Proclaiming Jesus

Posted on July 26, 2018 by jesustrek

I remember hearing a minister talk about the time he was asked to preach the funeral of a famous baseball player. At first he was intimidated by the task, knowing that the funeral would be attended by many great baseball players. However, the preacher soon realized what a wonderful opportunity he had to proclaim the gospel message. He would not just be speaking to an audience that included famous baseball legends. He would be addressing a group of aging men who were facing eternity and needed to hear the hope of the gospel message.

Sometimes we may feel intimidated by the people to whom we have a chance to witness. We mustn’t allow this to hinder us from proclaiming the gospel message. No matter who our audience is, they are people who are facing eternity; people who desperately need Jesus!

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”—Colossians 1:28.

 

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Nurture and Protect

Posted on July 25, 2018 by jesustrek

One of the things my wife and I enjoy about living in the country is that we see various kinds of wildlife on a regular basis. Early this morning, I turned into our lane and saw a coyote in the field in front of our house. As soon as he became aware of my presence, he ran away. Then I noticed a deer that was in the same field. The deer, a full-grown doe, held her ground as the coyote retreated.

A couple of hours later, I noticed a deer loping across that same field. It looked like the deer I had seen earlier. She stopped near the tree line. After a few seconds, her fawn came out of the trees and began to nurse. Only then did I understand the full picture of what had happened. The doe was not only protecting her fawn from a dangerous predator, she was giving her offspring the nourishment it needed to survive.

This is the way we need to defend and nurture young Christians in the church. They need to be protected from predators—the devil himself and false teachers who would try to lead them away from the truth. We also need to feed these young believers—to give them the nourishment of Scripture that they need in order to grow in their faith and become strong enough to begin to protect other Christians who need their help.

Like the mother deer, let us always be feeding and protecting!

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock…”—Acts 20:28.

 

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My View

Posted on July 21, 2018 by jesustrek

Some of my conservative friends have suggested that The View should not be on television because of their radical left-wing opinions and the mean-spirited way that they make these opinions known. I respectfully disagree. I think that people have a right to express their opinions, even if they differ very much from my own views. Furthermore, I think that when mean and ignorant people are allowed to speak freely, they unwittingly point most people toward the truth.

As if to make my point, Whoopi Goldberg, one of the hosts of The View, recently had a spirited on-air debate with a conservative guest on the show, Judge Jeanine Pirro. Whoopi insisted to Pirro that she (Whoopi) did not have “Trump Derangement Syndrome”, a condition that causes people who hate President Trump to lose their ability to think and speak rationally. Whoopi got so worked up that she appeared to be… well…deranged!

So, let people talk. It only helps rational people discern the truth.

“The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”—Proverbs 14:6.

 

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Important Landing

Posted on July 20, 2018 by jesustrek

Today marks the 49th anniversary of the day mankind landed on the moon. Or landed on a Hollywood movie set, depending on whom you choose to believe!

The overwhelming majority of people don’t believe the idea that the moon landing was an elaborate hoax. They have looked at the body of evidence and believe that people really have achieved the incredible accomplishment of walking on the moon.

There was an even more important landing that happened about 2,000 years ago—when Jesus landed on the Earth. There are a few sceptics who doubt that Jesus ever existed. But the evidence fully supports that fact that Jesus indeed walked the Earth, that he was who he claimed to be, that he accomplished what he set out to do on this planet and that he rules from heaven until the day he returns to take his people home to their eternal dwelling place.

Let us never forget that important landing!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14.

 

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Levels of Love

Posted on July 18, 2018 by jesustrek

A 6-year-old girl was invited to have dinner at the home of a friend. The friend’s mother asked their young guest if she liked broccoli, and she replied very politely, “Oh, yes. I love it.”

But later, when the broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess said, “I thought you said you loved broccoli.” The little girl replied sweetly, “Oh, yes ma’am, I do. But not enough to eat it!”

Some people love God, but…you know.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”—Matthew 22:37.

 

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Taking My Bible

Posted on July 17, 2018 by jesustrek

A story is told about a young man who came into town all dressed up, carrying a suitcase in one hand and a Bible in the other. A friend asked where he was going. The fellow answered, “I’m going to Las Vegas. I hear they have a lot of booze, gambling, naughty shows and all kinds of fun things to do.”

“Well, why are you taking your Bible?” the friend asked.

“If it’s as fun as they say it is, I might stay through Sunday!”

It’s not hard to see through the hypocrisy of some people. They go to church on Sunday, but don’t act very Christ-like through the week!

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all…hypocrisy…”—1 Peter 2:1.

 

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Jesus on Finances

Posted on July 16, 2018 by jesustrek

Some people think that financial matters and spiritual matters are two separate things. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus talks a lot about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables are about how to handle money and other possessions. In the gospels, an amazing one out of 10 verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of finances.

The Bible contains about 500 verses on prayer, nearly that many about faith—but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.

So let’s not think that there is nothing spiritual about how we handle our finances. The attitude you have toward money matters a great deal, and one of the most spiritual things we ever do is to manage our finances with the kingdom of God in mind.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”—Matthew 6:21.

 

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It Takes Both of Us

Posted on July 14, 2018 by jesustrek

A lady was enjoying her time at a teachers’ convention when she suddenly exclaimed to a friend, “Oh, no! It’s trash day back home!”

“Don’t be concerned”, her friend replied. “Your husband is at home. He can surely take out the trash by himself.”

“No, it takes both of us”, the first lady insisted. “I can’t lift it and he can’t remember it!”

We do tend to be forgetful. That’s why Jesus gave us a special way to remember him—the Lord’s Supper.

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”—Luke 22:19.

 

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Grace and Truth

Posted on July 12, 2018 by jesustrek

Firing an employee is one of the toughest jobs a supervisor ever faces. An insurance sales manager was known for his tact and diplomacy. One of his young salesmen was performing so poorly that he had to be terminated. The manager called him in and said, “Son, I don’t know how we’re ever going to get along without you, but starting Monday we’re going to try.”

We all will occasionally find ourselves in a position where we have to say something that might not be well-received, but it must be said anyway. We should always strive to deliver these messages as gracefully as possible.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”—Colossians 4:6.

 

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Really Lazy

Posted on July 11, 2018 by jesustrek

An old farmer who was not known for his strong work ethic had an interesting approach to life. When lightning struck an old shed and it burned to the ground, he reasoned that this had saved him the trouble of tearing it down. Rain from the same storm washed the dust off his car, sparing him from that chore also. When someone asked him what he was going to do next, the farmer replied, “I am waiting for an earthquake to shake my potatoes out of the ground!”

I think most of us agree that we need to show a bit more initiative than that!

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”—Proverbs 10:4.

 

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