Reliable

Posted on March 13, 2020 by jesustrek

Bernie Sanders

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been disappointed by the fact that many of those who expressed a liking for his ideas did not bother to show up and vote for him. Many people have been attracted to Bernie’s socialist agenda that offers lots of “free stuff” like college and health care. However, these people have not shown up in great numbers at the polls.

This turn of events should not be surprising. Those who do not want face their duty to pay their own way would not be likely to take seriously their responsibility to vote. If you recruit irresponsible supporters, you have to live with the results.

In the church, we need to recruit reliable people to do the work of the Lord.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”—2 Timothy 2:2.

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Worthy

Posted on March 9, 2020 by jesustrek

Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr. is the Iron Man of baseball. On September 6, 1995, he broke the major league record held by Lou Gehrig of 2,130 consecutive games played. Of course there were times when the streak was in danger. In June of 1993, Ripken twisted his knee, and when he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t put any weight on it. He told his wife, Kelly, that he might not be able to play that night. She suggested that he could just play one inning and then come out. He replied, “No! Either I play the whole game or I don’t play at all.”

He did play the full nine innings that night. Cal Ripken Jr. had committed himself to walk in a way that was worthy of the title Iron Man.

“…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”—Ephesians 4:1.

 

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Ask Me Again

Posted on March 5, 2020 by jesustrek

Someone looking for legal advice called a lawyer and asked, “How much do you charge for your services?”

The lawyer answered, “I charge one thousand dollars to answer three questions.”

“Wow!” exclaimed the prospective client. “That’s a bit expensive, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” replied the lawyer. “Now what is your third question?”

“The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.”—Proverbs 28:25.

 

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Testing

Posted on February 27, 2020 by jesustrek

Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal is having a really good year for the Washington Wizards. The star guard is averaging 30.1 points and 6.0 assists per game. Beal recently scored over 50 points on consecutive nights, the first time any NBA player has done that since Kobe Bryant accomplished the feat in 2007. What was his reward for his achievement? The NBA tested Beal for performance enhancing drugs!

I have been preaching for over 25 years, and in all that time, no one who has heard me preach has suggested that I be tested for performance enhancing drugs. Perhaps it is because I have never preached two excellent sermons in a row!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…”—Col.3:23.

 

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Stealing Signs

Posted on February 24, 2020 by jesustrek

Last Saturday the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals met in West Palm Beach, Florida for a spring training game. It was the Astros’ first appearance on the field since their sign-stealing scandal that rocked the baseball world.

Several fans were quite outspoken in their disapproval of the Astros. They booed and heckled the players. They held up signs that expressed their disgust with what the Astros had done. At least they held up the signs for a little while. Security personnel soon came and took the signs away.

Ironic, isn’t it, that their signs were stolen!

“You shall not steal.”—Exodus 20:15.

 

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Humbled

Posted on February 22, 2020 by jesustrek

Christian Herter was running for reelection as governor of Massachusetts, and one day he arrived late at a political function that included a barbecue. He had not eaten that day, and he was famished. As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate and received one piece of chicken. The governor said to the serving lady, “Excuse me, do you mind if I get another piece of chicken? I’m very hungry.” The woman replied, “Sorry, I’m supposed to give one piece to each person.” He repeated, “But I’m starved,” and again she said, “Only one to a customer.” Herter was normally a modest man, but he decided this was the time to use the weight of his office. He stated, “Madam, do you know who I am? I am the governor of this state.” She answered, “Do you know who I am? I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”

Pride goes before a fall!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”—1 Peter 5:6.

 

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How Does It Work?

Posted on February 19, 2020 by jesustrek

A story is told about a young soldier who was fighting on the front line in Europe during World War II. He jumped into a foxhole to avoid the bullets that were whizzing over his head. Wishing the foxhole were deeper, he started exploring his hiding place and found a silver cross that someone had left behind. A moment later another U.S. soldier leaped into the foxhole beside him. The young soldier soon recognized that his new companion was an army chaplain. Holding out the cross, the soldier exclaimed, “Am I glad to see you! How do you work this thing?”

It’s a shame that it often takes a crisis to cause us to want to pray.

“Pray continually.”—1 Thess.5:17.

 

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Alignment

Posted on February 12, 2020 by jesustrek

My wife and I bought a new car a few months ago. Well, it was new to us—a 2017 model. We knew that the car had been wrecked, but we liked the way that it looked and drove, so we took a chance and bought it.

For the most part, the gamble has paid off. We have only had one problem with the car. It was terribly out of line. That was evidently one thing that was not repaired. The car was so much out of line that the front tires quickly began to wear. I also noticed that the car tended to hydroplane when driving in the rain, no doubt a result of the badly worn tires.

Once I realized the problem, I took it in for an alignment and had two new tires put on the front. The car has been fine ever since.

Sometimes we get out of alignment with God. Sin wrecks our lives and causes damage that may go undetected for a while, but eventually shows itself in one way or another. Being out of alignment with God wears on a person and eventually has a negative effect on one’s relationship with God and with other people. Being out of alignment with God also causes our lives to skid out of control.

The only fix for this problem is to get re-aligned with God. It’s called repentance. Repentance is turning from sin and following the path that God has laid out for you. It’s the only way to escape the damage of sin and the destruction that inevitably follows for those who do not turn their lives around.

Is your life aligned with God?

“…But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”—Luke 13:5.

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Descriptions

Posted on February 7, 2020 by jesustrek

Robert Roe recently compiled a list of offbeat descriptions of famous movies and characters. Here is a sampling of that list:

The Wizard of Oz—“American invades foreign land, kills local leadership and struggles to find an exit strategy.”

The Hunger Games—“Older sister ruins younger sister’s chance to be on television.”

Titanic—“Everybody tries the ice bucket challenge.”

Lord of the Rings Trilogy—“Group spends 9 hours returning jewelry.”

Batman—“Billionaire tries to improve his city by dressing like a bat and punching people.”

While these descriptions may be partially true, they all fall woefully short of being effective explanations of what is being described. Let us be careful that we don’t base our understanding of Jesus on a description that only has a sliver of truth. Let’s really dig into the Scripture and allow Jesus to reveal himself to us as he actually is.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6.

 

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Test of Character

Posted on February 5, 2020 by jesustrek

“Money is one of the acid tests of character and a surprising amount of space is given to it in Scripture…Whether a man is rich or poor, observe his reaction to his possessions and you have a revealing index to his character.”—Oswald Sanders.

Jesus taught quite a lot about financial matters. He warns against greed and misplaced priorities. In Matt.6:19-24, he cautions us not to store up treasures on earth at the risk of losing heavenly treasures. He says that we can’t serve both God and money; we must choose which one will be our master.

A very important verse about the relationship between finances and character is Matt.6:21—“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

How is your character looking?

 

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