Ezekiel 38-39 foretells a massive future invasion of Israel by the armed forces of six nations. Five of those nations are identified in Ezekiel 38:5-6 with the names they bore in Ezekiel’s time.
Risk is a primary component of faith, and the Bible teaches that without faith it is impossible to please God. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus condemned the unfaithful servant who would not risk his talent, but hid it to be safe. Jesus called him “wicked and lazy” and took the talent he had and gave it to the one who had invested his five talents and doubled them.
Giving. Giving back. Paying it forward. Concepts to live by and through modeling and stories — how we raise our children. But — in corporate America, there is a spectrum of decision making and priorities in regard to “giving” and support. In many cases, corporations give with an eye to helping their corporate missions and sometimes for advancing the roles of their specific businesses — such as products, or services that are relevant to the needs of a variety of charities.
Muslims and Christians don’t just quibble over small religious and moral details, says New York Times best-selling author Robert Spencer, they fundamentally clash on essential matters.
This past week during Starbucks’ annual shareholders meeting CEO Howard Shultz shut down an investor, who asked if the company’s support of a gay marriage initiative in Washington state was to blame for a disappointing earnings season.
While motivations and amounts of giving differ greatly with each believer, giving opportunities and patterns can generally be recognized by the three R’s—required, responsive and revelation.
