In Control

Posted on October 2, 2015 by jesustrek

fruit-of-the-spirit-tree11A mother was teaching her young daughter the fruit of the Spirit, from Galatians 5:22-23. When she thought she had the list memorized, she recited it for her mother: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and remote control!”

Of course, it is not remote control. It is self-control that is on the list of the fruit of the Spirit.

The control that we are to exercise over our lives does not come from some remote place. It comes from within. This is not to say that it is from our own power. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in the follower of Jesus that allows him or her to live a life of self-control.

Are you showing this fruit? Too many people who claim to follow Jesus are living lives that show very little self-control.

Are you allowing God to control your life?

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Something about the Truth

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jesustrek
Pope Francis

Pope Francis

I find it interesting the way the recent meeting between Kim Davis and Pope Francis was covered in the media. First, it was reported that Davis’ lawyer claimed that the two had met. It was as if Davis and her lawyer may have made up the whole story and the meeting had never taken place. Later it was reported that someone in the Vatican had confirmed that the pope and Kim Davis had indeed met. This confirmation was necessary for some people to even begin to believe that the meeting had taken place.

Why was there so much suspicion from those who oppose Kim Davis and the Christian beliefs for which she stands? Perhaps it is because worldly people unwittingly acknowledge that they have rejected the truth, and they assume that everyone else bases their lives on lies.

According to Romans 1:31, those on the wrong side of this important moral issue “…have no understanding…” They have no understanding because they have rejected the source of all truth—Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Jesus says that we can know the truth, and that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). The truth can set you free from a lifestyle that is based on lies. The truth can set you free from being suspicious of people who believe in God. The truth can set you free to live the life that God has planned for you. The truth can set you free to live in heaven forever!

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First Things First

Posted on September 30, 2015 by jesustrek

Sunday School teacherClara Null had just finished teaching a lesson on Christian behavior, and she wanted to see if the children had been paying attention. So she asked, “Now, Billy, tell me what we must do before we can expect to be forgiven for our sins.”

Without hesitation, Billy replied, “First we gotta sin!”

We don’t have to sin. But we do. Thankfully, there is a solution for that problem—Jesus.

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:1-2.

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Lesson in Patience

Posted on September 28, 2015 by jesustrek

car troubleA young woman’s car stalled at a stoplight. She tried to get it started, but nothing would happen. The light turned green, and there she sat, angry and embarrassed, holding up traffic. The car behind her could have gone around, but instead the driver added to her anger by laying on his horn.

After another desperate attempt to get the car started, she got out and walked back to the man honking his horn. The man rolled down his window in surprise.

“Tell you what,” she said. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Why don’t you go start my car, and I’ll sit back here and honk the horn for you.”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…patience…”—Galatians 5:22.

 

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Building with the Word

Posted on September 25, 2015 by jesustrek

joshua-24-15-bestMy wife and I are building a house out in the country. The roof is shingled, the windows and doors are in and the siding is now going up on the outside walls. It is now starting to look like the home that we had imagined.

We took a drive out to the house this evening. The workers had gone home, so we had the place to ourselves.

We were on a mission. We took a marker and wrote some Scripture references on the walls. These references will soon be hidden from view, but we will always know that they are there.

Some of the Scriptures had to do with home and family. Others referred to the Word of God. I wrote Proverbs 31 in my wife’s office, because that’s the kind of woman she is. John 3:16 is there. So is the Great Commission. Verses that explain that Jesus is the only way to salvation are included.

Hopefully, this Scripture project will remind us to always trust in God and to do our best to honor the Lord in the home that he has blessed us with.

 

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Didn’t Earn It

Posted on September 24, 2015 by jesustrek
Mark Twain

Mark Twain

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in.”—Mark Twain.

Heaven is not earned. Most of the world’s religions say that you get to go to heaven because of your good deeds. Or perhaps you will make it to heaven because you avoided doing bad deeds—at least most of the time!

Even many Christians sometimes reveal that they are operating under a works-based theology. They speak and act as if they were trying to earn their salvation.

Can you imagine how unsettling it would be to spend your entire life worrying if you were good enough to go to heaven? What if you committed just one sin too many? Or what if you were only short a couple of good deeds from making it through the pearly gates? If this is how we will be judged, shouldn’t we be given regular updates on our status?

Thank God, we don’t have to earn our way into heaven! The Bible clearly and consistently says that we are saved by the grace of God through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Understanding this fact helps us to enjoy the salvation that we have been freely given, and inspires us to worship and serve the One who has saved us through his marvelous grace.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”—Ephesians 2:8.

 

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Musically Inclined

Posted on September 22, 2015 by jesustrek

bagpipesLast weekend I attended the Koh-Koh-Mah & Foster Living History Encampment near Kokomo, Indiana. This celebration reenacts the period of what we call the French & Indian War.

Music is a big part of the weekend. A fife and drum corps played a moving rendition of the National Anthem at the opening ceremony. Groups played and sang songs from that time period. At the conclusion of the Sunday morning church service, a man played a beautiful version of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

While music changes over time, our love for it never diminishes. Music continues to teach, comfort, challenge and inspire. It is no wonder the Bible contains many exhortations to sing and play music to worship the Lord.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”—Colossians 3:16.

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Comparisons

Posted on September 17, 2015 by jesustrek

cartoon-cows-hiIn his book, The Winning Attitude, John Maxwell tells the following story.

Two cows were grazing in a pasture when they saw a milk truck pass by. On the side of the truck were the words, “Pasteurized, homogenized, standardized, Vitamin A added.”

One cow sighed and said to the other, “Makes you feel kind of inadequate, doesn’t it?”

Sometimes people in the church feel inadequate, especially in comparison to what others can do. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that each part of the body of Christ is important. God has arranged the parts just the way he wants them (v.18). So, let’s stop comparing ourselves with others and go about doing what we were created to do.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”—1 Corinthians 12:27.

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Avid Fisherman

Posted on September 15, 2015 by jesustrek

fisherman2I heard about a man who was such an enthusiastic fisherman that every time he posed for a family photo, he automatically held out his hand, as if he were displaying a fish that he had just caught!

Jesus calls us to be fishers of people. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were such avid fishermen that we had the same kind of instincts? Let us try to live our lives in such a way that fishing for people becomes so ingrained in our lives that it is a natural part of who we are and what we do.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”—Matthew 4:19.

 

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In His Presence

Posted on September 14, 2015 by jesustrek

ice cream coneThe Kansas City Star reported this incident a few years ago.

A woman entered an ice cream store in Kansas City to purchase an ice cream cone. After making her selection, she turned and found herself face-to-face with Paul Newman, who was in town to film a movie. He smiled and said “Hello.” Newman’s blue eyes caused her knees to shake.

She managed to pay for her cone, then left the shop, her heart pounding. When she gained her composure, she realized she didn’t have her ice cream. She started back into the store to get it and met Newman at the door.

“Are you looking for your ice cream?” he asked. She nodded, unable to speak. “You put it in your purse with your change.”

When was the last time the presence of God caused you to forget everything else you were doing?

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