What Are You Chasing?

Posted on March 28, 2017 by jesustrek

According to the Chicago Tribune, on March 3, 1995, a thirty-eight-year-old man who was walking to his temporary job at a warehouse tried to get there by cutting across eight lanes of a busy highway. After he crossed the four northbound lanes, the wind blew off his hat. The hat flew back across the northbound lanes, and he chased after it. A semi-trailer truck struck and killed him.

A person can lose everything by chasing after nothing.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”—1 John 2:15-17.

 

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Groaning

Posted on March 23, 2017 by jesustrek

“Groan” is a key word in Romans 8. We see that creation is groaning (v.22). The fall of mankind has even subjected the earth to the effects of sin.

We also see that Christians groan (v.23). Even those who have been saved must live out their lives in a world where pain and suffering abound.

We even see the Holy Spirit of God groaning as he helps us to pray (v.26). God commiserates with us as we live in this world filled with groaning.

However, God is seen to be working in all the groaning. 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Even in the bad things, God is at work to bless his people. God does not cause the bad things to happen; but he is there to bring good even out of the bad.

God uses those who have experienced the pain of divorce to minister to those who are just now going through it themselves. God uses those who have experienced the death of a loved one to help someone else navigate their way through that devastating loss. God takes repentant sinners and makes them vessels of grace for others who need the mercy that is shown to us through Jesus Christ.

If we take the New Testament seriously, we have to take the groaning seriously. However, we also see that we Christians are blessed in spite of life’s groaning. V.31 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Later we read—“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (vv.37-39).

In this world filled with groaning, God wants us to know that we are still winners, victorious through Jesus!

 

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Living Up to It

Posted on March 22, 2017 by jesustrek

The big day has finally arrived. Excitement is in the air. The guests have been ushered in. The wedding party has taken their place on the platform. Everyone beams as the bride is escorted down the aisle. A Scripture is read, a prayer is spoken and the minister offers a few words of encouragement. Finally the announcement comes—“I now pronounce you husband and wife!”

Something significant has just happened. The two have become one flesh. They have the best of intentions, but understand little about what it means to be a husband or a wife. They will spend the rest of their lives together becoming what the preacher has said they already are!

This is sort of how it is when we accept Christ. God adopts us into his family and proclaims that we are his children. The problem is, we don’t know much about how a child of God is supposed to act.

Paul the apostle seems to say in his writings, “You have become sons and daughters of God. Now you need to start living like children of God!”

We have the rest of our lives to become what we already are. Reflect on that.

“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”—Philippians 3:16.

 

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Outrageously Generous

Posted on March 21, 2017 by jesustrek

Have you ever noticed the outrageous generosity shown by some of the believers in the New Testament?

Consider the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus in order to honor him. Some in the crowd were indignant, pointing out that the perfume, which was worth more than a year’s wages, could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus did not chastise her for choosing to be so generous. He praised her for her willingness to worship him in such an extravagant way (Mark 14:1-9).

Zacchaeus was so impressed with Jesus that he pledged to give half of all his possessions to the poor and to reimburse anyone he had cheated by paying them back four times the amount. This was a radical display of generosity for a wealthy tax collector who had probably become wealthy at the expense of others (Luke 19:1-10).

In Acts 4:32-37 we read that many of the Christians sold homes or land and brought the proceeds to the church leaders so that the money could be used for benevolence. Think about how much good a congregation could do if they had members exhibiting that kind of outrageous generosity.

I can’t honestly say that my generosity has reached outrageous proportions, but it certainly is a goal for which we all should strive.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”—Luke 6:38.

 

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Easy Choice

Posted on March 20, 2017 by jesustrek

Several years ago, Frank Minirth and Paul Meier wrote a book called Happiness Is a Choice. Most people would agree with that premise. We can choose to be joyful, or we could choose to be miserable. Yet for some reason many people choose the latter! I suppose it is true that misery loves company!

Why would people choose: drunkenness over sobriety, promiscuity rather than chastity, crippling debt over frugal living, isolation instead of healthy relationships? On and on the list goes—people making choices that bring them nothing but heartache and pain.

Let us be among those who choose wisely. Let’s choose joy.

“…Let us rejoice today and be glad.”—Psalm 118:24.

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Making It Grow

Posted on March 16, 2017 by jesustrek

Last year I seeded our new lawn, with mixed results. The grass came up, but the hot, dry weather was hard on it, and the crabgrass took over. Now, I am looking at a brown patch of ground that offers little promise of becoming a lush, green lawn in the coming weeks.

I recently scattered some more seed on the yard, hoping that it would work its way into the soil, perhaps with the help of some rain or snow. What will become of it remains to be seen. I have done what I can; now I just sit back and wait.

The same principle holds true with the seed of God’s Word. We scatter it out there on the hearts of the people we want to bless. Sometimes it falls on fertile ground; other times it lands on hard soil. We have very little control over how people respond to the Word. We speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and pray for the best.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”—1 Corinthians 3:6.

 

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Important Conversation

Posted on March 13, 2017 by jesustrek

I recently found a quote that I think is worthy of sharing—“Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.”—Unknown.

We don’t seem to have any trouble talking about the weather, or sports, or current events, etc. However, when it comes to matters of faith and eternal salvation, sometimes we don’t know what to say. Or maybe we do know what to say, but we are afraid of how it might be received.

We need to get over those fears and be bold enough to start a conversation that will have some eternal significance. 2 Tim. 1:7-8 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord…” 1 Pet. 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…”

 

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Don’t Waste It!

Posted on March 11, 2017 by jesustrek

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Speaking yesterday evening at an energy industry conference in Texas, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “No country would find 173 billion barrels of oil in the ground and just leave them there.” His common-sense statement was well-received at that venue. There are, of course, a few radicals who would disagree, but most people understand that you just can’t waste such a valuable resource.

This reminds me of the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in Matthew 25. The master gave each of three servants a vast amount of money to invest for him. The first two gained a return for their master’s investment, but the third did not. He simply hid it in the ground. The first two servants were lavishly praised and greatly rewarded for their faithfulness. However, the third servant was harshly criticized and severely punished for his negligence.

The point of the story is this: We can’t waste any resource that God gives us. Our time, talent and financial resources–and all of the opportunities that we have to use anything we have for the kingdom of God–are tremendously precious! They must be used, not wasted!

 

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The Middle Part Is Tough!

Posted on March 10, 2017 by jesustrek

I just heard someone on the radio say that it is easy to have faith in the beginning and at the end. The tough part is to have faith in the middle.

I suppose that is true.

New Christians find it easy to live out their faith and share it with others. They are like the seed that springs up quickly (Matt. 13:20-21). The new-found faith of these individuals causes them to be excited about living for Jesus. However, over time this exuberance often diminishes to the point where there is no perceived faith at all.

Then, at the end of life, faith has another good chance to be seen in people’s lives. They have explored the pleasures that the world has to offer, but they long for something more. They have reached a point where eternity is staring them directly in the face. They have no choice but to deny God once and for all or, finally, turn to him. End-of-life conversions are a joy to behold. It is wonderful to see a person near death finally accept Christ.

However, it is tough to exhibit faith in the middle. The newness of Christianity has worn off. The world keeps battering you daily, hoping that you will falter. Discouragement abounds, and the finish line is nowhere in sight.

The middle part is tough. That’s why we have to be especially diligent to live out our faith!

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”—1 Corinthians 15:58.

 

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Not a Coincidence

Posted on March 9, 2017 by jesustrek

I have had some knee problems recently, so I asked my prayer partners to pray about that. For some reason I had been reluctant to mention this problem to them. Maybe it seemed trivial or selfish, but for whatever reason, I had been hesitant to ask them to pray about my knee.

The day after I asked them to pray, I received a diagnosis—a sprained ligament. No surgery is thought to be required—just stretching, rehabilitation and wearing a knee brace.

The rehab place I went to does not normally carry braces, but they just so happened to have one knee brace in stock. It just so happened to be exactly the kind of brace I needed. And it just so happened to fit me.

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

What do you think?

“…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”—James 5:16.

 

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