When Love Hurts

Posted on November 5, 2010 by jesustrek

Mary had some initial reservations when an angel told her she would give birth to the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:26-34). But she soon surrendered her will to God’s and accepted the assignment given to her (Luke 1:38).

Soon after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. There they met a righteous man named Simeon, who predicted great things for Jesus (Luke 2:21-35). Almost as an afterthought, Simeon had a prediction for Mary too—“…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35).

The birth of this newborn baby brought mixed blessings. Along with the joy and celebration came the promise of pain.

Mary’s soul would feel no greater pain than it did at Calvary. She was there at the cross when her beloved firstborn son died a torturous death. Simeon’s prediction had come true.

Would Mary have accepted God’s assignment if she had known how much it would hurt? I think she would have. You see, the blessings outweigh the pain when you choose to follow God no matter what happens.

God wants us to love people (Matt.22:39). He didn’t say it would always be easy; he never said that we wouldn’t get hurt along the way. He simply said to love…even when it hurts.

Some people have figured out that the best way to avoid the pain that is inevitably part of human relationships is to avoid getting close to anyone. This is a huge price to pay. The blessings of loving people far outweigh the heartaches.

Lady Antebellum sings, “I guess I’d rather hurt than feel nothing at all.” That’s what Mary chose to do, and it would be a wise choice for all of us to make—to love…even when it hurts.

Posted in Christian Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dispersing the Crowd

Posted on November 4, 2010 by jesustrek

When Elvis Presley was still performing, his adoring fans used to stay long after the concert was over, hoping for another encore, or just one more glimpse of their hero, “The King”. This was a problem for personnel working at the concert, because they were delayed in cleaning the building, locking up and going home. Finally, this tradition developed– an announcement would come over the public address system. You know the phrase they used—“Elvis has left the building.” Only after hearing this news would the crowd leave the concert venue.

We Christians want to honor our King. But instead of being adoring fans, we should be faithful followers. Jesus has given us our marching orders—“…Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15).

What other announcement do we need to hear in order for the church to leave the building?

Posted in Christian Living, Church | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Books

Posted on November 3, 2010 by jesustrek

My wife and I recently moved. As a matter of fact, there are still a lot of boxes stacked around the house, waiting to be unpacked.

Many of those boxes contain books. These were some of the heaviest boxes we had to deal with in our move. It might have been prudent if I had culled some of my books before the move, but I have a hard time letting go of a book once I purchase it.

So we have been unpacking books. “His” books, “her” books, and “our” books. Books for the office and books for the house. Books about health, books about spiritual growth, books about history, books about nature, fiction books…books, books, books!

Many of the books I own I have not yet read, but I hope to do so. I understand that unless I read a book, it cannot do me any good. I cannot possibly benefit from any book that sits on my shelf unread.

The same is true for the Bible. Happy reading everyone!

Posted in Christian Living | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

From a Button to the Throne

Posted on November 2, 2010 by jesustrek

The weather is starting to get a bit nippy, so I decided to wear a long-sleeved dress shirt this morning. I was a bit puzzled to find the left cuff unbuttoned, while the right one was buttoned. Then the reason for this dawned on me. I had surgery on my left hand about a year ago. The rehabilitation period was somewhat lengthy, and I had to wear a brace on my left hand for a few months. The last time I wore this shirt, I no doubt had to unbutton the left cuff in order to get the shirt on.

The realization of how much better my hand is now than it was a year ago led me to be thankful for my healing. Even something as small as a button can serve as a reminder to worship God and to give thanks to him.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”—1 Thess.5:16-18.

Posted in Christian Living, Prayer | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Favorite Music

Posted on November 1, 2010 by jesustrek

 

Most people have a favorite type of music. We choose from country, rock, top 40, oldies, etc., to program our car radios. We usually tend to think that other people should share our taste for music. We even think that God must like the same type of music we do, and that is when the fireworks can start in church.

Eph.5:19-20 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I don’t know the technical definition of these different types of music that are mentioned in this Scripture. But even the casual reader will have to admit that God likes a variety of music. Perhaps God doesn’t have a favorite style after all. Maybe he likes the kind of music I like, and at the same time, he likes music that I don’t prefer at all.

So I guess we ought to try to have a variety of music in church. One old preacher told his worship team, “There needs to be at least one song every Sunday that I don’t like.” We shouldn’t be selfish about what we want to sing and hear in church. For one thing, we have all of the rest of the week to sing and listen to whatever kind of Christian music we like. And more importantly, worship is not for you; it’s for God.

Give that some thought.

Posted in Christian Living, Church | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Lively Church

Posted on October 30, 2010 by jesustrek

You’ve probably heard the story about the man who died suddenly during the church service. When the undertaker arrived, he carried out five men before he found the right one!

Some churches have a reputation for not being very lively. They have boring worship services on Sunday, and they sort of sleepwalk through the rest of the week.

Other churches seem to be on fire, but there is little real substance to what they do. Jesus told the church at Sardis, “…I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” (Rev.3:1-2).

Here is the bottom line—a church can only be as vibrant as its members. So if you want to be a part of a lively church, first take a look in the mirror and ask yourself this question: What kind of church would this church be, if every member were just like me?

Posted in Christian Living, Church, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Jesus Stood Up

Posted on October 29, 2010 by jesustrek

Stephen was the first martyr of the church. He was stoned to death by religious people who rejected his message about Jesus Christ. As his opponents began to unleash their violent fury against him, the Bible says, “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56).

Some scholars have noted that when the Bible speaks about Jesus being in heaven with God, it usually says that he is seated at the right hand of God. Yet here it shows Jesus standing. Could there be something significant in the posture of Jesus? Why is he standing in this instance?

Jesus might be standing in anticipation of what Stephen is about to do—he is about to die because of his faith. Perhaps Jesus is standing to honor one who is about to make a supreme sacrifice because of his belief in his Savior.

Jesus has a keen interest in how his followers live their lives. He knows what we have to endure, and he reacts to the way we respond to adversity. None of us knows what lies ahead of us, but we must hope that when the time comes for us to take a stand for Jesus, he will react in a way that shows that we have pleased him. Who knows, he may even stand up!

Posted in Christian Living | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unwanted Pages

Posted on October 28, 2010 by jesustrek

My Bible is falling apart. Perhaps that makes it look as if I have used it more than I really have. To tell the truth, I just bought this Bible a couple of years ago. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it usually is true that you get what you pay for, and now some pages are trying to escape from my Bible. I have to make sure that they don’t slip away from me.

We sometimes find pages in the Bible that we wish weren’t there. We wouldn’t dream of ripping those pages from the “Good Book”, but many people live their lives as if certain pages of Scripture were missing.

Some don’t want the pages that speak against any type of sexual immorality. Others show with their lifestyle that they can do without the pages that warn against greed. Still others find those pages about worship far too intrusive to acknowledge. There are those who have mentally removed any pages in the Bible that refer to self-control and personal responsibility.

You could make a sizeable list of the types of pages that people don’t want to find in their Bibles. However, the important question to ask ourselves is if there are any pages we ourselves feel tempted to leave out.

Ironically, the section of my Bible that has come loose from the binding is the last 5 chapters of Revelation. It is in this passage of Scripture that we read—“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  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.” (Rev.22:18-19).

Keep all the pages in your Bible…every single one!

Posted in Christian Living, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The End of the Rainbow

Posted on October 27, 2010 by jesustrek
Vanceburg, KY

Yesterday my wife and I were driving from the country back into the little town that has recently become our home. As Vanceburg came into view, we became aware of the beautiful setting that was spread out before us. The town was nestled between the hills and the Ohio River. The river was calm and serene and the trees on the hills were dressed in their brightest fall colors. To add to this picture, a riverboat was slowly making its way upstream near our new home. Just as we were marveling over the gorgeous scenery, it got even better! The sun burst out, illuminating the beautiful leaves, and one of the biggest and brightest rainbows either of us had ever seen beamed down on our new town. It was a sight I will never forget.

My wife had been in a hurry to get back to the house and unpack some more boxes. She had just spoken about being a bit overwhelmed with all of the work that needed to be done. However, the sight that had just unfolded before our eyes changed her priorities.

“Let’s drive up the hill to the cemetery!” Karen exclaimed.

“Really?” (We had already passed the driveway to the cemetery.)

“Yes, really!”

So, I turned the car around and we drove up the steep road to the top of the large hill overlooking Vanceburg. We got out of the car, and, much to our surprise, the rainbow was still shining brightly. Even though we knew that no camera could ever come close to capturing our experience, Karen took some pictures of the beautiful view. We lingered for some time, enjoying the show that God was putting on for us.

“We really are supposed to be here”, she said.

“I know.”

There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you are exactly where God wants you to be. We don’t know what the future holds, but today is pretty fantastic!

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”—Psalm 118:24.

Posted in Christian Living | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Helping Them Find Jesus

Posted on October 26, 2010 by jesustrek

The gospels tell us that Jesus healed multitudes of people. Someone once pointed out that out of the ones who were healed, the Scriptures give more details about 40 of those individuals. And of those 40 people, 34 of them did not find Jesus on their own. Someone either brought them to Jesus, or brought Jesus to them.

The percentages are about the same today. One study showed that 76% of those who have accepted Christ did not find him on their own. They were brought to Jesus by a friend or a family member. Let us never forget the importance of helping people find Jesus.

Posted in Christian Living, Church | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment