One Out of a Hundred

Posted on August 21, 2010 by jesustrek

“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ”Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”—Luke 15:3-7.

Most churches with 100 members would be quite happy if 99 of them showed up for church every week. But Jesus says that we shouldn’t be satisfied with that. He says we should be concerned enough about the one missing sheep that we put forth a great effort to find it and bring it home.

Many churches are so inwardly focused that they show little concern for the lost. Oh, they say the right things about evangelism, but their actions speak something different. They show by how they spend their time, energy and resources that they are more concerned with the 99 than they are the one.

You probably know several lost sheep. Which one will you go after first?

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How Is the Fishing?

Posted on August 20, 2010 by jesustrek

The first people that Jesus called to be his disciples were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men”. (Matt.4:19). Jesus still bids people to come and follow him, and no matter what your occupation might be, he still says that we are to be fishers of men.

Someone once posed the question, “Are we fishers of men, or merely keepers of the aquarium?” Every church should seriously and continually ask themselves that question.

Does the budget at your church reflect Jesus’ desire for you to be “fishers of men”?  How much time and energy is spent reaching lost people, compared to what is done for “the needs of the members”? (We often confuse “desires” for “needs”.) We convince ourselves that we are “doing the Lord’s work” when the majority of the church programs are for the benefit of church members, not lost people.

We are occasionally reminded of our priorities. We nod our heads in agreement, but soon forget Jesus’ plea and fall back into our same mindset and routine.

We need to hold one another accountable. Let’s ask each other from time to time, “How’s the fishing”?

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Living Joyfully

Posted on August 19, 2010 by jesustrek

Many people think that the church at Philippi was a joyful group of believers because of the many times Paul talks about the subject in his short letter to the church. However, some have pointed out that it is more likely that Paul wrote so much about joy because the people weren’t showing much of this fruit of the Spirit in their lives. Think about it; you don’t instruct a child to sit down and be quiet if he is already doing that! In the same way, it seems likely that Paul talks so much about joy because he wants the people to experience more of the fullness of Christian life.

The Philippians, like any church, had their share of troubles. The missionary they supported had been thrown into jail (1:13). Some people had the wrong motive behind their message of Christ (1:15-17). The members needed to be warned about complaining and arguing (2:14). False teachers threatened to invade their congregation (3:2-3). A couple of ladies in the church had such a major disagreement that Paul felt it necessary to address the situation in a letter that was to be read in public (4:2).

In addition to the problems that were recorded, the people at Philippi no doubt experienced the same difficulties that Christians everywhere must endure—sickness, death of a loved one, financial struggles, family problems, etc.

Yet in spite of all these difficulties, the believers were encouraged to live joyfully. 4:4 is a well-known verse—“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” It is a shame that we so often need someone to say it again. We have so much to be thankful for in Jesus! Let’s make a conscious effort to put aside whatever threatens to rob us of our joy, and let’s live joyfully today.

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A Forgiving Heart

Posted on August 18, 2010 by jesustrek

I heard a story about a baggage handler who worked for a major airline. One day while he was working, a customer became angry over the way his luggage was being handled. He loudly and profanely berated the worker. This tirade went on for quite some time. All the while, the baggage handler kept smiling and nodding–“Yes, sir. No, sir. I will, sir.”

Finally the angry customer walked away. Someone who had observed the entire episode approached the baggage handler and said, “I admire the way you took all that verbal abuse and never responded in kind. You must have a very forgiving heart.”

The man smiled and answered, “No, sir. I don’t have a forgiving heart at all. That man is going to Cleveland, but his bags are going to Detroit!”

Isn’t that the way we tend to be in our sinful nature? When someone sins against us, we want them to get what’s coming to them! And if we can in some way help them to get what’s coming to them, that’s even better!

However, Jesus teaches us that we are to have a forgiving heart. In Matt.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.”

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Jimmy Johnson on “Survivor”

Posted on August 17, 2010 by jesustrek

Former college and NFL football coach Jimmy Johnson will be a contestant on the reality show “Survivor” this season. CBS recently announced that Johnson will be one of the 20 castaways sent to Nicaragua. The season premiere of the show will air on September 15.

The contestants who excel on “Survivor” are usually young men and women who are at or near their prime physically. It will be interesting to see how well Johnson does in this competition. At 67 years old, he is one of the oldest to appear on the show.

Many of us who are on the other side of the halftime show of life are rooting for the old coach to do well. Sometimes people need to be reminded that senior citizens can still affect the outcome of the game.

The Bible contains many examples of people who accomplished a lot in their later years. Moses didn’t receive his greatest assignment until he was 80. Caleb felt just as strong and vigorous at the age of 85 as he did at 45. Then there’s that showoff, Methuselah!

Let’s follow the examples of those who never gave up, and keep on doing the best we can, however we can for as long as we can!

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Worshiping Like Israel and Bill

Posted on August 16, 2010 by jesustrek

Israel (aka Jacob) had lived a long and full life. Knowing that his time on earth was drawing to a close, he made preparations for his death and burial. With the end in sight, Israel kept his focus on God. Gen.47:31 says, “…Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.”

The mental picture of an old man leaning on his staff as he worships God inspires me. I too, want to be a faithful worshiper right up until the time that I die.

I see modern day versions of Israel. One in particular that I remember is Bill Lewis, a man that I went to church with a few years ago. Bill died at the age of 98, and he had relatively good health up until the last few months of his life. Bill was in church every Sunday. I remember an especially wintry Sunday morning. There was already about six inches of snow on the ground and more was falling. The wind was whipping the snow so fiercely that it was moving horizontally. Many members chose to stay home that day rather than brave the elements. Not Bill Lewis. Thinking back, I shouldn’t have been so surprised when this faithful saint–in his mid-nineties at the time–walked into the church building, leaning on the arm of one of his family members.

If I live long enough, I want to follow the example of Israel and Bill, worshiping to the very end. How about you?

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Immediate Success

Posted on August 15, 2010 by jesustrek
J. P. Arencibia

J.P. Arencibia, a rookie catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, hit a home run on the very first pitch he saw in the major leagues. On Saturday, August 7, he became only the 26th player in history to accomplish this feat.

Rarely does one find such immediate success. David apparently felled Goliath with the first stone he slung at him (1 Sam.17:49). (Notice that David took more stones with him. When facing a giant who is threatening to kill you, it’s good to have a back-up plan!)

But for every story in the Bible of someone who enjoyed immediate success, it seems that we find other examples where patience was required of God’s people.  Take, for instance, the time when the Israelites had to wander around in the desert for 40 years before they experienced victory.

We do know that God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom.8:28). We don’t always know when those good things will happen. I suppose we just need to step up to the plate and do our best, and trust God for the timing of our success.

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Who’s Got Talent?

Posted on August 14, 2010 by jesustrek

Jackie Evancho, a 10-year-old girl from Pennsylvania, stunned the judges and audience with her opera singing on “America’s Got Talent” on Tuesday night. Her beautiful voice sounded so full and mature that some people wondered if she might be lip synching. It just didn’t seem possible that someone so young could be that good. One of the judges, Howie Mandel, asked her to improvise a few notes just to prove to people that it really was her doing the singing. She came through in such a way as to leave no doubt that it indeed was her own voice that was amazing people.

Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy and said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Tim.4:12).

Young people are capable of doing great things for God, if only they are given the chance. We need to give them opportunities to shine and encourage them to do their very best. America needs to know that “The Kingdom’s Got Talent”.

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Living in Harmony

Posted on August 14, 2010 by jesustrek

There is a story told about two brothers who lived next to one another. For many years they got along quite well, but one day they had a terrible disagreement. Tempers flared, angry words were exchanged and the brothers became estranged from one another.

One brother had some lumber delivered to his property and called for a contractor to come out to his place. When the contractor arrived, he explained that he wanted a tall fence built along the edge of his property, so that he wouldn’t even have to look at his brother’s place. He said, “I’m going on a business trip. I’ll be back in a week, and I expect you to have the fence built by then.”

A week passed, and the brother returned from his trip. But instead of the fence that he expected to find, he discovered that the contractor had built a bridge across the stream that separated the two brothers’ property. The man was livid! He was just about to go inside to call the contractor to complain, but he saw his brother rush out of his house. He ran across the bridge, gave him a hug and exclaimed, “Oh, my brother! After all the terrible things I said to you, you built a bridge to bring us together!”

Instead of building fences in the church and in the community, why don’t we build more bridges?

Psalm 133:1—“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

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Castles in the Sand

Posted on August 13, 2010 by jesustrek

In a recent “Family Circus” cartoon, Bil Keane draws a scene at the beach. Little Jeffy has obviously spent considerable time building a sand castle. However, the tide is relentlessly pushing its way in, threatening to destroy all of Jeffy’s work. Jeffy is sprawled out on the sand in a futile attempt to protect his little kingdom from the waves, shouting at the sea, “NO! NO!”

Sadly, this is a picture of many people at the end of their lives. Death inevitably comes knocking at the door, and they desperately try to protect all that they have accumulated. They can’t believe that what they built will not last forever.

Jesus says that the work of anyone who builds on the foundation of his teaching will endure, but anything that is built elsewhere will not stand the test of time (Matt.7:24-27).

You aren’t building castles in the sand, are you?

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