Cheerful Giver

Posted on July 23, 2011 by jesustrek

Supposedly, there was once a little country church that called an emergency meeting to address the urgent need to do some maintenance work on their building. During the course of the meeting, a relatively wealthy member stood up and pledged $100 toward the repair expenses. No sooner than he had sat down, a huge piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and hit him on the head, giving off a cloud of white dust. He promptly stood up and announced that he was raising his pledge to $1000. Before he could sit down again, a voice from the back shouted, “Hit him again, Lord! Hit him again!”

The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Lord shouldn’t have to hit us over the head to force us to give. We should be excited about being able to contribute to the kingdom. Remember that we are doing more than just keeping a roof over our heads; our tithes and offerings help the poor and spread the gospel to those who need to hear it.

God has blessed us so richly. Let’s be ready and willing to share what we have been given in order to advance the work of the church.

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Organized

Posted on July 22, 2011 by jesustrek

Have you heard about the U.S. government’s plan to become more efficient? They are talking about combining the Department of Health and the Department of Education. Their motto will be—“We Will Inoculate No Child’s Left Behind”.

Seriously, there are some wonderful benefits from being organized. Moses got some great advice from his father-in-law about how to lead the Israelites more efficiently (Exodus 18). Some people in the church are gifted with leadership abilities (Romans 12:6-8), so that the church can be governed effectively.

There are two extremes to be avoided. Some churches become so bogged down with rules and guidelines that its members feel stifled rather than free to do ministry. On the other hand, some churches are so unorganized that no one seems to know who is doing what, and sometimes ministry doesn’t get done at all.

It does take some effort to get organized, but the churches that take the time to do so are usually blessed because of their effort, and they tend to be healthier, thriving congregations.

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Rewarding

Posted on July 21, 2011 by jesustrek

Our church recently provided lunch for a family on the day of the funeral service for a loved one. These meals are a much-appreciated way of showing love to those who are hurting. Glancing around the room, I noticed all of the food that people had brought, but my eyes stopped on the ice cold soft drinks. I thought of the Scripture where Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41).

It warmed my heart to think that even such a small gesture as giving a Pepsi to someone who is mourning could be such an uplifting act of kindness. Such little deeds that are done in the name of Jesus can be quite rewarding. Quite rewarding indeed.

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Thanks in All Circumstances

Posted on July 20, 2011 by jesustrek

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”—1 Thessalonians 5:18.

I saw this verse put to the test recently. My wife and I were worshiping with some friends at the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati earlier this month. We were singing a song that included the line “How great is our God!” As we were singing, I couldn’t help but look around the room and notice the other worshipers. I noticed that people whom I knew were facing, or had faced, formidable adversity in their lives were singing about how great their God is. And they seemed to be sincere.

A lady to my left was wearing a covering on her head to hide the effects of the chemotherapy treatments she was taking…again. A youth minister to my right had just told me that his two-year-old daughter was due to have another heart surgery in a few weeks. A preacher across the way had lost a beautiful young daughter in a traffic accident. All of these individuals were singing from the heart about the greatness of their God. It was a moving worship experience.

So then, it’s true. It’s been proven. It can be done. We can indeed give thanks in all circumstances. Let’s try it today.

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Gravy

Posted on July 19, 2011 by jesustrek

The first time Karen ever took me to visit her parents was on Thanksgiving. We sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, prayed and started passing the food around. I dipped out a generous portion of mashed potatoes and scooped out a huge reservoir for the gravy. However, my future mother-in-law did not have any gravy to offer us. It was obvious that I was expecting gravy, and she was a bit embarrassed that none would be forthcoming.

No one said anything about it at the time, but it has become a favorite story in our family. Now, before every Thanksgiving meal, my mother-in-law announces to everyone that we do have gravy for our mashed potatoes.

Paul was living on prison food when he wrote these words to the Christians at Philippi—“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12).

The secret of our contentment is the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Anything else is…well, gravy.

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Does God Know?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by jesustrek

Maybe you heard about the atheist parents who were trying to pass along their lack of faith to their young son. One night as they were tucking him into bed for the night, the young fellow asked, “Mommy and Daddy, do you think God knows that we don’t believe in him?”

Atheists can try to ignore the existence of God, but the Bible says that God has “…set eternity in the hearts of men…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). It has been said that there is a God-shaped hole inside of every human being. We have a natural, instinctive longing for something or Someone beyond ourselves. It is foolish to ignore this basic human need. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God…”

By the way, the answer to the question is, “Yes.” God knows that atheists don’t believe in him.

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Unplugged

Posted on July 18, 2011 by jesustrek

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”—Mark 1:35.

Even Jesus needed to get away from the hectic activities of everyday life and spend some quality time with his Father. How can any of us feel that we don’t need the same kind of devotional time?

While attending the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati earlier this month, I went to a workshop on practicing spiritual disciplines. Over a hundred people gathered together to hear about the importance of Bible study, prayer, meditation, fasting, etc.

During the course of the hour, about a half a dozen cell phones rang. I thought that it was ironic that people who were seeking advice about how to spend quality time with God couldn’t turn off their phones for one hour! Perhaps they were all brain surgeons who were on call, but I doubt it. It’s more likely that many of us find it extremely difficult to unplug ourselves, even for a few minutes, in order to spend time alone with God.

How are you doing in your private worship? What changes might you need to make in order to give your heavenly Father more quality time?

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Here Come the Judge!

Posted on July 16, 2011 by jesustrek

1 Corinthians 6:3 is a fascinating verse of Scripture. While trying to convince the Christians at Corinth that they should settle their disputes with one another rather than going to court, Paul writes, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?…”

I wish that we had more explanation about how this is going to happen. I feel a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of judging angels! How about you?

Maybe we should start preparing for this important task. So I hope you understand if I excuse myself just now. It’s almost time for Judge Judy.

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Three Stages of Ministry

Posted on July 15, 2011 by jesustrek

It has been said that there are three stages of ministry for a preacher in a local church, and a verse of Scripture that goes along with each stage.

First comes the honeymoon phase. The preacher is new and exciting. Everyone loves him, and he can do no wrong. The verse for this stage is “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

After a while the preacher wants to make some changes. He questions some of the traditions of the congregation and suggests some new ways of doing things. People start quoting a different verse—“By whose authority are you doing these things?”

If the church isn’t careful, they could deteriorate into stage three, best described by this verse—“Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Let’s pray that the family of God will be able to work together in harmony as the Lord continues to transform us into the people he wants us to be.

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The Look of Love (Part 2)

Posted on July 14, 2011 by jesustrek

Mark 10:21 says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him…” This is referring to Jesus’ interaction with a young man who came to him for advice, but was about to walk away from him. Something in his face reflected the fact that Jesus loved this man in spite of the young fellow’s imperfections.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have to take seriously this idea of outwardly showing our love for all people. I call it “the look of love”.

People can often tell how I feel about them from my facial expression. They know if I am disappointed in them, angry at them or indifferent toward them. But what they need to know is that I love them. I need to work on my look of love.

How about you?

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