Watch Your Step!

Posted on August 23, 2011 by jesustrek

Once I was riding in a car driven by a funeral director. As he was about to pull out onto the street, some pedestrians started to walk in front of him. They saw him and abruptly stopped. He politely waited for them and waved for them to proceed. Then he turned to me and smiled as he said, “Someone should tell those people to never step out in front of a hungry funeral director!”

Most funeral directors are some of the nicest, most compassionate people you would ever meet. They would never intentionally harm anyone.

However, we Christians must not be so naïve as to think that everyone has good intentions toward us. Jesus warns, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”—John 15:18-19.

Some people are enemies of the cause of Christ, and they take delight in seeing a follower of Jesus become entangled in some type of scandalous sin. Therefore, watch your step! Don’t give them any legitimate reason to speak evil against Jesus and his church.

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Taking it Up a Notch

Posted on August 22, 2011 by jesustrek

Several years ago, my wife was in the hospital for some surgery. Just before they wheeled her to the operating room, I leaned over and kissed her. One of the nurses observed, “You must be the husband.” I agreed that I was, but to this day, I wish that I had said, “Actually, I’m her minister. Our church is trying to take pastoral care to a whole new level!”

The New Testament is filled with exhortations to love one another deeply, to take care of each other’s needs and to bear one another’s burdens. Leaders are urged to shepherd the flock, and we all have the responsibility to help our brothers and sisters in Christ in whatever way we can.

Let’s all work toward taking pastoral care to a whole new level.

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Love Each Other

Posted on August 19, 2011 by jesustrek

“Henceforth there will be such a oneness between us that when one weeps the other will taste salt.”—Author Unknown.

Love is a costly decision. When you decide to love someone, you willingly agree to share the heartaches that inevitably come to those you love. The joy that you experience in the good times will be multiplied many times over because it is shared. But, on the other hand, you also have to share the bad times. Such love will take a toll on you—mentally, emotionally and physically. Most people decide that the risk is worth taking. Most people understand that they, and the people around them, will be better off because they choose to love.

“Above all, love each other deeply…”—1 Peter 4:8.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”—Romans 12:15.

Choose to live a life of love.

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Becoming Like Jesus

Posted on August 17, 2011 by jesustrek

A teenage girl in the church I was serving was scheduled to have her tonsils removed, so I went to the surgery center to say a prayer for her and to wait with the family. Her grandfather and I were two of the last people she saw before she went under anesthesia. We assured her that we would be in the waiting room as she had her surgery.

The young lady’s grandmother was with her when she regained consciousness. Her first words were, “Hi, Grandma. Grandpa and Jesus are in the waiting room.”

We all had a good laugh over that. But, deep down, I really liked how it felt–being called Jesus!

Our goal should be to become more and more like Jesus as we pursue him, obeying his commands and following his example. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

I just hope that there comes a time when someone who is not heavily sedated will think that I am just a little bit like Jesus!

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Spectacular View

Posted on August 16, 2011 by jesustrek

Several years ago, my wife and I attended the North American Christian Convention in Denver. Wanting to spend some time in the mountains, we scheduled a week of vacation time right after the convention. We rented a car and planned to take a tour of Colorado.

When we arrived at the hotel for the convention, I went to the fitness room for a workout. There was a great view of the mountains from where I was perched on an exercise bike. I was amazed by the view, and I looked forward to actually being in those mountains in just a few days.

The next day, I went back to the fitness room and got on the bike. The sky was much clearer than it had been the day before, and when I looked toward the mountains, I could hardly believe my eyes! Beyond what I had seen the previous day, I could see even taller mountains! The view was awesome! I thought that I had seen it all the day before, but a much greater beauty was revealed to me.

Some people think that they have seen it all when they observe this present life. But God has so much more that he wants us to see! He wants to open our eyes to a spiritual reality that is not limited to what we see around us.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”

Don’t miss the view! It’s spectacular!

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Looking Ahead

Posted on August 15, 2011 by jesustrek

Howard Hendricks says that when he was a boy he loved to wander over to a nearby park where he would watch the older men play checkers. One day one of the men asked Howard if he would like to play. Of course he would! At first it seemed easy. Howard captured one, then another of the old man’s checkers. But then, all of a sudden, his opponent took one checker and hopped to and fro all the way to the border, where he proclaimed, “King me!” With that king, the old gentlemen proceeded to wipe his young competitor off the board.

Howard says that he learned a lesson that day about having a vision for the future. No one minds losing a few checkers if he’s headed for king territory.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”—Colossians 3:2.

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Feeling Out of Place

Posted on August 13, 2011 by jesustrek

I just learned that today is the 35th annual International Left-Handers’ Day. Being left-handed myself, you might have thought that I knew this day existed, but I didn’t.

Some lefties find it difficult maneuvering through a world that caters mostly to right-handed people, but I seem to have adjusted pretty well. I don’t feel the need to shop at Ned Flanders’ “Leftorium”, a store that sells only left-handed products. I once told my high school basketball coach that I could shoot layups with either hand because I was amphibious.

Sometimes we Christians get too comfortable living in this world. We adapt—often more than we should—to the conditions around us. We strive to fit in and go with the flow.

However, the Bible makes it plain that this world is not our home. We should feel out of place here. Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Are you feeling out of place? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

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The God of All Comfort

Posted on August 12, 2011 by jesustrek

The troubles that life brings our way can sometimes seem unbearable. Isn’t it good to know that we don’t have to face these tragedies alone?

First, we have a Father in heaven who loves us very much. In his great compassion, God comforts us in a way that no one else can.

Second, we have people in our lives who love us dearly. Some of them have been through the same kind of trials that we are currently experiencing and are able to give us comfort.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

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A Little Bird Told Me

Posted on August 11, 2011 by jesustrek

A friend in the church where I used to preach nicknamed me “Old Quiver-Chin” because of my tendency to get emotional when I preach. She told her family about the nickname, but she had not told me. However, her adult son thought that it was funny, so he let me in on the joke. I thought it was hilarious, and I started plotting about how I could have the most fun in letting my friend know that I was on to her.

It just so happened that my friend had invited my wife and me over to her house for dinner after church. During the course of the meal, the conversation turned to how I often tell emotional stories in my sermons. Seizing my opportunity, I said, “You know, at my last church they started calling me “Old Quiver-Chin”.

The shocked look on my friend’s face was priceless! I left her hanging for a few seconds before I shouted, “Ha! You’re busted!”

We all enjoyed a good laugh. If there is a moral to this story, I suppose it is that we should be careful what we say, because our words may come back to haunt us.

“…A bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”—Ecclesiastes 10:20.

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How Forgetful We Are

Posted on August 10, 2011 by jesustrek

My grandmother, Alice Cox, lived directly across the road from the little country church she attended. It was her job to prepare communion each Sunday. She would fill the cups with juice and the trays with bread at her house and carry them to church with her.

One Sunday, the congregation was preparing for communion time in the worship service. They sang a song and then offered up a solemn prayer of thanksgiving. Then they lifted the lid to the communion set, only to find the trays empty! Mamma had forgotten to fill the trays before she brought them to church!

The people had to wait a few minutes while she went home and got the communion ready.

This story illustrates how forgetful we can be. We might even go for a while without remembering the most important thing that ever happened—that Jesus died to pay for our sins. So in order to help us remember his sacrificial death, Jesus gave us a beautiful reminder—the Lord’s supper.

“…Do this in remembrance of me.”—Luke 22:19.

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