Tonight, Your Soul is Required of You

As we talked to person after person, we witnessed how the disaster became a pivotal moment toward the real priorities in life. – Clint Decker

Have you ever read The Parable of the Rich Fool? It is an ancient story Jesus once told. Crowds would often follow Him, and people would ask questions. A young man once asked Jesus to get involved in a personal matter and make his brother divide the family inheritance with him. In response, Jesus made a profound statement, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15, image by Freepik)

Jesus laid His finger on the real issue with the young man. He loved the “stuff” of life too much.

Jesus illustrated His point with a story. He told about a wealthy farmer that had a tremendous harvest. As a result, the farmer said to himself, “‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: 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 ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” (Lk. 12:17-19) But in the midst of his reasoning, Jesus tells the crowd how God spoke to him saying, “‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Lk. 12:20-21)

The story communicated that life is more than the possessions we own. Jesus effectively made the point when He told how the farmer was confronted with his own mortality, and how that all he worked for and owned would stay behind when he entered eternity.

My wife and I witnessed the devastating losses people faced following one of the worst hurricanes in American history. While doing relief work, we saw families who lost everything. All their possessions were suddenly ripped away. As we talked to person after person, we witnessed how the disaster became a pivotal moment toward the real priorities in life.

Why wait to discover this when facing a crisis? Our stuff can sometimes become a distraction. As a result, we may live for today and neglect tomorrow, or in other words, live for what is important to us, rather than what is important to God.

Maybe we do not live for God because we do not know Him. The farmer got a wakeup call to that when God declared, “This night your soul is required of you.” Since He has power over life and death and the present and future, we ought to heed His warning. Let us make knowing God through Jesus our highest priority.

A prayer for you - Creator God, we are sorry we have made things more important than people. We are sorry we have put more trust in the things of this life, rather than you. Take our heart. Wash it clean of all our sin. Become the number one priority in our life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Gambling Away Your Paycheck

Gambling is portrayed as a fun recreational activity that also provides needed public funding for education or other worthy causes. It is deceptively framed as good for society, but at its core gambling is a morally wretched vice. – Clint Decker

“Until my mid-30s, I went to casinos every now and then, maybe once a year. It was fun. But then…” This is the story of a single mom with two kids who was working as a medical professional but had a severe gambling problem. She managed to do it okay until a life crisis, then she started gambling more. Then with the rush of an occasional win, she would go deeper. (Image by Freepik)

During her lowest points, she writes, “I spent a six-figure court settlement in the span of three months and lived in seven places in less than a year. I dated men and essentially had sex for money so that I could continue to gamble. It got to the point where every time I drove back to the casino, I’d think about ways I could hurt myself. The wanting to die consumed me. I thought, ‘If I win, I’ll live. If I don’t, then I can always commit suicide.’ I tried to commit suicide three times.”

Nerd Wallet found that in 2023, 62% of Americans engaged in some form of gambling. In 2024, people forked out $172 billion dollars of their paychecks and retirement savings at casinos, on sports betting, scratch-off lottery tickets and other forms of gambling. Today, the scale of gambling is at a level like never before due to technology and public acceptance.

The gambling industry in partnership with government and business conspired together to produce a masterful public relations strategy. Together they portray gambling as a fun recreational activity that also provides needed public funding for education or other worthy causes. Consequently, it is deceptively framed as good for society, so it is given more access and acceptability. And through it all, the church remains silent.

On the surface it all seems innocent, but at its core gambling is a morally wretched vice. This evil is built on a flashy, well-orchestrated scheme of stealing. Mesmerized by the “get-rich-quick” idea, gamblers give the card dealer, the convenience store clerk or the online website their hard-earned money in return for a false hope, or an occasional jackpot.

This devilish vice is destroying millions of lives. One report I read stated that gambling costs the American economy $14 billion dollars annually, that includes court and healthcare costs along with credit losses to businesses due to gamblers unpaid debts and more. Additionally, gambling can lead to job losses, bankruptcies, fraud, depression, suicide, alcohol and drug abuse. Do you get the picture? Ask any family member of someone who has a gambling problem if they think gambling is just a harmless recreational activity that is for the good of the economy and jobs.

The Scripture is spot on when it comes to gambling saying, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10). The love of money drives this evil of gambling, and its misplaced love has caused people to wander away from their jobs, families and God.

Stop saying, “Just one more time,” or “Just a little bit more.” Admit you have a problem and need help. And the first person you need to go to, is God. He is waiting for you to turn to Him. He sent Jesus to die and rise again for you. However, your love for money and “the rush” from gambling has pushed Him aside. If things remain as they are, then one day you will have to answer to God for what you are doing. But there is still time, and according to His grace and mercy, He offers you forgiveness through the cross of His beloved Son. Receive Him now. Then after you do, look up Gamblers Anonymous to get the additional help you need.

A prayer for you – Lord God, open the eyes of the public to see the dangers of gambling. Let them see the harm it is doing to people’s lives. I pray as well for those caught in its grasp. Deliver them this day. Do a miracle and rescue someone from its tentacles through the power of Jesus. In His name. Amen.

The Fight for Justice

Everyone, it seems, is passionately declaring this or that as just or unjust. It can be confusing. We must be wise and discerning and not easily deceived in our fight for justice. – Clint Decker

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” wrote Martin Luther King, Jr in his letter from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years imprisoned for speaking against South African apartheid, stated in a speech, “As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” And long before King and Mandela, the eloquent Fredrick Douglas said on the 24th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” (Image by Unseen Histories on Unsplash)

When the overwhelming powers of evil are against us, it is part of human nature to rise up and oppose those forces. This is the fight for justice, and throughout human history there have been many noble people who inspired others to stand for what is right.

But today, the fight for justice, or what many call social justice, has a fogginess that has descended upon its battlefield. There are new words and phrases, and new definitions for old words that make our modern call for justice puzzling and divisive. So let us go back to the basics. What exactly is justice?

Speaking about God, the Bible says, “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18) Then God Himself declared, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)

The whole concept of justice comes from God. It is part of who He is. He is holy, eternal, sovereign, and many other things, which are called His attributes. And among those, God is also just. In simple terms it means God is “right” in all He does and thinks. God is right in His judgements, decisions and spoken Word. The places where we see the justice of God is in His relationship with people, and in His expectations of how people should treat one another.

The measuring stick or standard of God’s justice is God Himself. It is what He deems is morally right or wrong, good or evil, just or unjust. The terms “justice” or “social justice” are used much today, especially in higher education, the church, and politics. Everyone, it seems, is passionately declaring this or that as just or unjust. It can be confusing. We must be wise and discerning and not easily deceived…even if someone uses Bible verses to make their case.

Let us ask three questions whenever we hear voices stir up the masses by alleging some form of injustice like racism, dehumanization, inequality, Christian nationalism or something else. Consider these three principles of godly justice.

1. Is the accusation of injustice truthful? Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Seeking the truth is paramount in the call for justice. We must resist immediate judgements based on what the crowds say. Take time to sort through the facts, and be willing to accept the truth, wherever it may lead.

2. Is the accusation of injustice impartial? The Scripture says, “For God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2:11) The pursuit of justice is the pursuit of truth, and that pursuit must be impartial. The call for justice must never favor one race over another, or one economic class over another. Justice must see the truth but be blind to favoritism.

3. Does the accusation of injustice consider the heart? “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) As we pursue the facts and examine if there be any partiality, we must also consider the motives of the heart. Too often we accuse people of injustice without regard to their intent. Instead, we judge.

A prayer for you – Lord God, in the era of social justice where accusations abound, help us to pursue godly justice. Let us search for the truth, be impartial and not judge the hearts of our neighbors. In Jesus’ name. Amen.