parables

Don’t Forget to Pray!

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And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Luke 18:1

Did you ever feel like just giving up on something you have been praying for? There are times I can’t even think of a single reason why God would want to listen to me when there are people with far greater needs and who have much more faith than me. And so Jesus knowing how easy wat is for us to give up praying told a story about a widow and a judge. This widow had a lot in common with most of us. She wasn’t well connected, rich or powerful and besides everything else, the only person she could turn to for help was a corrupt politician!

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In face of that most of us would have thrown in the towel, moved away or started complaining to our neighbors. But she wouldn’t quit. Instead, every morning she went down to the judge’s house and knocked on his door. She knew that he was not a good guy and that he didn’t want to help her out. But despite the odds she kept asking him, “I need a protection from abuse order from my enemies.!” Now some would not have wanted to keep bothering the judge. Maybe we would have tried to make friends with him first. But she decided that driving him crazy was the quickest way to get his attention just long enough so he would just do his job! And guess what? Despite all the odds the judge finally threw up his hands one morning shouting; “Oi vey! Alright already! I’ll give you what you want!”

Then Jesus reminds us that when we pray God is not like that judge at all. Instead God who is our judge is good! He wants to listen! God loves to answer our prayers. So why should we ever give up? Why should we should ever think He doesn’t care? God is listening and if we are faithful to knock on His door every morning He will answer us one day in ways far greater than we can ever imagine!

Don’t Forget to Pray by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved

Pulling out Those Pesky Thorns!

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Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.             Matthew 13:7 ESV

Thorns come with a wide variety of nasty consequences to their recipients. From the big ones that roses hide beneath their blossoms to the tiniest that coat the stems of stinging nettles, they are designed to cause pain. Why would any farmer choose to plant in such a place? Oh that is because without his knowing the thorn’s seeds are carried by the wind and rain and bed themselves down in the same nicely plowed field as the wheat or corn.

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The message for us is that we not only need for things to be taken out of our field, like rocks and roots, but we need to watch out for what comes in. It is not only about having good soil; it is also about guarding against bad seeds. Living for Jesus isn’t complicated. Wrong motivations, temptations and sin are constantly working to try and make our lives seem more complex than they really need to be. So how do we pull out those thorns from our lives? Paul’s message to his friend Timothy makes it simple. Focus on the things that matter to God and He will take care of the harvest!

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

Pearl of Greatest Price

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 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 KJV

As a business man I have always been intrigued and drawn to this story. Though there are many different kinds of businesses all of us strive to make a profit. But Jesus isn’t talking about money and profit, He is saying that spiritually we have a lot from this merchant. This man had some values that Jesus wanted us to look at and follow.

First; he was looking for the most beautiful pearls. His customers were not interested in  the cheaper flawed pearls which he could easily find. So we need to ask ourselves: “Are we just looking for second best in spiritual things? Are we willing to settle for easy?”

The old saying, “You get what you pay for.” stands true also in spiritual matters. If we buy cheap we get flawed merchandise that will not last either in the here and now or in God’s kingdom. The difference between that story and our spiritual situation is that we do not have anything to pay the price necessary for eternal life. Only Jesus who is our pearl of greatest price can pay. So why settle for lesser things when Jesus is offering us God’s best. He is only asking that we invest all our hope and trust in Him. Then we will find that our Savior Jesus Christ; the true pearl of greatest price is our inheritance which is of infinite value in Heaven.

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