Sanctity of Life

Posted on January 23, 2012 by jesustrek

“The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.”—Proverbs 13:5.

Let’s examine how this verse applies regarding the right to life issue.

Those who follow Christ hate the false claim that a woman has a “right” to end the life of her pre-born baby. The Bible consistently upholds the sanctity of life. We must actively oppose those who wrongly believe that the U.S. constitution allows for such evil. We must speak out, we must pray, we must give of our time and resources to oppose this terrible falsehood.

Those who are wicked have brought shame and disgrace upon our nation by shedding innocent blood, or by condoning others who have done so. Because of their cold-hearted disregard for human life, they have helped to place our country in danger of being the objects of God’s wrath.

Yesterday was “Sanctity of Life Sunday”. Many churches celebrated the value of human life. Let us all be aware every day that life is precious from the moment of conception until the final breath is drawn. In a society where falsehood runs rampant, let us stand boldly for the truth. Let us take a stand for the sanctity of life.

Oh, one more thing. Let’s be gracious to those who have made mistakes, but want to be forgiven. The blood of Christ has amazing power to restore and heal those whose lives have been broken because of abortion.

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United We Stand

Posted on January 20, 2012 by jesustrek

I heard about a church that split many years ago. The church divided over a disagreement about how they should heat their building. One group thought that they should continue to use coal. The other group insisted that they change to gas heat.

Now, years later, there are two small churches in that town that hold the same basic doctrinal beliefs, but they worship in separate buildings, not very far apart.

Oh, and I understand that both churches heat their buildings with electricity.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”—Ephesians 4:2-3.

What can you do to promote peace and unity in your church?

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No Guarantees

Posted on January 19, 2012 by jesustrek

Ariane Noelle Patterson, a student at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, collapsed in her religion class this past Tuesday afternoon. She was taken to a hospital, where she died. It was her 21st birthday.

Ironically, Patterson had tweeted earlier that day, “Thank you God for another year of life.”

21 years of age seems awfully young for an apparently healthy person to die suddenly for no known reason. The Bible reminds us that we are not guaranteed even another day.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”—James 4:13-15.

Let’s appreciate the time we have been given by God, and let’s use it wisely.

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Victory in Jesus

Posted on January 18, 2012 by jesustrek

It excites sports fans to watch games and events where the outcome is in doubt until the very end. The competitors give their best, hoping for a win, but knowing that defeat is a definite possibility.

Sometimes Christians compete in life as if there is a chance we will be defeated. This shouldn’t be! We must be reminded that we are not fighting for a victory, but from a victory that was won when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. He defeated sin on the cross, and he defeated death when he came out of the tomb.

While we are indeed engaged in spiritual warfare, we do not need to be concerned about the prospect of losing. Our victory is assured!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”—1 Corinthians 15:57-58.

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No Pages Missing

Posted on January 17, 2012 by jesustrek

Last year I found a Bible in our church library that seemed to be just the right size to use for preaching. The print was large enough for my 50-something eyes, and yet this Bible was light enough to carry around easily.

The only major blemish on this slightly used copy of the Scriptures was a page that had been partially torn. I took some clear tape and, ever so carefully, repaired the page as best as I could.

I wonder if there was some reason that Satan would like to have ripped that certain page out of God’s Word? And I wonder what truths Satan would like for me to disbelieve?

What about you? Is there a specific part of the Bible that you are questioning? If Satan is trying to take some truth away from you, what might that be? Let the Holy Spirit speak to you and help you discern if there is some part of Scripture that you might need to give some serious consideration.

“And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”—Revelation 22:19.

Make sure that your Bible remains intact—every single page!

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Shipwrecked Faith

Posted on January 16, 2012 by jesustrek

This past weekend the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized and partially sank off the coast of Italy. Of the 4,200 people on board, 5 have been confirmed dead so far, and 15 others are listed as missing.

Authorities are holding the captain of the ship, as an investigation begins to determine whether or not he was responsible to some degree for this horrible event.

Paul warned Timothy that some people had shipwrecked their faith because they had rejected faith and a good conscience. Scripture urges us to hold onto these qualities (1 Timothy 1:18-20).

Many times when people shipwreck their own faith, they harm many innocent people in the process. This is tragic.

We can learn a lesson in leadership from this. It is critical that we make sure that the local congregation is being steered by competent leaders who have been called by God to lead the church. I have seen churches turned on their side because unspiritual people have been allowed to take the wheel.

Perhaps the best lesson to take away from this is a personal one. Hold on to your faith with a good conscience. If you do so, the boat may rock occasionally, but you will never find yourself shipwrecked along life’s journey.

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Pain That Serves a Purpose

Posted on January 13, 2012 by jesustrek

A few years ago I needed to have major surgery on my hand. Part of the rehabilitation process was to make a tight fist, but I could not even bring my fingers down to the palm. Therefore, my physical therapist decided to use electro-shock therapy. Electrodes were hooked to my forearm, and a battery-powered machine was supposed to give me a mild shock to help me make a fist.

The therapist, a young lady who was probably in her twenties, was having trouble getting the machine to work. She had me all hooked up, but the shock wasn’t being delivered. She kept turning the knob to increase the voltage, but nothing happened. She jiggled some wires, thinking there might be a loose connection.

Suddenly, the machine started to work. It gave me a shock that brought me out of my seat. I screamed into the face of this young lady who was trying to help me, “It’s too much! It’s too much!”

My outburst caused quite a stir in the facility. The receptionist peeked around the corner to see what was going on. Patients in the waiting room no doubt wondered what torture might be in their immediate future.

Thankfully, my therapist quickly adjusted the machine to the proper setting. Being the professional that she was, she did not hold any hard feelings against me for crying out in pain. I understood that she was just doing her job, and that she had no intentions to harm me. We all had a good laugh over the incident.

Sometimes life hurts. God allows us to experience various types of pain and suffering. We might react by screaming, “It’s too much”! However, there is always a purpose for our trials, and God, in his own timing, will dial it down so that it doesn’t hurt so much.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”—James 1:2-4.

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Taste the Difference

Posted on January 12, 2012 by jesustrek

My Dad and I once stopped in for a quick visit with Mamaw Cox. As usual, she offered to fix us a snack. And, as usual, we said “Yes”.

She soon handed each of us a bowl of yummy looking strawberries. My first strawberry didn’t taste just right. I wasn’t alarmed, because sometimes you get a bad strawberry mixed in with the good ones. My second strawberry wasn’t any better. Nor the third. Glancing over at Dad, I saw that he was having the same experience. Neither of us wanted to say anything. Mamaw soon noticed that we weren’t eating our strawberries, and she asked if something was wrong. We suggested that there might be.

Retracing her steps, Mamaw soon determined that, in her effort to sweeten our strawberries, she inadvertently loaded them up with salt instead of sugar! She threw out the ruined batch and gave us some good strawberries.

Salt is fine if it is used for its intended purpose. Otherwise, it is pretty useless.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”—(Matthew 5:13).

If you want to be useful, make a difference in somebody else’s life. In a good way.

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The Power of the Tongue

Posted on January 10, 2012 by jesustrek

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”—Proverbs 18:21.

We have often been taught that we need to be careful of what we say, because our words have the potential to do great harm to other people. This is indeed true.

However, we also need to be aware of the harm that others can cause us with their words. We often seek affirmation from other people, and when someone cuts us down, belittles us and tells us that we have failed, it can cause us a lot of grief.

Sometimes we beat ourselves up over someone else’s comment, without stopping to consider if their criticism is valid. We should consider the source, and not allow negative people to dampen our spirits or deter us from our purpose. While some criticism is helpful, we should be careful not to give harmful people unwarranted power over our lives.

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Voices Raised in Prayer

Posted on January 9, 2012 by jesustrek

When the believers heard about the ordeal that Peter and John had just gone through with the religious leaders, “…they raised their voices together in prayer to God…” (Acts 4:24).

I used to know a lady who would occasionally say, “All we can do is whisper a prayer.” I suppose that some prayers are best whispered. But some prayers are more properly prayed with your voice raised.

Think of some of the prayers offered up by Job and David. They had some difficult questions for God, and it seems that they asked him these questions under great stress, dealing with deep emotions. I can’t imagine that they always whispered in their conversations with God. Surely they prayed with their voices raised.

When I think about some of my most memorable talks with God, I remember praying to him with my voice raised. When I heard about a friend who had suffered a serious heart attack, I prayed for him…but I didn’t whisper. When I was rushing to the hospital to check on a friend who had been struck by a car, I prayed for him…but I didn’t whisper. When a man was working diligently to divide the leadership of the church where I served, I prayed for the church…but I didn’t whisper.

When is the last time you actually raised your voice in prayer to God? When might be the next time?

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