Beyond the Cross

Posted on April 19, 2019 by jesustrek

Every year thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the “stations of the cross” to stand at an outdoor crucifix. One tourist noticed a little trail that led beyond the cross. He fought through the rough thicket and, to his surprise, came upon another shrine, a shrine that symbolized the empty tomb. It was neglected. The brush had grown up around it. Almost everyone had gone as far as the cross, but they stopped there.

Far too many have gotten to the cross and have known the despair and the heartbreak. Far too few have moved beyond the cross to find the real message of Easter. That is the message of the empty tomb.

“He is not here; he has risen! …”—Luke 24:6

 

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Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Posted on April 17, 2019 by jesustrek

A woman who had been living a very high-pressured life moved with her family from the city to the country. The family had resolved to reduce the stresses and tensions that they had been under by embracing a more easy-going lifestyle.

A neighbor came over to visit the mother one day and noticed something that had been pinned on the family bulletin board. She asked about it and the mother said, “Oh, that’s a poem that represents what our moving here was all about. The poem starts out, ‘Lord, slow me down…’ But I haven’t had time to read the rest of it.”

I suppose we all struggle at times with being too busy. We should take seriously the need to slow down a bit.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”—Mark 1:35

 

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Now I Understand

Posted on April 16, 2019 by jesustrek

A business offered a new pension plan that called for a small employee contribution. The company would pay the rest. Everybody but Sam had signed up for the plan. Unfortunately, 100 percent employee participation was needed. Otherwise the plan would not be adopted.

Sam’s boss and his fellow workers pleaded with him, but to no avail. Sam said the plan would never pay off.

Finally the company president called Sam into his office. “Sam,” he said, “here’s a copy of the new pension plan and here’s a pen. I want you to sign the papers, and if you don’t you are fired immediately.

Sam took the pen and signed the papers.

“Now,” said the president, “would you mind telling me why you couldn’t have signed earlier?”

“Well, sir,” Sam replied, “nobody explained it to me quite so clearly before.”

Let’s make sure we explain the Word of God clearly.

“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.”—Nehemiah 8:8

 

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Communication after Many Years

Posted on April 15, 2019 by jesustrek

A golden anniversary party was thrown for an elderly couple. The husband was moved by the occasion and wanted to tell his wife just how he felt about her. She was very hard of hearing, however, and often misunderstood what he said. With many family members and friends gathered around, he toasted her: “My dear wife, after fifty years I’ve found you tried and true!”

Everyone smiled their approval, but his wife asked, “What did you say?”

He repeated louder, “AFTER FIFTY YEARS I’VE FOUND YOU TRIED AND TRUE!”

His wife shot back, “Well, let me tell you something—after fifty years I’m tired of you, too!”

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”—Ephesians 5:25

 

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Prone to Wander

Posted on April 12, 2019 by jesustrek

A preacher friend of mine tells a story about a boy who made a decision to follow Jesus at church camp. The young fellow was baptized into Christ in the afternoon. At the campfire worship service later that evening, the same young man came forward at decision time and announced that he needed to rededicate his life to Jesus!

My friend isn’t sure what happened in those few hours to make a rededication necessary, but like it says in the old hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, we are “prone to wander”.

Let’s try to do our best to stay on the straight and narrow way.

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”—1 Corinthians 11:1

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In All Things

Posted on April 11, 2019 by jesustrek

Nobody likes kidney stones, right? It would be far better if you never had them, don’t you agree?

A friend of mine might differ with you on that matter. He had some acute pain, so he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with kidney stones. His case was so severe that he had to have surgery. In the course of the surgery, it was discovered that my friend also had bladder cancer. Had he not had the kidney stones, the cancer would not have been discovered until much later, perhaps too late to save his life.

My friend was glad that he had kidney stones!

God often makes something good happen from a bad situation. We see it happen time after time. It just goes to show that Romans 8:28 is true—“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

 

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Offering Hope

Posted on April 8, 2019 by jesustrek

Years ago a submarine was accidently rammed by a ship off the coast of Massachusetts. It sank immediately, trapping its entire crew at the bottom of the ocean.

Every effort was made to rescue the crew, but all attempts ended in failure. Near the end of the ordeal, a deep-sea diver thought he heard tapping on the wall of the sunken sub. Placing his helmet against the hull, he realized that someone was tapping out a message in Morse code. The message? “Is…there…any…hope?”

Those without Jesus find themselves trapped under an ocean of sin. They are wondering if there is any hope for them. The message of Christians everywhere should be—“Yes! There is hope! The crucified and resurrected Jesus gives hope to all who trust in him! This hope is not just for this life, but for all of eternity!”

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”—Romans 5:1-2

 

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Complete Trust

Posted on April 5, 2019 by jesustrek

“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.”—Luke 23:46

These words that Jesus spoke from the cross fulfilled a prophecy from Psalm 31:5—“Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

To make such a statement at the time of one’s death is a beautiful expression of complete trust. Jesus was putting his life completely in the hands of his heavenly Father.

This is the kind of faith we all need to strive for. Such a complete faith defines the life of a believer, and it understands that death is merely a welcome reunion with our heavenly Father.

 

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No Brakes

Posted on April 4, 2019 by jesustrek

A lady once called her husband at home and said, “The brakes went out on the car. I need you to come and get me.”

“Okay”, he replied. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the drugstore.”

“Where is the car?”

“It’s here in the drugstore with me.”

It’s bad when your car goes out of control. It’s also a terrible thing when a person’s life goes out of control. Fortunately, we Christians have the ability to put on the brakes and prevent our lives from careening out of control. This ability comes through the Holy Spirit that God has given every believer.

While there are circumstances that are beyond our control, we are able to make certain choices that keep us moving along safely on life’s highway. Let’s make sure that we practice our God-given ability to live a life that is under God’s control.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control.”—Galatians 5:22-23

 

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Not Interested

Posted on April 3, 2019 by jesustrek

A minister in Florida lamented that he couldn’t get his congregation to take seriously his messages about eternity. “It’s so beautiful here in the winter that heaven doesn’t interest them,” he said, sighing. “And it’s so hot here in the summer that hell doesn’t scare them!”

That minister was no doubt exaggerating, but there are too many people who really don’t take eternity seriously. We need to do whatever we can to get people to think about the next life and where they want to spend it—with God or without him—in heaven or in hell.

“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.”—Hebrews 9:27-28

 

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