Devotional

Mercy

I sometimes find myself berating someone for their behavior that may indeed be justified. The guy that tails me while driving on a one lane road even when I'm ‘slightly’ above the speed limit comes to mind.   

Mercy is defined as compassion shown to someone who does not deserve it.

As Christ followers we are called to be merciful, and Jesus gave us a clear demonstration of this in the gospels. 

In Matthew 9:13, Jesus quoting Hosea 6:6 made the statement: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  This was just after He said: “It is not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick”, in reference to who He came to help and demonstrate mercy to.

Jesus demonstrated what mercy was after he was accused by the Pharisees of associating with sinners and tax collectors, a group considered outcasts by the self righteous religious people of His day.  Instead of cancel-culturing them or ignoring them, Jesus not just welcomed them but became friends with them. 

If this is an example of how we should live, then ask yourself who are those around you that you need to show mercy to and befriend?  Perhaps it’s the neighbor that irritates you with his remarks or actions. Or the coworker that is rude or insensitive.  Or maybe the person that is aligned with the other political party and lets you know it.  

We have plenty of opportunities to extend mercy to others each day.  Let's take Jesus’ model as the way to do so.  Micah 6:8 also reminds us that the Lord requires us to “act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.

Remember there is a benefit of extending mercy.  Mercy will be given back to us in return as Jesus promised in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

So next time the natural reaction is to lash out in self-defense, consider the words and model Jesus gave us to be merciful. 

Financial Update

Silver in the Bible

I’m often fascinated by verses in the Bible that mention silver, often with gold.  For example:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a network of silver.” (Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭11‬)‬‬

“Receive my instruction, and not silver; And knowledge rather than choice gold.”(‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬)

Some have used this point to refer to silver and gold as God's ‘currency’, which I believe is unnecessary since God doesn't need a currency, but I get the sentiment.

We’ve had several articles in the past related to gold, and I encourage you to read the latest, Gold Market Update if you previously missed it.  Turning our attention to silver…

I was curious to see what the relative value of silver was in the Bible in relation to today.  Here are some interesting observations I learned. 

Firstly, in terms of weight, 1 ounce is roughly 2.5 Biblical shekels.  With silver worth about $50/ounce today, that's about $20/shekel.

Here are a few Biblical references of silver and the relevant worth today:

• In Genesis 23:16, Abraham bought a burial plot for his wife Sarah for four hundred shekels of silver….. $8,000

• In Jeremiah 32:9–10, Jeremiah buys a field for 17 shekels of silver, ….$340, what a steal!

• Matthew 26:15, Judas Iscariot received 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus…based on ancient currency they were likely Tyrian shekels, each weighing about 14 grams of silver, making the total silver weight about 13.5 ounces…...$675.

• Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents Jesus described the wicked servant who buried his Talent in the ground.  It does not specify the type of Talent, but if they were silver, 1 Talent is about 75 pounds, which would be worth $60,000!

These transactions from the time of Jesus to Abraham are roughly 2000  to 4000 years ago, showing that silver has maintained significant value over time…a long period of time!

In contrast, in 1925, a loaf of bread cost about 15 cents compared to about $3 today, making the US dollar only worth about 5% of its value 100 years ago. 

Silver and gold will not disappear and will very likely continue to increase in value over time, making them a great long term investment option.  Besides owning the physical assets themselves, there are several (exchange traded funds) ETFs that are backed by the actual assets that are a good option to evaluate for your investment portfolios, since they can be traded like any other ETF.  But as in all things earthly, let's apply the wisdom of Solomon and not chase after wealth which doesn’t satisfy.

Tech Update

Autonomous Vehicles

As futuristic as this sounded just a decade ago, they’re here!

Fully autonomous vehicles (AV) were modeled in many science fiction movies for us over the years and have now come into existence in several forms globally.

Robotaxis

In the U.S, there are about a dozen cities, including San Francisco, Miami and Washington, that have implemented robotaxis, operated by Waymo and May Mobility.  Just this month, Austin and Atlanta became the first to offer integration with Uber, so that riders can select the option to ride driverless.  Four cities in China now also offer similar driverless taxi services.  Funny story, our pastor recently took his first robotaxi Uber ride in Austin.  He shared in his recent sermon that to ease his anxiety he started praying in tongues over the empty driver seat as they took off….lol! 

Trucking

Driverless trucks are also now active in select corridors and states in the U.S.  Most notable is that offered by Aurora between Dallas and Houston Texas, a span of about 240 miles.  In May 2025, they became the first commercial trucks to be fully driverless, without a human safety driver on board.  Aurora boasts using an advanced light detection and ranging (LiDAR) motion sensing technology that can digitally ‘see’ objects up to 450 meters away.  I’m just curious to find out what happens if the truck gets pulled over by the state trooper, and the trooper looks for the driver :-).

Personal Vehicles

Tesla, and other car manufactures, have implemented full self-driving features in cars for some years now.  Tesla’s version today, however, is supervised, requiring an attentive driver to remain ready to take control at any time.  The system can supposedly handle highway cruising, lane changes, navigating streets, and detecting stop lights/signs, but is not fully autonomous.   It is anticipated that we are still several years away before personal AVs become commercially available.  Even with the technology hurdles, there is also the legal authorization at city, state and federal levels required.  In addition, consider the implications on the insurance industry figuring out how to insure a vehicle that can drive itself. 

New Opportunities to Emerge

Vehicle ownership will change in the future as AVs reshape the landscape.  Owning, maintaining, insuring and parking a vehicle is already very expensive in metro cities today.  With fleets of AVs on demand, urban users will likely opt to use them exclusively and avoid costly car ownership altogether.  Greater changes will occur as this trend evolves into the suburbs.

Also, with the onset of AVs, it is projected that a new economic boom may emerge as owners of these vehicles will use them both personally and commercially.  Imagine using your self driving car to drive you to and from work, as many do today.  But now, while you’re at your job, why not let your car go to work also as an autonomous taxi.  So while you’re pulling in employment income, your car is also!

Biblical Thoughts

As I think about the topic of AVs, I’m reminded about Ezekiel’s vision of heaven and the four living creatures having multi-directional wheels that enabled them to go in any direction as they are led by the spirit.

In a sense, it reminds me that my goal in life is not autonomous driving or self driving, but Spirit-led driving, which has so much greater benefits!

Health Nuggets

Apigenin- A Powerful Flavonoid

Apigenin is powerful flavonoid that provides great health benefits for the liver, kidney, lung, heart, neurological conditions, and diabetes. It may also support oral and skin health; is linked to improving sleep quality; it has anti-aging effects; and good for easing anxiety.

The best foods high in apigenin are:

• chamomile tea (highest)

• parsley (fresh or dried), thyme, oregano, spearmint, cilantro, basil

• spinach

• onions

• red peppers

• celery hearts

• artichoke

• rutabaga and cabbage

• apples, oranges, blackberries, blueberries, citrus, grapes

• beer and wine

Parsley, second to chamomile, has the highest apigenin. So try a Tabouleh Salad from a Mediterranean restaurant or make your own. It is delicious with a side of hummus and pita bread.  Enjoy!

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

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