A lady was once asked why she found so much pleasure from working in her garden. She answered, “It’s hard to explain the joy of raising something that doesn’t talk back!”
Raising children can indeed be difficult at times. But with a little patience and a whole lot of Scripture, the results can be rewarding!
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”—Proverbs 22:6.
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”—Ephesians 6:4.
I was all prepared to go through the checkout line at the grocery story. I didn’t want to be “that guy” who held up the line, so I had my credit card out and ready to use. When the time came I quickly began to insert my…driver’s license!?
Well, that way wasn’t going to work. So I fumbled through my wallet again and finally produced the correct card, the only one in my possession that would have paid for the groceries.
The only way we can have our sins paid for is to allow Jesus to do it. No other way works. He and he alone can pay the price for the sins we have committed.
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:2.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.”
“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.
Jesustrek 