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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Ignore the Barking

Posted on September 6, 2012 by jesustrek

Yesterday I was walking across the property of a friend who had given me permission to look for ginseng on her land. Her dogs didn’t know that I had their master’s blessing, so they barked incessantly at me. I just ignored them and walked on.

Sometimes church leaders have to listen to some barking from individuals who don’t realize that their Master has given the leaders permission to oversee the church. While it may be prudent to do some listening, in the end the leaders should proceed with their God-given business of guiding the church by making the most important decisions facing the congregation.

 “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”—Acts 20:28.

A wise old deacon once advised the elders of his church, “Don’t ask anyone for permission to do what God has already given you permission to do.”

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Knights and Daze

Posted on September 4, 2012 by jesustrek

 

A knight made his regular appearance before the king to give an account of his service. He said, “Sire, I have just returned from pillaging and plundering all of your enemies to the east!”

 

The king countered, “But I don’t have any enemies to the east!”

 

After an awkward pause, the knight replied, “Well, you do now!”

 

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Yet all too often our blundering words and actions cause unnecessary conflict. We sometimes make enemies out of peaceful neighbors.

 

Let’s choose our battles wisely, and let us spend even more time trying to maintain peace and harmony.

 

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”—Galatians 6:10.

 

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Valuable Treasure

Posted on August 31, 2012 by jesustrek

 

Some family members were cleaning out their grandfather’s attic earlier this year in Defiance, Ohio, when they discovered a valuable collection of old baseball cards. This find has been called one of the most exciting discoveries in sports card history. Some of the cards were sold at auction for $566,132. The cards and money will be evenly distributed between 20 cousins in the family.

 

Not every family has such a treasure hidden in the attic, but everyone has access to something much more valuable. We have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and, through our faith in him, become part of his kingdom! Let us all treasure this valuable prize and appreciate its great worth!

 

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”—Matthew 13:44-46.

 

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Preferred Rest

Posted on August 30, 2012 by jesustrek

My mother had her shoulder replaced a couple of days ago. Since she had a private room in the hospital, my wife spent the past two nights with her. She says she slept pretty well in the recliner chair that was in the room. However, as she was gathering Mom’s things in preparation to go home, Karen looked in a closet and found, not one, but two, roll-away beds!

If only someone had told her about the beds, she might have rested better at night. While the recliner was somewhat comfortable, she, like most people, would have preferred sleeping in a bed.

There are a lot of people who think they are getting all the rest they need, but, unknown to them, there is something missing in their lives—they need Jesus. Let’s help them understand about the spiritual rest that only comes through him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”—Matthew 11:28.

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Signs of Life

Posted on August 29, 2012 by jesustrek

You have probably heard the old story about a boy who was walking along the beach, tossing stranded starfish back into the water. Someone tried to discourage the boy from his efforts, pointing out that there were too many dying starfish on the beach for him to possibly make a difference. The boy bent over and picked up another starfish, and, tossing it into the water, replied, “It makes a difference for that one.”

The application is that, even though we can’t save everyone, we can save somebody.

On a recent trip to the beach, I discovered another angle to this idea. I found a starfish out of the water. Wanting to do the right thing, I picked it up to throw it back into the sea. Not being a marine biologist, I couldn’t even tell if the creature was still alive. Then one of its arms moved. This gave me hope that there was still a chance for that starfish.

Some of the people we want to save don’t show many signs of life spiritually. But sometimes they will say or do something that will give us a clue that they are indeed open to spiritual truth; that they are receptive to having God intervene in their life.

Let’s not give up on them.

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Valuable Sacrifice

Posted on August 28, 2012 by jesustrek

A man recently entered a hospital in Toledo, Ohio to donate a kidney to his older sister. However, a nurse accidentally disposed of the kidney. Doctors tried to save the organ, but University of Toledo Medical Center spokesman Toby Klinger said, “Human error rendered the kidney unusable.”

Both the donor and his sister have been released from the hospital. A review will try to determine how to prevent such mistakes in the future. In the meantime, the hospital has voluntarily suspended its live kidney donor program.

It is tragic that no one benefited from this valuable sacrifice. It is an even greater tragedy when people throw away the free gift of salvation they have been offered through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

“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 1:11-12.

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One Giant Leap for Mankind

Posted on August 27, 2012 by jesustrek

 

Neil Armstrong

 

Astronaut Neil Armstrong died Saturday, August 25, 2012 at the age of 82. He will always be remembered as the first human being to set foot on the moon. The first words he uttered after that historic moment are firmly imbedded in our memories: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

 

As important as that feat was, there is a similar historic event that carries an even greater significance for the human race. This happened when Jesus Christ came to the earth to live and to die for the salvation of all who will believe in him.

 

“But when the time had fully came, God sent his Son…”—Galatians 4:4.

 

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Always on Duty

Posted on August 25, 2012 by jesustrek

Brad Polley, left, Savannah Noe and Paul Goodman

Firefighters Brad Polley and Paul Goodman, of Georgetown, Kentucky, were off-duty when they heard on their police scanners about a possible drowning near their homes. They each raced to the scene to find that 14-year-old Savannah Noe had been pulled from the family swimming pool. It was thought that she had swallowed water, but in fact she had experienced sudden cardiac arrest, which is rare for young people. The aid given by the two firefighters is credited with saving Savannah’s life, and she suffered no lasting damage from her ordeal.

Savannah’s mother, Sue Noe, said of Polley and Goodman, “We’ll never be able to repay them. Two off-duty guys, how awesome is that? That’s going way over and beyond; that’s two guys just being good people that saved my child’s life.”

Polley and Goodman no doubt think that they just did what they were supposed to be doing—saving lives.

When you are in the business of saving people, you are never really off-duty, are you?

Jude 22-23—“Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…”

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