Man’s Best Friend

Posted on August 24, 2015 by jesustrek

dogsA lady once heard that if a dog owner pretends to be hurt, a dog with a bad temper may try to bite the owner. But a good dog will show concern and may lick the fallen owner’s face.

She decided to put her own two dogs to the test. While eating pizza in her living room, she stood up, clutched her heart, screamed and fell to the floor. Her two dogs looked at her, looked at each other, then raced to the coffee table for her pizza!

Our sinful nature makes us tend to be selfish. We have to allow the Spirit of God in us to take control of any situation where we have an opportunity to ignore our own desires in order to take care of someone else’s needs.

“…Love your neighbor as yourself…”—Leviticus 19:18.

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Let Him Eat Cake

Posted on August 21, 2015 by jesustrek

At a children’s birthday party, it came time to serve the cake. One little boy blurted out, “I want the biggest piece!”

His mother was there, and she was embarrassed at her son’s greedy remark. “It’s not polite to ask for the biggest piece of cake!” she scolded.

The little fellow looker at her in confusion, and asked, “Well then, how do you get it?”

Hopefully we grow less selfish as we get older.

Hopefully.

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”—Philippians 2:4.

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I Remember What They Did

Posted on August 20, 2015 by jesustrek

computer-technician-clipartThe accounting department of a large insurance company was working on year-end reports when their computers went down. An emergency call was put in to the systems analyst. Busy with other troubleshooting, the man didn’t appear until three hours later. When he arrived, several workers started cheering, “He’s here!” One even shouted, “Here is our savior!”

Without a word, the systems analyst turned to leave. Starting to panic, the accounting manager cried out in alarm, “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving,” the analyst said with a smile. “I remember what they did to the last Savior!”

Every time we take communion, we remember that Jesus died for our sins. He was rejected by those who should have recognized him as our Savior. He was put to death so that we might gain eternal life.

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”—John 1:10-12.

 

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Friendly Reminder

Posted on August 19, 2015 by jesustrek

rotary-phoneYesterday a lady from our dentist’s office called to remind my wife and me that we have appointments today. And this morning, an automated call from my doctor’s office reminded me that I am scheduled to see my family physician on Monday morning.

These friendly reminders are necessary for many people because we have busy schedules and we tend to be forgetful.

The Lord’s Supper is a friendly reminder that we have an appointment with Jesus, and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is an appointment to meet together for the purpose of honoring Jesus, remembering the love that he has for us—love that took him to the cross where he paid the price for our sins.

“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread…”—Acts 20:7.

 

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Available

Posted on August 17, 2015 by jesustrek

basket of fruitA man and his wife were checking out of a hotel. They noticed that they had been charged for a basket of fresh fruit that had been brought to their room every day. The husband asked, “How can you charge us for fresh fruit when we never ate any fruit from any basket on any day?”

The manager replied, “It’s not my fault you didn’t eat it. It was there.”

So the man took the bill and subtracted $150 from it. The manager asked, “What in the world are you doing?”

The man answered, “I am charging you $50 a day for kissing my wife.”

“I never kissed your wife!” the manager exclaimed.

“That’s not my fault,” answered the husband. “She was there!”

God offers his presence to us at all times. It is up to us to take advantage of his availability.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”—Psalm 23:4.

 

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Bad Teammate

Posted on August 14, 2015 by jesustrek
Geno Smith

Geno Smith

New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith will miss at least 6 to 10 weeks after being punched by teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali in the locker room. Smith suffered a broken jaw that required surgery to repair the injuries. Coach Todd Bowles said that altercation was over a trivial matter, and that the blow from Enemkpali was a sucker punch. Enemkpali was immediately released by the team. It seems like a fitting punishment for a teammate who put his team’s on-the-field leader out of commission for so long.

Many controversies that erupt in churches are over trivial matters. And sometimes a leader will be “sucker punched” by a verbal assault. Many times, however, the offending “teammate” will never be disciplined in any way. It’s a shame that secular organizations sometimes have a better grasp of biblical leadership principles than local congregations.

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”—Titus 3:10-11.

 

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Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Posted on August 13, 2015 by jesustrek
Jon Belmar

Jon Belmar

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”—Matthew 5:9.

Ferguson, Missouri is once again in the news, with confrontations and violence erupting in the streets. Out of this scene of conflict, someone stepped forward to take on the role of peacemaker.

When a recent protest threatened to get ugly, St. Louis County police chief Jon Belmar intervened. Without a helmet or a shield, Belmar walked over to the demonstrators and told them to get off the street. He told a reporter, “They’re not going to take the street tonight. That’s not going to happen.”

Belmar’s efforts were successful. He and the rest of the police force were able to keep the protesters on the sidewalk and out of the street. Peace prevailed.

It takes courage and resolve to be a peacemaker, and we need more people who possess these qualities. Communities, families and churches need calm, mature leaders to make sure that peace prevails.

Jesus promises a special blessing for those who make peace.

Let’s do the best we can to keep the peace in our own sphere of influence.

 

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Power of Love

Posted on August 11, 2015 by jesustrek

family in church“Small things done with great love will change the world.”—Steve Sjogren.

You never know what might come from a small act of love.

Doug and his family did not attend church when he was a small boy. One day some neighbors invited him to attend church with them. He liked it, and soon his siblings were attending worship services too. Later his parents started coming. Eventually the whole family gave their lives to Jesus, and when Doug grew up he started working in full-time ministry, changing the lives of many people forever as he spread the gospel message.

And all of this came about because somebody invited a kid in the neighborhood to attend church.

Like I said, you never know what might come from a small act of love.

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”—Matthew 10:42.

 

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Finding Something Valuable

Posted on August 10, 2015 by jesustrek

metal detectorIt’s interesting to watch people who comb the beach with their metal detectors, trying to find something valuable. They patiently walk at a very slow pace, waving their wands in front of them. Occasionally they will stop and focus on an area of interest. Sometimes they decide that it would be worth their time to dig in that spot.

I am told that the better metal detectors can often tell the difference between something worthless, like a rusty nail or a pop top, and something valuable, like a coin or a piece of jewelry.

We have something that enables us to tell the difference between real faith and phony beliefs—it’s our obedience to the word of God.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”—James 1:22.

Is your faith valuable?

 

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Looking Lost

Posted on August 7, 2015 by jesustrek

Blank signpost 2 (clip path)I recently made my first trip to Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati. I was there to be with a young friend of mine who was having surgery.

There were several times during the day when I had to stop and ask for directions. (Yes, some men actually do that.) Whether driving or walking, I wasn’t always sure where I needed to go.

A couple of times while I was walking through the hospital, workers stopped to ask if I needed some help. The lost look on my face must have given them a clue that I did indeed need some assistance. The staff was most helpful in guiding me to my desired destination.

This incident reminded me that a lot of people are looking lost out there as they try to find their way to their eternal destination. Those of us who are not lost must recognize our obligation to help those who are. We must be constantly on the lookout for people who desperately need to be pointed in the right direction.

How will we know them? Sometimes it’s written all over their face.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”—Colossians 4:5.

 

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