The Great Value of Books

Posted on January 28, 2019 by jesustrek

Commenting on 2 Timothy 4:13, where Paul asks Timothy to bring him a cloak, books, and the parchments, Charles Spurgeon wrote the following words:

“He is inspired, yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, yet he wants books! He has seen the Lord, yet he wants books! He has had a wider experience than most men, yet he wants books! He has been caught up into the third heaven, and has heard things which it is unlawful to utter, yet he wants books! He has written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books!”

Do you want books?

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”—Proverbs 4:7

 

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Help for the Weary

Posted on January 25, 2019 by jesustrek

Bruce Larson tells about the time he almost drowned in the Gulf of Mexico. He was swimming far from shore and a storm came up. The sky grew dark, the wind picked up, there was thunder and lightning and the waves were seven or eight feet high. He was struggling, trying to make it back to shore, when it seemed that the Lord told him to just relax and tread water. In the end he was rescued. However, if he had continued his frantic efforts to get back to the shore, he would have exhausted his strength and drowned.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that may threaten to wear us out and potentially destroy us. That’s when we need to stop our frantic efforts to save ourselves and simply trust in God.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”—Matthew 11:28

 

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Happily Ever After

Posted on January 24, 2019 by jesustrek

A lonely young woman noticed an interesting book while she was browsing in the library. The title page caught her eye:

HOW—

To Reach Men

To Hold Men

To Win Men

It Has Been Done

When she got home and examined the fine print at the bottom of the page, she read: A Manual of Useful Information on How to Build a Men’s Bible Class.

I hope she wasn’t too disappointed!

Marital happiness is difficult to find and perhaps even more difficult to maintain. It must never be taken for granted.

“Marriage should be honored by all…”—Hebrews 13:4.

 

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Coming Through in the Clutch

Posted on January 23, 2019 by jesustrek

Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera was just elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, the first player ever to be elected unanimously. Rivera had a 19-year career with the New York Yankees, 17 of those years as the closer. He was a 13-time All Star and 5-time World Series champion.

A sports reporter gave an amazing statistic about Rivera—more people have walked on the moon than have scored an earned run in the postseason off of Mariano Rivera!

In clutch situations, Mariano Rivera consistently succeeded.

In the Bible, we see many people coming through in the clutch. Noah built the ark. Abraham stepped out in faith. David confronted the giant. Esther intervened on behalf of her people. Ruth chose God’s people over her own pagan society. Mary accepted her assignment to give birth to the Savior.

Over and over, we read the stories of those who stepped up and met the challenge when faced with a crucial situation.

How will you do when it is your turn to come through in the clutch?

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”—Esther 4:14

 

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To Tell or Not to Tell?

Posted on January 22, 2019 by jesustrek

In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, Jesus heals a man with leprosy and says, “See that you don’t tell this to anyone…” (v.44). However, v.45 says, “Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

When Jesus heals us from sin, instead of telling us to be quiet about it, he instructs us to tell everybody. Acts 1:8 says in part, “…You will be my witnesses…” Yet some Christians don’t ever tell anybody what Jesus did for them! Imagine that!

 

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Handed Down

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jesustrek

A little girl had often heard her mother tell the story of the vase that occupied a prominent place on the mantle in their family’s living room. The vase was quite valuable, not just because of how much it cost, but also because it had been handed down in the family for several generations.

One day the little girl approached her mother and said, “You know our vase that has been handed down for generations? Well, this generation just dropped it!”

The gospel message is so important that we must take care to hand it down to the next generation.

“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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Fear Not!

Posted on January 18, 2019 by jesustrek

Isn’t it funny how our fears change over time? I heard about one fellow who remembered how he used to be afraid of the dark when he was a little boy. Now that he is an adult, he is no longer afraid of the dark, but he is terrified of the electric bill!

No matter what stage we are going through in life, it seems that there is always something that frightens us. To be certain, there are things which should concern us—health problems, family conflicts, financial struggles, cultural issues, etc. However, the Bible continually urges us not to be afraid. God doesn’t want his children living in a constant state of fear.

The opposite of fear is faith. Let us remember to turn our fears over to the Lord, prayerfully believing that he will see us through any circumstance in life that comes our way.

“…Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’”—Mark 5:36.

 

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Blindfolded

Posted on January 17, 2019 by jesustrek

The Netflix movie Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, is causing quite a stir these days. The characters in the movie must make a journey blindfolded in order to avoid danger. Copycats have come up with various “Bird Box” challenges in which the participants must perform certain tasks blindfolded. Some have run into walls. Others, unbelievably, have attempted to drive while blindfolded.

Clearer minds have put out the word that this behavior is inadvisable. Do we even need such warnings? Apparently so. That’s just sad.

The Bible warns against spiritual blindness. Those who live without Jesus are walking in the dark, and, sooner or later they are going to run into something that will hurt themselves or someone else.

How much better it is to remove the spiritual blindfold and walk in the light with Jesus!

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”—1 John 1:6-7

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Active Seniors

Posted on January 16, 2019 by jesustrek

Carol Channing

Broadway star Carol Channing died Tuesday at the age of 97. Channing was known for her memorable performances over the years in such productions as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Hello, Dolly!” She was still performing in her 80s, including her one-woman show, “The First 80 Years Are the Hardest”.

Channing’s career reminds us that many senior citizens have opportunities to continue to make a difference with their wonderful contributions.

In Joshua 14, Caleb talks about how the Lord had blessed him with the ability to live a long life of vitality and strength—“…So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” (vv.10-11)

Let this be an encouragement for us to continue to attempt great things for the Lord, even as we grow older.

 

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Valued Possession

Posted on January 15, 2019 by jesustrek

In Reed, North Carolina you will find the Reed gold mine. It was first excavated in 1799 when Conrad Reed discovered a strange rock on the Reed farm. In 1802, a jeweler in Fayetteville offered Reed $3.50 for the rock. It turned out that the rock was gold and was actually worth $3,600. Do you know what Reed did with that rock for three years? He used it as a doorstop at his house!

How often are we oblivious to the true value of things?

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”—Matthew 13:44

 

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