Something to Celebrate

Posted on April 22, 2014 by jesustrek

Pot celebration in Denver

Pot celebration in Denver

April 20th is observed by many pot smokers as a day to celebrate the use of marijuana. This once underground celebration has become more open in the wake of a wider acceptance of marijuana use.

This past Sunday, tens of thousands of revelers had a joint celebration (pun intended) at a park in Denver. Although it is still against the law to smoke marijuana publicly in Colorado, this crowd openly disobeyed the law in a defiant toast to their favorite mind-altering substance.

That same day, millions of Christians gathered together to celebrate the fact that Jesus, who died to pay for the sins of mankind, has been resurrected from the dead.

Which celebration means more to you?

“He is not here; he has risen!…”—Luke 24:6.

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Not Guilty

Posted on April 21, 2014 by jesustrek

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter

Boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter died Sunday at the age of 76. Carter was a contender for the middleweight title in the 1960s, but his promising career came to an abrupt end when he was accused of murder. Carter was wrongly convicted and spent 19 years in prison before he was finally exonerated.

It gets our attention when an innocent man has to pay the price for someone else’s crime.

This reminds us of the fact that Jesus was convicted and sentenced to die, even though he never did anything wrong. When Jesus was brought before Pilate in John 18 & 19, Pilate exclaimed multiple times that he could find no basis for the charges against Jesus.

We know that Jesus, even though he was innocent, had to go to the cross and pay for our sins. Isaiah 53: 5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

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Deepest Thanks

Posted on April 18, 2014 by jesustrek

war veteranA man who was entering a restaurant ahead of us lingered at the entrance for a few seconds so that he could hold the door open for my wife and me. As I said, “Thanks”, I noticed that he was wearing a cap that identified him as a war veteran. Suddenly, my “Thanks” took on a whole new meaning. I was not only grateful for his courtesy at the present time, I appreciated his service for our country.

As we grow closer to Jesus, we develop a deeper appreciation for what he has done for us. His sacrificial death on the cross deserves our deepest thanks.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”–Hebrews 13:15.

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Some Things Never Change

Posted on April 17, 2014 by jesustrek

2015 Ford Mustang

2015 Ford Mustang

Today is the 50th birthday of the Ford Mustang. It seems hard to believe it’s been around that long, but Ford unveiled what would become one of the world’s most popular automobiles on April, 17, 1964. Ever since then, the Mustang has been an ever-present fixture on our highways and in our culture.

It is interesting to notice the changes the Mustang has gone through over the years.

Jesus, on the other hand, doesn’t need to change with the times.

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

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Teachers Beware

Posted on April 16, 2014 by jesustrek

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

I have long been disappointed in Jimmy Carter because of his position favoring abortion rights. Now I have learned that Carter also supports homosexual marriage. How can someone who has taught Sunday School in a Baptist church for so many years be so terribly wrong about two of the most important moral issues of our day?

The Bible could not be any plainer about the sanctity of life and the definition of marriage.

Would someone who is wrong about either of those two issues be allowed to teach a class at your church?

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”—James 3:1.

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Cruel Behavior

Posted on April 15, 2014 by jesustrek

catRex Hinton, of Baxter, Kentucky, has been accused of tossing a cat into a wood-burning stove. Hinton, 48, has been charged with torture of an animal. Animal cruelty accusations are usually misdemeanors, but this charge is a felony because the cat died. Hinton was admitted to a psychiatric unit and later sent to the Harlan County Detention Center.

Hinton would be facing none of these problems had he aborted a pre-born baby.

We certainly live in a cruel world.

“You shall not murder.”—Exodus 20:13.

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Stay Fresh

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jesustrek

doughnutI was standing in a checkout line recently when a display caught my eye. It was trying to entice me to buy a small package of doughnuts.  The advertising slogan read, “Made Fresh”.

I suppose that statement was true. Is it even possible to make stale doughnuts?

The real question is this—Are the doughnuts fresh now? There was no telling how long it had been since the doughnuts were “made fresh”. There was no guarantee that they would taste as good now as they did on the day they were made.

When we gave our lives to Christ, he made us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Only Jesus can make us fresh. However, it is up to us to make sure that we don’t get stale sitting on the shelf. We can stay fresh through prayer, Bible study, worship and serving others.

What other ways can you make sure you stay fresh?

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Power Source

Posted on April 11, 2014 by jesustrek

floatOne New Year’s Day, a float in the Tournament of Roses parade suddenly started to sputter and then came to a stop. It had run out of gas. The parade was held up until someone could bring a can of gas.

What is ironic about this story is the fact that the float that ran out of gas was sponsored by the Standard Oil Company. Even with access to such a great amount of resources, the float ran out of gas.

The same thing happens to a lot of Christians. Even having been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, we sometimes fail to take advantage of this unlimited source of power, and our lives come to a sudden stop. We shouldn’t allow this to happen.

“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”—Colossians 1:29.

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Electrically They Keep a Baseball Score

Posted on April 9, 2014 by jesustrek

baseball scoreboardThings keep on changing, don’t they? Not everyone is pleased with this.

I’m reminded of the following story. A guest speaker at a church was introduced to the oldest member of the congregation, a feisty little old lady who had just celebrated her 100th birthday. The speaker remarked, “You must have witnessed a lot of changes in the church over the years.” “Yes”, she replied, “and I was against every single one of them!”

Whenever we bristle at the thought of change, we should remind ourselves of how often the word “new” appears in the book of Revelation. God promises to give his people a new name (2:17). There is the prediction of a new Jerusalem (3:12). Those in heaven sang a new song (5:9). We can look forward to a new heaven and a new earth (21:1). Finally, God proclaims, “…I am making everything new!” (21:5).

Not all change is from God. For example, moral law does not change with shifting human opinions. However, when God is doing something new, let’s embrace it as something that is good and needed—especially if he is trying to change us to be more like Jesus.

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View to Remember

Posted on April 8, 2014 by jesustrek

scenic overlook signA hill near my house offers a scenic view of the town. From there I can see the house where my grandmother used to live, the school I attended as a child and the field where I played my first organized baseball game. That view brings back a lot of memories–of family get-togethers, friends, teachers, coaches, endless summer days, etc. It’s amazing what memories come to mind from just one look.

It’s also amazing what memories can be brought to our minds by simply looking at the emblems of communion—the bread that represents Jesus’ broken body and the juice that represents his shed blood help us to remember that he died on the cross to pay for our sins.

“…Do this in remembrance of me.”—Luke 22:19.

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