“WHERE THE CARCASS IS, THERE THE VULTURES WILL GATHER” Luke 21:34-35.

A peculiar thing happened the day we lost Secret. The magnificent Thoroughbred had been sick for weeks. I saw from the window that morning that her eyes were bloodshot. Then while we talked to the vet, she collapsed. A few minutes later there were buzzards sitting quietly in every tree, where there had been none before.

It was as though a silent alarm went off: “Horse down! Horse down!,” and scavengers flew in from across the county. The huge birds quietly shifted back and forth, waiting for the horse to die. The scripture above, enigmatic and foreboding, reminds me of that day.

Jesus is speaking of the End Times. He says watch the signs. You can predict tomorrow’s weather by today’s clouds. You know it’s summer when the fig tree buds. And “where the carcass is, there the vultures will gather” Matthew 24:28. In other words, if you are searching for a missing person or animal and you see buzzards wheeling in the sky, you will find the body below the buzzards. The carrion birds are a harbinger of death: a SIGN.

But you must be ALERT. Otherwise, you will miss God’s signs—not only the signs of the times, but the SIGNS of God’s work in your life and the lives around you.

We miss what God is doing because we waste our time DISTRACTED: Scrolling. Streaming. Filling EVERY SECOND with entertainment: music while driving, screens while sitting still. How can we expect to hear from God if we always have other voices in our ears? —And we know drinking and drugs destroy our alertness.

But guess what else makes us fail to see God’s work?

WORRY.

“Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, AND WORRIES OF LIFE, or that day will come on you unexpectedly, like a trap” Luke 21:34-35.

STOP THE WORRY. The worries of life DULL YOUR MIND. God wants your mind SHARP so you can see His SIGNS and hear His VOICE.

God, keep us ALERT so we never overlook the signs of Your work. Help us LISTEN WELL to Your voice.

Read Luke 21.

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Abraham Lincoln, a man who read a short list of books, but mastered each, from the Bible to the works of Shakespeare, once quoted this verse about buzzards in a comical and timely manner:

“When Hugh McCulloch, an official of the Treasury Department, introduced a delegation of New York bankers deferentially, he spoke of their patriotism and quoted, in conclusion, what he thought was a suitable text: ‘Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.’ Reacting quickly to this fatuous use of Scripture, Lincoln, without hesitation replied, ‘There is another text, Mr. McCulloch, which might apply, ‘Where the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.’ “

–As quoted in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THEOLOGIAN OF AMERICAN ANGUISH, by D. Elton Trueblood.

BE ALERT! Do You Want Your Mind Dull or Sharp? Luke 21:34-36.

Jesus warns us to be alert. He says don’t be caught unprepared. Don’t be caught in the dark with no oil for your lamp (charge up that flashlight!). Don’t be like a homeowner who did not know when burglars would come. If you are the manager of the house, don’t be asleep when the Owner of the house returns home.

“Be on your guard, so your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly—like a trap…. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place” Luke 21:34-36.

What does Jesus name that causes people to be unprepared? Carousing (defined as “drinking alcohol and enjoying oneself in a noisy, lively way”), drunkenness, and worries.

Isn’t that an interesting list? Carousing and drunkenness fit together naturally. But the third item is the “worries of life.” This sounds like one of those childhood sorting games that begins: “Which of these is not like the others? Carousing, drunkenness, and worries.”

Worries of life seem to have nothing in common with the totally carefree mindset of carousing and drunkenness. But Jesus puts the three together, naming them as three things that dull your mind. He seems to say that when you let your worries distract you, you might as well be drunk—you have totally lost your focus.

Does that sound harsh? This is not a statement of judgment. No one is being condemned. But Jesus is warning us: keep your eyes on Me and My word. Don’t turn aside to the left (alcohol) or to the right (worry)—because both of them will dull your minds, and I don’t want you distracted.

Instead, “Be on the alert at all times, PRAYING that you may have strength….”

Dear God, show us those things that distract us. Help us lay them down and focus on you. Help us to be ALERT at all times and to pray and seek You in all things.

Read Luke 21.

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Are You Alert to the Things of God? Luke 21:28.

While talking about His second coming, Jesus said to be watchful, to pay attention.

“Be on your guard so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, or the worries of life, or that day will come unexpectedly—like a trap” Luke 21:34

Clearly, partying, drinking, and the like can cause you to miss what God is doing. Jesus says to watch the signs around you the way a farmer studies the weather. Pay attention. Do you need God’s wisdom? Do you need direction or answers? I know I do. And you get those by paying attention. Be watchful.

I was thinking about this in the car, while switching the radio stations around. Several have pastors and other ministries preaching and teaching. Those make you think. They make you watchful. Then I turned on music—secular music—and wow, what a contrast. I instantly realized that that music was sort of mind-numbing. It does not make you think or be watchful. In fact, it does the opposite. It makes you shut down completely and turn off your mind.

Jesus says, “Look up and be watchful, for your redemption draweth nigh” Luke 21:28.

If you need to hear God’s voice, tune in to Him. Pay attention. Turn off the things that distract you. Turn off the phone, social media, the internet, secular music, and all the other worldly “noise” that is keeping you from hearing from God.

Ask Him for help. Ask God to help you tune in and to appreciate silence. God has spoken to your mother and me in the car many times, because once you turn off the music it can be a place of quiet reflection. You need quiet places and quiet times in your life. Set aside time every day to talk to God—AND to listen. Shut things off and learn to enjoy a bit of peace and silence. That is when God will speak to you.

Ask Him to help you create peace and quiet and a listening heart. Ask Him to help you love it.

Then get ready to hear His voice!

Read Luke 21.

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HE IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD BUT OF THE LIVING. Luke 20:37-38.

The popularity of a view has no bearing on its truth. For example, if you took a poll at HEB asking about favorite salad dressings, the poll might give you an accurate prediction about sales of salad dressing.

But if you took a poll at HEB asking how online advertising affects the demand curve, vis-à-vis salad dressing, the answers would not be helpful. The average shopper is not in a position to analyze salad-dressing market trends. So what makes us think they know anything about evolution or creation or death or the afterlife?

The popularity of an opinion

is not evidence of its truth.

Instead, ask:

“BUT WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURE SAY?” Romans 4:3.

The Bible has answers. The Bible says we were created by God. And that when we die, we will continue to exist—in one place or the other.

What we will not do is cease to exist. We will not be pushing up daisies. There is something in you, some essential essence, some YOU, that will always exist. And you know that. Somewhere inside, we know that. We know people who die are not simply going to wind up molecules disintegrating in a tomb. They remain OUT THERE. You know it. You feel it in your heart.

“And He has placed eternity in their hearts” Ecclesiastes 3:11.

But the Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. They believed people died and ceased to exist. Jesus told them they were mistaken. There IS an afterlife.

“Even Moses endorsed the resurrection when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ Because God is NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING, for to Him all are alive” Luke 20:37-38.

God, help us be curious, study, and learn more about Heaven by taking our questions to your scriptures every day.

Read Luke 20.

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“RENDER UNTO CAESAR…” Luke 20:22-25.

Like many phrases in the King James Bible, “render unto Caesar” (give to Caesar) has become a well-known idiom, a cliché even. A politician might say it to defend a tax increase. A reporter might characterize fines paid by a factory as “rendering unto Caesar.” But what Jesus said to the Pharisees that day, some 2000 years ago, was not a cliché but a stunning, original word. It was a remarkable comment, so deep and profound, the men were left speechless. They had come to trap him, and He turned the tables. They began with flattery, then posed a trick question:

“Tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus, seeing through their duplicity, said, “Show me a coin. Whose image is this, and whose likeness?”

“Caesar’s.”

“Then render unto Caesar, that which is Caesar’s and render unto God that which is God’s” Luke 20:22-25.

Caesar’s face was recognizable, stamped on the coin—it bore his unique characteristics. Jesus says give to Caesar what belongs to him—the treasure of his kingdom—and give to God what belongs to God, the treasure of HIS Kingdom.

The words “IMAGE” and “LIKENESS” are the keys to this passage. Jesus uses Hebrew words that remind listeners of the first chapter of Genesis[1]:

“Let US make man in our IMAGE, in our LIKENESS… So God created mankind IN HIS OWN IMAGE…” Genesis 1:26-27.

Just as coins—all the treasure in the kingdom—bear the image of the king, so do WE bear the image of the King of Kings. Pay your taxes, yes. But more than that, give your life to the King who made you in His Image. You are His treasure. You belong to Him. Stop fighting the One whose image and characteristics are recognizable all over you. Surrender and render—Give up, and give over.

When those listening to Jesus heard these words, they knew He was saying in effect: give your money, your taxes, to Caesar, but give your life to the God whose image you bear.

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s but render unto God that which is God’s.

God, help us to render unto God that which is God’s.

Read Luke 20.

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[1] I learned about the Hebrew connection to Genesis 1 from a radio broadcast of Chip Ingram.

We Do Not Grieve as Those Who Have No Hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

People die every day. There are illnesses, accidents, crimes. The losses are the most difficult experiences of life on earth. Nothing can interrupt a life and send you into a tailspin like the death of a loved one. Nothing else comes close. Not losing a job, losing a dream, losing a friendship—nothing will rock your world like saying goodbye at the edge of a grave.

However, “We do not grieve like those who have no hope” 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

We know Jesus and we know He conquered death. We have hope in the face of death. We KNOW we will be reunited. We KNOW we will have no more tears. We KNOW there is more to this life than living and dying and pushing up daisies.

“DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory” 1 Corinthians 15:54.

Paul quotes the Old Testament: “O Death, Where is your victory? O Death, Where is your sting?” I Cor. 15:54-55. The resurrection of Jesus and the coming resurrection of His people remove the sting of death.

Death is a paper tiger. It’s not easy—it will always be difficult. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Jesus told the Sadducees they were wrong to doubt the resurrection, to believe people die, go into the grave, and that’s it:

“Moses taught that God IS the God [present tense] of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because to Him all are alive” Luke 20:27-28.

Thank Jesus for HOPE. Thank Him that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We WILL see our loved ones again. We WILL meet ancestors we have so far only heard about. We WILL walk and talk with Jesus and Peter and Paul and Noah. Heaven is your real home and that hope makes every hard day on earth bearable.

Thank God for that hope, and ask Him to help you share it today.

Read Luke 20.

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DO YOU LOVE GOD WITH ‘ALL YOUR MIND,’ MARK 12:30?

God called me to a life of the mind while in high school. I was a cheating, failing student when He arrested my attention, calling me to exercise perfect integrity in my classes. That was the most difficult challenge I had ever faced, a weight I did not think I could lift, but I maxed out daily, pushing as hard as humanly possible. And still I made failing grades—at first. Yet within a year or two, I was a good student in college. But then I faced a new challenge. Christians (ONLY Christians) began to criticize me. Why? Good grades!

I had risen to a challenge that looked impossible. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Congratulations would have been nice.

Instead, Christian friends said I was becoming liberal, I was taking classes too seriously, I had fallen from God. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Without God’s constant help, I would never have earned good grades.

Yet I was judged by close friends. Why? ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM. You’ve heard it: “I don’t have a bunch of degrees. I’m just a simple man who loves Jesus.”[1]

Anti-intellectualism says “What is good are the simple people, the common people, who are supposedly more honest and real than so-called ‘ivory tower’ intellectuals.”[2]

Don’t believe it! What about C.S. Lewis? Jonathan Edwards? Francis Schaeffer? What about Moses? The Apostle Paul, the deep-thinker John, “Doctor Luke,” and of course, Jesus, surely the finest student ever seen during his childhood among Egypt’s greatest scholars.

“Many Christians hold anti-intellectualism a virtue. Truth be told, it is a vice. ‘Anti-intellectualism is, quite simply, a SIN.’”[3]

“You have become lazy… you need milk, not solid food… SOLID FOOD IS FOR THE MATURE” Hebrews 5:11-12,14.

God, give us respect for the hard work of honest scholarship in the hands of a devoted believer.

Read Mark 12.

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[1] But if ORU gives them an honorary doctorate, they will expect to be called “doctor” for the rest of their lives…

[2] Dawson Jerrell, Remnant Radio Online, quoting Os Guinness.

[3] Id.

REJECTED. Mark 12:10-11.

“All of the other reindeer” reject Rudolf because of his freakish nose—then he saves Christmas. And the Ugly Duckling is ugly and awkward and the ducklings reject him. But he grows up to be a SWAN. Abraham Lincoln is similar: critics mocked his appearance, calling the tall, skinny man “the unlikely cross between a windmill and a derrick.” During his lifetime he was not highly regarded; today he is a hero.

Stone masons in Israel constantly sorted rocks: which stones are keepers, which are rejects? Some stones were large and symmetrical, easy to use in a building project, while others were unsuitable. And the most critical stone was the cornerstone. The cornerstone would be carefully placed first, then the entire structure slowly built one-stone-at-a-time from that beginning. Everything begins with the cornerstone.

Jesus compares Himself to one of those stones that is rejected. He quotes Old Testament prophecy:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes!” Mark 12:10-11 (quoting Psalm 118:22-23).

If Jesus is the rejected stone, the builders are the leaders of Israel. They considered Jesus unworthy to be an ordinary stone in the wall. They judged Him an enemy worthy of the death penalty. Yet God made Jesus not merely a stone, but the Chief Cornerstone—everything begins with One Who was rejected.

Imagine—”He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” John 1:12. Israel rejected its Messiah, crucified its Savior. Jesus is that Rejected Stone, but God made Him the Chief Cornerstone. What an amazing turnaround— “and it is marvelous in our eyes.” He was mocked, spat upon, beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross and left to die. Can you imagine a more thorough rejection?

Yet God raised Him up and builds His entire Kingdom on Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone. Everything is based on Jesus.

God, help us when we feel rejected. Help us look to You for comfort. Help us love You more. Redeem us and use us as stones to build Your kingdom.

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MUTINY ON THE PLANTATION. Mark 12:1-12.

Louisiana once boasted many plantations. One was owned by an old man from Virginia. His elderly wife inherited the massive operation but was unwilling to return to the malarial swamps of the Deep South. So he and his son leased the property to sharecroppers, men who would plant cotton and sugar cane and turn the harvest over to the owner.

At the end of the first year, the owner (now a “Planter”) sent men to sell the crops, pay the tenant farmers their share, and return the profits to Virginia. But the sharecroppers sent them away empty-handed. Then he sent a second delegation, and the sharecroppers killed them and buried the evidence. When he heard nothing, the old man sent his son, a respected, powerful man. But the sharecroppers found out the heir was coming. This was their chance: they ambushed him, killed him, and set themselves up as owners. So what did the old man do?

He rounded up a posse—an army of his men—and led them to Louisiana where they hung the sharecroppers, chased off their wives and children, and rented the place to men that could be trusted.

So what is the point? Jesus told this parable to illustrate that Israel had squandered its gifts, killed prophets, and then killed (or would soon kill) God’s Son. Mark 12:1-12. And what would God do? He would send His gospel to the Gentiles—not because they were better, but because the Gospel is the message of hope and salvation for ALL PEOPLE, “the Jew first, but also the Greek” Romans 1:16.

We should strive to read the Bible as though reading it for the first time, or as though we had never heard the stories before.

One of the best ways to read the Bible with fresh eyes is to place its stories in a different context. Consider Athens, Georgia, rather than Athens, Greece. That can breathe new life into the reading and create better understanding.

Thank God for grafting us Gentiles onto a branch of the native tree of Israel.

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My Daily Prayer for You. Mark 12:30-31

My prayer for my family, for my kids, every day:

That you “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength” Mark 12:30-31.

And that you love the Word, read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, and submit yourselves to the authority of God’s Word.

I pray these things for you every day, with a deep, yearning passion. It is my most ardent prayer.

Read Mark 12.

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