On The Desert Road

Posted on August 7, 2026 by jesustrek

Acts chapter eight records the interesting account of Philip’s encounter with a man from Ethiopia. Luke emphasizes the fact that this encounter took place on a desert road, a place where one would hardly expect anything significant to happen. However, God works in mysterious ways, and the Lord often leads us to places we might not otherwise travel to encounter people we might not otherwise meet to share with them the good news that they might not otherwise hear.

When Philip got to the desert road he met an Ethiopian man who was an important official for the queen. He was returning home after having made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship. The Spirit told Philip to approach the chariot in which the man was riding. When he obediently did so, he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The man humbly admitted that he needed an interpreter and invited Philip to ride with him and explain the Scripture to him.

God had obviously been preparing both of these men for this encounter, because the man could not have been reading a more appropriate passage of Scripture. He was reading about a lamb who was being led to be slaughtered. Philip began with that text and told him the good news about Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world through his sacrificial death on the cross.

Philip not only told the man about the gospel, but he must also have told him how one must respond to the gospel, because the man noticed some water along the way and asked why he couldn’t be baptized there and then. Philip perceived that the man had adequately understood the gospel message enough to be baptized into Christ, so they stopped the chariot. Both men went into the water, and the man had his sins washed away in Christian baptism. The Ethiopian man went on his way rejoicing, and Philip was whisked away to his next God-given assignment.

So, what do we need to learn from this story? First, understand that we all have been called to be witnesses for Jesus, and we should obediently follow God’s leading as he provides us with opportunities to do so. Secondly, we should know that some important conversations can occur in unlikely places, our own version of “the desert road”, so to speak. Finally, we need to realize that the joy we spread to others and the satisfaction we feel ourselves are the natural outcomes of obeying God’s command to share the gospel message.

If you feel like you are currently on some version of a desert road, don’t despair! Be confident that God has a plan and choose every day to be a willing participant in that plan, even if you don’t fully understand how it will all turn out. Trust that God will use you to bless others, and that you in turn will feel blessed to have been used by God in a very meaningful way.

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Our Message Must Be Clear

Posted on July 29, 2026 by jesustrek

Acts chapter three records how Peter and John healed a lame beggar at the temple gate. The people who witnessed this miracle were filled with wonder and amazement. Peter seized this opportunity to preach the gospel message to the crowd that had gathered. He gave credit for the miraculous healing to the power of the crucified and resurrected Jesus and urged people to repent.

This caused quite a stir among the Jewish religious leaders, who seized Peter and John and put them in jail. The next day the leaders questioned Peter and John, demanding to know by what power they had done this. Peter once again took the opportunity to preach the gospel. He called out the leaders for having Jesus crucified and pointed out that God had raised him from the dead. He quoted Psalm 118:22 when he said, “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’” (Acts 4:11). Then Peter finished his sermon by insisting, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

The religious leaders were astonished at the courage of these ordinary men, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. They could not deny that the miracle had happened, but they wanted to put a stop to the preaching. So, they warned Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

Brothers and sisters, the gospel message has not changed. Salvation is found in no one else other than the crucified and resurrected Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s plan to save the world. We must speak this all-important truth every time we have the opportunity to do so. We must have the perseverance to spread the gospel even when it is not convenient and the courage to do so under the threat of opposition. We must not listen to anyone who would shut us up. Rather, we must obey God and always tell the truth about Jesus. Our message must be clear—there is no other way to be saved except through Jesus!

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6.

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A Christian Response to “Pride Month”

Posted on June 26, 2026 by jesustrek

Bible scholars, theologians and other Christian leaders have pointed out that the LGBTQ proponents chose a very descriptive word for their movement when they settled on the word “pride”. They have failed to humble themselves in the sight of God. Their rebellion against God is shown in three major ways.

First, they deny that mankind was made in the image of God and that he created them male and female (Gen.1:27). The resulting gender dysphoria is displayed in many thoughts and behaviors that are an affront to God.

Second, they denounce the institution of marriage as it was given and defined by God (Gen.2:24). The union of one man and one woman was given to us for mankind’s benefit, and those who ignore marriage or attempt to redefine it do so at their own peril.

Third, when the “pride” crowd celebrates that which is forbidden by God, they rebel against the nature that God has created. Lev.18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”

So, we see that “pride month” is very aptly named. What should Christians do to respond to this? Let me offer a few suggestions.

To begin with, know what the Bible says about the subject of sexual immorality, and believe me it says a lot. Be familiar with the verses mentioned above, as well as Gen.19 (God had a reason for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah), Rom.1, 1 Cor.6, and Jude. Also know that all types of sexual immorality are forbidden by God in the gospels, the apostles’ letters and the book of Revelation. And be aware that the punishment for such sins is to be denied access to the kingdom of God (1 Cor.6:9-10) and to heaven itself (Rev.22:14-15).

We must also know what our adversary, the devil, is saying about the subject. Satan is exceptionally good at what he does, deceiving mankind. He tries to put doubt in our minds— “Did God really say that?” The devil would have you believe that allowing people to continue in the sin that is destroying them is the kind and loving thing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Finally, we must make sure that we do not affirm or enable in any way those who have chosen to rebel against God with their homosexual sin. Rom.1 warns that the wrath of God is being revealed against the wicked. The last verse in that chapter says that those who approve of such behaviors are just as subject to severe punishment as those who are committing those sins.

So church, don’t waver! Stand firm in the truth! Eph.6:10-13 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

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Necessary for Life

Posted on June 13, 2026 by jesustrek

Someone once asserted that you don’t need a parachute to go skydiving. However, they did admit that you do need a parachute to go skydiving twice!

Just as you need a parachute to survive skydiving, you need Jesus to survive this life. Many will try to make it without him, but they will not succeed; they will perish. Trust Jesus and live!

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6

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Urgent Request!

Posted on June 12, 2026 by jesustrek

Last year my wife and I had just bought a new vehicle, and I was not yet familiar with all the controls. I was pulling into a drive-through window at a fast-food restaurant when I suddenly realized that I didn’t know how to lower the window so that I could place my order. The control wasn’t on the door where I thought it would be. I searched frantically as I inched forward in the line of cars.

Reaching a point of desperation, I called my wife, and urgently explained my situation, asking (demanding?) that she tell me as quickly as possible how to lower the car window. She immediately summed up the situation and directed me to the control, which was in the lower part of the dashboard, nowhere near where I had been looking.

I was able to lower the window just in time to place my order. The disaster had been averted!

Sometimes our prayers take on a sense of urgency. We need God to give us an answer, and we need it right away. Time after time, God supplies the answer to our prayers, and, quite often, it is just in the nick of time.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”—James 1:5.

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Highway Signs

Posted on May 29, 2026 by jesustrek

This is the time of year when a lot of people take to the open highways for a road trip. As they are driving to their various vacation destinations they see a lot of different signs along the way. These signs are very helpful, and we ignore them at our own risk.

In a similar fashion, the Bible has many suggestions and warnings for us to heed. We can consider them God’s signs for us along life’s highway. Just as with the literal highway signs, we are putting ourselves in danger if we ignore the signs that God has given us. Let us compare some highway signs with messages we see in the Bible.

SPEED LIMIT—This means that you had better not be going too fast. Many drivers suffer from “lead foot syndrome”, and they risk causing an accident or incurring a fine for a speeding violation. The Bible often cautions us to slow down. Life can become too fast-paced. Therefore, we need to learn to say “No” to certain things and slow down. Jesus says in Matt.11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

STOP—Some people think this means to slow down, but it means what it says. Sometimes we need to come to a complete stop. We read in Psalm 46:10, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” Periodically we need to cease from all activity and meditate on the greatness of God.

WRONG WAY—Ignoring this road sign could get you into a lot of trouble! So could going in the wrong way in your spiritual life. One of the Bible’s most often repeated commands is to repent. The very first word Jesus utters in Matthew’s gospel after he begins to preach is the word “repent”— “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matt.4:17).

BUMP AHEAD—Even if we are going in the right direction, we are going to hit an occasional bump in the road. Those who think that the Christian life is easy are going to be in for a rude awakening one day. In John 16:33, Jesus gives us a blunt warning about this, immediately followed by a word of encouragement— “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

YIELD—The yield sign reminds us that there are other people on the road, and we had better give them their space. There is a temptation to forget that there are other people in the church who deserve our consideration. Phil.2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

DETOUR—Occasionally an accident or some construction work will force us to take a detour. This can be an annoying, but necessary, delay. Sometimes we hit a detour on our spiritual journey. Things don’t always work out the way we planned. However, if we are living within God’s will, we must trust that the Lord has a reason for the delay. Prov.16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

ONE WAY—On some streets, traffic only moves in one direction. The only way to safely go through this life is through Jesus. He claims to be the only way to get to God (John 14:6). Of all the signs God gives us, this one above all is to be heeded. Trust Jesus alone for your salvation!

Safe travels, my friends!

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Answered Prayer

Posted on May 19, 2026 by jesustrek

Shortly after Dallas Theological Seminary was founded in 1924, it almost came to the point of bankruptcy. All the creditors were going to foreclose at noon on a particular day. That morning there was a meeting in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. In that prayer meeting was a man by the name of Harry Ironside. When it was his turn to pray, he prayed in his characteristic manner: “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are Thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.”

While they were praying, a tall Texan wearing cowboy boots walked into the business office of the school and said, “I just sold two carloads of cattle in Ft. Worth. I’ve been trying to make a business deal but it fell through, and I feel compelled to give the money to the seminary. I don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s the check!”

The secretary took the check and, knowing how critical things were financially, went to the door of the prayer meeting and timidly knocked. When she finally got a response, the president of the seminary took the check from her. It was exactly the amount of the debt! When he looked at the signature on the check, he recognized the cattleman from Ft. Worth, and turning to Ironside he said, “Harry, God sold the cattle!”

This story is a reminder that God answers prayer. Sometimes he answers quite dramatically. Sometimes he answers just in the nick of time. Sometimes he answers very specifically to how we have prayed. But he does indeed answer prayer.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”—1 John 5:14-15.

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Believing the Bible

Posted on May 14, 2026 by jesustrek

Here is a portion of what Love Lockman wrote in an article about Christian faith that was published in the “Lookout” magazine.

“Did you ever stop to think that almost everything Christians believe is unbelievable? We believe the Red Sea parted so Moses and millions of Israelites could walk across. We believe the sun stood still in the sky so Joshua could finish winning his battle. We believe burning bushes and donkeys talked. We believe an ax-head floated, a virgin gave birth, water became wine, sick people were miraculously healed, and 5,000 people were fed with a little boy’s lunch. We believe a man died on a cross in our place, was placed in a borrowed tomb, came back to life on the third day, performed miracles for his followers for 40 days, and then rode a cloud into Heaven!”

Lockman goes on to say, “Do you know how I know all of the above is true? Because no one in his right mind would make up that kind of stuff and expect someone to believe it. If I were fabricating a religion for people to believe in, I would make it a lot more credible and believable than Christianity. I once heard T.D. Jakes say about the Bible, ‘If you can get past those first four words, ‘in the beginning God,’ then you can believe it all.’”

We are asked to believe some truly incredible things in the Bible. But the Bible is a very credible source. In his 1959 book, “Rivers in the Desert”, Nelson Glueck writes, “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. By the same token, proper evaluation of biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.”

Glueck wrote those words 60 years ago, but since then there has not been one single discovery—not one—that would lead us to doubt anything that is written in the Bible. In fact, many significant discoveries have been made that only serve to solidify our faith in the Word of God. You can trust the Scripture–every single word of it!

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Be Strong and Courageous

Posted on May 2, 2026 by jesustrek

The world in which we live can be downright scary if you think about it. There are many dangerous things that could bring harm, or even death, to a person. We must be concerned about illnesses, accidents, and natural disasters which could bring devastation to a person’s life. There is also the possibility of having your life drastically altered by financial woes or significant upheaval in the family or workplace. Add to that the smaller daily concerns of life and you have quite a list of things that might keep you up at night!

However, God doesn’t want us to live our lives in fear. When he walked the earth, Jesus said many times to those around him, “Don’t be afraid.” Sometimes in the New Testament angels would echo the message of Jesus— “Fear not!”

The Old Testament book of Joshua begins with an exhortation from the Lord to Joshua that he should not be afraid. It was a scary time for Joshua and the Israelite nation. They were about to occupy the land that God had promised them. However, it wasn’t going to be an easy task. The people occupying that land were not going to give it up without a fight. There was going to be war. Add to that the fact that Israel’s longtime leader, Moses, had just died. For forty years Moses had been there to lead the way. His presence would be with them no more. There was a lot to give Joshua and the Israelites great concern.

Yet the Lord tells Joshua three times in Joshua 1:1-9 to “be strong and courageous”. In v.9 the Lord expresses it in the negative— “…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” How could Joshua and the people remain brave in the face of such frightening circumstances? The text gives us a couple of reasons.

First, we can be strong and courageous because of the Word of God. V.8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Constant attention to the Word of God reminds us of his mighty ability to fulfill his promises and bless and keep his people, thus bolstering our courage.

A second reason we can be brave is to remember the Lord’s presence with his people. Just as Jesus promised his on-going presence with us in the final words of Matthew’s gospel, the Lord promises the same to Joshua in this Scripture. In v.5 the Lord says, “…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And in v.9 the Lord says it again– “…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

So, even in this scary world in which we live, we don’t have to cower in fear. We can be strong and courageous by reading and obeying the Word of God and by focusing on his constant presence in our lives.

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Like a Fruitful Tree

Posted on April 25, 2026 by jesustrek

No one wants to live an unproductive life. We all want to live a life of meaning, making a difference in the lives of those around us. The Bible is filled with exhortations for us to do just that. Jesus tells us that we, his followers, are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Briefly put, that means that we have an impact on the people around us. We have a positive influence on those who come into contact with us.

The first chapter of Psalms expounds on this theme. The first Psalm introduces the book and sets the agenda for its content. Here we read of the two ways that are set before mankind—the way of the Lord versus the way of the world. We all must choose one path or the other, and these very different paths result in very different outcomes. The way we choose determines the fruit of our lives and the eternal destination of our souls.

The chapter opens with the admonition to refuse to walk with the wicked, stand with sinners or sit in the company of mockers. We are not to allow ourselves to be influenced by people who have chosen to oppose God. While we cannot completely evade their presence, we can resist their attempts to lead us down the wrong path in life. “Bad company corrupts good character” (1Cor.15:33), and we must avoid this at all costs. Someone once said, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” If our future is to include a fruitful life and a blissful eternity, we must not allow ourselves to become compromised in our beliefs and our actions.

Instead, we must delight ourselves in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night (v.2). God’s ways should give us joy and pleasure. Reading the Bible and thinking deeply about its principles should never be burdensome. Rather, our attention to the Scriptures should delight us as it helps us to avoid the ways of the world and points us in the right direction. There is really no way to live a productive life without devoting ourselves to the book that informs us of how to do just that—the Bible.

V.3 informs us that the one who lives according to Scripture is like a fruitful tree—everything they do prospers. If you want to live a productive life, your life must be deeply influenced by the word of God. As we obey his commands and put his principles for living into practice, those around us cannot help but be blessed by our presence in their lives.  

The wicked, however, have a quite different fate in store for them. By ignoring God’s word, they set themselves on a different path. Rather than being productive, their lives are ultimately useless. They end up being blown away like the chaff in the wind (v.4). Therefore, they cannot stand in the judgment nor be a part of the righteous assembly (v.5).

V.6 concludes the Psalm— “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” The devil makes the way of the wicked seem like an attractive choice, but he is a liar and a deceiver. The way of the wicked leads to eternal destruction. However, the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. This is not passive, distant watching. The word conveys the thought of watching with compassion and includes the idea that the Lord intervenes in the lives of those who follow his ways.

This Scripture, like many others, lays out two pathways before us and gives us a choice to make. We can go God’s way and live a fruitful life and be blessed forever. Or we can go the way of the wicked and amount to nothing and be forever punished. The choice is ours to make. Choose wisely!

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