Noisy Bunch

Posted on March 12, 2012 by jesustrek

A farmer was becoming quite annoyed at the constant noise from the frogs in the large pond beside his house. Every night they croaked on and on. Finally, he decided that he had heard enough. He went down to the local restaurant and made a deal with the owner. The farmer said he would supply him with 10 dozen frog legs each week for the rest of the summer.

The farmer was quite embarrassed when he came in to town the next week with only a half a dozen scrawny frog legs. He said to the restaurant owner, “It sure sounded like there were a lot more frogs out there!”

The Bible says “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”—Philippians 2:14.

Sometimes it seems like there are a lot of people out there sounding off, but usually it’s just a few who are making unpleasant noises. Most people understand that to have a lifestyle of complaining and arguing is just downright sinful.

We would do well to keep our own pond as quiet and peaceful as we can.

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Hands-On Sacrifice

Posted on March 9, 2012 by jesustrek

I’ve known for some time now that the book of Leviticus is important because it explains the system of animal sacrifice that God instituted to prepare his people for the arrival of Jesus. They came to know the importance of sacrifice. They understood that “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22).

Recently I have become more aware of the personal involvement of the worshipers who are depicted in Leviticus. They did not simply bring an animal to the priest and stand back at a safe distance while the offering was being made. No, they had an important part in the sacrifice. Leviticus 3:2 says, “He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it…” This same instruction is repeated several times in chapters 3 and 4, as the various offerings are prescribed.

Maybe the reason God set up the animal sacrifices this way was to make us think about the fact that it was our sin that sent Jesus to the cross. Therefore, we had a hand in his death. Perhaps we should reflect on that as we take the elements of communion in our hands.

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Speech Says It All

Posted on March 7, 2012 by jesustrek

My wife Karen has a bit of a Southern accent. This never drew much attention until we moved to Indiana. There she met a friend who had four young boys. Karen occasionally accompanied them on vacation trips.

One trip took them to Dollywood. There they were welcomed by the recorded voice of Dolly Parton herself. After listening to her for a bit, the youngest boy suddenly exclaimed, “She talks just like Karen!”

As he disowned Jesus, Peter claimed to be someone other than who he was. Those who heard his claims replied, “…Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.” (Matthew 26:73).

Usually, it’s not our accent that gives us away; it is the actual words that we speak.

We all make certain claims about who we are and what we believe. Sometimes our words don’t go along with those claims.

Let us make every effort to live consistently. Words matter. Use them carefully.

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Youth Prevails

Posted on March 6, 2012 by jesustrek

Rory McIlroy

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy held on to the lead and won the Honda Classic golf tournament this past weekend. He had to withstand a furious charge by Tiger Woods in order to claim the victory. The win enabled McIlroy to become the top-ranked golfer in the world, quite a feat for a young man who is only 22 years old.

The Bible says that we shouldn’t be surprised to see young people excel. Paul encouraged his young disciple Timothy with these words: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”—1 Timothy 4:12.

Do you know young people who are performing admirably in some way? Remember to let them know that you appreciate their efforts. Let’s encourage our youth to shine brightly!

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Just as He Wanted

Posted on March 5, 2012 by jesustrek

In a cartoon drawn by Hank Ketcham, Dennis the Menace was standing in front of his mother, who was sizing him up with her usual perplexed look. Dennis was wearing skates, a fireman’s hat and a super hero’s cape. He was holding a hockey stick and a guitar, and a soccer ball was right beside him. Dennis explained, “I couldn’t decide what I wanted to be today.”

While we have some decisions to make about how we use our spiritual gifts, we don’t have to worry about what to be today. 1 Corinthians 12 teaches us that the church is like a body that consists of many different parts. Verse 18 says, “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.”

God has taken a lot of pressure off of us by making us the way we are. As we use the gifts and talents that he has given us, we don’t have to be confused about who we are. We are just who he wanted us to be!

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True Hero

Posted on March 2, 2012 by jesustrek

Frank Hall, a teacher and assistant football coach, is credited with chasing a teenage gunman out of an Ohio school after a shooting rampage that left three students dead. 17-year-old T.J. Lane has been charged with killing the three students on Monday, February 27, at Chardon High School, which is about 30 miles east of Cleveland.

Perhaps Hall’s brave action saved more people from being killed. However, he has brushed aside the praise that has been lavished upon him, insisting, “I’m not a hero.”

Most of us would disagree with Hall’s modest assessment of himself. To willingly put your life on the line to spare others is truly an act of heroism.

Jesus is the ultimate humble hero. “…He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).

By dying on the cross to pay for our sins, Jesus chased away the sin that threatened to destroy us. He is a true hero indeed!

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Willing to Share

Posted on March 1, 2012 by jesustrek

Did you hear about the church that is using advanced technology to try to encourage its members to give more generously? If you don’t put anything into the offering, the collection plate takes your picture and displays it on the big screen!

 

It’s a shame that so many Christians are reluctant to honor God and bless people by giving generously to kingdom work. We should be happy to give to such a great cause.

 

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”—1 Timothy 6:17-18.

 

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The Helper

Posted on February 29, 2012 by jesustrek

Years ago I used to visit an elderly lady in a nursing home. This dear saint was suffering from dementia. I had not known her before this awful disease robbed her of most of her mental capabilities, but I was told that she was a wonderful Christian woman.

At this point in her life, her vocabulary consisted of 4 or 5 short phrases that she repeated over and over. I only remember one of those phrases: “God’s the helper.”

The last thing that we should ever forget is that God is our helper. Psalm 54:4 says, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”

Regular participation in communion is an excellent way to remember the help that God has given us through his Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

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The Negotiator

Posted on February 28, 2012 by jesustrek

Did you hear about the son who faced an unexpected expense while away at college? He called home and told his father, “Dad, I need you to send me $100.”

The father exclaimed, “$50! Why in the world do you need $20?”

Some people are downright stingy. Even though God the Father commands tithing (Malachi 3:10) and Jesus the Son commends it (Matthew 23:23), only a small number of Christians give 10% of their earnings back to the Lord. One study puts the number of tithing Christians as low as 6%.

Maybe we need to stop negotiating with God and simply trust him. What do you think?

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Living in Unity

Posted on February 27, 2012 by jesustrek

“To live above with those we love, O that will be glory! But to live below with those we know, now that’s a different story!”—Unknown

Unity is hard to come by, even in the family of God. Paul had received word of quarrels in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:11). He pleaded with a couple of ladies in Philippi to get along with each other (Philippians 4:2).

Whenever we begin to think that our own congregation has problems, we might take comfort in remembering that the churches mentioned in the New Testament had similar struggles.

However, that is no excuse for not striving for unity and harmony. Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34). Paul wrote, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3).

Let’s do whatever we can to promote peace in our churches. Let’s be slow to anger and quick to forgive.

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”—Psalm 133:1.

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