The Cost of Paradise

Posted on August 15, 2013 by jesustrek

HawaiiMy wife and I have a friend who recently began a new job in Hawaii. Ever since she accepted the position, she joyfully anticipated her move to this tropical paradise. She reminded us often (too often if you ask me!) that she would soon be leaving for Hawaii and, alas, we would not.

Our friend realized that the cost of living would be higher in her new location. The “sticker shock” may have finally hit her when she relayed this information to those of us back on the continent—a gallon of milk costs $7.59 in Hawaii!

My wife messaged her back—“This is the cost of paradise!”

No one could ever pay the price to be able to live in heaven with God. Thank God, Jesus paid the price for us!

“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.

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Saved from the Snake

Posted on August 14, 2013 by jesustrek
Psycho

Psycho

A 10-pound Chihuahua/Poodle mix saved a little girl from being bitten by a rattlesnake earlier this week. Maya Delarosa was making mud pies with her little sister in Hueco Tanks, Texas, when a rattlesnake struck. Their dog, Psycho, intervened and was bitten in the eyelid. Both girls are safe, and the veterinarian thinks that Psycho’s eye will be all right. The girls’ grandmother credits the dog with saving the children.

Just as a small dog can save people from a snakebite, a small baby from heaven made it possible for everyone to be saved from their sins. Jesus died on the cross to take away the poisonous effect of sin. This was God’s plan from before the beginning of time, and was predicted early in mankind’s existence. In Genesis 3:15, God says that Someone would come along and crush the serpent’s (Satan’s) head. This is what Jesus did when he died on the cross to pay for our sins.

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Not Fair

Posted on August 13, 2013 by jesustrek
Margaret Pellegrini

Margaret Pellegrini

Margaret Pellegrini died last Wednesday at the age of 89. She was one of the last 3 surviving Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz. Pellegrini was 3 feet, 4 inches tall when, at the age of 15, she became one of the 124 Munchkins in the epic film.

The only two surviving Munchkins now are Jerry Maren, 93, and Ruth Duccini, 95.

Munchkins were paid $50 a week for their work on the movie. This was a pretty good wage in the 1930s, but the dog who played Toto made $125 a week. That just doesn’t seem fair! However, it didn’t seem to bother Margaret Pellegrini, who once said of the situation, “He had a better agent.”

Life isn’t always fair. As a matter of fact, injustices abound. However, God is fair and just, and, in the end, he will make everything right.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”—Isaiah 30:18.

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Are You Related?

Posted on August 12, 2013 by jesustrek

Amelia Rose Earhart, a TV traffic and weather reporter, assumed that her love of flying could be traced to her namesake, the famous pilot that she thought was a distant relative. The current Earhart planned a flight around the world that would complete the journey begun by the original Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Rose Earhart

Amelia Rose Earhart

After having some research done, Amelia was shocked to learn that she was not related to the earlier Earhart after all. Nonetheless, she continues with the plans for her flight around the world.

A lot of people may be shocked to discover that they are not actually related to God. It is a common misconception—even among many Christians—that all people are children of God. In fact, the Bible says that we can only be considered children of God when we accept Jesus as our Savior.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”—John 1:12.

Are you related to God?

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Need to Go Higher

Posted on August 12, 2013 by jesustrek
Intempo

Intempo

Developers planned a 20-story condo, the Intempo, in Benidorm, Spain. When plans later changed to expand it to a 47-story building, architects failed to alter their plans to include an elevator to accommodate the larger building. This, of course, would prove to be a huge problem for any residents who might consider living in this building.

The Bible urges us to plan ahead. Jesus says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30).

Some of us once decided to follow Jesus and to build our lives on his teaching.

How’s that building coming along?

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Source of the Problem

Posted on August 10, 2013 by jesustrek

flat tireI recently took our van to a service station to replace the rear turn signal on the passenger side. The job didn’t take long, and soon I was on my way home.

Later that day, I noticed that a tire was low, so I put some air in it. The next morning the tire was completely flat, so I pumped it up and drove to the same service station I had been to the previous day. It just so happened that the leaky tire was the rear one on the passenger side.

When I told the manager in the office about my leaky tire, he promptly opened the door to the garage and loudly asked, “Which one of you guys put a turn signal on the rear passenger side of a van yesterday?” One of the workers indicated that he was the one who had done the job. The manager continued, “Well this guy wants to know what you did to cause his tire to go flat!”

The manager soon confessed that he was joking, but not before he got a reaction from his employees.

It is no joke that we sometimes try to blame our problems on something or someone other than ourselves. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Blaming others won’t get us out of predicaments that we have created for ourselves. We need to be honest with ourselves and take responsibility for our own actions, admitting when we have messed up.

Then we need to turn the problem over to Jesus.

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Husband of the Year

Posted on August 9, 2013 by jesustrek

Graham Anley and his wife Cheryl were sailing their yacht, The Boundless, from East London to Madagascar when they struck a reef off the coast of East London early Sunday morning. Anley helped his wife to the shore, but not until he had first rescued their dog, a 9-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Rosie. Major damage was done to the yacht, and probably to the marriage as well.

Husbands, don’t try this, or you may well end up in the dog house!

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”—Ephesians 5:25.

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Victorious!

Posted on August 8, 2013 by jesustrek

Jesus-ResurrectionA Sunday School teacher asked her class what they thought Jesus might have said immediately after he rose from the dead. One little girl answered, “I know! I’ll bet he said, “Tada!”

We don’t know if that was exactly what he said. I’m not even sure they had a word for “tada” in the language Jesus spoke! But the “tada” is certainly implied!

Defeating death was a marvelous feat. Death is an awful foe. Death is a terrible, terrible thing…unless someone can do something to fix it. Jesus could, and he did.

So, “Tada!”

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—1 Corinthians 15:55-57.

If you have trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation, don’t act like you have been defeated. Make sure you live the “tada” lifestyle!

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Beware the Serpent

Posted on August 7, 2013 by jesustrek
African rock python

African rock python

Two Canadian brothers, Connor Barthe, 6, and Noah Barthe, 4, were apparently killed by a large python while they slept in a Campbellton, New Brunswick, apartment that housed the giant reptile. The 14-foot African rock python escaped from its cage and made its way through the ventilation system to the room where the boys were sleeping. They were found strangled to death on Monday morning. The snake has been destroyed. The incident is under investigation.

This terrible tragedy reminds us of a spiritual truth; the devil, called a serpent in the Bible—is seeking whom he may destroy. “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”—Revelation 12:9.

Let us beware the serpent, and take refuge in God.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”—James 4:7.

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Unclogged

Posted on August 7, 2013 by jesustrek
fatberg

fatberg

A 15-ton “fatberg” was recently dislodged from the sewer system in London. The bus-sized clog was a result of people pouring fat down their drains and flushing wet wipes down their toilets. This combined to form the huge glob that threatened the health and cleanliness of the city. Officials say that if the clog had not been cleared, serious sewage problems could have resulted.

Some people try to ignore the sin in their lives. Or they try to get rid of it in ways that are ineffective. This results in great spiritual harm. The only way to prevent sin from clogging up our lives is to let Jesus take it away.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:8-9.

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