A recent cold spell in southern Florida prompted the National Weather Service in Miami to issue a “falling iguana alert”. I did a double-take when I read that, because this is something that I had never heard of. Apparently a “falling iguana alert” is nothing new for south Florida. The weather service explained, “Iguanas are cold blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temps drop into the 40s. They may fall from trees, but they are not dead.” This is good information to have for your next trip to Miami in the winter!
Unlike iguanas, we Christians have the ability to control our temperature, spiritually, at least. We need to maintain a warm love for God and people, or, like the poor iguana, we might suffer a painful fall! We must heed the warning of Jesus in Matthew 24:12-13– “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
When it comes time to assess the viability of the flowers, bushes and trees that we have planted around our house, my wife is much more merciful than I am. Whenever I suggest that some puny-looking plant ought to be pulled up or cut down, Karen almost always says, “Let’s give it another chance. It might grow out of it.” No matter how dead a plant might look, she is usually right. They often turn green once again and produce the flowers or leaves that we expect from them.
This reminds me of a story Jesus tells in the gospels: “Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9).
Jesus tells us this story to make sure we understand that God expects us to be productive. Even God’s abundant patience has its limits. If we are going to be soaking up all of God’s blessings, then we need to be producing the fruit of a Christian life.
First, we need to be showing the evidence of a Christian life in our behavior. The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). If we aren’t showing these characteristics in our lives, how can we truly say that we are living for Jesus? Every Christian should strive to make sure that others can observe these qualities in our lives, and that we practice these actions more and more as we mature spiritually.
Secondly, we must understand that Jesus wants us to produce more Christians. Just as plants reproduce their own kind, so we followers of Jesus must work toward getting others to decide to follow Jesus as well. This is what we have been commissioned to do, to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8) and to baptize people and teach them to obey the Lord (Matthew 28:18-20). Who are you trying to bring to the Lord? In what ways are you working to influence people for Jesus?
All throughout Scripture, there are dire warnings to people who do not produce what the Lord desires in their lives. Anyone who is not living such a life needs to repent. Just before he tells the story about the fig tree that was given another chance, Jesus says, not once, but twice, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1-5). No one who is living an unproductive life has any reason to think that they will be saved.
For those who are not living fruitful lives for the Lord, the time to repent is now. God is giving you another chance. Who knows how many more chances you will get? Don’t delay! Today is the day of salvation for anyone who wants to turn their life around and really begin to live for Jesus a life that is producing the kind of fruit that the Lord desires!
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.
Jesustrek 