Finally!

Posted on December 19, 2019 by jesustrek

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey’s original holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, has reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—25 years after its release!

I don’t know how often hit songs attain such a level of success a quarter century after they were first released, but I can’t imagine it happens all that often. It adds some credence to that old saying—“Good things come to those who wait.”

“Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.”—Ecclesiastes 11:1

 

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Bury Him Where?

Posted on December 18, 2019 by jesustrek

Rick Majerus

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team plays against Utah in Las Vegas tonight. Looking forward to the game, someone dug up a quote from former Utah coach Rick Majerus, who passed away seven years ago. Majerus, who was 0-6 in his career against Kentucky, once said, “When I die they might as well bury me at the finish line at Churchill Downs so they can run over me one more time.”

Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we planned. It’s good to be able to keep our sense of humor as we accept a difficult outcome and move on.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”—1 Corinthians 15:58.

 

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Willing Sacrifice

Posted on December 13, 2019 by jesustrek

I heard a great quote about the participants in the annual Army/Navy football game. This statement was made by John Trainor, a police captain in New Jersey, and the father of Cadet running back John Trainor. He said, “It’s the only game that everyone who’s playing is willing to die for everyone who’s watching it.”

That’s an amazing thought!

Here’s another wonderful thought—“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”—Romans 5:6-8.

 

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Ousted

Posted on December 12, 2019 by jesustrek

Dan Spilo

For the first time ever, the CBS reality show “Survivor” has removed a player from the game. Dan Spilo was kicked off the show for repeated inappropriate touching. He was warned about such behavior, yet failed to heed the warning. Spilo has been removed from the game, meaning that he will not sit on the jury with the players who have been voted out by their peers.

The Bible teaches that those in the church who commit deviant offenses are to be warned against such behavior. If they fail to repent, they are to suffer serious consequences. We should take this teaching to heart if we are serious about maintaining holiness in the church.

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.”—Titus 3:10-11.

 

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Sign of Strength and Majesty

Posted on December 6, 2019 by jesustrek

I like this essay I found that was written by Earl Palmer, so I thought I would pass it along.

“The religious and political leaders who were in power at the time misread the events of Jesus’ birth. When a woman is to have a baby, she goes to the best hospital she and her husband can afford. They find the best doctors and highly trained specialists. They get the best that money can buy. And they do this not because they feel strong, but because they feel weak.

When God’s Son was born, He was born in a stable under very austere and unsanitary conditions. It happened this way not because God was poor, but because God was sure of himself.

The leaders misread the signs. The baby born in the stable is not a sign of a weak and ineffectual king. But it is a sign of a majesty who is secure and knows who He is. It’s a sign of love. The leaders of that time didn’t know anything about that. And so they missed it.”

I think Earl Palmer has some pretty good insight; insight that was lacking in those who missed the importance of the appearance of Jesus and the significance of the manner in which he arrived.

Let us be sure to take some time to reflect on what the Scripture says about the birth of Jesus. Let us meditate deeply on the meaning of his birth, his life and his death and resurrection. May we all have a deep appreciation for what Christmas really means!

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.—John 1:11-12.

 

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Caught Napping

Posted on December 5, 2019 by jesustrek

You know how you sometimes get sleepy after eating a big meal? That happened to me last week when my family got together for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a huge feast, then I sat down on the couch to watch the small children play. Before I knew it my eyes got heavy and would not stay open.

My 2-year-old great nephew noticed that I had dozed off and announced to everyone in the room—“Him asleep.”

There’s nothing wrong with taking a nap when you are tired, but we must be careful not to be spiritually sleep-walking through life. We have to stay alert at all times.

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”—Romans 13:11.

 

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Thankful Prayer

Posted on November 25, 2019 by jesustrek

One way we could be more thankful is to be more devoted to prayer. Practically everyone prays, but most people don’t pray much. Those who do pray usually spend more time asking God for more things than they do thanking him for the things he has already given them.

I just heard of a church that recently had their own version of a thanksgiving service. The worship time was exclusively devoted to giving thanks to God. No one was allowed to ask God for anything! What a novel idea!

Colossians 4:2 urges us—“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” For most of us, this means that we should spend more time in prayer than we currently do. It also means that we should be watching for ways to pray specifically in God’s will. And it certainly means that we should make thanksgiving a big part of our conversations with God.

Have a happy and prayerful Thanksgiving!

 

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Fretful or Thankful?

Posted on November 22, 2019 by jesustrek

God wants us to be thankful, not just at Thanksgiving, but all year round. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

One of the greatest impediments to thanksgiving is worry. People who are always fretting about one thing or another cannot give their best expression of gratitude to God. Chronic worriers need to show more faith in the Lord. Jesus has quite a lengthy section in the Sermon on the Mount about avoiding the sin of worry.

What is it that you are anxious about? Don’t let your anxiety take away the peace that God wants all his children to experience. By trusting God more, you can open up new avenues of expressing gratitude to the One who created you, who offers you salvation through the crucified and resurrected Jesus and who showers you with countless blessings every single day.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”—Colossians 3:15

 

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What Method Do You Use?

Posted on November 21, 2019 by jesustrek

D.L. Moody

One day a lady criticized D.L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The lady replied, “I don’t do it.” Moody retorted, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

What method do you use?

“’Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.’”—Mark 1:17

 

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Are You Sure?

Posted on November 15, 2019 by jesustrek

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference

At a recent press conference, President Trump asked a reporter, “Are you sure you are a reporter?”

I don’t know the context of the exchange, but I think that is a legitimate question to ask many who work in the media today. It seems that so many of them want to be the story instead of report the story. Too often we hear what the reporter wishes had happened instead of what actually happened. To ask if they really are reporters is a fair question.

We Christians are called to be witnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are not the story; Jesus is the story. We must not slant the story in any way that reflects our own personal bias. We should simply report the facts.

That brings us to a very important question: Are you sure you are a reporter of the gospel message?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”–Acts 1:8

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