Latest / WPEL On Demand / The Land and the Book - Our Ultimate Treasure
Transcript
- 0:08S1: What's your ultimate treasure? Now, if your instinct is to
- 0:11S1: answer Jesus, be careful because, well, your spending habits might
- 0:16S1: show otherwise, so might your time investments. What exactly does
- 0:20S1: it mean to make Christ our ultimate treasure? What does
- 0:23S1: that look like when it comes to our saving and spending?
- 0:25S1: We'll talk about that along with every headline you need
- 0:28S1: to know about the Middle East coming up. Our program
- 0:31S1: is called The Land and the book. We're blessed to
- 0:33S1: have a host who's spent a ton of time in
- 0:36S1: the Middle East, Doctor Charlie Dyer, and I'm John Yeager. Charlie,
- 0:39S1: for somebody who is new, listening to us today for
- 0:42S1: the very first time, give us a quick overview of
- 0:44S1: what they can expect today.
- 0:46S2: Yeah, this is a one hour trip to Israel is
- 0:48S2: what I like to think of it. As for the
- 0:50S2: first part, we're going to talk about current events, what
- 0:52S2: is happening in Israel that they need to know. And
- 0:54S2: then your interview with a fascinating guest who will help
- 0:57S2: them understand not just Israel, but the Bible and how
- 1:00S2: we can live. A third part. We have Jerry Peterman here,
- 1:03S2: Doctor Peterman, and he's going to answer questions that you
- 1:06S2: have on the Bible, on theology, on on whatever it
- 1:09S2: is that's interesting to you. Uh, he'll provide an answer.
- 1:11S2: And then finally we go to a spot in Israel.
- 1:14S2: We open the Word of God, look over the site
- 1:17S2: and share God's word and the difference it can make
- 1:19S2: in our lives today.
- 1:20S1: So it's a full program, as always, and we invite
- 1:23S1: you to stick with us throughout. Hey, imagine sailing the
- 1:26S1: Sea of Galilee, standing where David faced Goliath, floating in
- 1:30S1: the Dead Sea, or walking the stone streets of Jerusalem's
- 1:34S1: Old City. You've read about these places, but in May 2027,
- 1:38S1: our friends at Life in Messiah are inviting you to
- 1:41S1: experience them for yourself. During this study trip, you'll walk
- 1:44S1: through the places where the biblical story unfolded as familiar
- 1:48S1: passages move from black and white into vivid color.
- 1:52S2: Yeah, you get to join Bible teachers Levi Hazen and
- 1:54S2: Jared Hall, who will help connect the history, geography, archaeology
- 1:59S2: and Jewish context of the land to the Bible, along
- 2:02S2: with a licensed Israeli tour guide. This will be more
- 2:05S2: than just a journey to biblical sites. Along the way,
- 2:07S2: you'll also experience the land through life and Messiah's mission
- 2:11S2: of sharing God's heart for the Jewish people. If Israel
- 2:14S2: has been on your heart and your bucket list, consider
- 2:17S2: joining life in Messiah for this unforgettable journey together. The
- 2:21S2: trip is May 1 to 14, 2027, and registration closes
- 2:26S2: December 31st. See the land. Understand the story. Love the people.
- 2:31S2: For more information and to register, go to lifeline messiah.org
- 2:36S2: and then click on the moody radio icon there. That's
- 2:38S2: life in messiah.org.
- 2:41S1: And now a look at current events, all based in
- 2:43S1: the Middle East, all from this week with the U.S.
- 2:46S1: midterm elections now over. Does this mean the conflict with
- 2:49S1: Iran is about to heat up, or could a peaceful
- 2:53S1: resolution actually be just over the horizon?
- 2:56S2: The answer is that, at least right now, both options
- 2:59S2: are still possible in terms of renewed conflict. The US
- 3:02S2: has been quietly rebuilding its forces in the region just
- 3:06S2: over a week ago. Ten U.S. military transport planes landed
- 3:10S2: at Israeli air bases, likely helping to beef up our
- 3:13S2: air defenses, and a third aircraft carrier is heading to
- 3:16S2: the region. The U.S. continues conducting defensive strikes against Iranian targets.
- 3:21S2: Earlier this week, an Iranian missile site was struck after
- 3:24S2: it launched a surface to air missile against our forces.
- 3:27S2: President Trump has said that while the U.S. is holding
- 3:29S2: back on further action right now to prevent a great
- 3:32S2: loss of life, a decisive blow could be coming soon.
- 3:36S2: But at the same time, both the president and vice
- 3:39S2: president are voicing optimism over a possible deal. Vance said
- 3:43S2: the U.S. is feeling pretty good about the prospects of
- 3:45S2: a deal following conversations with the Iranians, and Trump said
- 3:49S2: Iran wants a settlement as soon as possible and that it, quote,
- 3:52S2: could happen. Crude oil prices began falling as the market
- 3:56S2: responded with hopes that a diplomatic settlement might be reached.
- 4:00S2: What might a settlement look like? Well, apparently Iran would
- 4:03S2: open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for U.S. sanctions relief.
- 4:07S2: This would then be followed by comprehensive nuclear talks. One
- 4:11S2: concern in all this is how it will impact Israel.
- 4:14S2: Right now, Iran has 1700 ballistic missiles in its arsenal,
- 4:18S2: capable of reaching Israel and an additional 80,000 drones. And
- 4:23S2: President Trump's surprise announcement that the U.S. will end military
- 4:26S2: aid to Israel at the end of the year has
- 4:29S2: caused additional concern as Israelis try to process exactly what
- 4:33S2: that announcement means for their defenses. Now, that broad statement
- 4:37S2: could get modified as specific questions are raised. But it
- 4:40S2: does send a signal that the current administration might be
- 4:43S2: looking for ways to pull back from the Middle East,
- 4:46S2: including its strong support for long standing allies. Israel still
- 4:50S2: sees Iran as a strategic threat, and they're concerned that
- 4:53S2: this decision sends the wrong message at just the wrong time.
- 4:57S2: From a biblical perspective, though, we know God's promises to
- 5:00S2: Israel don't depend on the US. It's actually the other
- 5:03S2: way around. If we want God's blessing on our country,
- 5:07S2: we need to make sure we don't turn against the
- 5:09S2: Jewish people. God made a promise to Abraham and his
- 5:12S2: descendants in Genesis 123. And that promise is still in effect.
- 5:17S1: Well, Israel's elections are done and the process of forming
- 5:20S1: a new government is underway. Looking back, what are the
- 5:24S1: key takeaways from the election itself, and what do we
- 5:27S1: know so far about the possible outcome of the current process?
- 5:31S2: Well, I see three major takeaways. First, Netanyahu and the
- 5:34S2: Likud party surprised everyone by winning the largest number of
- 5:37S2: seats in the Knesset, 27 versus 21 for Eisenkot and
- 5:42S2: his party. Second, the Arab Party surprised everyone by winning
- 5:46S2: an all time high of 19 seats. That's almost double
- 5:50S2: the number from the last Knesset. And third, the biggest
- 5:53S2: loser in the election was the ultra-Orthodox party Shas. They
- 5:57S2: received 30% fewer votes than in the last election and
- 6:01S2: dropped from 11 seats to just six. The end result
- 6:04S2: is that Netanyahu's traditional coalition ended up with 53 seats,
- 6:09S2: and the Anti-netanyahu bloc ended up with 48. Both are
- 6:12S2: short of the 61 needed to form a working coalition,
- 6:16S2: and forming that coalition isn't going to be easy. One
- 6:19S2: possible way Eisenkot can gain a majority is by striking
- 6:23S2: some kind of deal with some or all of the
- 6:25S2: Arab parties. Even if they don't become part of the coalition,
- 6:28S2: they could be willing to vote for Eisenkot as prime
- 6:31S2: minister to force Netanyahu out of office, and then they
- 6:34S2: could agree to support some of Eisenkot proposals in exchange
- 6:38S2: for the new government's support for key Arab issues. But
- 6:41S2: the potential spoiler in all this is Avigdor Lieberman and
- 6:45S2: his Yisrael Beiteinu party. He said he would not join
- 6:48S2: with the Arab parties, even if they're not officially part
- 6:51S2: of the coalition. Other creative options are being suggested, but
- 6:55S2: they also have difficulties. Some have suggested Eisenkopf could woo
- 6:58S2: one of the ultra-Orthodox parties to abandon Netanyahu and join him,
- 7:03S2: but the price for that could be allowing yeshiva students
- 7:05S2: to be exempted from military service. And several of Eisenkot,
- 7:09S2: its coalition partners, had campaigned on the promise that that
- 7:12S2: would never happen unless someone can pull a rabbit out
- 7:15S2: of the hat. There really seemed to be only three
- 7:17S2: options remaining. The first is to form a minority government
- 7:21S2: with unofficial Arab support, but it would be a shaky
- 7:24S2: government that would likely only survive a short time before collapsing.
- 7:28S2: They're calling this a national emergency government, and the goal
- 7:31S2: would be to replace Netanyahu and eliminate many of his policies.
- 7:35S2: The second option is for Eisenkot, Bennett, Lapid and Lieberman
- 7:39S2: to walk back from their earlier pledges and agree to
- 7:41S2: form a government with Netanyahu. The price for this could
- 7:44S2: be having Netanyahu remain as prime minister. And right now,
- 7:47S2: that doesn't seem very likely. And the third option is
- 7:51S2: to admit defeat and call another round of elections, hoping
- 7:54S2: the results will somehow be different. It doesn't look good
- 7:57S2: for any of those options.
- 7:58S1: From Moody Radio. This is the land and the book.
- 8:01S1: We're looking at current events in this opening segment. 18
- 8:04S1: months ago, we reported on an Israeli startup working to
- 8:07S1: develop an operating system to power quantum computers. What's the
- 8:11S1: latest news on that company? Classic Technologies.
- 8:15S2: You know, along with AI, quantum computing is said to
- 8:18S2: be part of the next revolution in computing. But right now,
- 8:21S2: there are only 117 quantum computers worldwide. They're limited by
- 8:26S2: their high cost and by the complex programming required to
- 8:29S2: operate them. Classic technologies goal has been to develop a
- 8:33S2: computer interface that would be the quantum equivalent of Microsoft's
- 8:37S2: Windows operating system. Their operating software would power quantum computer applications,
- 8:43S2: just like Microsoft did for applications on PCs. Their software
- 8:47S2: platform would help data scientists, computational scientists and engineers develop
- 8:52S2: software without worrying about how to interface with the quantum
- 8:55S2: hardware underneath. The system they've developed will also allow applications
- 8:59S2: to operate across the hardware of multiple quantum computing systems.
- 9:04S2: The approach has been validated as Intel has agreed to
- 9:07S2: buy classic, reportedly for $2.2 billion. The deal is expected
- 9:11S2: to close the first half of the coming year. Classics
- 9:14S2: customer base already includes major clients in banking, automotive, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals,
- 9:20S2: and professional services. Intel is betting the software from Classic
- 9:24S2: Technologies will revolutionize quantum computing. And of course, no surprise,
- 9:28S2: it's being developed in amazing Israel.
- 9:31S1: All right. A state controlled factory operating year round to
- 9:35S1: produce everything from cloth to dyes to the manufacture of
- 9:39S1: olive oil. Sounds quite modern, but this factory was in
- 9:42S1: operation 2800 years ago in northern Israel. Tell us about
- 9:47S1: the latest archaeological discoveries at Tel Shikmona?
- 9:51S2: Well, Tel Shikmona is a small archaeological site located on
- 9:54S2: the nose of Mount Carmel, where it sticks out into
- 9:57S2: the Mediterranean. It was known to be a site specializing
- 10:00S2: in the production of purple and red dyes made from
- 10:02S2: sea snails, but the archaeologists have also discovered evidence of
- 10:05S2: other activities taking place at the site at the same time.
- 10:09S2: The building they discovered there had an olive oil press,
- 10:11S2: along with purple stained pottery and a cluster of loom
- 10:14S2: weights used in the production of textiles. It's possible the
- 10:18S2: collection and production of the dyes from snails took place
- 10:21S2: in the late summer through the autumn. The facility then
- 10:23S2: shifted to collection and production of olive oil from October
- 10:26S2: through December. That was followed then in the spring by
- 10:29S2: the shearing of sheep at the same facility. You know,
- 10:32S2: careful planning, creativity and cross trained workers kept the site
- 10:36S2: productive year round. And I think this discovery is going
- 10:38S2: to encourage archaeologists to explore other sites to see if
- 10:42S2: something similar was taking place there as well.
- 10:44S1: And that's a look at current events. Up next on
- 10:47S1: the land and the book Your Ultimate Treasure. What does
- 10:50S1: it look like to have Jesus as your ultimate treasure?
- 10:53S1: That's next. Right here. What's your ultimate treasure? If your
- 11:11S1: instinct is to answer Jesus, be careful because your spending
- 11:15S1: habits might show otherwise, so might your time investments. What
- 11:20S1: does it mean to make Christ our ultimate treasure? We're
- 11:23S1: going to tackle these and other tough questions next. This
- 11:26S1: is the land and the book. I'm John Geiger, inviting
- 11:29S1: you to think about a treasure close to the heart
- 11:31S1: of Jesus. The salvation of your friends. Hey, here's how
- 11:34S1: you and I can be just a bit more effective
- 11:36S1: in sharing Christ with a Jewish friend. We Christians claim
- 11:40S1: that we're part of a community at church, and that's great.
- 11:42S1: It's true. So how does that community then focus on
- 11:46S1: ways that we can be effective in reaching our Jewish
- 11:49S1: friends for Yeshua. Justin Krohn, what's the first thing that
- 11:52S1: comes to your mind?
- 11:53S3: Yeah. If your church is located in a community where
- 11:56S3: there's Jewish people, you really need to be thinking about
- 11:59S3: how can our community, how can our congregation be more welcoming,
- 12:03S3: be more hospitable to the Jewish people in our neighborhood?
- 12:07S3: How can we be looking to be building bridges with
- 12:11S3: that community? And that might mean how can the pastor
- 12:15S3: himself reach out to the rabbi and get coffee together,
- 12:19S3: get to know one another, and look for ways that
- 12:22S3: they can partner together so that the natural progression of
- 12:26S3: believers living out their faith and sharing their faith, and
- 12:30S3: what's most important to them in who Jesus is, that
- 12:33S3: that will happen naturally. Yeah.
- 12:36S1: Great advice from Justin Krohn and as a regular contributor
- 12:39S1: here to the land and the book. Rob West is
- 12:43S1: the host of Faith and Finance Live, heard on more
- 12:45S1: than 900 radio outlets every single day, including Moody Radio.
- 12:50S1: Rob also serves as the president of Kingdom Advisors, an
- 12:54S1: international community of financial professionals who are specialists in delivering
- 12:58S1: biblically wise financial advice. He's a great friend who has
- 13:02S1: more financial wisdom in his pinky finger than most of
- 13:05S1: us will ever gather in a lifetime. Hey, welcome back
- 13:08S1: to the land and the book, Rob.
- 13:10S4: John, great to be with you. Thanks for the invitation.
- 13:13S1: Well, you and your team have created a fabulous 21
- 13:16S1: day journey to faithful stewardship. It reads simply, it reads
- 13:20S1: biblically and it connects powerfully. It's also a gorgeous hardcover book.
- 13:25S1: I love the dedication to your children. Really kind of
- 13:28S1: sets the tone for what you're doing. Let me read
- 13:29S1: it if I can. Our prayer is that you would
- 13:31S1: live with open hands, grateful hearts, and deep joy in
- 13:36S1: serving the one who owns it all in every season.
- 13:39S1: May you find joy in our ultimate treasure, Jesus. And
- 13:42S1: of course, that's the book's title. Wow. That's a noble calling,
- 13:45S1: but also a huge task. Right, Rob?
- 13:47S4: It is. And, you know, there's nothing I want more
- 13:51S4: than for my kids to know and love and serve Jesus.
- 13:55S4: And I've found John over the years. And, you know,
- 13:58S4: my team tells me I've answered more than 30,000 questions
- 14:01S4: on money. But, you know, there's something about our financial
- 14:05S4: journey that I think has a real formation around our
- 14:09S4: spiritual journey. And I think that's why we see so
- 14:12S4: much time and attention dedicated to this topic. God doesn't
- 14:15S4: need our money. It's not what he wants from us.
- 14:17S4: I think it's what he wants for us. And it's
- 14:20S4: why I'm excited about this conversation today.
- 14:22S1: Well, in the book's foreword, Ron Blue makes the comment
- 14:25S1: materialism isn't tied to a geography, income, or culture. It's
- 14:29S1: tied to the human heart. What's the best way to
- 14:32S1: inventory our hearts then, Rob?
- 14:34S4: Well, ever since the fall, our hearts have been tempted
- 14:37S4: to look to created things, John, for what? Only God
- 14:39S4: can ultimately provide identity and significance and security and satisfaction.
- 14:45S4: We even see that at Babel in Genesis 11. Let
- 14:48S4: us make a name for ourselves. So I think one
- 14:51S4: of the best ways to take inventory, if you will,
- 14:53S4: of our hearts, is to ask, why not simply, is
- 14:57S4: it wrong to own this? As we think about our purchases,
- 15:01S4: Scripture certainly affirms that God gives us good things to enjoy.
- 15:05S4: We see that in James, in Ecclesiastes, in first Timothy,
- 15:08S4: the deeper question, I think, John, is, what am I
- 15:11S4: asking this thing to do for me? And so one
- 15:14S4: question I find especially helpful is, if no one else
- 15:17S4: could ever see this, what? I still want it. You
- 15:19S4: know what? I want this car. If it impressed no
- 15:21S4: one or this house or these clothes. And that doesn't
- 15:24S4: mean enjoying something beautiful or even expensive from time to
- 15:27S4: time is inherently wrong. But it helps expose whether we're
- 15:31S4: enjoying God's provision or asking possessions to establish our worth.
- 15:36S4: Because I think every financial decision flows from what we
- 15:39S4: believe money is for and what we believe our ultimate
- 15:43S4: treasure really is.
- 15:44S1: Rob West is president of Kingdom Advisors, an international community
- 15:48S1: of financial professionals who are specialists in delivering biblically wise
- 15:53S1: financial advice. And we're thankful for his insights today on
- 15:56S1: the land and the book. Rob. You write that stewardship
- 16:00S1: isn't just about managing money, it's about managing life. Elaborate.
- 16:04S4: Yeah. I think we make a mistake, John, when we
- 16:06S4: compartmentalize stewardship and treat it primarily as a conversation about money.
- 16:11S4: You know, as you said, our ultimate treasure, this 21
- 16:14S4: day journey we put together toward faithful stewardship was really
- 16:18S4: written intentionally to address every area of life. I mean, yes,
- 16:22S4: stewardship includes how we manage money, but I think it
- 16:25S4: also includes how we approach our work, how we think
- 16:27S4: about retirement, how we raise our kids once we give
- 16:30S4: our lives to Jesus. It's really about, okay, what have
- 16:34S4: I done with what I've been given? And God hasn't
- 16:38S4: given us part of our lives while the rest somehow
- 16:41S4: belongs to us. Everything we have ultimately is a gift
- 16:44S4: from him, entrusted to us for his purposes and for
- 16:48S4: his glory. And so that changes the way we see
- 16:51S4: ordinary life. You know, even if I don't love my job,
- 16:54S4: I can ask, how can I reflect God's character here?
- 16:58S4: I think the same is true in my marriage and
- 17:00S4: my parenting and my relationships. And so I think, you know,
- 17:04S4: ultimately we need to look for how we can honor
- 17:07S4: and glorify God with every domain that we've been entrusted.
- 17:11S1: In pages 20 and 21 of our ultimate treasure. You write,
- 17:15S1: When Jesus becomes your treasure, everything changes. So what does
- 17:19S1: it say about us if we claim Jesus as our Savior?
- 17:21S1: But he's not really our treasure, he's kind of mostly
- 17:24S1: a friend we keep in our back pocket for emergencies.
- 17:27S4: Yeah, well, I've heard that the approach to Christianity can
- 17:31S4: be described as treating salvation like eternal life insurance. And,
- 17:35S4: you know, like you keep Jesus nearby in case of
- 17:38S4: an emergency, but that misses so much of what the
- 17:40S4: gospel is about. I mean, certainly Christ saves us from
- 17:43S4: sin and judgment. Ephesians two eight and nine makes that clear.
- 17:46S4: It's not by works, it's by grace through faith. But
- 17:49S4: Paul immediately continues in verse ten by saying that we
- 17:53S4: are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works
- 17:57S4: that he prepared for us. So following Jesus isn't about
- 18:01S4: only what we've been saved from, it's also this life
- 18:05S4: we've been saved for. And I think that's why Matthew
- 18:08S4: 1344 is such an important picture. It's one verse. It's
- 18:13S4: the shortest parable. But Jesus describes this man who discovers
- 18:17S4: a treasure so valuable that everything else is joyfully reordered
- 18:22S4: around it. And it isn't that everything he owned suddenly
- 18:26S4: becomes worthless. He just simply found something infinitely more valuable.
- 18:30S1: All right, so here's the no pun intended $64,000 question.
- 18:34S1: What do we need to do Specifically to make God
- 18:37S1: our treasure.
- 18:38S4: Yeah, that really is the question, isn't it? And I
- 18:40S4: don't think there's a certain step by step formula for
- 18:43S4: making God our treasure in many ways. That's what we
- 18:46S4: talk about for these 21 days and our ultimate treasure.
- 18:49S4: I think, John, it's a lifelong process of reorienting everything
- 18:54S4: God has given us around the greater treasure of who
- 18:57S4: he is. You know, Paul says in Philippians four that
- 19:00S4: he learned to be content. That's important. Contentment didn't come naturally,
- 19:04S4: and spiritual maturity rarely happens overnight over time. Paul learned
- 19:09S4: that his circumstances didn't have to provide what Christ already supplied.
- 19:15S4: And I think that's part of what it means to
- 19:16S4: treasure God. We begin de angling, if you will, our
- 19:20S4: identity and satisfaction from things like money and career and possessions,
- 19:25S4: even relationships. Not because they're bad, but because they were
- 19:29S4: never meant to be ultimate. And that, I think, allows
- 19:32S4: us to go down this road of seeing things differently.
- 19:35S1: Seems to me also at the. At the heart of
- 19:37S1: this issue might be a. A lack of properly valuing
- 19:41S1: what Christ has done and is doing in our lives.
- 19:44S1: And so he isn't the overflow of our experience. You know,
- 19:47S1: he's a Sunday morning experience. But when we when we
- 19:50S1: truly see Christ for what he's done, when we truly
- 19:53S1: value our forgiveness, when we truly value grace and the
- 19:57S1: ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit, we've got something to
- 20:00S1: talk about. We've got something to celebrate, and we realize
- 20:02S1: we've got a treasure that's a whole lot different than
- 20:05S1: something you invest in the stock market. Isn't that true?
- 20:07S4: Oh, it's so true, John. I mean, suddenly everything is revalued.
- 20:12S4: You know, we're making a trade, but it's the best
- 20:14S4: trade of our lives. Once we understand the sufficiency of
- 20:18S4: of his grace and the depth of his love for
- 20:21S4: us and what it means that his promises are true
- 20:24S4: and trustworthy. Everything changes.
- 20:27S1: Today on the land, in the book, we're talking about
- 20:29S1: our ultimate treasure with guest Rob West. Rob knows what
- 20:32S1: he's talking about. He's the host of Faith and Finance
- 20:35S1: Live and president of Kingdom Advisors, an international community of
- 20:40S1: financial professionals. You claim that Scripture offers timeless wisdom for
- 20:44S1: modern money decisions. Share some of that biblical wisdom. What
- 20:48S1: kind of a verse comes to mind, Rob?
- 20:50S4: HMM. I think the first thing I'd say is that
- 20:52S4: we don't want to treat Scripture like a financial handbook,
- 20:55S4: where we simply pull out a verse and apply it
- 20:57S4: mechanically to a modern situation. The biblical world was very
- 21:02S4: different from ours, but we believe Scripture is inspired by
- 21:05S4: God and the wisdom it gives us about human nature
- 21:08S4: and stewardship and prudence and generosity and contentment. They're all timeless.
- 21:12S4: So Proverbs warns us about the dangers of debt and
- 21:15S4: becoming obligated to another. Now, that doesn't mean that every
- 21:19S4: modern form of debt is identical to what Proverbs describes,
- 21:23S4: but the underlying wisdom matters. Ecclesiastes 112 reminds us that
- 21:28S4: we don't know what difficulties may come, which gives us
- 21:32S4: a biblical basis for diversification and humility about the future,
- 21:36S4: even as we think about our investments. Proverbs six points
- 21:40S4: us to the ant. The ant prepares ahead of time,
- 21:43S4: and that reminds us of the wisdom of saving and planning.
- 21:47S4: Perhaps one more second Corinthians eight shows us generosity ultimately
- 21:52S4: grows out of God's grace working in our hearts. So
- 21:56S4: the goal isn't to find a Bible verse for every
- 21:58S4: financial product. It's really to allow the whole counsel of
- 22:02S4: Scripture to shape the kind of steward that we become.
- 22:06S1: On page 68 of our ultimate treasure is a quote
- 22:09S1: I cannot get past. You say simply, money isn't just math,
- 22:14S1: it's a mirror. Wow. Hey, Rob, what if we dare
- 22:17S1: to look into that mirror and are uncomfortable with what
- 22:20S1: we see? What's the the first step toward a God
- 22:23S1: honoring money makeover, if you will?
- 22:25S4: Yeah, well, our financial decisions often reveal something about what's
- 22:30S4: happening beneath the surface. And I mentioned these 30,000 questions
- 22:34S4: that I've answered from listeners over the years. And I've
- 22:36S4: become convinced, John, that money issues are hard issues. You know,
- 22:40S4: it's often the question beneath the question that someone's asking.
- 22:44S4: It's not, you know, can I afford to give this?
- 22:46S4: It's can I really trust God to provide? And, you know,
- 22:49S4: we can look at each of these questions and these issues,
- 22:52S4: and we realize that money is a mirror. And if
- 22:56S4: we don't like what we see in that mirror, I
- 22:58S4: think the first step is honestly to ask, Lord, what
- 23:02S4: is this revealing about my heart? What am I believing
- 23:05S4: about you? What am I asking money to provide that
- 23:07S4: only you can? And then certainly we need to make
- 23:10S4: practical changes. That spending plan. We've got to live within
- 23:13S4: our means. We've got to save wisely, address debt, create margin,
- 23:17S4: practice generosity. Those things matter. But lasting financial transformation, I think,
- 23:23S4: is more than rearranging numbers. It begins with a renewed
- 23:28S4: understanding of God. A.W. Tozer wrote, the man who has
- 23:32S4: God for his treasure has all things in one. And
- 23:36S4: I think that idea really captures the heart of our
- 23:38S4: ultimate treasure when God becomes our treasure. Money no longer
- 23:42S4: has to carry the weight of providing our ultimate security.
- 23:45S1: Rob West is the host of Faith and Finance Live,
- 23:48S1: heard on more than 900 radio outlets every day, including
- 23:52S1: Moody Radio. He's also president of Kingdom Advisors, an international
- 23:56S1: community of financial professionals who are specialists in delivering biblically
- 24:00S1: wise financial advice. He and his team have put together
- 24:03S1: Our Ultimate Treasure, a book we're looking at today in
- 24:06S1: the last chapter, Receiving Eternal Rewards. You observe, we spend
- 24:10S1: much of our lives trading our time for the future.
- 24:14S1: But have you ever stopped to ask, what future am
- 24:16S1: I actually preparing for? Wow. Hey, what are some biblical
- 24:20S1: guidelines here, Rob?
- 24:21S4: Yeah, I love that we end the devotional here because
- 24:24S4: it forces us to lift our eyes beyond the immediate future.
- 24:28S4: Most of us are constantly trading something today for something tomorrow.
- 24:32S4: We save for retirement. We sacrifice time for a career.
- 24:36S4: We plan for our children's future. And those can all
- 24:38S4: be wise things. But I think God's Word invites us
- 24:41S4: to ask an even bigger question. And that is, what
- 24:44S4: future am I ultimately preparing for? And Jesus says in
- 24:48S4: Matthew six, not to store up treasures on earth where
- 24:51S4: they're temporary, but to store them up in heaven. And
- 24:54S4: I don't think he's inviting us into some kind of
- 24:56S4: spiritual return on investment calculation. He's not a cosmic vending machine.
- 25:02S4: He's reorienting our hearts toward what is eternally valuable, because
- 25:07S4: we know from His Word where our treasure is, there
- 25:10S4: our hearts will be also. And so I think eternity, John,
- 25:14S4: should shape the way I use my money, but also
- 25:17S4: how I raise my kids, how I love my spouse,
- 25:19S4: how I serve people. And that's really where we want
- 25:22S4: to leave readers. If God truly is your ultimate treasure,
- 25:26S4: what kind of life does that produce today?
- 25:29S1: Rob 10s how does somebody listening learn more about getting
- 25:32S1: a copy of Our Ultimate Treasure?
- 25:33S4: Just head to faith fi.com/shop. That's faith fi.com/shop.
- 25:39S1: And we'll link you there as you visit our website,
- 25:42S1: The Land and the book.org. Rob, thanks for these insights
- 25:46S1: about our ultimate treasure.
- 25:47S4: Bless you John. Thanks.
- 25:49S1: Coming up Doctor Gerald Peterman in the studio. I can't
- 25:51S1: wait to see what you're wondering about next on the
- 25:54S1: land and the book. So glad you stuck around for
- 26:08S1: segment three here at the land and the book. I'm
- 26:11S1: John Yeager across from me, Moody Bible Institute professor Doctor
- 26:14S1: Gerald Peterman. His Bible is open. I see his, uh,
- 26:19S1: his notes are there. We'll see if his mind is there. No,
- 26:22S1: his mind is always there. You gotta worry about. I
- 26:24S1: hope so. Hey, quick question before we get into our
- 26:27S1: questions from listeners. Have you emailed us yours? Yeah, you
- 26:31S1: can anytime at the land and the book@moody.edu. The land
- 26:36S1: and the book@moody.edu. Doctor Peterman, how long does it take
- 26:41S1: to get a response? What's the process like?
- 26:43S5: Oh, it could be a day or two. It could
- 26:45S5: be 7 or 8 days. Um, you just send me
- 26:48S5: your question, I think, I ponder, I pray, repeat, and
- 26:51S5: then send it back as quickly as I can.
- 26:53S1: Yeah. I mean, there's an ebb and flow. I'm sure
- 26:54S1: you can understand to a professor's life, not just a professor.
- 26:58S1: He's chairman of our Bible department here. Lots going on.
- 27:01S1: So give him some grace. Give him some time. Up
- 27:03S1: to a week or so, and you will get that
- 27:05S1: answer as you email us at the land and the book@moody.edu. Hey,
- 27:11S1: imagine sailing the Sea of Galilee, standing where David faced
- 27:15S1: Goliath floating in the Dead Sea, or maybe walking the
- 27:18S1: stone streets of Jerusalem's Old City. You've read about these places,
- 27:22S1: but in May of 2027, our friends at Life in
- 27:25S1: Messiah are inviting you to experience them for yourself. During
- 27:29S1: this study trip, you'll walk through the places where the
- 27:32S1: biblical story unfolded as familiar passages move from black and
- 27:35S1: white into vivid color. Join Bible teachers Levi Hazon and
- 27:40S1: Gerald Hall, who will help connect the history, geography, archaeology,
- 27:44S1: and Jewish context of the land to the Bible, along
- 27:47S1: with a licensed Israeli tour guide. Hey, this will be
- 27:50S1: more than just a journey to biblical sites. Along the way,
- 27:53S1: you'll also experience the land through life in Messiah's mission
- 27:56S1: of sharing God's heart for the Jewish people. If Israel
- 27:59S1: has been on your bucket list but on your heart,
- 28:02S1: consider joining life in Messiah for this unforgettable journey. The
- 28:06S1: trip is May 1 to 14, 2027. Registration closes December 31st.
- 28:12S1: You can see the land, understand the story. Love the people.
- 28:15S1: For more information and to register, go to Life in
- 28:19S1: messiah.org and click on the moody radio icon That's life
- 28:24S1: in messiah.org. All right, let's get to our first question
- 28:28S1: of the day. This one from Sarah who takes us
- 28:31S1: to revelation chapter seven, verse three says they were sealed
- 28:34S1: on their foreheads. Why is that? Was it so? The
- 28:38S1: knowledge put in foreheads is to let the people know
- 28:41S1: what tribes they're from.
- 28:43S5: Now, Sarah is referring to the 144,000 that are sealed.
- 28:48S5: That's 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. I
- 28:51S5: like how Daniel Green treats this passage in the Moody
- 28:55S5: Bible commentary. He says the seal indicates God's ownership and
- 28:59S5: thus protection by God. No more judgment would be coming
- 29:03S5: against the earth until their safety was assured. So rather
- 29:07S5: than being a seal which other people look at, and
- 29:10S5: then they see it and they recognize what tribe you're in, rather,
- 29:12S5: it's God's ownership and protection. Something very similar is happening
- 29:17S5: in Ezekiel. Have you read Ezekiel? Wonderful stuff back there.
- 29:22S5: This is Ezekiel nine. Now the glory of God of
- 29:24S5: Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested.
- 29:27S5: On the threshold of the house. He called to the
- 29:30S5: man in linen, who had the writing case at his waist.
- 29:34S5: And the Lord said to him, pass through the city,
- 29:37S5: through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of
- 29:41S5: the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations
- 29:47S5: that are being committed in it. That is, the sign
- 29:50S5: goes on. Who? The sign goes on. The godly person.
- 29:55S5: So I take it in revelation you have 144,000 of Israel.
- 29:59S5: They are godly. They know him. God owns them. God
- 30:03S5: has sealed them. God is protecting them.
- 30:06S1: It must be a purpose for that labeling on their
- 30:08S1: forehead though. Yeah.
- 30:09S5: I'm his. He's mine. Yeah. Uh, you see someone's face?
- 30:13S5: The face. In the ancient world, the face tells us
- 30:15S5: who the person is. And so a mark on the forehead,
- 30:19S5: that's quite obvious something very important about the person.
- 30:24S1: Johan writes, having read the gospel several times. I just
- 30:28S1: noticed that Matthew, Mark and Luke have Jesus going up
- 30:31S1: on the mountain and being transformed, but it's not in John.
- 30:36S1: Why do you think that is?
- 30:37S5: Well, John does a lot of things different from Matthew, Mark,
- 30:41S5: and Luke. Let's recall that at the end of John,
- 30:44S5: nearly at the end, in chapter 20, verses 30 to 32,
- 30:48S5: John says Jesus did many other signs in the presence
- 30:52S5: of his disciples, which are not written in this book,
- 30:54S5: but these are written so that you might know that
- 30:57S5: Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.
- 31:00S5: You might have life in his name. So, in other words,
- 31:02S5: John has been selective. Let me rephrase it. John says,
- 31:07S5: I know a bunch of stuff I'm not telling. So Matthew, Mark,
- 31:11S5: and Luke go their own way. I take it that
- 31:12S5: John comes a little bit later, but even so, John
- 31:16S5: doesn't have certain events in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. When
- 31:19S5: you read John, you missed no theology. None at all.
- 31:22S5: So let's go to John 12. Jesus is coming into Jerusalem.
- 31:26S5: It's the last week of his life. He might say
- 31:27S5: the triumphal entry. And when Jesus comes in, he comes
- 31:32S5: in chapter 12 to say, now my soul is troubled,
- 31:35S5: and what shall I say? Save me from this hour? No.
- 31:39S5: But for this reason I have come to this hour.
- 31:42S5: And then Jesus says, father, glorify your name. And we
- 31:46S5: get a voice from heaven, and the voice from heaven says,
- 31:49S5: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.
- 31:54S5: Why is it that Jesus is troubled here? Well, he's
- 31:58S5: coming into Jerusalem the last week of his life. He's
- 32:01S5: looking forward, you might say, to the crucifixion in John's Gospel,
- 32:07S5: Jesus being raised up on the cross is his point
- 32:11S5: of glory. Yes, that's his point of gloriousness. Why? Because
- 32:16S5: this incarnate, Loving Savior is going to death. And of course,
- 32:21S5: he'll be resurrected. He's going to death for our good,
- 32:25S5: for our benefit. And this is his glorious moment. So
- 32:30S5: John gives us that as the glorious moment recognized by
- 32:35S5: the father, rather than a different, glorious moment recognized by
- 32:39S5: the father in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
- 32:42S1: You know, as I hear you share this, it brings
- 32:44S1: me to something of a personal puzzle. And that is
- 32:48S1: you and I. When we hear the word that was glorious,
- 32:50S1: we're describing either a, you know, a weekend in Maui or,
- 32:53S1: you know, a thick steak we just ate. We don't
- 32:56S1: associate glory with suffering. And yet extraordinary, excruciating suffering was
- 33:02S1: at the very heart of this thing called glory for Jesus.
- 33:05S5: Yes. Amen to that. You're right, John. Why? Well, because
- 33:10S5: that was love. Because that was obedience. Because that was
- 33:15S5: fulfilling a divine plan at great sacrifice. And that is
- 33:20S5: another kind of glory. That's a superior kind of glory.
- 33:23S5: I don't I don't doubt that beaches can look wonderful because.
- 33:27S5: Because God made them to look wonderful. But this is
- 33:31S5: a whole nother level of glory.
- 33:33S1: This gloriousness, though, would refer to the achievement of the
- 33:37S1: plan that was laid before the foundation of the world
- 33:40S1: for our salvation.
- 33:41S5: Right.
- 33:41S1: That's what's so, so glorious.
- 33:43S5: So you read, say, Isaiah 53, and you hear about
- 33:47S5: that suffering servant. And then you look at him in
- 33:50S5: John's gospel and you see the glory just shining forth.
- 33:55S1: This is the land. And the book from Moody radio
- 33:57S1: doctor Gerald Peterman across from me. I'm John Gager. We're
- 34:00S1: answering your Bible questions, which you get to us with
- 34:03S1: a quick email, by the way, to the land and
- 34:05S1: the book@moody.edu. The land and the book@moody.edu. Lisa asks, Since
- 34:14S1: Jesus is God, how could he, quote, learn obedience, as
- 34:18S1: it says in Scripture from what he suffered?
- 34:20S5: That's a great question. Lisa is referring to Hebrews five seven.
- 34:25S5: In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers
- 34:28S5: and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one
- 34:32S5: who is able to save him from death. And he
- 34:35S5: was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son,
- 34:39S5: he learned obedience from what he suffered and being made perfect,
- 34:44S5: he became the source of eternal salvation to all who
- 34:48S5: obey him. So two things about this. That is, how
- 34:52S5: could he learn? Because we've got incarnate God, so he
- 34:58S5: can learn obedience in a new way. He can learn
- 35:00S5: obedience in the face of fatigue. He can learn obedience
- 35:03S5: in the face of rejection. He can learn obedience in
- 35:06S5: the face of strained relationships. And the strain, of course,
- 35:08S5: which he did not cause. Right? He can learn obedience
- 35:11S5: after being in fatigue at the well. so the incarnate
- 35:15S5: God can now learn obedience in a new level with
- 35:18S5: new challenges. And then the book of Hebrews also says
- 35:23S5: he was made perfect. What was the imperfection? No, no no, no,
- 35:27S5: let's not go in that direction. How is he made? Perfect.
- 35:30S5: That is this incarnate God must become our high priest.
- 35:34S5: As a matter of fact, he must become our sacrifice.
- 35:38S5: And that means he has to pass through suffering to
- 35:41S5: get there and to do that. And the writer of
- 35:43S5: Hebrews talks about him now being seated at the right
- 35:46S5: hand of glory, if you will, with the label, Israel's
- 35:50S5: divine King. Israel needs a divine king who is sinless.
- 35:56S5: David was wonderful, but Israel needs a divine king who
- 35:59S5: is sinless. And our Lord Jesus has achieved that position
- 36:03S5: through great trial and tribulation. So being made perfect, not
- 36:07S5: having imperfections taken out of him, but rather passing through
- 36:11S5: trial to now be our perfect representative and our perfect king.
- 36:16S1: You know, we get a lot of questions from listeners
- 36:19S1: who are asking about different Bible translations and this and that. And,
- 36:24S1: and I'd like to ask, what is your comfort level
- 36:26S1: with reading paraphrases like the message and others that are
- 36:29S1: out there?
- 36:29S5: Oh, I'm totally fine with reading paraphrases. All sorts of them.
- 36:32S5: Different kinds. Um, I encourage readers to have three or
- 36:37S5: 4 or 5 favorites, different translations that you're reading on
- 36:41S5: a regular basis. Switch them out, compare them one to another.
- 36:45S5: I'd say get as much different input as you can
- 36:47S5: and then pray over your conclusions.
- 36:50S1: All right. Charlie Dyer's devotional is next here on the
- 36:53S1: land and the book. He wrote more books in the
- 37:08S1: New Testament than any other author. So what were his
- 37:12S1: last words and what should we make of them? This
- 37:16S1: is the land and the book. I'm John Gager. Thank
- 37:18S1: you for hanging out with us today. In this fourth
- 37:20S1: and final segment, our host, Charlie Dyer, has been working
- 37:23S1: us through a series called The Final Words. Charlie. Uh,
- 37:26S1: Paul did have an awful lot to say.
- 37:29S2: He did. And these are the final, final words from Paul.
- 37:32S1: Okay. Your devotional comes after this Holy Land experience.
- 37:40S6: Hi, I'm Paul Lange. I actually was invited to come
- 37:44S6: with my wife by friends of ours who have been
- 37:46S6: before with Moody, and we turned them down twice, but
- 37:49S6: they prevailed on us and we did agree to go.
- 37:53S6: And it is a life changing experience. I think the
- 37:57S6: reality of what God is doing in such a small place,
- 38:02S6: again and again and again, all throughout history, just to
- 38:07S6: save us is just the most remarkable thing. and then
- 38:11S6: to see that history unfold in front of us and
- 38:14S6: to hear about it from experts. Uh, it is just
- 38:18S6: a remarkable thing. It will change me forever.
- 38:23S1: You think about all the things that Paul said, all
- 38:26S1: the things that Paul wrote. What were his final words?
- 38:28S1: I'm really interested in hearing this, Charlie.
- 38:30S2: Well, thanks, John. Yeah. We've reached the end of this
- 38:32S2: three part series focusing on some of the most memorable
- 38:35S2: final words from the Bible. And indeed, we're going to
- 38:37S2: look at the final words from the pen of the
- 38:39S2: Apostle Paul right now. But actually choosing Paul's final words
- 38:43S2: isn't as easy as it might sound. For example, six
- 38:46S2: times in his letters, Paul used the Greek word lipos
- 38:49S2: finally to apparently draw his thoughts to a close. These
- 38:53S2: were his final words. But just for those letters, Paul
- 38:57S2: also shared some very significant final words with the elders
- 39:00S2: in Ephesus in acts 20, as he called them together
- 39:03S2: while passing by on his way to Jerusalem, knowing that
- 39:06S2: prison and possible death awaited him there. It was definitely
- 39:10S2: a solemn moment when he spoke to them for what
- 39:12S2: he thought could be the last time. But as great
- 39:15S2: as all those other final words might be, I think
- 39:18S2: the best place to find Paul's last words is in
- 39:21S2: the book of Second Timothy. This letter was written after
- 39:24S2: the close of the book of Acts, after Paul had
- 39:26S2: been set free, traveled to places he hadn't visited before,
- 39:30S2: and then been re arrested and taken back to Rome
- 39:32S2: in chains. As Paul penned this letter to Timothy. He
- 39:36S2: was waiting to hear Caesar's verdict, condemning him to death
- 39:39S2: by beheading. Paul's final words. Here are the words of
- 39:42S2: a man who knows that death is close at hand.
- 39:46S2: In such pressure cooker times of life, it's easy to
- 39:49S2: become self-focused, to view life through the narrow window of
- 39:52S2: our own experience, almost to the exclusion of everything else.
- 39:56S2: But in his final words, the Apostle Paul views life
- 39:59S2: from a totally different perspective. His focus is not so
- 40:02S2: much on himself, but on his young protégé, Timothy. Now
- 40:07S2: follow me down into the dark dungeon, now serving as
- 40:09S2: Paul's cell. It's cool. Almost chilly. The air is damp,
- 40:14S2: the sound of water dripping from the ceiling mixes with
- 40:17S2: the distant scraping of chains from the other prisoners housed here.
- 40:21S2: Paul stands off to the side, shivering from the cold
- 40:24S2: as he dictates his final words to a friend who's
- 40:27S2: risked his own arrest and imprisonment just to visit Paul
- 40:31S2: and record this final letter. Let's listen to Paul's final words.
- 40:36S2: I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and
- 40:39S2: of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and
- 40:41S2: the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach
- 40:45S2: the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke,
- 40:50S2: exhort with great patience and instruction. Far from being a
- 40:55S2: bitter old man angry at life's misfortunes, Paul was a
- 40:58S2: man with a single minded goal, a goal he now
- 41:01S2: passes on to Timothy. And the thing Paul wants Timothy
- 41:05S2: to do is to preach the word. When we hear
- 41:08S2: the word preach, we think of a pastor on a
- 41:11S2: Sunday morning. But the word used by Paul has the
- 41:13S2: idea of heralding or proclaiming at a time of intense persecution.
- 41:18S2: When flying under the radar seemed like a wise course
- 41:21S2: of action, Paul called on Timothy to raise his voice
- 41:25S2: and make known God's word. He was to do so
- 41:28S2: in season and out of season. That is, Timothy was
- 41:31S2: to be willing to speak not only in times when
- 41:34S2: the words might be welcome and popular, but also when
- 41:37S2: the proclamation might be unwelcome and very unpopular. Paul reminded
- 41:41S2: Timothy of the need to speak now because a time
- 41:44S2: was coming when people would not endure sound doctrine. Instead,
- 41:49S2: they will only want to hear from teachers whose message
- 41:51S2: aligns with their own desires. Turning from the objective truth
- 41:55S2: of God's Word, they will prefer instead to listen to myths, stories,
- 41:59S2: or tales that are more fiction than fact, but that
- 42:02S2: support what people want to believe. Paul's final message to
- 42:05S2: Timothy was to proclaim truth and to endure hardship. Paul
- 42:10S2: didn't mince words about the road ahead being easy, nor
- 42:13S2: did he equate success with large crowds and rising popularity.
- 42:18S2: Timothy was facing tough times, and Paul wanted him to
- 42:21S2: be ready. This was important because Paul was nearing the
- 42:25S2: end of his lap around the track of life. The
- 42:28S2: time of my departure has come. The word for departure
- 42:32S2: was used to describe the loosening of a ship's moorings
- 42:35S2: or the breaking of camp. It was time for Paul's
- 42:38S2: transition from this life to the life to come. Time
- 42:41S2: to throw off the lines, still holding him to this earth.
- 42:45S2: But Paul wasn't staggering toward the finish line. He intended
- 42:48S2: to cross in a burst of speed with his chest
- 42:51S2: pressed out to break the tape. I have fought the
- 42:54S2: good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept
- 42:57S2: the faith. We get our English word agony from the
- 43:01S2: words Paul uses for fighting the good fight. The word
- 43:05S2: refers to a struggle or fight. In boxing parlance, Paul
- 43:09S2: went the distance, switching from the ring to the arena.
- 43:12S2: Paul then announced he had completed the course. He never
- 43:15S2: quit in the middle of life's race. Most importantly, he
- 43:19S2: kept the faith. The word for kept has the idea
- 43:21S2: of keeping watch over or guarding. Paul had been entrusted
- 43:25S2: with the message of the good news of eternal life
- 43:28S2: through faith in Christ. And Paul could say at the
- 43:30S2: end of his life that the message entrusted to him
- 43:33S2: by God was still intact. Paul guarded it as faithfully
- 43:37S2: as the Roman soldier now guarding him. Paul's final words
- 43:41S2: to Timothy are blunt, but they also demonstrate a rock
- 43:44S2: solid trust in the God who controls all of life.
- 43:48S2: How could Paul stay so calm in the face of
- 43:51S2: such intense opposition? It came in part from his trust
- 43:54S2: in God's promise for the future. In verse one, Paul
- 43:58S2: talked about Jesus appearing and his kingdom. He again talked
- 44:02S2: of Jesus as appearing in verse eight and said, that
- 44:05S2: was when the righteous judge would reward him for what
- 44:08S2: he had done here on earth. And in verse 18,
- 44:11S2: he was confident that God would bring him safely to
- 44:13S2: his heavenly kingdom. The God who had protected Paul throughout
- 44:17S2: life wasn't about to abandon him now. Of that, Paul
- 44:21S2: had great confidence. Paul's last words continued to resonate today.
- 44:27S2: Followers of Jesus around the world are facing opposition and
- 44:31S2: even death. This is not a convenient time to proclaim
- 44:34S2: God's Word. And that's why Paul's final words are so important.
- 44:39S2: What is it he wants us to do? His message
- 44:42S2: is absolutely clear Proclaim God's Word. Be ready to endure
- 44:46S2: any hardship that might come with proclaiming God's Word. And
- 44:50S2: through it all, remember that the ultimate accounting comes not
- 44:54S2: in this life, but in the life to come. As
- 44:57S2: long as God keeps us here on earth, our goal
- 44:59S2: is to fight the good fight to finish the race
- 45:03S2: and to guard the faith God has entrusted to us.
- 45:06S2: William Borden was heir to the Borden family fortune, but
- 45:09S2: he walked away from a life of ease to become
- 45:11S2: a missionary to the most needy of the world. When
- 45:14S2: someone told him he was throwing his life away, he
- 45:17S2: wrote two words in his Bible no reserves. After graduating
- 45:21S2: from college, Borden turned down several high paying jobs so
- 45:25S2: he could stay focused on his goal of reaching a
- 45:27S2: particular group of Muslims in China. He wrote two more
- 45:31S2: words in his Bible at that time no retreats. He
- 45:35S2: sailed for China, but stopped first in Egypt to learn Arabic.
- 45:39S2: While there, he contracted spinal meningitis and died within a
- 45:43S2: month when his belongings were returned home. They found a
- 45:46S2: third statement in his Bible. No regrets. Some thought William
- 45:51S2: Borden had wasted his life, but he hadn't. His commitment
- 45:55S2: and passion helped spur on a wave of missionary activity
- 45:59S2: in the early 20th century, Borden lived by the same
- 46:02S2: credo as the apostle Paul. For Paul, it was to
- 46:05S2: fight the good fight, to finish the race and to
- 46:07S2: guard the faith. For Borden, it was no reserves, no retreat,
- 46:12S2: no regrets. But what about you? It's never too late
- 46:17S2: to begin writing your obituary, your epitaph, your final words,
- 46:22S2: and Paul's final words to Timothy are a great place
- 46:24S2: to start.
- 46:25S1: Wow. I'm getting shivers down my spine as I listen.
- 46:28S1: Thank you Charlie. You can hear this devotional again. You
- 46:31S1: may well want to do just that at our website
- 46:33S1: as you check out our podcast at The Land and
- 46:35S1: the book.org, the land and the book.org. Time is gone.
- 46:41S1: But as always, Lord willing, we'll be back next week
- 46:43S1: with more of the land in the book. Our thanks
- 46:46S1: to Danny Anderson, our producer, our host, Charlie Dyer. I'm
- 46:48S1: John Yeager, the land and the book is a production
- 46:51S1: of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.