Very Efficient

Posted on October 21, 2015 by jesustrek
Arron Chambers

Arron Chambers

In his book, Eats with Sinners, Arron Chambers shares the following story.

A construction worker accidentally shot a nail into his hand with a nail gun. Fortunately, the construction site was right across the street from the hospital, so the injured man walked over there to get some help.

Entering the building, the man saw two doors—one marked Emergency and the other Non-Emergency. He thought his injury wasn’t so bad, so he went through the Non-Emergency door.

There he found himself in a small room with two more doors. One said Internal, the other External. His wound was obviously external, so he chose that door.

Passing through the door, he found himself in another room. This one also had two doors. One said Severe Pain and the other Mild Pain. He wasn’t hurting that much, so he chose the door marked Mild Pain.

Once again he found himself in a small room with two doors. One door said Cash, the other Credit. Since he didn’t have any cash in his pocket, he chose the door marked Credit—and found himself back out on the street again.

Disillusioned, he walked back to the construction site. Surprised to see him back so quickly, a co-worker asked, “Did they treat your hand already?”

“No,” he replied. “They didn’t help me at all…but that’s the most organized hospital I’ve ever seen!”

Let’s hope that our churches aren’t like that hospital! There is a lot to be said for efficiency, but in the end we have to be helping people.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”—Galatians 6:10.

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Mixed Message

Posted on October 20, 2015 by jesustrek

car-radio-istockI have my car radio programmed to a station that used to play contemporary Christian music. The station recently changed their format. They still play an occasional Christian song, but they mostly play contemporary secular songs. This gives the listeners an interesting variety of music. You might hear a Christian song, and then a few minutes later, listen to a song that has some suggestive or borderline offensive lyrics.

I don’t know what the radio station’s game plan is. I suppose it might be a good way to get some non-believers to hear the gospel message.

However, a Christian should not send such mixed messages. Our speech should not be Christian one moment, and something entirely different the next. We need to be consistent with our words.

“Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”—James 3:10.

 

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Living in the Light

Posted on October 19, 2015 by jesustrek

light in the churchOur church recently began to have two Sunday morning worship services. The early service starts at 9:00am. I had not preached at that time of day before, and it was interesting to notice how brightly the sunlight shines through the huge windows at the early service. I feel like I am under a spot light when the sun is shining brightly.

This past Sunday, my wife came up to me between services and suggested that I change clothes before the second service. In the bright light, she noticed that both my pants and shirt had spots on them that might have previously gone unnoticed. So I went home and changed. I will have to be more careful how I present myself now that the light is better in the church building.

People who live in spiritual darkness are afraid to come into the light because of what it might show about them. John 3:20-21 says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

 

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Confession Is Good for the Soul

Posted on October 16, 2015 by jesustrek

Word of Life ChurchA bizarre story began to unfold earlier this week when it was reported that two teenage brothers were brutally beaten in church. One of the young men died in the attack, which was an apparent attempt to get the two teenagers to confess their sins. The tragedy occurred in a Sunday night meeting at the Word of Life church, near New Hartford, NY. The brothers’ parents were charged with manslaughter in the incident, while four other adults were charged with assault. One ex-member of the church said that abuse and shaming were regular practices at the congregation.

The Bible does speak of the need to confess our sins. However, true confession can never be coerced. A person must be repentant and have a contrite heart before true confession can ever take place. This is the kind of confession God seeks.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:8-9.

 

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Now, that’s Different!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by jesustrek

pharmacy-clipart-1A respectable looking lady entered a drug store and walked up to the pharmacist. She said to him, “I want to buy some cyanide.”

The pharmacist asked, “Why in the world do you need cyanide?”

“I need it to poison my husband.”

“You can’t be serious!” he replied. “I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband! That’s against the law! I’d lose my license! They would throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things would happen. Absolutely not! I will NOT sell you any cyanide!”

The lady calmly reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in a compromising position with the pharmacist’s wife. He looked at the picture and said, “Well now, that’s different. You didn’t tell me you had a prescription!”

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”—Romans 12:17.

 

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Proper Alignment

Posted on October 12, 2015 by jesustrek

words-with-friends_13-624x419I play word games with some friends. This morning I played the first word of a new game. At least I tried to do so. The tiles were not properly placed on the board, so the game would not allow me to send my move until I had corrected that mistake. It turned out that I misplaced the first letter, therefore every letter after that was in the wrong place.

This is how it goes with our lives. If we don’t put God in the right place in our lives, everything else is wrong. If nothing in your life is right, you need to start by putting God where he belongs—in first place.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”—Matthew 6:33.

 

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Under-Appreciated

Posted on October 9, 2015 by jesustrek

AppreciateA minister friend of mine was recently chastised on social media for not going to visit a person’s loved one in the hospital. This highly inappropriate public rebuke was immediately met with responses of people defending the minister. When all the facts came out, it was determined that the minister had indeed gone to see the loved one in the hospital after all, so all the drama was for nothing.

It is ironic that this accusation took place in October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month!

Let’s try to do a good job of showing our appreciation to the paid clergy and the lay leaders in the church who work so hard to take care of our spiritual needs.

“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”—1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

 

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Changing Things Around

Posted on October 8, 2015 by jesustrek

possible with GodMy wife and I are building a house in the country. The basement has been poured, the walls are up and the roof is complete. We drove out there the other day to see the progress. I jokingly asked our contractor, “Is it too late to have you angle the house a little bit more toward town?” He replied, “It’s too late for me to do that. It would take a higher power!”

Sometimes we make some mistakes that seem impossible to overcome. We might put our roots down deep in sin, so much so that we can’t turn things around by ourselves.

Never fear! We can’t mess anything up so bad that God can’t set us straight. No matter what you have done wrong, forgiveness is always available through Jesus.

“Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”—Luke 18:27.

 

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This Is Our Year!

Posted on October 7, 2015 by jesustrek

CubsAs the Chicago Cubs prepare for their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Pirates this evening, I can’t help but think about my friends who are Cubs fans. They have remained loyal to their team through one of the longest dry spells in the history of professional team sports. The last time the Cubs won the World Series was when Teddy Roosevelt was president—in 1908. They haven’t even made it to the World Series since 1945.

That’s quite a slump! One of my Cub-loving friends once defended his team by saying, “Any team can have a bad century every now and then!”

Perhaps your church is going through a slump right now. Maybe it seems like a long time since anything significant happened. You could be discouraged about the lack of victories. Keep the faith! God has a plan for you and your church. Be patient and hopeful as you watch that plan unfold.

Be encouraged by the words Jesus used to comfort the church in Philadelphia: “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8).

Take heart! Victory comes to all who remain faithful to Jesus!

 

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Price of Alcohol

Posted on October 6, 2015 by jesustrek
C.C. Sabathia

C.C. Sabathia

The New York Yankees are heading into the postseason without the services of one of their long-time dependable pitchers, C.C. Sabathia, who has admitted that he has a problem with alcohol. The veteran left-hander is checking into a rehab center and will miss the postseason. This is a shocking setback for the Yankees.

On the one hand, you have to admire Sabathia for seeking the help that he needs. He says that he wants to become a better family man. On the other hand, he certainly has let his teammates down by putting himself in this position. They have worked hard to get where they are, and they had hoped that C.C. would be there to help them achieve success in the postseason.

This is just another example of how alcohol causes a lot of pain in many people’s lives. Keep this in mind as you watch the beer commercials between innings.

“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”—Proverbs 23:31-32.

 

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