Hello Readers & Followers,
It's a new week! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I'd like to share a parable that Jesus taught us in the Book of Luke 16:19- 31.
Jesus said: There once was a very rich man who had the finest things imaginable, living every day enjoying his life of opulent luxury. Outside the gate of his mansion was a poor beggar named Lazarus. He lay there every day, covered with boils, and all the neighbourhood dogs would come and lick his open sores. The only food he had to eat was the garbage that the rich man threw away.
One day Lazarus died, and the angels of God came and escorted his spirit into paradise (some translations say Abraham’s bosom). The day came that the rich man also died. In hell, he looked up from his torment and saw Abraham in the distance, and Lazarus was standing beside him in the glory.
The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham! Father Abraham" Have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come to cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames of fire! ( Hmm. Even in death, the rich man wanted Lazarus to be in a place of servitude of him. It appeared that he felt he was more important).
But Abraham responded, 'My friend, don't you remember? While you were alive you had all you desired. You surrounded yourself in luxury, while Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus swells in the comforts of paradise and you are in agony. Besides, between us, there is a great space set so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'
The rich man continued, 'Then let me ask you, Father Abraham, please send Lazarus to my relatives. Tell him to witness to my five brothers and warn them not to end up where I am in this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They've already had plenty of warning. They have the teachings of Moses and the revelation of the prophets; let them hear them.'
What if they're not listening? the rich man added. 'If someone from the dead were to go and warn them, they would surely repent.'
Abraham said to him, 'If they wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither would they be convinced if someone were raised from the dead!'
There are many lessons that we can pick out from this parable. I'd like to share 6 lessons from the parable with you.
Lessons
1) Everyone must die once and there are no second chances once an individual has died. No wonder the Bible says in the Book of Hebrews 9:27 that "And, just as it is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment."
2) Don't assume because an individual is poor, they are not a Christian neither should you assume that they are not living a godly life.
3) Lack of physical possessions does not suggest that a person is not a believer/ a follower of Jesus Christ.
4) If you are rich and wealthy, do not ignore your relationship with God.
5) What is your attitude towards the poor among you? I'd like you to pause and reflect on how you treat the poor among you. Can you see a bit of the rich man's character in your life?
In fact, the rich man was nameless while the poor man's name was mentioned in the Parable that Jesus told us. This must signify something.
6) We cannot escape judgment once we have died. It is too late to repent of one's sin after death. Jesus has also used this parable to remind us that we should be quick to repent of our sins as this life on earth is short and we cannot come back on earth to repent.
As a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in you and dwells with you. His role is to help you develop the passion to do what pleases God. The Holy Spirit coexists with God the Father and Jesus Christ (1 John 5:7). Allow the Holy Spirit to direct every aspect of your life. As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life.
I love hearing from you in the comment section. Please take a minute to say ‘hello’ by leaving a comment and please let me know which of the points above resonate with you the most.
Also, please feel free to share any other lessons that you have gained from reading the parable.
May the Holy Spirit give you more insights into this parable in Jesus' name.
Have a lovely week!
Yours in Christ,
If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ into your life, this is an opportunity for you to accept Him. Please say this prayer:
"Dear God, I do not want to lose my soul in Hell when I reach the end of my life on earth. Please forgive me for all my wrongdoing, unbelief in you and self-righteousness. I repent of my sins and ask for your help to live a life that pleases you. These I ask in Jesus' name. Amen."
If you said the above prayer and would like to know more about Jesus Christ and being a Christian, please contact me: mysseslafunky@gmail.com.
I have a free e-book for you. The book (15 Women of the Bible: How they lived a Purpose Driven Life). This e-book was written by my Bible Study Group. To download on Google Drive for free, click here.
