Love Never Fails

Posted on September 22, 2012 by jesustrek

Yesterday I wrote about a nine-year-old boy named George, who was helping his father work on the farm when he spotted 6-year-old Maggie running across a nearby field. He pointed at her and exclaimed to his father, “I’m going to marry that girl someday!”

He did marry her, and they had 64 wonderful years together.

George died recently, and some might say that his death brought an end to this delightful story of romance. However, we believers know that love will continue on into eternity if we place our trust in Jesus.

As the funeral service came to a close, I overheard Maggie tell George that she would be joining him soon enough. She suggested that he might watch for her to come running to him across a heavenly field.

Who knows? It might happen exactly like that!

“Love never fails…”—1 Corinthians 13:8.

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She’s the One!

Posted on September 21, 2012 by jesustrek

Nine-year-old George was helping his father work on the farm when he spotted 6-year-old Maggie scampering across a nearby field. George pointed to her and exclaimed to his father, “I’m going to marry that girl someday!”

You know what? He did! And they stayed happily married for 64 years!

Have you ever heard of anything more romantic? Top that, Hollywood!

Sometimes we complain that family values are not what they used to be. However, there are some wonderful love stories unfolding all around us. All we have to do is look for these stories, treasure them and share them with others.

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

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Still as Strong

Posted on September 20, 2012 by jesustrek

I just saw a 92-year-old man mowing the lawn of his church with a push mower.

Let me type that again, just so you won’t think that there was some kind of mistake. I just saw a 92-year-old man mowing the lawn of his church with a push mower!

You have to love it when a person who has been a senior citizen for more than a quarter of a century is still willing to do hard manual labor for the Lord. He isn’t content to sit back in his easy chair with the attitude that he has already done his part. Jesus says that we are to be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10). This fellow evidently takes that command seriously!

This reminds me of Caleb, a hero of the Old Testament. He once said, “…So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” (Joshua 14:10-11).

We don’t all have the promise of being physically strong when we reach our later years. But we all can choose the attitude that we have toward life. Let’s choose to be bold and positive and determined to do all we can for the Lord!

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Playing Offense

Posted on September 19, 2012 by jesustrek

One army base had just cancelled a practice session at the rifle range, but the training run to test the soldiers’ physical fitness would proceed as scheduled.

Pondering this, one soldier said, “Does it bother anyone else that the Army doesn’t seem to care how well we can shoot, but is extremely interested in how fast we can run?”

When Jesus said that the gates of hell would not overcome his church (Matthew 16:18), he did not mean to portray the church as being on the defensive. The picture is not of the church hiding in its foxhole, frightened as it helplessly endures Satan’s attacks. To the contrary, Jesus depicts the church as being on the offensive, breaking down the enemy’s strongholds.

Therefore, let us not be afraid to play offense. The church has played defense for too long now. Let us boldly take the initiative. The church should take its marching orders from the Lord rather than let the world set the agenda. Let us stand up for the truth, even when it upsets some people.

This doesn’t mean that we set out to offend people. We must, like Jesus, speak the truth with grace (John 1:14). But those who oppose us will naturally react negatively to the truth. That mustn’t stop us from taking the offensive. We cannot shirk our responsibility; the stakes are much too high!

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Keep the Unity

Posted on September 18, 2012 by jesustrek

 

Last Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at an outdoor community worship service. The sermon was about the model prayer that Jesus gave his followers; the text was Matthew 6:9-13.

 

After the service, a lady—let’s call her “Sue”—came up to me and introduced herself. She was obviously upset, and she asked if she might have a word with me. Then she poured out her heart about her concern for her church. There was turmoil there, and the church seemed on the verge of a split. That very weekend she had learned that two of her dearest friends were leaving the church. The message I had preached had touched her heart. She was experiencing the devastating effects of what happens when people are more concerned about the growth of their own little kingdoms than they are about God’s. She was witnessing the consequences that occur in so many churches where people would rather have their own will done than God’s.

 

I prayed with Sue, asking God’s blessing on her and her congregation. She thanked me, and we went our separate ways.

 

Unity is difficult to maintain. That’s why the Bible often urges us to work for it. Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

 

This teaching is needed in every church. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

 

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Comments from the Cage

Posted on September 17, 2012 by jesustrek

A lady walked into a pet store, just to look around. A parrot called out to her, “Hey, lady!”

“What?” she responded.

“You sure are ugly!”

The indignant lady told the store owner what had happened and threatened to file a complaint with the authorities if something was not done. He assured her that this would never happen again. He lectured the parrot about his behavior and promised serious consequences if he ever committed this particular offense again. The owner apologized profusely to the lady and asked for her forgiveness. By this time she had calmed down, and she accepted his apology.

About a week later, the same lady came into the store again. As she was looking at the pets, a familiar voice came from behind her. It was the parrot again.

“Hey, lady!”

Red-faced, she whirled around and snarled, “WHAT!?”

“You know what!”

“…Always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”—1 Thessalonians 5:15.

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You Should Have Told Me Sooner!

Posted on September 13, 2012 by jesustrek

A lady calmly strolled into the drug store in her small town and walked up to the counter. The pharmacist asked, “What can we do for you?”

“I would like some arsenic”, she replied.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you have that. May I ask what you intend to do with arsenic?”

“I need it to poison my husband.”

Alarmed, the pharmacist exclaimed, “You’re talking about murder! I can’t be a part of this! It’s completely unethical!”

Without a word, the lady reached into her purse, pulled out a photograph, and handed it to the man. It was a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist’s wife.

The pharmacist studied the photo for a few seconds, and then said, “This is different! Why didn’t you tell me you had a prescription?!”

“…Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”—Ephesians 5:33.

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Not Sunk Yet

Posted on September 11, 2012 by jesustrek

Everyone knows that a cork will float on top of the water. Even if it is pressed down beneath the surface—10, 50, or even 100 feet—it will pop back up to the surface again. However, I have read that once a cork descends to a depth of 200 feet, it cannot rise again because the pressure is too great.

The Bible says that it is possible to sink so deeply into sin that you cannot rise from its depths. The lower one descends into a life of disobedience to God, the more difficult it becomes to be saved. The longer a person lives in rebellion, the less chance there is for repentance to occur.

Hebrews 6:4-6 says, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

Let’s help lift someone up to Jesus, before it is too late!

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Commanding Respect

Posted on September 10, 2012 by jesustrek

 

Tim Duncan

 

Tim Duncan, of the San Antonio Spurs, has been one of the best NBA basketball players for several years. This veteran is a respected leader on his team, yet he carries out this role without being overly vocal or demonstrative. Head coach Gregg Popovich says this about the leadership exhibited by his star player—“He commands that type of respect because he doesn’t demand it, if that makes sense.”

 

It makes perfect sense.

 

It has been said that if you constantly have to remind people that you are their leader, it means that you probably aren’t.

 

The Bible addresses this aspect of leadership in 1 Peter 5:2-4—“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

 

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No Place to Stand

Posted on September 7, 2012 by jesustrek

I was taking a walk through my neighborhood the other day when I noticed an odd-looking structure. It looked sort of like a stand that a deer hunter might use, but it was built closer to the ground. It had been placed on a much-travelled street, as if to invite people to climb its steps and stand on it.

Curious, I approached this strange platform. It did not appear to be well-constructed. I noticed that the materials were not of high quality, and that the boards were not nailed down very securely.

A closer inspection revealed that there were words written on the boards. How very strange!

Picking up one of the boards, I saw the word “ABORTION”. Now there’s an ugly word. This sinister term, of course, refers to the killing of a pre-born baby. The word brings terrible pictures to the mind. The word is so off-putting that even many proponents of abortion are reluctant to speak it. They say things like, “A woman has a right to choose…” without finishing the sentence in a way that would specify exactly what kind of choice they are supporting.

Shuddering, I quickly dropped the awful plank.

I decided not to touch any more of the boards, but I could not bring myself to turn away just yet.

Another plank said “SAME-SEX MARRIAGE”. Anyone who has even a passing knowledge of the Bible will understand this term to be an oxymoron. God originally defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24), and he reaffirmed this definition when he visited this planet about 2,000 years ago (Mark 10:6-8).

I was beginning to think that the builder or builders of this platform were either morally bankrupt, or that they were making a pitifully inept attempt at humor.

Then I saw another plank that explained the whole platform. This plank had the word “GOD?” on it. The question mark suggested that the builders had doubts as to the existence of God. This plank had many nail holes in it, as if it had been removed at one point, and then put back into place, reluctantly perhaps.

Having seen enough, I walked away. Even though the builders obviously hoped that people would stand on the platform, it was much too dangerous for me to stand there.

I don’t recommend that you stand there either.

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