You live in a world of commerce, so you expect to pay for the things you want and need, and the range of things available to you for a price is astounding. Yet it is conventional wisdom even for those outside of the church that one thing you cannot buy is love. Have you ever given a substantial amount of money to a friend or family member and found that it didn’t change the basis of the relationship at all? Was this discouraging? But reversing the perspective to those who do not have much money to give, it may be encouraging to know that the lack will not prevent their access to love.

Have you ever been overcome by your misfortunes and asked me why they happened? Do you normally reserve this question for extreme situations, such as the loss of a loved one, or a failed marriage, or bankruptcy or unemployment? Are these honest inquiries or veiled challenges to my love for you? Have you ever reversed the question and considered that you are no better than those who have gone before, so why should you live in a time of peace and prosperity, with an education and information available to you, with a reasonable expectation of a long and healthy life?

Do you want good guidance and counsel? Do you pray for these things? Have you ever had someone you know come up with a bad answer for a situation and stick with it because they had prayed about it? Are you able to avoid this condition in your own life? Praying about something doesn’t release you from the need for counsel and accountability. Don’t you want as many sources of wisdom as you can get for difficult things that affect your life? For you can be wrong in what you think I say, or more likely, interpreting it incorrectly.

Are you familiar with the story of my disciples being rebuked for plucking grains and eating them on the Sabbath while we were walking on our way? This is a lesser known passage of scripture because modern believers are less concerned about keeping the Sabbath and don’t harvest grain to eat while they walk from one place to another. But there is a larger underlying theme emerging from the details of this story. Can you see it? Can you see the principle and apply it to actual situations that you face in your own life? What other Bible stories have lessons that apply to your real life?