Something to Shout About!

Posted on April 7, 2023 by jesustrek

The gospel message—that salvation is available through faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus—is the most important news possible for humanity. Any other news pales in comparison. Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. On the third day he rose from the tomb, having defeated sin once and for all. The resurrected Jesus appeared to many people before ascending into heaven, where he now reigns. One day he will return for his church and take them to live with him forever in the new heaven and earth. This is wonderful news that needs to be proclaimed for all the world to hear!

On the Easter just before he died, William Sangster painfully printed a short note to his daughter. A deeply spiritual minister, he had been spearheading a renewal movement in the British Isles after World War II. Then he contracted a disease which progressively paralyzed his body, even his vocal chords, taking away his ability to preach. But the last Resurrection Sunday he spent on earth, still able to move his fingers, he wrote: “How terrible to wake up on Easter and have no voice to shout, ‘He is risen!’ Far worse, to have a voice and not want to shout.”

We Christians do indeed have something to shout about in the risen Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ! However, unbelievers have continually tried to get us to be quiet about our faith, or to renounce it altogether.

About 1930, the communist leader Bukharin travelled from Moscow to Kiev. His mission was to address a large assembly about the subject of atheism. For a solid hour he ridiculed Christianity. At last he was finished and looked out at what seemed to him to be the smoldering ashes of men’s faith. “Are there any questions?” Bukharin demanded. A solitary man arose and asked for permission to speak. He mounted the platform and moved close to the communist. The audience was breathlessly silent as the man surveyed them first to the right, then to the left. At last he shouted the ancient Orthodox greeting, “CHRIST IS RISEN!” The vast assembly arose as one and the response came thundering back, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”

Yes, my friends, we do indeed have something to shout about in the risen Jesus! May nothing ever take away our desire to proclaim this wonderful news!

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That’s What We Need

Posted on March 29, 2023 by jesustrek

A church once held a meeting to discuss some plans for the future. Someone suggested that the church buy a chandelier. One man angrily took exception to this idea. He exclaimed, “We do not need a chandelier! First of all, there isn’t enough money in the budget. Second, nobody here even knows how to play one of those things. And finally, what we really need around here is more lighting!”

“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.”—Philippians 2:3-4.

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How Many Legs Does Your Cow Have?

Posted on March 28, 2023 by jesustrek

Abraham Lincoln was once trying to make a point, but wasn’t having much success. The person he was debating with was unconvinced and extremely stubborn. Lincoln was beginning to become frustrated, so he tried another angle. He said to the person with whom he was trying to reason, “Well, let’s see now. How many legs does a cow have?” The disgusted reply came back, “Four, of course!” Lincoln promptly agreed, “That’s right. Now, suppose you call the cow’s tail a leg. Then how many legs would the cow have?” The opponent replied confidently, “Why, five, of course!” Lincoln came back, now that’s where you are wrong! Calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg!”

We live in a culture in which, in many various ways, a lot of people are insisting that we suspend any hint of common sense in order to go along with their ridiculous views. In a sense, they are insisting that a cow has five legs.

Let’s look at a few examples. Some people will tell you that abortion is not about protecting human life, but it is really a women’s health issue. One abortion rights protester even held up a sign that read, “Abortion Saves Lives”. How ridiculous! In reality, life obviously begins at conception (Psalm 139) and is worth protecting. If you are on the wrong side of the pro-life issue, your cow has five legs.

Other people are confused about gender distinctions, which leads to any number of ludicrous assertions on their part. In reality, God created human beings male and female (Gen.1:27; Mark 10:6), and he is so adamant about that distinction that he forbids cross-dressing (Deut.22:5), let alone some of the more radical ways that people thumb their noses at God’s teachings about gender roles. If you disagree with what God says about gender, your cow has five legs.

Some say that participation in the local church is optional. For them, it’s fine if that’s what you want to do, but it is not a requirement. The early Christians were devoted to meeting together (Acts 2:42). Do you really think that biblical Christianity has become anything less than it was in the first century? Heb.10:25-31 urges us to not give up meeting together, and immediately warns us of the consequences of forsaking the assembly. If you think that God will allow you to opt out of church, your cow has five legs.

We could go on and on with examples of how people totally disregard the obvious truth. Let’s remember that Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). Let’s also remember that, even in this world where so many people are so terribly confused, you can know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). Don’t be confused by Satan’s lies! Live your life based on God’s truth! Don’t have a cow with five legs!

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Glass Beach

Posted on March 27, 2023 by jesustrek

Ussuri Bay near Vladivostok was once used as a dumping ground for discarded bottles that had contained alcoholic beverages. Over time, the powerful waves of the North Pacific broke the bottles and wore the remnants down into millions of small, smooth, colorful “pebbles”. Today, this once-barren and polluted area has become a beloved tourist attraction known as Glass Beach. Visitors from around the world pay to see this beautiful spectacle.

This illustrates how God can take our broken lives and bring us together as something truly beautiful—the church of Christ!

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband…It shone with the glory of God…The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone…”—Revelation 21:2,11,19.

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A Child’s View of Love

Posted on March 24, 2023 by jesustrek

A group of children were asked the question, “What is love?” One little girl answered, “Love is when your mommy reads you a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn’t skip any pages.”

We often get into trouble when we try to take shortcuts in our relationships with others. True love often requires time and energy and extra effort. The Bible doesn’t say that loving others will always be easy, but it does say—over and over—that we must always strive to love those around us.

Let’s not be skipping any pages!

“Love is patient…”—1 Corinthians 13:4.

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That’s Who I Am

Posted on March 23, 2023 by jesustrek

Christian Herter, pictured above, was campaigning hard for reelection as governor of Massachusetts, and one day he arrived late at a barbecue. He’d had no breakfast or lunch, and he was famished. As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate and received one piece of chicken. The governor said to the serving lady, “Excuse me, do you mind if I get another piece of chicken? I’m very hungry.” The woman replied, “Sorry, I’m supposed to give one piece to each person.” He repeated, “But I’m starved!” Again, she said, “Only one piece of chicken per person.” Herter was normally a modest man, but he decided this was the time to use the weight of his office and said, “Madam, do you know who I am? I am the governor of this state.” She answered, “Do you know who I am? I’m the lady in charge of the chicken! Move along, mister!”

Jesus continually teaches us the importance of remaining humble and putting others first. We would do well to remember who we are as his followers.

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”—Mark 10:43-45.

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Where Your Treasure Is

Posted on March 17, 2023 by jesustrek

One of the biggest news stories this month is the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, the second largest bank to fail in U.S. history. This collapse has caused a lot of concern, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world.

As good stewards of our resources, we Christians should keep an eye on our finances. The Bible urges us to work to earn money, and to save and invest. However, we are warned against hoarding our wealth like the rich fool of Luke 12. He met with an unfortunate end because of his greed, and we are cautioned—“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (v.21).

The Bible also reminds us that earthly wealth can soon disappear, so we ought to focus on storing up heavenly wealth. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says— “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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Attention Span

Posted on March 16, 2023 by jesustrek

“The Other Coast”, a cartoon by Adrian Raeside, recently made a humorous observation about the attention span of a dog. It’s about two minutes if the dog is in behavior training. It’s two hours if the dog has spotted a squirrel in a tree!

Sometimes our attention spans are woefully short. We can’t seem to focus for long on things that we say are really important to us. There are too many distractions. Our train of thought is too easily interrupted.

That’s why we need to be intentional about concentrating on those things that we deem most important. We need to be diligent in focusing on God.

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

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”—Colossians 3:2.

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Taking Jesus Seriously

Posted on March 11, 2023 by jesustrek

The New Testament book of Colossians is all about Jesus. Jesus is the God who created everything and holds all things together. Jesus is the head of the church, which is his body. Jesus made it possible for people to have peace with God through his sacrificial death on the cross (Col.1:15-20).

Our baptism united us with Jesus (Col.2:12) and placed us on a high spiritual plane with him (Col.3:1-4). The privileges we enjoy as Christians are indeed a wonderful blessing. However, there are some very important responsibilities that go along with being followers of Jesus Christ.

If Jesus is truly Lord, then he determines our morality. We must turn from sinful activities (Col.3:5-11) and embrace a lifestyle that reflects our new status as God’s people (Col.3:12-14). We can’t live any way we choose. If Jesus is our Lord, we must live as he chooses.

If Jesus is our Lord, then we must live in community with other believers. The idea that one can be a Christian apart from other Christians is completely foreign to Scripture. Consider all of the “one another” verses we find in the New Testament. Colossians 3:15-17 urges us to live in peace together, being thankful for what we have in Jesus and exhorting each other to allow the word of God to flourish in the church as we speak and act as representatives of Jesus.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ must also extend to the home and workplace. A spirit of loving sacrifice will greatly enhance the relationships of husbands and wives, and of parents and children (Col.3:18-21). An attitude of humility and a desire to serve with excellence will go far in showing a good Christian witness in the workplace (Col.3:22-4:1).

Paul the apostle brings his letter to the Colossians to a climax with these words: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (4:2-6).

Our mission to spread the good news about salvation through Jesus must be bathed in prayer. We should watch for what God is doing in this world and be thankful for the many ways that he answers our prayers for his kingdom to come and his will be done. We should pray for preachers, teachers, missionaries and all Christians who are faithfully proclaiming the word of God.

Our prayers must be followed by the proper actions. We need to be smart about how we interact with non-Christians. If we are too quiet about our faith, they may get the idea that it’s not important. However, if we are arrogant and overbearing, they may be turned off by our presentation of the gospel.

We need to make the most of every opportunity. God gives us chances to witness all the time, and we need to take advantage of these opportunities to impact someone’s eternal fate. Our speech should be winsome and attractive. We should have mastered the basics of the faith so that we can properly answer people’s questions about who Jesus is and how they must respond to his grace if they want to become one of his followers.

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The Proper Grip

Posted on March 8, 2023 by jesustrek

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”—Col.3:20-21.

Many books about raising children have struggled to express the wisdom contained in these two verses of the Bible. It is easy to emphasize one verse at the risk of excluding the other. Some parents are so focused on making their children obey them that their children become discouraged. On the other hand, some parents are so afraid of embittering their children that they never correct their children for any reason. Both approaches lead to unnecessary conflict in the family. A careful balance of these two verses is preferable.

Someone once pointed out that raising a child is like holding a wet bar of soap. Too firm a grip and it shoots right out of your hand. However, too loose a grip and it also slides away. A gentle but firm grasp keeps it under your control.

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