for him to have his way.

          King Nebuchadnezzar would only improve his kindness after seven years of wildlife. It took him that long before he finally gave notice to God and worshiped him! It took torment of such immense degrees to wake him up. 

          Even though Nebuchadnezzar would eventually be guided to the holy path, it shouldn't be that difficult. This is why Nebuchadnezzar lacks ideal characteristics of a firm believer in God. The sovereign  Lord should always be on your mind no matter what happens. Whether it's before, during, or after a drastic situation. It's a lifestyle to have God in your life, it shouldn't be a method to get out of a problem. His whole life prior to his turning point was scornful to say the least and that shouldn't happen. A mentality to be loving and God-fearing is supposed to be the outline of your entire mind.        

          It's great that Nebuchadnezzar was able to renounce his sins and realize what is truly important. But it's a problem when you acknowledge God only when you are in deep trouble. God should be in your mind 24/7 and not as a ticket to get out of a stressful situation. God should be in you all the time. He should be your everything.

Lazarus

"20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores."
- Luke 16:20-12


Vitals
Found in : Luke 16:19-31                                                        

Job Description : Beggar who had sores licked by dogs


Significant events in worldly position : Endured lifelong sequences of events related to poverty and sickness


Aftermath : Carried by the angels to Abraham's Bosom (Salvation)


Is he one with desirable traits of a Christian?    

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          In the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31, a parable is told about a wealthy man living in great comfort everyday and a beggar who was never offered anything by the wealthy man. After both individuals had died, Lazarus was able to have angels carry him to Abraham’s bosom. The wealthy man, was forsaken and was in torment within the flames of Hell. The wealthy man calls for Lazarus to offer some water for the tip of his finger, Abraham told the wealthy man that Lazarus cannot do that. Abraham states that he had enjoyed a life filled with wonderful things and Lazarus had to endure his difficulties in his life. The wealthy man would then beg for him to send Lazarus down in hopes that he would warn his five brothers to repent and save themselves. Abraham would deny that and tell him that if they don’t listen to the prophets, they won’t repent even if they are warned. 
          This parable contains a wide assortment of influential themes of how Christians should live. Lazarus is the featured "Servant of The Weak" because he suffered in his life time, accepted God's plan, and ultimately enjoyed the comfort of holy paradise.
          Simply imagine yourself in the position that Lazarus was in. Exactly, you really can't, Lazarus was below the dumps. He was a beggar which meant that he was basically useless. "Suffer" probably isn't even the right word for what Lazarus was going through. This man had to undergo his life in absolute agony. I can't even imagine a minute being like Lazarus. This is what makes Lazarus one with ideal characteristics of a Christian. He decided to not live a life that was surrounded with fine linen and luxury. He chose to be a complete bum and live in horrendous conditions. He didn't complain or did anything that showed resentment toward his lifestyle. He accepted and embraced the road that God had made for him. This is what we as Christians need to think about when our lives just plainly suck. We have to realize that life isn't about how much linen and luxury we have. We have to realize that life isn't of our control and it is fully on God's judgement . 
          You have to ask yourself this question. Do I really want to live like Lazarus? The answer to that is Hell no. But than you have to ask yourself another question, Do I trust God? Too be honest with you, I do trust God but I definitely don't want to be living a life such as Lazarus. It's just tough to really swallow up what happens once you have reached that point in your life where you have discovered the truth. 
          I'm sure Lazarus was in extreme sorrow when he had finally grasped a hold of what God wanted of him in his worldly time on Earth. However, that's the key term to it all; "Worldly time". It might drive you in misery to excessive degrees but you have to just keep saying this to yourself "Worldly time". 
          What happened after death for Lazarus would make everything crystal clear. Lazarus was able to be guided by angels to the Promiseland. Despite residing in a house of utter torment as what could only be described as a loser, Lazarus was able to emerge out of life as a true winner. 
          So I'll simply leave you with this, next time in your daily routine life. When the direction of your plans don't travel along the route you want it to and you feel as if everything's against you. Don't despise it but rather EMBRACE IT.  
          Just like Lazarus, God has made a way for each and every individual and will see to it that everything is going to be alright.