Centuries of Gratitude

Posted on November 19, 2011 by jesustrek
Leroy Lawson

The following words are credited to Leroy Lawson.

The words are spoken, but they aren’t enough. Some other expression is needed, something more tangible. That’s where the meal comes in, and the congregating of loved ones, and the expending of all the energy devoted to making the day different from other days. You need to do, not just say your thanks. You need a celebration, a representative activity, to make it work. You are seeking a way to give thanks together, to commune.

So in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving together in a kind of national communion. And in the church, we celebrate sacred Communion, which is always thanks-giving.

Thus like Jesus, before drinking from the cup and eating of the bread, we say thanks. We use plain words, but they are overlaid with centuries of gratitude.

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Too Nice?

Posted on November 19, 2011 by jesustrek
Billy Graham

My last blog was about how our society has changed its religious views since Billy Graham was in his prime. In searching for a picture of a young Billy Graham preaching, I wanted to show him holding the Bible with a pleasant look on his face and, I don’t know, maybe a halo around his head. I wanted him to look like Jesus, who was always smiling and never offended anybody.

However, many of those photos I found portray a more stern-looking Billy Graham than I like to remember. He often had a harsh look on his face, and even appeared to be angry about something.

How could this be? Is there a vast conspiracy out there, trying to make Billy Graham look bad? Or, is this the way he really looked when he preached those sermons that led to the salvation of countless thousands of people?

On second thought, maybe it is appropriate to have a serious look on your face when you are talking about how sin leads to the eternal destruction of people who aren’t saved. Perhaps a harsh expression is needed to go with some harsh words as we call for people to repent and leave their lives of sin in order to follow Christ.

Jesus actually did say some pretty offensive things occasionally. He once rebuked his friend Peter quite sternly (Matthew 16:23). Try reading Matthew 23 out loud sometime, just as you imagine Jesus might have said those stinging words.

Paul told Timothy to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Maybe we are too nice these days. Perhaps the biblical rebuke needs to make a comeback. Could there be any correlation between society’s downward spiral and our reluctance to tell the truth the way Billy Graham did a few decades ago?

Are we too nice? What do you think?

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Changing Religious Views

Posted on November 17, 2011 by jesustrek
Billy Graham

A few years ago, I was too sick to preach on Sunday. It is the only time in 20 years of preaching that I have had to miss a Sunday morning sermon due to illness.

I wasn’t too sick to watch television, so I heard a few sermons that day. The one I remember best was an old recording of Billy Graham in his prime. The beloved evangelist clearly, boldly and passionately laid out the straight-forward gospel that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. This is the message that Graham has so consistently proclaimed for decades, and he is one of the most respected men in America.

Fast forward a few decades. Mr. Graham, now in his 90s, is enjoying retirement. His son, Franklin, has made his mark as a preacher also. However, Franklin Graham is not nearly as beloved as his father, even though he preaches the same gospel message—that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.

As a matter of fact, Franklin Graham has been reviled by many for staying faithful to the truth. He has been called a homophobe and an intolerant bigot who hates Muslims.

Why do we see such different reactions to the same message? It’s because the religious views of our nation have changed drastically over the past few decades. Tolerance now trumps truth. Billy Graham is no longer the greatest individual spiritual influence in our nation. Perhaps that distinction now goes to Oprah (a scary thought)!

As our culture changes its view on religion, we have a choice to make. We can change along with it. Or we can determine to cling to the truth with all of our might.

Let’s cling to the truth!

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”—Acts 4:12.

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When Duty Calls

Posted on November 16, 2011 by jesustrek
Charlie Strong

University of Louisville head football coach Charlie Strong is displeased with his players after a recent loss to Pittsburgh. Strong said that his team was distracted by the release of a new video game—Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He said that at least one player missed class after staying up all night to play the game. Other players seemed to be more focused on playing a video game than preparing for their next opponent. If they had won the game against Pitt, Louisville would have become bowl eligible. This, of course, caused coach Strong to be even more frustrated with his team’s lackluster preparation. After a frank discussion with his team Sunday night, the coach hopes that his team can regroup. “They got called to duty,” Strong said.

We should always remember that we are engaged in spiritual warfare, and the stakes are incredibly high. We can’t afford to be distracted from our duties. We must remain focused on the task at hand.

“We proclaim him…To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”—Colossians 1:28-29.

Duty calls.

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Reaping a Good Harvest

Posted on November 15, 2011 by jesustrek

Victor Giesbrecht stopped along a Wisconsin highway to help Sara Berg change a tire. She was thankful to God for this Good Samaritan who went out of his way to help her in her time of need.

Moments after he drove off, Giesbrecht went into cardiac arrest and his wife had to bring their pickup truck to a stop. Sara then stopped to help Victor. She and her cousin, Lisa Meier, performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived. They are credited with saving his life.

I don’t buy into the idea that the universe always evens things out with good or bad karma. However, there is a biblical principle that you generally will reap what you sow. We usually think about this in negative terms, as in paying the consequences for our sins. But the Bible also talks about this in a positive light. Galatians 6:8-9 says, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Let’s sow some good seeds today. It might not save your life, but, hey, you never know!

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Safe Bet

Posted on November 12, 2011 by jesustrek

“Let us weigh the gain and the loss, in wagering that God is. Consider these alternatives; if you win, you win all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Do not hesitate, then, to wager that he is.”—Blaise Pascal

This is often called “Pascal’s Wager”. We all have to choose whether or not we will believe in God. You can consider the evidence of creation, Scripture and the arguments of those who have gone before us. But ultimately you will have to make a decision about God. That decision will not only determine how you live in this life, it will determine where you live for eternity.

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28.

There is a lot at stake. Choose well.

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Respect and Honor

Posted on November 11, 2011 by jesustrek

Jimmy Durante was once asked to be part of a show to entertain World War II veterans. He told the organizers that he could only perform for a few minutes because of his tight schedule.

But something interesting happened when Durante got on stage. He delivered a short monologue, then stayed longer. The applause grew, and he kept performing. Finally, he took his last bow and left the stage. Someone asked him why he decided to stay longer. Durante answered, “You can see for yourself if you’ll look on the front row.”

On the front row were two men who had each lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that’s exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.

Veterans tend to have an unquenchable spirit, even after having sacrificed so much for our country and its citizens.

Romans 13:7 says, “Give everyone what you owe him…if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Let’s appreciate our veterans today.

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Entrusted

Posted on November 10, 2011 by jesustrek
Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach at Penn State. The long-time coach, a living legend in college football, was fired because of his role in a sex scandal that has recently come to light. While Paterno was not involved in the original wrong-doing, it was determined that he did not do what should have been done to bring justice in the matter and to protect children from future abuses from a known sexual predator.

No one envisioned such an end to what has been an illustrious career. Paterno has succeeded in his field and has won the admiration of many people for the classy way he has conducted himself and for running a squeaky clean program at Penn State. Now his legacy is forever tarnished, and his golden years will be lived under a dark cloud that will never go away. Many people will forget the good that Paterno did for so many years, and will focus on this one terrible blunder that ultimately cost him his job.

Jesus says, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48).

This should be a lesson to everyone who is in a leadership position, especially in the church. We have been entrusted with the spiritual welfare of the people under our care. We are responsible for their well-being. Therefore, we must do everything in our power to protect them. We can never let our guard down, nor can we ignore evil.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do got give up.”—Galatians 6:9.

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Those Who Trespass Against Us

Posted on November 9, 2011 by jesustrek

“Forgiveness is like the violet sending forth its pure fragrance on the heel of the boot of the one who crushed it.”—Author Unknown

Someone once boasted, “I’m not Jesus. I don’t forgive.”

It’s always sad to hear people brag about their sins. But forgiveness is one of the most difficult of all of Jesus’ teachings. It is very hard to obey Jesus and forgive a person who does or says something to hurt us. It is so much easier to give in to our sinful nature by harboring negative thoughts and plotting revenge.

However, Jesus consistently teaches us that we are to practice forgiveness toward those who do us wrong. In Matthew 6:14-15, he says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Do you need to forgive someone today?

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Ticketed Off

Posted on November 8, 2011 by jesustrek

A patrol officer stopped a motorist for a traffic violation. The driver, an influential businessman, tried to talk the officer out of writing him a ticket. When he saw that the policeman was not going to let him off the hook, the man got angry, shouting at the top of his lungs, “I’ll have your job for this!”

The unruffled policeman kept on writing the ticket as he replied, “Sir, you wouldn’t want my job. The hours are long, the pay is low, and you meet some of the nastiest people.”

There certainly are a lot of nasty people in the world. Some of them even claim to follow Jesus Christ. However, the Bible says that “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23). Those words certainly don’t describe the driver in the story above! Do they describe you?

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