Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is known for being outspoken. In his rookie season in the NFL, Mayfield told reporters before a late-season win, “When I woke up this morning, I was feeling pretty dangerous.”
How often do you wake up in the morning feeling like you are a danger to Satan and his plans? Are you aware of his schemes (2 Cor.2:11)? If so, how do you plan to thwart him? Do you spend much time trying to oppose the devil? Does he see you as a threat? Does he consider you dangerous?
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”—1 Peter 5:8-9.
Many people somehow get the idea that any discussion about money isn’t spiritual. That’s just not true. The Bible has a lot to say about finances. Some will maintain that God has more to say in the New Testament about giving than any other subject.
Out of the 38 parables that Jesus tells, 11 of them deal with our material possessions.
One out of every 6 verses in the 4 gospels discusses the right way to handle our material goods.
Throughout the Bible you can find about 500 references to prayer, and a little less than 500 verses about faith, but more than 1,000 verses that relate to material possessions.
You really have to conclude that stewardship is extremely important to spiritual life!
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”—Matthew 6:21.
I think this video of the dog patting the treadmill with one paw is absolutely hilarious! He seems to know that he is supposed to interact with the exercise equipment, he just wants to put in the minimum effort!
A lot of people are posting this video on social media and comparing it with their own attitude toward exercise. Lots of people will readily admit that their efforts to keep in shape are a bit lacking, to say the least.
Sadly, this is the kind of effort, or lack thereof, that many people put forth to get stronger spiritually. They know that they are supposed to be doing something, but they do as little as they possibly can.
Whether we are exercising physically or spiritually, let’s always strive to give the kind of effort that will actually yield some results.
“…Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”—1 Timothy 4:7-8.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld recently wrote a book titled Is This Anything? The book chronicles his comedy over the years. Seinfeld specializes in observational humor. He looks at things he sees, and listens to things he hears and wonders the same thing about each sight and sound—Is this anything? In other words, is this something that is amusing? Can I take this and turn it into a bit of comedy that will make the audience laugh?
This inquisitive approach to everyday life is also beneficial to those who teach and preach the Bible. Jesus often started conversations with the phrase “The kingdom of heaven is like…” Then he would refer to common practices of human beings or typical occurrences in nature and point out how those things were similar to life in the kingdom.
Jesus used a lot of stories and illustrations in his teaching and preaching. If we want to present the Word of God effectively, we would do well to follow his example in this regard. We should always be looking at what we see around us and consider if it could be used to help show others what it means to live for Jesus. The question should always be on our minds—Is this anything?
“With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable…”—Mark 4:33-34.
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to read about your own death? Dr. Alfred Nobel got to experience that feeling one day in 1888 when he opened up a French newspaper and was startled to find his own obituary. Nobel’s brother, Ludvig, had died the day before, but several newspapers erroneously published Alfred’s obituary.
It was quite unnerving for Dr. Nobel to read about his own death. The headline of the obituary was particularly disturbing to him: “The Merchant of Death Is Dead”. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and owned numerous armament factories. He had amassed a fortune by selling his products to armies that were preparing for war. The story in the newspaper said, “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”
As you might suspect, the article deeply troubled Nobel. He began to think about how he wanted to be remembered when he actually did die. He certainly didn’t want to be known as “the merchant of death”! He wanted to be remembered for his positive contributions to humankind. So he became very intentional about changing his legacy.
Nobel was quite successful in doing this, as most of us know him as the founder of the Nobel Prize, which is awarded each year to people who have made notable contributions in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Dr. Alfred Nobel left most of his great fortune to establish the Nobel Prize when he died in 1896. Now, when people think of the name “Nobel”, they have positive thoughts about the man who has rewarded many people who worked hard to make the world a better place in which to live.
What do you want to be remembered for? Many of us have a season in our past which we are not proud of. Is that how you want people to remember you? Of course not! We don’t want to be remembered for our worst mistakes. We want to be known for our best accomplishments.
Each one of us will leave a legacy when we die. We may not be remembered by many. We may not be remembered for long. But we will be remembered. What do you want to be remembered for? It’s not too late to change your story. Let’s all strive to leave a legacy that would honor the Lord!
“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.”—Psalm 51:14.
Charles Spurgeon once pointed out that when a jeweler shows his best diamonds, he sets them on a black velvet backdrop. The contrast of the diamonds against the dark velvet makes them shine.
Jesus says, “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14-16.
Sometimes Christians may become discouraged because of the evil we see all around us. We might wonder about the usefulness of doing good. Will it even be noticed in a world filled with sin?
Yes! It will! Just like the brilliance of the diamond is brought out by the dark background, the good deeds of Christian people are only magnified when contrasted with the dark world in which we live. So, don’t be discouraged! Continue to let your let shine in all that you do!
“…Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life…”—Philippians 2:15-16.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”—Ephesians 3:20-21.
These verses encourage us to pray big prayers to a big God and expect him to do great things through us–things that will bring him glory. Let us remember that everything we desire should be bathed in prayer. All that we would like to see God accomplish starts with our prayers.
“Sow today what you want to see tomorrow. You can seed the clouds in many different ways, but none is more powerful than prayer.”—Mark Batterson.
Home run king Hank Aaron passed away yesterday at the age of 86. The Hall of Fame baseball player is still at or near the top of the all-time list in many offensive categories. He was also an excellent defensive player, winning multiple Golden Glove awards.
Aaron forged his stellar career in the face of extreme racism. As this black man approached the all-time record for home runs held by Babe Ruth, a white man, Aaron received a lot of hate mail that included many death threats. Aaron withstood the pressure and broke the record.
In addition to his baseball skills, Hank Aaron is known for being an excellent human being. He is universally adored by sports fans all over the world. He will be greatly missed.
One of the things I always appreciated about Hank Aaron was the way he always conducted himself with class and dignity. You never saw him flip his bat high in the air after hitting a home run. He didn’t beat his chest, scream and taunt the other team. Rather than call attention to himself with outlandish behavior, he simply trotted around the bases.
Such class and humility is sorely missed today, not only in baseball, but in society at large. Yes, Hank, you will be greatly missed!
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”—Matthew 5:5.
In her recent book, Didn’t See That Coming, Rachel Hollis tries to help her readers face traumatic events that were unforeseen and to begin to put their lives back together after their world has fallen apart. Among her many observations, Hollis states, “I am willing to be the villain in someone else’s story if it means I can be the hero of my own.”
Her comment has important implications for Christians, for at least a couple of reasons.
First, we must always remember that Jesus was a villain to many people. John 1:11 says, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” If anyone should have been expecting the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, it would have been the leaders of the Jews. But they did not accept him. King Herod plotted to kill the young child Jesus. Later, the Jewish leaders plotted to have Jesus arrested and killed. In order for them to be the heroes of their own stories, Jesus had to be made out to be the villain.
Secondly, those who follow Christ can expect the same kind of treatment from those who reject Jesus. 1 Peter 4:4 says, “They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.” In order for those people to be the heroes of their own stories, we Christians must necessarily become the villains in their eyes.
Let’s remember who the real hero is—Jesus Christ, the son of God and the savior of the world! And let’s remember that in order to follow him we must risk being deemed villains by the same kind of people who rejected our Lord.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:11-12.
Jewish leaders had accused the apostle Paul of wrongdoing, and he was taken into custody. Charges were brought up against him, and Paul had the opportunity to speak in his own defense in front of Governor Felix. Acts 24:25 says, “As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’”
What was it about this sermon that made Governor Felix afraid? What was so scary about this speech that caused Felix to put a stop to it and dismiss Paul? Why didn’t he want to hear the end of the sermon? Let’s examine the major points of Paul’s sermon and see if we can come up with some reasons.
First, Paul talked about righteousness. Knowing Paul to be consistent in his teaching, he no doubt brought up the fact that no one has any righteousness of their own. Every human being is a sinner who has fallen short of the glory of God. The only righteousness we can claim is that which God conveys upon us through our faith in Jesus.
Secondly, the apostle discussed self-control. This gets into the area of personal responsibility. Since God gives us the right to choose between good and evil, we have a decision to make concerning our righteousness, or our lack thereof. We have it within our control to choose to accept Jesus as our savior and to live our lives for him. Each individual has the power to make the lifestyle decisions that will determine whether or not we are righteous.
Finally, Paul addressed the judgment to come, no doubt referring to the final judgment of all mankind. Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
The latter verse proclaims the good news, the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. He died to pay for the sins of the world and was resurrected on the third day. He reigns in heaven and will return one day to bring salvation to everyone who is waiting for him in faith.
However, the former verse speaks of bad news! We all have an appointment with death. After that those who have turned down the righteousness that God offered them will face the judgment that they deserve. Those who refuse to accept Christ have nothing to expect but the wrath of God and no one to blame but themselves.
No wonder Felix was afraid! This is a scary proposition for all those who choose to turn down the grace that God offers us through his Son.
Don’t be like Felix! Don’t wait for a more convenient time to believe God and accept Jesus as your savior! Today is the day of salvation! For those who have already accepted Jesus, all fear is gone. We can live in bold confidence that we are forgiven and are accepted by God as his children and welcomed into his kingdom! Let’s not live another single day in fear!
Jesustrek 