Unappreciated

Posted on February 12, 2013 by jesustrek

 

The Baptist preacher in town had spent a lot of time trying to convince a certain man that he ought to come to church. When pressed for a reason why he would not attend the worship services, the man finally admitted, “I don’t have any clothes that are good enough to wear to your church.”

 

Not to be deterred, the preacher took the man shopping and bought him a new suit. “There,” he said. “Now you have no reason not to be in church this Sunday.”

 

Sunday came, and the man did not show up for church. After the service, the preacher stormed over to his house and demanded an explanation. “I bought you a brand new suit, and you still didn’t come to church! What happened?”

 

“Well,” the man answered, “I got dressed this morning, and looked so good that I decided to go and join the Presbyterian church!”

 

Sometimes people don’t appreciate what we do for them. However, the basis for our good deeds should not depend on the response of those we help. We have no record of how the man reacted after the Good Samaritan helped him (Luke 10:25-37). We are simply told to love our neighbors by doing our best to take care of their needs.

 

Any appreciation we might receive is just a bonus.

 

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Teamwork

Posted on February 11, 2013 by jesustrek
Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo

Last month the Boston Celtics lost their star point guard, Rajon Rondo, to a season-ending knee injury. When Rondo was injured, the outlook for the Celtics’ season suddenly became quite bleak. However, the team has responded with a great effort, winning all seven of their games since losing the services of Rondo.

Teamwork is a key to Christianity. Jesus didn’t send his followers out all alone; he sent them in teams of two (Mark 6:7). Paul worked closely with other believers to plant churches and to encourage congregations that had already been established.

Churches and small groups that thrive today are often ones that do not count on any one individual to carry them. If a key member is sidelined for some reason, the rest of the team picks up the slack and carries on. This results in more victories for the cause of Christ.

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Great Phrase

Posted on February 8, 2013 by jesustrek
Gregg Williams

Gregg Williams

Former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams served a nearly year-long suspension from the NFL for his involvement in a scandal in which his team offered its players bounties to knock rival players out of games. Williams has recently been reinstated by the league and hired as a coach for the Tennessee Titans. Williams calls his second chance a “great rebirth”.

That was an interesting choice of terms. I wonder if Williams realizes that he used a phrase that is distinctly Christian?

Sometimes we fail to notice how many of our current sayings come directly from Someone who walked the earth about 2,000 years ago. We still say things like: “turn the other cheek”, “let him who is without sin cast the first stone”, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, “go the extra mile”, etc.

Can you think of some other phrases we use that Jesus used first?

It’s amazing that Jesus still impacts our speech as much as he does.

“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”—John 3:3.

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Does Prayer Work?

Posted on February 7, 2013 by jesustrek

prayer-group

There’s a story told about some people who were concerned because someone was planning to open up a bar in their town. Previously, there had been no alcohol sales there, and some feared that this change would bring negative consequences for the people of the town.

A local church began to pray that the bar would not open. They let it be known to everyone that they were praying in this manner. The church even invited the public to a special prayer meeting they organized shortly before the bar was scheduled to open.

After that prayer meeting, a storm came through the town. Lightning struck the bar, and it burned to the ground.

The owner of the bar blamed the church, and he took them to court. The church denied responsibility for what had happened. After the judge had heard both sides, he exclaimed, “Now, isn’t this interesting! It seems that the owner of the bar believes in the power of prayer, but the church doesn’t!”

“…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”—James 5:16.

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Good vs. Evil

Posted on February 6, 2013 by jesustrek

“Good people can’t stand the sight of deliberate evil; the wicked can’t stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.”—Proverbs 29:27 (The Message).

 

This verse of Scripture explains the on-going polarization of the United States regarding moral issues. While some wonder why we can’t just all get along, rational people understand that there can be no compromise on issues that have to do with righteousness. Heroes in the Bible—Nehemiah, for instance—realized that you can’t negotiate with evil people.

 

Good people today can’t stand for killing of innocent human life in the womb. They won’t stand idly by while self-appointed social engineers try to re-define marriage. They don’t like it one bit that socialism is extending its roots deeper into our society. They don’t approve of greed, whether it is exhibited by huge corporations or by individuals who are able to work, but would rather live off handouts from the American taxpayers. They don’t approve of organizations like the Boy Scouts lowering their moral standards. There are many other types of evil that good people just can’t stand.

 

On the other hand, the wicked can’t stand it when companies like Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby try to run their businesses on Christian principles. They despise the fact that Tim Tebow’s character outshines their own. They rail against pro-life activists. They label Christians with hateful and misleading terms. There are many other types of good that evil people just can’t stand.

 

The positions on both sides seem to be solidifying.

 

Be careful which side you choose.

 

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Craving the Word

Posted on February 4, 2013 by jesustrek

Bible reading

William McPherson had a charge of dynamite go off right in front of him. He lost his hands, his eyes and the feeling in parts of his face. Hungry for the word of God, McPherson got a copy of the Braille Bible, but his artificial hands could not enable him to read it. He tried placing his lips on the Bible, but they were too numb to be of any help. He finally discovered that he had enough feeling in his tongue to be able to read the Braille. The metal left his lips and tongue bleeding and sore, but he continued to read. Slowly and methodically he worked his way through the Bible. Over the course of the next 65 years, William McPherson read the Bible through four times with his tongue!

Have you read your Bible today?

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Your Super Bowl

Posted on February 3, 2013 by jesustrek

nfl_g_flag1_sy_576

The kickoff of this year’s Super Bowl—whatever Roman numeral this one might be—is today. The players participating are looking forward to competing on the biggest stage their sport has to offer. Months of practice and competition have led to this game, and now is their time to shine.

It seems that a lot of people go through life never realizing that their time to shine has arrived. They see life as a practice session with little meaning. They don’t understand the importance of the opportunities they have to serve God every day. They underestimate the impact they can have by living a vibrant life of faith.

Don’t waste your life sitting on the sidelines. Get in the game! Give it your best shot! This is your Super Bowl! This is your time to shine!

“…You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…”—Philippians 2:15-16.

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Real Relationship

Posted on January 31, 2013 by jesustrek
Manti Te'o

Manti Te’o

Notre Dame football star Manti Te’o is apparently the victim of a cruel hoax. He was led to believe that he had a girlfriend, Lennay Kekua. He had seen pictures of a woman whom he believed he had spoken with on the phone and communicated with online, but Te’o had never met Kekua in person. The “relationship” was virtual. He did not really have a girlfriend.

It’s sad that a man could be duped in such a way that he thought he had a romantic relationship that never really existed. Sadder still is the fact that many people have fooled themselves into thinking they have a real relationship with Jesus Christ, when in fact they have no such relationship.

“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!”—Matthew 7:21-23.

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Unfinished Business

Posted on January 30, 2013 by jesustrek

House 583

I recently drove by a huge house that is about halfway finished. The brick on the house is completed, and the roof has been finished, but it lacks doors and windows. You can see that the inside of the house remains unfinished. A lot of work remains to be done before the house could be livable.

This house has been sitting like this for several years. I don’t know why the project was abandoned, but it seems a shame that so much work and money was invested in it, only to have the effort go to waste.

When Nehemiah and his co-workers were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, they nearly abandoned the project when it was halfway finished. Though much progress had been made, there was still a lot of work to be done. The workers were tired, and the threats of their enemies had discouraged them to the point where they didn’t feel like they could continue with this important work (Nehemiah 4:6,10).

Halfway finished is a dangerous place to be. Many couples walk away from a marriage when they are halfway to their 50th wedding anniversary. Some parents bail out in the middle of raising their children. Some people leave the church after faithfully following Jesus for years.

Discouragement has been called one of Satan’s greatest tools. We have to realize this and fight against his evil schemes.

Nehemiah rallied his people, and they succeeded in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls.

With godly leadership and encouragement, we can get past the dangerous halfway point and successfully complete our mission.

Who knows? Maybe you can be the one who encourages someone else to go on, even though they feel like giving up.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”—Hebrews 10:24.

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Somewhat Supportive

Posted on January 29, 2013 by jesustrek

boy in hospital

Two young boys met for the first time at a surgery center where they would each have minor surgery. As they waited for their operations, they struck up a conversation.

“What are you here for?” one boy asked.

“I’m here to have my tonsils removed.”

“Oh, that won’t be so bad. I had mine removed last year, and it wasn’t such a big deal. You’ll get to eat a lot of ice cream. You’ll be fine.

“Thanks”, replied the other boy. “How about you? What are you having done?”

“I’m here to be circumcised.”

“Ooooh! That’s too bad!”

“Why do you say that?”

“I was circumcised when I was 3 days old, and I couldn’t walk for a year!”

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

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