Riches, Faith, And The Narrow Gate

A single line from Mark 10 can reorder a life: “With God all things are possible.” We start there and follow the ripple effects into our homes, our habits, and our public courage. When Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell his goods and follow, he isn’t launching a guilt trip; he’s revealing how tightly comfort can close a fist. We unpack what it means to loosen that grip, receive salvation as grace rather than achievement, and orient our days around treasure that doesn’t rust.

From there we get practical and personal. Proverbs paints a vivid picture of how contention hollows out a house, and we talk about the quiet disciplines that repair it—slow speech, quick listening, honest confession. Then Psalm 44 invites us to lament without losing faith. The psalm refuses easy answers, holding sorrow and trust in the same breath. That posture prepares us for a world where mockery and loss are real, yet steadfast love is more real still.

Courage takes center stage with the extraordinary rescue of Thomas Norris and Mike Thornton. Their grit under fire turns abstract talk of duty into something you can feel in your bones. We connect that bravery to civic life and ask what moral clarity looks like when threats are near and numbness is easy. Along the way we confront ideological violence, insist on naming evil without hating people, and draw on Samuel Adams’s charge to guard liberty against both force and fraud. We end with prayerful resolve: let grace anchor your soul, let wisdom steady your home, and let courage guide your public life.

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#SamuelAdams #DailyScripture #MelodyWaldecker

Transcript

Opening, Prayers, And Intentions

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Mark 10, starting with verse 23. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This amazed them. But Jesus said again, Dear children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were astounded. Then who in the world can be saved? They asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God. Melody Waldecker, 28 July, 2024, Sterling, Virginia. 54-year-old mother and grandmother who was killed during a carjacking when she was run over by her own vehicle by Jose Aguilar Martinez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. Sure to appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it. Thank you. I appreciate that very much. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you. Very, very grateful for your prayers, need them and want them. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace, and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son Jesus Christ. Forgive us when we forget, Father. Forgive us when we turn our own way, turn away from you. Don't acknowledge your blessings. Forgive us our doubts and our fears, our lack of trust, our cowardice and our unbelief. Have pity on us, have mercy on us. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ. For no other reason, Father, we certainly don't deserve it on our own merit. Watch over our enemies, Father. Draw them close to you and to your Son. Draw us close to you and to your Son, Jesus Christ. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Help us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Not here on earth. Help us to remember that we're just passing through here. Despite the heartache and the pain. That it's just temporary. Bring us home safety to you, Father. Be with those who are listening. Be with their families. Guide them and bless them. Be with our leaders. President, vice president on down, leaders in countries around the world where people are listening. Be with our military and our law enforcement, our firefighters. Keep themselves safe, especially our ICE agents lately. But all of them, Father, all of them. Help us to care for the widow and the orphan. Help us to care for our veterans, those who have been injured, physically, mentally. Help us to care for their families. Help us to turn back to you and to your son Jesus Christ, please. Guide my words here, Father, in your Son's name we pray.

unknown 3:56

Amen.

Children, Commandments, And The Rich Young Ruler

Grace Over Works And True Treasure

Psalm 44: Lament And Perseverance

Words, Wisdom, And Common Sense

Book Plug And Listener Support

San Bernardino And Islamist Violence

Medal Of Honor: Norris And Thornton

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Marriage verses for today. Proverbs 21 9, better to live on the edge of a roof than with a contentious woman in a large house. The NIV says a quarrelsome wife. Proverbs 25-24. Better to live on the edge of a roof than to share a house with a contentious woman. I knew a teacher who taught for decades. Pretty phenomenal teacher from everything that I have heard over the years. And they made the comment that they always told their students if they said something one time, you might want to pay attention to it, right? And if they said something three times in class, that not even the hand of God could keep it off the next test or something along those lines. I find it interesting that this warning or this commentary is mentioned almost verbatim in Proverbs twice, that it's better to live on the edge of a roof than to share any kind of house, nice or otherwise, with a contentious or quarrelsome wife. Mark 10, 13 through 31. One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, Let the children come to me. Don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him and knelt down and asked, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus asked. Only God is truly good. I've always wondered if that was Christ, kind of in a backwards way, saying, You call me good, but only God's good. So do you realize that you're talking to God? But to answer your question, you know the commandments. You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not testify falsely, you must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother. Teacher, the man replied, I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young. Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. There is still one thing you haven't done, he told him. Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. At this the man's face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. How many of us do that, folks? How often I'm guilty of that, of holding on to things and possessions more than people, more than God. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. This amazed them. But Jesus said again, Dear children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were astounded. Then who in the world can be saved? They asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God. Those verses are consistently a comfort to me. And a reminder that I have no hope for salvation and eternal life except through Jesus Christ. The only reason I have salvation and eternal life. And despite my doubts, folks, I do. It's because of Jesus Christ. It's nothing I've done, nothing I haven't done. It's just God's grace and mercy through his son. That's the only reason any of us have salvation and eternal life. It's not because of the denomination we belong to, it's not because of some pope or priest or pastor or bishop. It's not because we're a great person and we've done more good than bad in our life. There's nothing else. It's not because of Mary or Joseph or the disciples or the thief on the cross or anybody else. Then Peter began to speak up. We've given up everything to follow you, he said. Yes, Jesus replied, and I assure you that everyone who's get who has given up house or brothers or sister or mother or father or children or property for my sake and for the good news will receive now. In return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property, along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be greatest then. Father help us to worry about being greatest then and not important now. Psalm forty four verses nine through twenty-six. But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land. You have butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. You sold your precious people for a pittance, making nothing on the cell. You let our neighbors mock us. We are the object of scorn and derision to those around us. You have made us the butt of their jokes, and they shake their heads at us in scorn. We can't escape the constant humiliation. Shame is written across our faces. All we hear are the taunts of our mockers, all we see are our vengeful enemies. All this has happened, though we have not forgotten you, we have not violated your covenant, our hearts have not deserted you, we have not strayed from your path, yet you have crushed us in the jackal's desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. But for your sake we are killed every day. We are being slaughtered like sheep. Wake up, O Lord, why do you sleep? Get up, do not reject us forever. Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt. Rise up, help us, ransom us because of your unfailing love. Proverbs 10, verses 20 and 21. The words of the godly are like sterling silver. The heart of a fool is worthless. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense. How many of us, how many of us lack common sense, folks? Ah, countryside. I managed to put the books a little closer today. That's the first book in the series. There's some reviews on the back. You can check out some more online. If you're looking for a family-friendly middle grade read, and the second book in the series, again, there's more reviews online. Uh Narnia Hobbit, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, that kind of stuff. If you enjoy that, I think you might enjoy Countryside if you get a chance to check it out. And if you enjoyed, if you'd leave a review online somewhere, I would greatly appreciate it. And same thing for the podcast. If you have the time to leave a review there, I would appreciate that. And also if you have five or ten dollars a month, you can donate to the podcast. There's a link down at the bottom of the show notes where you can do that. So and I'm very grateful for any or all of those. December 2nd, 2015, San Bernardino, California. A married couple, Syed Rizwan Farouk, and Tashfin Malik, carried out a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday party for County Health Department employees. They were armed with semi-automatic rifles, handguns, killed 14 people, injured twenty-two others. Police later killed both of them in a shootout. Both Muslims. If you're not paying attention, folks, you need to be looking around at what Muslims, followers of Islam, are doing in Europe and the UK and here in America. And then you need to remember that this has been going on for centuries. So I'm going to skip out of order today for the Medal of Honor. My father sent me one via his Marine Corps channels. And so we're going to read that. Not the actual citation, but just a it's pretty similar, tells the story. April 1972. Two U.S. pilots were shot down deep in North Vietnam and deemed irretrievable due to heavy enemy fire and patrols. Navy SEAL Thomas Norris volunteered, disguising himself as a Vietnamese fisherman and infiltrating infant enemy territory with South Vietnamese commandos. He navigated rivers and jungles at night, evading checkpoints, and located the first pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Sell Harbalton, who evaded capture for 11 days. Norris extracted him to the Q Vet River and safety. Undaunted, Norris returned for the second pile, Lieutenant Mark Clark deeper in enemy lines with increased patrols, alongside South Vietnamese SEAL Wynne Van Kett. They found and rescued Clark, took him to a waiting U.S. ship. For these impossible rescues, Norris received the Medal of Honor. Six months later, on October 31, 1972, during a recon mission, Norris's team was ambushed by 50 to 100 North Vietnamese soldiers. Norris was shot in the head, fracturing his skull and destroying his left eye. Presumed dead, he was left behind. Fellow SEAL Mike Thornton ran back through gunfire, hoisted Norris onto his shoulders, fought to the ocean, and swam for two hours towing him while under heavy fire. A U.S. ship rescued them. Norris survived surgeries, infections, and rehab losing his eye and gaining a metal skull plate. He later served 20 years in the FBI. Thornton earned the Medal of Honor. The only case of one recipient saving another and both surviving.

unknown 16:32

Man.

Honor Killing Case And Ideology

Samuel Adams On Liberty And Resolve

Final Exhortation And The Lord’s Prayer

Blessing And Closing

SPEAKER_00 16:35

What are we doing? I have a friend who is becoming closer and closer, and he says that often. What are we doing? What are we doing, folks? How do we forget men like that? How do we abandon our allies? How do we entertain all these people that despise and hate our nation so much? And act as if we can just peacefully coexist. It is very much the mentality after COVID of getting back to quote unquote normal. There is no normal, folks. Normal's what got us here in the first place. Normal, ignoring God and Jesus Christ, ignoring the evil and plain sight around us is what got us where we are. One January 2008, Amina and Sarah Saeed, Irving, Texas, right? Two teenage sisters, 18 and 17, were shot to death in their father's taxicab by Yasser Abdel Saeed, an Egyptian American Muslim, in an honor killing motivated by disapproval of their Western lifestyles, dating non-Muslim boys, and resistance to arranged marriages. Saeed evaded arrest for twelve years before being caught. Islam doesn't change, folks, and when you think that there's moderate Islam, all that is is a precursor for not moderate Islam. And the desires again of leftism, socialism, communism, Nazism, fascism, Islam, those are mainstream for those followers. They're not French, they're not extreme, right? It's mainstream. Whether it's explicit and open or whether it's just based on being complicit and silent. All right, we're going to read the last couple paragraphs of this article written by Samuel Adams, signed as uh Candidus, Boston Gazette, October 14, 1771. If I can. There we go. And if a minister shall usurp the supreme and absolute government of America and set up his instructions as laws in the colonies, and their governors shall be so weak or so wicked as for the sake of keeping their places to be made the instruments and putting them into execution, who will presume to say that the people have not a right or that it is not their indispensable duty to God and their country by all ra mash all rational means and their power to resist them? Be firm, my friends, nor let unmanly sloth twine round your hearts in dissoluble chains. Ne'er yet by force was freedom overcome, unless corruption first dejects the pride and guardian vigor of the free born soul. All crude attempts of violence are vain. Determine, hold your independence. For that once destroyed, unfounded freedom is a morning dream. The liberties of our c of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards, and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. Of the latter we are in most danger at present. Let us therefore be aware of it. Let us contemplate our forefathers and posterity and resolve to maintain the rights bequeathed to us from the former for the sake of the latter. Instead of sitting down satisfied with the efforts we have already made, which is the wish of our enemies, the necessity of the times more than ever calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude, and perseverance. Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it and involve others in our doom. It is a very serious consideration which should deeply impress our minds that millions yet unborn may be the miserable sharers in the event. Talks about duty a lot. It reminds me of John Jay, our first Supreme Court Chief Justice, saying that it was not only our privilege, but our duty as citizens of a Christian. Nation to select and prefer Christians for rulers. And it also reminds me of a post I saw within the last couple days on X talking about the fact that there is no new world to go to, folks. There's nowhere to escape. You're not going anywhere. This is the last best hope, as Lincoln and Reagan and others have said. We either choose to take a stand here or we condemn our children and grandchildren to take that first step into a thousand years of darkness. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation wherever you are around the world, and God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.