Daily Devotional

Why did Jesus tell this parable to the man who had come to ask for Jesus’s intervention over an inheritance dispute? To assure him that even though he had been cheated, he could still live a very long and happy life. Meanwhile, his greedy brother is like the rich man whose lands yielded abundantly but refused to consider others in his enjoyment plan. If God calls this greedy brother tonight, what becomes of the inheritance he has gathered?

The Price of heaven is simple: Keep God’s commandments. This was Jesus’ instruction to the rich man Last Sunday. The second step is detachment. The entrance into heaven is like the “Eye of a Needle.” We cannot pass through this gate with our luggage. Today, Jesus mentions a third step – the sacrifice of one’s very life for the good of others. Jesus asked James and John, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptised with the baptism with which I am baptised?” (Mark 10:38).

Blasphemy is a term used to describe speech or actions that show disrespect, contempt, or irreverence toward God, sacred things or religious beliefs. For instance, cursing God, mocking God’s existence, spreading false teachings about God, desecrating sacred spaces, objects or texts, engaging in sinful or obscene acts, damaging religious symbols or property, etc. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. As Jesus warns, anyone who commits such a sin will not be forgiven. Do not joke with the Holy Spirit.