Lessons from Jonah

Posted on June 21, 2024 by jesustrek

The Old Testament book of Jonah has many important truths to teach anyone who wants to live for God.

The book starts with the word of the Lord coming to Jonah, telling him to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and preach. Instead, Jonah went in the other direction, booking passage on a ship. But God wasn’t going to let Jonah get away that easily. The Lord caused a violent storm that threatened to break up the ship. Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the water to calm the sea. They did that, and Jonah prayed a sincere prayer as he sank in the depths of the sea. But God provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah. The fish eventually spit Jonah onto dry land and the word of the Lord again came to Jonah, telling him to preach to Nineveh. This time he obeyed, and the wicked city of Nineveh repented and turned to the Lord. Instead of being happy that the Lord had used him in such a great way, Jonah got angry and pouted. The Lord told Jonah that he was concerned about the people of Nineveh, and that Jonah should have the same concern.

Here are some of the lessons we can learn from Jonah. First, the Lord expects us to obey him. He is the Lord, and we are his creation. Therefore, he has the right to tell us what to do. God gives us commands, not suggestions, and he expects us to do what he says.

Second, we learn that God is full of grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It cannot be earned; it is a free gift. God gave a second chance to his wayward prophet and to the wicked city of Nineveh. Through Jesus, the Lord gives second chances to all who will believe in him and respond to his grace.

Third, we see the necessity of repentance. Jonah had to stop running away from God and turn to go in the opposite direction. Nineveh also had to do an about-face and start to live for God. Jesus says that unless we repent, we, too, will perish (Luke 13:1-5). Anyone who finds themselves running from God must, like the prodigal son, come to their senses and turn toward our heavenly Father.

Another lesson we learn from the life of Jonah is the importance of prayer. Like so many people today, Jonah waited until he was in dire straights before he prayed. How much better off we would be if we did not wait until it is a last resort to pray! When we do pray, God hears the prayers of his children and answers them without fail.

We also learn here of God’s mighty hand to save. God provided salvation to Jonah in the belly of the huge fish. He also relented from destroying Nineveh and saved them from being annihilated. God is able to save all those today who will turn to him in faith and give their lives to his Son Jesus.

A final lesson to learn from this book is that we need to see others through the eyes of the Lord. We should have concern for their salvation just as the Lord does. We can’t be content to experience our own salvation. We must strive for the salvation of others and rejoice when they turn to the Lord.

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Not Listed

Posted on June 12, 2024 by jesustrek

A just read an advertisement for a public auction that was scheduled to take place at 10:00 on a Sunday morning, a time when many people are either worshiping the Lord or on their way to a worship service.

The list of antiques and collectables available for purchase was impressive, including: dishes, stone pots, butter churns, wooden benches, trunks, lanterns, lamps, vintage toys and much more.

What was not listed as being present: Jesus.

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”—Psalm 122:1.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”—Johne 4:23.

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Living for Jesus

Posted on June 8, 2024 by jesustrek

Our purpose in life is to live for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible is filled with instructions on how to do that. Luke 17:1-10 contains some specific teachings on how to live for Jesus.

First, it has to do with holiness. We have been set apart to live for God. This means leaving behind a life that is filled with sin. In verses 1-3 Jesus stresses the importance of not causing anyone else to stumble into a life of sin. We must not lead anyone down the path of sin. If we do, it would be better for us to have a millstone thrown around our neck and be cast into the sea. This is indeed a dire warning not to be a bad influence on those around us. Therefore, Jesus says, “So watch yourselves…” (v.3). We must always strive to be a positive influence on others.

Jesus then talks about forgiveness. We must offer forgiveness to those who sin against us, even if they do the same thing seven times in one day! (vv.3-4). One of the hardest things to do in living for Jesus is to forgive those who do us wrong. It’s difficult because their words or actions really hurt us badly. It is hard to forgive, but then it was not easy for God to forgive us of our sins against him. He had to send his son Jesus to the cross to die for our sins to be forgiven. So, as we have been forgiven, we also must offer forgiveness to others. It is a crucial part of living for Jesus.

In response to his teaching on forgiveness, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” (v.5). The disciples realized that they were not able to offer the kind of forgiveness Jesus was talking about unless they had a different kind of faith. Jesus answered by saying that they only needed faith as small as a mustard seed to do great things. It seems that it is not so much the size of our faith that matters; our faith must be genuine. Real faith will enable us to forgive those who have sinned against us, and to accomplish much more in our effort to live for Jesus.

Jesus concludes this section of teaching by discussing the duties of a servant. A servant should not expect extra congratulations for simply performing their routine tasks. He or she should realize that they are only doing their duty (vv.7-10). Sometimes we get the impression that we should receive special recognition for reading the Bible and praying every day, gathering for worship every week, tithing, witnessing, being involved in the ministries of the local church and a host of other things that are simply the regular on-going duties of someone who is living for Jesus.

Let’s keep striving to do our best to live for Jesus. After all, he did his best for us when he died on the cross to pay for our sins!

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The Precious Word of God

Posted on May 31, 2024 by jesustrek

Young Samuel began his ministry in days when “the word of the Lord was rare” (1 Sam.3:1). The Lord spoke audibly to him one night, but he thought that the priest Eli was calling out to him. Eli realized that the Lord was speaking to Samuel, so he urged the young boy to go back and listen. The Lord told Samuel that he was about to do something in Israel that would make everyone’s ears tingle. It had to do with bringing judgment on Eli’s family because of the wickedness of his sons and his own failure to restrain them. Samuel was reluctant to relay this message to Eli, but the old priest insisted that Samuel tell him the truth, even if it was bad news.

Samuel continued to listen to God, and the Lord was with him in his ministry. Israel recognized that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord, and the Lord’s word came through Samuel to the entire nation. (1 Sam.3:1-4:1).

We live in a time and a place where the word of the Lord is not rare. We have an abundance of Bibles that are readily available. Many Americans have more than one copy of the Scripture. A lot of people have a Bible app on their phone, always giving them easy access to the word of God.

The word of the Lord is not rare in our society. The problem is that people rarely listen to the Lord. Most don’t read the Bible. Many of those who do aren’t really listening to what God is saying. They are attempting to confirm their own pre-existing notions of the truth and affirm their current decisions about how to live their lives. Others are confused by various other voices that are vying for their attention and therefore are unable to understand what the Lord is saying.

The Lord is still speaking today, loudly and clearly. We need to be like Samuel and listen to what the Lord has to say. We also need to be like Eli, who accepted the word of the Lord even though it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. We need to be like Israel was at this time, understanding who is truly speaking the word of God and realizing that the Lord has plans for his people.

If we ignore the word of the Lord, we will most assuredly suffer the consequences. However, if we listen to God and obey him, we will be blessed beyond all measure. The choice is yours. May we all respond as Samuel did— “…Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1Sam.3:10).

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The Christian Mission

Posted on May 18, 2024 by jesustrek

At the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives his followers their marching orders. He has already given his life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind and been resurrected from the dead. He claims that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Then he says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt.28:19-20).

We call this teaching of Jesus “the Great Commission”. Here he tells his followers to get other people, from all over the world, to follow him. To be a disciple of someone means that you learn from them and obey their teaching, patterning your life after that person. Our mission is to get as many people as possible to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says that the first step in making a disciple is to baptize that person. Some will have you believe that you become a disciple by “asking Jesus into your heart” or by saying a “sinner’s prayer”, but these notions are man-made ideas that have no basis in Scripture. Rom.6:3 says that we are “baptized into Christ”, not prayed into Christ. Baptism, not prayer, is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism, not prayer, saves us (1 Pet.3:21). Acts 22:16 says, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” If you want to call on the name of the Lord, you get baptized.

There are, of course, some prerequisites to baptism. We can’t just go around dunking people in the water without them knowing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

First, a person must have faith in Jesus before being baptized. Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). The candidate for baptism must truly believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:12) and that Jesus died to pay for their sins and was resurrected on the third day.

Second, a person must be willing to make a profession of their faith. Rom.10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

A third prerequisite for baptism is repentance. Jesus says twice in Luke 13:1-5, “…But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Acts 2:38 says, “…Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I once had a young man request that I baptize him. After learning that he was living with his girlfriend and had no intention of repenting of that sin, I refused to baptize him. He did not meet the Lord’s requirements for becoming a disciple.

Once a person expresses faith in Jesus and repents of their sins, then they may be baptized into Christ, the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The second step in making a disciple is to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commands us to do. While baptism is a one-time initiation into Christ, teaching obedience to Jesus’ commands is an on-going process. We are always teaching one another how to better go about obeying the commands of Jesus. And let us remember that obedience is not optional! Many churches rightly stress baptism but could do a better job of teaching obedience. We must not allow anyone to think that their baptism completes their obedience to Jesus. Baptism is a great place to start, but a poor place to finish!

Let’s renew our commitment to the Great Commission of Jesus and be about the business of making disciples!

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An Important Conversation

Posted on May 6, 2024 by jesustrek

John 4 records an occasion when Jesus had a conversation with a woman at a well. It turned out to be quite an important conversation, not only for that woman, but for everyone who wants to learn about eternal life, the mission of Jesus and the importance of spreading the good news about the salvation that is available through him.

It was noon when Jesus sat down at the well, and he was tired and thirsty. This points to the human nature of Jesus. Although he was fully God, he came to earth in the form of a human (John 1:1,14). Therefore, Jesus experienced the difficulties of life just like the rest of us.

When a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, Jesus asked her to give him a drink. This was highly unusual, since Jews and Samaritans did not associate with one another. After talking about water for a while, Jesus tried to shift the conversation to the spiritual, by suggesting that he could give her “living water”.

The woman could not seem to get beyond the physical to address the spiritual. Like most people, she was more focused on the basic needs at hand than on more important and more long-lasting spiritual matters.

When Jesus saw that the conversation had stalled, he told the woman to go get her husband. She replied that she did not have a husband. Jesus answered that she was right. In fact, she had had five husbands, and the man she lived with now was not her husband. Technically, she had told the truth.

It is difficult for people to be completely truthful with Jesus. Even though he knows all about them, they somehow think they can hold back information from him, facts about themselves that they would rather no one else knew. However, we can’t fool Jesus. When we encounter Jesus, we must confront the sin in our lives. There is no getting around that fact.

The woman now recognized that Jesus was a prophet, so she started talking about spiritual matters, pointing out the differences between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus went beyond her comment and asserted that the time had now come when true worshipers would worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. These are the kind of worshipers that God seeks.

At that point, the woman said that she knew that the Messiah was coming, and that he would explain everything. Then Jesus plainly declared that he was the Messiah.

This news impacted the woman in such a way that she left her water jar behind and rushed back to tell the people in her village about Jesus. Because of her witness, many people in the village came to hear him for themselves, and many of them became believers in Jesus, professing him to be the Savior of the world.

From this important conversation, we learn that Jesus seeks to bless everyone, regardless of their background, with eternal life. We also learn that, although physical needs do exist, spiritual needs are far more critical, and they must not be neglected. Finally, we learn that it is of the utmost importance to share with others the good news that Jesus really is the Savior of the world!

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Unless the Lord Builds It

Posted on April 26, 2024 by jesustrek

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.”—Psalm 127:1-2.

This psalm is attributed to Solomon, the king who was granted great wisdom from God, but did not always apply God’s wisdom to his life. Here Solomon rightly teaches that only what is done through the Lord will stand the test of time. Everything else is done in vain.

Solomon paints a picture of someone striving to make it on their own, without including God in their plans. Sadly, this describes far too many people today. Their answer to the problems of life is to double down on what they are already doing wrong. They roll up their sleeves and work even harder at what they have already made a mess of—a life without God.

Contrast that philosophy with the last part of v.2, “…for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Those who live for the Lord can lay their heads down on their pillow at night and rest easily, knowing that they have spent their day doing the will of God. Picture Jesus asleep in the boat while his disciples are frantic in the face of a storm that threatens to take their lives. Complete trust in God allows you to rest, even in the face of life’s fiercest storms.

This doesn’t mean that there is no need to labor if you trust in the Lord. No, the Bible is filled with exhortations to work to provide ourselves and our families with the necessities of life and to have something to give to the poor. Trusting God doesn’t mean a life of ease, but a life that is much easier than if you tried to do it on your own. If God doesn’t build it, it’s all in vain.

This is a principle that Jesus expounds on in his teachings. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with the parable of the two builders. The wise man built his house upon the rock, while the foolish man built his house on the sand. When a storm inevitably came, the wise man’s house stood firm, while the foolish man’s house was destroyed. What is the difference between a wise person and a foolish person? Jesus says that the wise person is one who “…hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…” (Matt.7:24). We must heed the words of Jesus and apply them to our lives. We must carefully read his words and obey them if we want to withstand the storms of life.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. This biblical principle can be applied to the building of a nation. It is common knowledge that nearly all the leaders of the American revolution were men of faith. Psalm 127 is thought to be especially important to George Washington.

This principle can be applied to building a strong family. Unless the Lord builds it, no family will ever be what it was meant to be. It is critical for households to study and apply the word of God to their lives.

It should be obvious, but perhaps it needs to be stated, this principle must be applied to the building of a church. It is entirely possible for a congregation to stray far from God’s will because they have strayed far from God’s word. The result, of course, would be disastrous.

I hope that you, your family and your church are building something that will last, not only through this life, but through all eternity.

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Thirsty for God

Posted on April 19, 2024 by jesustrek

Psalm 42:1-1 says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

What is the thirstiest you have ever been? For me, it was a late summer day when the temperature was quite hot. I had been walking up and down hills looking for ginseng, and had not taken much, if any, water with me. I was parched long before I ever got back to my car, where I was able to finally take a much-needed long drink of cold water. You can imagine how satisfying and refreshing that was!

The picture that the psalm writer paints for us is one of a deer that was extremely thirsty. Perhaps it had been running for a long time, trying to avoid a hunter or predator of some kind. Or maybe this thirst was the result of a drought and had been a long time coming.

Sometimes our spiritual thirst comes upon us suddenly. A family emergency, a crisis at work, an accident, an illness or some unexpected moral dilemma comes along and leaves us thirsty, panting for God.

At other times our spiritual thirst slowly develops over a period of time. A bad week turns into a bad season. Bible study seems dry, as if we can’t hear the words of God. Our worship might feel as if it were empty, and our prayers don’t seem to make it past the ceiling. These long spiritual dry spells can leave us thirsty, panting for God.

Continuing in chapter 42, we see how the psalmist deals with his thirst. First, he remembers the times he went to worship in the house of God “…with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.” (v.4). Thinking back on a time of worship that you experienced with others can help you remember what it was like to feel the close presence of God.

Then he gives himself a pep talk. V.5 says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Sometimes you need to look at the mirror and remind yourself of what you already know—you must keep on praising God and hoping in him, even in times of spiritual drought.

This is followed by another reminder, this time about the constant attention God gives to his people. “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.” (v.8). Jesus promises to be with us always, to the very end of the age (Matt.28:20). This promise holds true, even in times of spiritual drought.

The world promises to satisfy our thirst, but only God can give us the true spiritual refreshment that we need. Rev.22:17 says, “…Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

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The End Is Near

Posted on April 12, 2024 by jesustrek

At the risk of sounding like one of those cartoon prophets walking on the sidewalk wearing a long robe and holding a sign proclaiming that doomsday is right around the corner, let me say this—the end is near.

How do I know that the end is near? It’s not because of current wars, or the recent earthquake in New York City or the eclipse of a few days ago. These kinds of things have been happening for thousands of years, and Jesus says that “Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Matt.24:6).

I can confidently say that the end is near because the Bible says that it is. 1 Pet.4:7 says, “The end of all things is near…” It couldn’t get much plainer than that, now, can it? The question is, how should we spend our time, given the fact that time is short?

As you read the next few verses, Peter has some suggestions. First, we should be alert and of sober mind so that we may pray. We need to be aware of what is happening around us and keep our minds clear to pray effectively. To be sober-minded means that we must not become distracted.

April has been designated Distracted Driver Awareness month. Accidents are often caused by a moment’s distraction. Drivers may take their eyes off the road for a second to change the radio station or to look for that French fry that got away, never thinking that they might be involved in a costly accident that hurts themselves or someone else.

As we move forward in life, there are many ways that we could become distracted from living for Jesus. We must diligently train our minds to stay focused on the straight and narrow highway. Anything less might result in disaster and cause us to be unable to pray effectively. A distracted mind is unable to pray the way that it should, the way that it must when time is short.

Secondly, Peter says that we need to love one another deeply, and that the way we do this is to forgive one another and to offer hospitality to one another. The Lord teaches us to pray for forgiveness based on how we forgive others. That’s a scary thought! But think of all that the Lord has forgiven you, and now think about those small grudges that we are tempted to hold onto. And hospitality seems to be an old-fashioned concept that is rarely practiced anymore, but the Bible often exhorts us to be hospitable, especially to fellow Christians. To be more loving, we must forgive others when they sin against us and look for opportunities to be hospitable. Since the end is near, let us strive to love each other deeply.

Third, Peter says that we are to serve others faithfully. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that we serve God by serving people. The text says that we can serve with our words or with our deeds. Our words should be spoken as one who speaks the very words of God. Our deeds should be performed with the strength that God provides. So, whether we are speaking or working, let us do it all for the glory of God.

There you have it. The end is near. Therefore, since time is short, let us pray effectively, love deeply and serve powerfully. We only have a limited amount of time to do all we can for Jesus!

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