Sheep or Goat?

Posted on October 31, 2015 by jesustrek

sheep_and_goatsMatthew 25 records a teaching of Jesus about the end of time, when he will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep are the ones who take care of the needs of people, while the goats are the ones who ignore the plight of the unfortunate. I recently read a paraphrase from Kyle Idleman about what Jesus might say to people today regarding their status as a sheep or a goat. Borrowing from that idea, here is my own view of how that speech might go.

“I was hungry, but instead of giving me something to eat, you continued to stuff yourself with unhealthy foods. I was thirsty, but rather than providing me with something to drink, you sipped on your expensive lattes and drank bottled water. I was a stranger, but instead of inviting me in, you wanted to have me deported. I needed clothes, but rather than clothing me, you bought yourself more outfits and then wondered how you would fit them into your already overflowing closet. I was sick, but you didn’t do anything to help me. You were too busy blaming me for my illness because of poor decisions I have made in the past. I was in prison, but instead of coming to visit me, you smugly said that I was getting just what I deserved.”

So how about it? Are your attitudes and actions more like a sheep, or more like a goat?

 

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Bad Business Slogan

Posted on October 30, 2015 by jesustrek

Planned ParenthoodIt’s good that people are once again talking about the right to life. Another great moral issue of our times has dominated the conversation this year, and it seemed that the discussion about abortion was being neglected.

Planned Parenthood has been in the news a lot the past few months, and rightly so. We should be discussing the dealings of an organization that provides abortions and is also funded by taxpayers’ dollars.

It is interesting to note that most of the attention has focused on what Planned Parenthood does with the body parts of the babies they kill, rather than on the fact that they kill babies. This shows us the great need to keep on discussing this issue, hoping that more people will come to a greater understanding of exactly what is at stake here.

Planned Parenthood’s response to any criticism from the pro-life movement seems to be summed up in this statement—“Hey, we do more than just kill babies!”

What other business could get by with that sort of slogan?

Let’s keep talking about the right to life, and let’s hope that more people begin to comprehend the horror of abortion.

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.”—Proverbs 24:11.

 

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Not Sentenced

Posted on October 29, 2015 by jesustrek
loggerhead eggs

loggerhead eggs

A Georgia man was caught stealing 84 eggs from the nests of loggerhead sea turtles. This happened while he was on probation for an earlier conviction of committing the same crime. Lewis Jackson was sentenced Wednesday to return to prison for 21 months. Jackson expressed remorse for his actions.

In other news, many abortion clinic workers express no remorse for their actions, face no date in court and are free to go about their business.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”—Psalm 139:13.

 

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Love Is a Choice

Posted on October 28, 2015 by jesustrek
Liam Hemsworth

Liam Hemsworth

Liam Hemsworth, a 25-year-old Australian actor, and American singer Miley Cyrus were engaged to be married, but broke off the relationship in 2013. Hemsworth explained why he has no ill feeling towards Cyrus: “You fall in love with who you fall in love with; you can never choose.”

I couldn’t disagree more. Love is always a choice. No outside force can decide for you whether or not you will love another. You must make that decision.

The Bible commands us to love God and to love people. We can choose to obey or to disobey, but let it be known that love is a choice.

Regarding marital love, Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives…” This teaching also implies that we have a choice whether or not to love.

Hollywood has done little to teach us the real meaning of love. In fact, the romance we see on the screen and read about in books often has little resemblance to true love.

Love is not a feeling; it is an action—an action based on decisions we make.

True love is a choice. It always has been, and always will be.

 

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Still the Same

Posted on October 27, 2015 by jesustrek

Cross-FSSometimes it can be discouraging to consider the negative changes that we have witnessed over time.

Speech habits have changed a lot in my lifetime. Vulgar language seems to be everywhere now—on television, in music and in the conversations that we overhear in public.

Views on morality have changed drastically over the past few decades, especially the last several years. Behavior that was once considered totally unacceptable is ignored, or in some cases, even championed.

The beliefs that people have about God and his church have also changed a lot over the past few years. Many more people now identify themselves as not affiliated with any religion whatsoever.

Yes, a lot of things have changed, and many of these changes have not been for the better. It gives us comfort to know that Jesus never changes—he is always the same loving and forgiving Savior!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”—Hebrews 13:8.

 

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Results

Posted on October 26, 2015 by jesustrek

boy with stuffed animalA young boy came home from school with a stuffed animal. His father asked him where the toy came from. He answered, “I won it at our class Valentine party.”

“How did you win it?” the father asked.

“Well,” he explained, “the teacher put all our names together, and then picked one out. I cheated, though,” he confessed, with a guilty look on his face.

“How did you cheat?”

“I prayed!”

At least the boy has a high view of the power of prayer.

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

 

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Watch Your Language!

Posted on October 23, 2015 by jesustrek

recordSeveral years ago, a local disc jockey played a Charlie Daniels song, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, on his live radio show. The DJ didn’t realize that he had inadvertently put on the uncensored version, the one that uses a phrase that many people think is inappropriate language.

Soon after the questionable phrase in the song was uttered, listeners heard an abrupt screeching sound as the record was quickly pulled from the turntable. This was immediately followed by the sound of the record smashing against the wall. The DJ quickly promised that the listeners would never hear that record again on his show!

If only more people were that concerned about using appropriate language!

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”—Ephesians 5:4.

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Get Real!

Posted on October 22, 2015 by jesustrek

gorillaA man applied for a job at a zoo. The human resource manager explained that the zoo’s gorilla had died, and it was cheaper to hire someone to wear a gorilla suit than to buy another gorilla. Since he was desperate for a job, the man accepted the offer.

The man put on the gorilla suit and went into the cage. He ate a banana and thumped on his chest a lot. He was actually enjoying his new job. Then he started swinging on a rope that was tied to a huge tree. He swung higher and higher, until he lost his grip and fell into the lion’s cage next door.

Terrified, the man jumped to his feet and screamed, “Help! Help!” The lion came out of his house to see what the noise was all about, and then pounced on the man in the gorilla suit.

“Be quiet!” the lion said. “If you don’t shut up, you’ll cause us both to lose our jobs!”

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”—Ephesians 4:25.

 

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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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