What’s It To You?

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jesustrek

Beau Hossler

17-year-old amateur golfer Beau Hossler found himself in sole possession of the lead early Friday at the U.S. Open tournament. Then the tough course caught up with him, and he dropped out of the lead.

I have a 17-year-old friend who plays golf. I considered teasing him about why he wasn’t contending for the lead at a major tournament. Then it occurred to me that he might ask me why I haven’t won as many majors as Tiger Woods!

Sometimes we are more concerned about someone else’s performance than we are our own, and this causes us to lose focus.

Jesus had just told Peter what his fate would be—a death that would glorify God (John 21:18-19). Then Peter saw John nearby. “When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21:21-22).

That’s good advice for all of us. Instead of being overly concerned about what is going to happen to someone else, we should simply concentrate on following Jesus.

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Praying on a Tightrope

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jesustrek

Nik Wallenda

Daredevil Nik Wallenda walked on a wire across Niagara Falls on Friday evening June 15. The feat was covered live by ABC television.

Wallenda was equipped with a microphone so that he could communicate with viewers. The audience was able to hear him offer up prayers of praise and thanksgiving to his heavenly Father and to Jesus.

Here are a few observations about these high-flying prayers.

First, I was glad that the event was covered live. Otherwise, the prayers would probably have been edited out.

Second, I noticed that the commentators ignored the fact that he prayed. (At least they did while I was watching. I was channel surfing, and did not see the event in its entirety.)

Finally, I got the feeling that Mr. Wallenda prays on a regular basis. I don’t think that he waits until he is facing danger before he ever talks to God.

That seems like a good idea.

“Pray continually.”—1 Thessalonians 5:17.

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In Agreement?

Posted on June 15, 2012 by jesustrek

Don DeWelt once said, “Someday I’m going to write a book and call it Agree With Me or Go to Hell!” After pausing, he held up the Bible and said with a smile, “But then I realized that someone had already written the book!”

Many people spend their lives hoping that God will agree with them, when we are the ones who must agree with him. The consequences of disagreeing with God are horrifying.

Hell isn’t a very popular subject these days. Some people go so far as to deny its existence. But Jesus believed in hell; therefore, so should we. And we should agree with God that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. Then we can avoid hell and gain access to heaven.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6.

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Heart for Worship

Posted on June 14, 2012 by jesustrek

The widow Gladys Dunn decided that she would be more out-going, especially in making visitors to her church feel welcome. The very next Sunday, she saw a man with whom she was not familiar, but she didn’t notice him until after the worship service had started. She vowed to give him a proper greeting after church.

As soon as the service had ended, she walked up to the sleep-looking visitor, who had only stayed awake in church with great difficulty. Extending her right hand to the man, she said, “Hello, I’m Gladys Dunn.” The gentleman replied, “I’m glad it’s done, too!”

That’s not quite the attitude God wants us to have toward worship! Jesus says that God is looking for people who want to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). We should say along with the Psalm writer, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”—Psalm 122:1.

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Immortality

Posted on June 13, 2012 by jesustrek

Ray Bradbury

Legendary American author Ray Bradbury died on June 5 at the age of 91. Bradbury, best known for his works of science fiction, inspired and entertained many people with his imagination.

Bradbury often said that his career was inspired by a chance meeting in 1932 with a magician called Mr. Electrico. At the end of his performance, the magician reached out to the captivated 12-year-old, tapped him with his sword and proclaimed, “Live forever!”

Mr. Bradbury will indeed live on, in a sense, through his writings. However, the only way to truly live forever is by trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

In John 11:25, Jesus was talking with a lady named Martha about this subject. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She did. Do you?

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Fair Judging

Posted on June 11, 2012 by jesustrek

Left, Pacquiao; Right, Bradley

There is a huge uproar in the world of professional boxing after the controversial outcome of the welterweight title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas. Most observers thought that Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his title against challenger Timothy Bradley. However, two of the three judges saw it differently, and their decision is the one that counts.

Sports writer Tim Dahlberg called the judging “…questionable, if not borderline incompetent.” Dahlberg adds, “But boxing has always been a subjective sport, and anything shy of a knockout is always open to interpretation by the three ringside judges who score each round.”

Life is often unfair. We sometimes disagree with those who give their assessment of our efforts. It’s good to know that the final analysis of our lives will be made by a Judge who is perfectly fair and impartial.

“God will give to each person according to what he has done…For God does not show favoritism.”—Romans 2:6,11.

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Not for Nothing

Posted on June 8, 2012 by jesustrek

Trish Vickers

A blind British woman named Trish Vickers was writing a novel, with dreams of finding a publisher. Those dreams were shattered when she showed her son what she had written, and he informed her that her pen had run out of ink before she had even begun writing. All she had to show for her hard work was a notebook filled with empty pages.

However, Vickers and her son asked the police if they could help. Using the kind of forensic technology that is seen on television shows, detectives were able to recover the words she had written from the indentations left on the paper. Her work was not done in vain after all.

Sometimes we may get discouraged about our life’s work. We wonder if there is anything of value in what we have accomplished. While it might not seem that anything is visible, the Lord knows what we have done. Nothing we have done for him will go unnoticed or unrewarded.

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.”—Revelation 2:19.

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Never Give Up!

Posted on June 7, 2012 by jesustrek

On April 7, 1969, Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Don Drysdale gave up a home run to Cincinnati’s Pete Rose on the very first pitch of the game. Drysdale threw his second pitch to Bobby Tolan, and Tolan hit a home run also. After this terrible start, Drysdale settled down and did not allow Cincinnati to score any more runs. Drysdale’s Dodgers ended up winning the game 3-2.

The moral of the story is to never give up, even if you get off to a bad start. Don’t be discouraged if you made some early mistakes in school, in marriage, in business, in church or as a parent. With the Lord’s help, you can overcome a bad start and enjoy great success.

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”—Hebrews 10:39.

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What Really Matters

Posted on June 6, 2012 by jesustrek

This story is adapted from one told by Paul Harvey several years ago.

A lady was once involved in a minor automobile accident. She was very upset because the accident was her fault and her brand new car was only two days removed from the dealer’s showroom. She dreaded facing her husband.

The lady reached into the glove compartment to find the insurance documents. However, the first paper she found was a note, written in her husband’s distinctive handwriting. It said, “In case of an accident, remember, Honey, it’s you I love, not the car.”

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church…”—Ephesians 5:25.

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Who’s In Charge?

Posted on June 4, 2012 by jesustrek

Several years ago, the church I was serving invited a guest speaker to come and preach. This man was not only a good speaker; he also had a gift for singing. During the music portion of our worship service, his voice rang out clear and strong.

However, this fellow sort of got into his own little world as he sang. Not only did his volume drown out both the worship leader and the piano player, he got way ahead of them both! The congregation did not know who to follow, resulting in chaos and confusion.

Churches often suffer when they don’t know who to follow. God has ordained that the church is to be led by the elders. If the leaders’ authority is usurped by any individual or group, the whole church ends up in a state of confusion.

Is it clear who is in charge at your church?

“Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?”—1 Corinthians 14:8.

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