What Do You See?

Posted on September 19, 2017 by jesustrek

A teacher once gave a simple test to her students. They were each given a sheet of paper with nothing on it except a small black dot in the middle. The teacher asked the students to write a short essay about what they saw on the paper.

The students wrote about mistakes they had made, or things that aren’t right in life. They were quite imaginative about what might be represented by that small black dot.

After the teacher had some time to examine the essays, she pointed out that every single student had focused on the black dot. No one had written about the rest of the sheet of paper. Their eyes were all trained on what they thought should not be there.

In life, there is the temptation to dwell on the bad and ignore the good. The Bible urges us to look for the good and to count our blessings. Maybe this story will help us to do just that.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”—Philippians 4:8.

 

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House of Prayer

Posted on September 15, 2017 by jesustrek

I found a huge praying mantis on the door of our church building two different days recently. I don’t know anything about the territorial habits of these weird looking creatures, but it seems fitting that this one was hanging around a church building.

Many people associate a church building with the act of praying. This is appropriate. Remember what Jesus said when he cleared the temple—“…My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations…” (Mark 11:17).

Whether we are gathered together on Sunday morning or scattered about being the salt of the earth throughout the week, let us remember what even the praying mantis seems to know—God expects us to pray!

 

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Hypocrites in Church

Posted on September 14, 2017 by jesustrek

Occasionally you will hear someone say that they don’t attend church because of all the hypocrites there. They don’t want to hang around with people who put on a mask and pretend to be something that they aren’t. They would rather not spend time with those who claim to follow Jesus but live in such a way as to deny their professed beliefs.

Those who stay away from worship services because of the hypocrites are the victims of faulty logic. You don’t test the value of a diamond by looking at fake jewelry. You don’t assess the worth of paper money by examining counterfeit bills. Neither should you determine the worth of the church or the gospel message by looking at the life of a hypocrite.

Rather than look at how people have failed to live up to the truth, we should look at the truth itself. The truth is that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6) and that those who have been saved will meet together for worship or face the prospect of experiencing God’s eternal wrath (Hebrews 10:25-31).

Here is the bottom line: if you choose to avoid spending a little time with hypocrites on Sunday morning, you may be looking at spending an eternity with them! That doesn’t seem like a very smart choice!

 

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Losing Signal

Posted on September 13, 2017 by jesustrek

I like to listen to my small town’s local radio station while driving in my car. However, the station tends to fade out as I get farther away from it. Only when I turn around and drive back toward home can I get a good signal once again.

In order to stay in tune with God, we have to stay close to him. When we stray away from him, we begin to lose signal. We can’t hear his voice as clearly as we once did. Worldly messages begin to drown out the word of the Lord.

It is only when we turn back toward God that we can begin to hear his voice clearly once again. The closer we get to him, the better we can understand his message.

It is so important that we don’t lose signal!

“Come let us return to the Lord…”—Hosea 6:1.

 

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A Loving Choice

Posted on September 12, 2017 by jesustrek

Carrie and Nick DeKlyen with 3 of their children

Carrie DeKlyen chose to forgo chemotherapy to treat her brain cancer because she was pregnant with her sixth child, and the treatments most certainly would have ended her baby’s life. Carrie died Saturday, surrounded by family at University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. She chose her baby’s life over her own.

Doctors removed Carrie’s feeding and breathing tubes on Thursday, a day after she gave birth to her daughter, Life Lynn DeKlyen. Life Lynn was born prematurely, but Nick DeKlyen said his daughter is doing better than expected and that she is going to be fine.

The couple have five other kids who range in age from 2 to 18 years old. The father says that the family is strong in their Christian faith. Nick said, “My wife loves the Lord and she loves her children more than anything.”

She proved it, didn’t she?

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”—John 15:13.

 

 

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Keeping the Faith

Posted on September 9, 2017 by jesustrek

A little boy rode the church bus to the morning worship service. In Sunday school he made a card that read, “Have Faith in God!” As he was riding home the card slipped from his hand and flew out the window. “Stop the bus!” he cried out. “I’ve lost my ‘Faith in God’”!

The bus driver pulled over, and as someone retrieved the card, an observer made a comment about the innocence of youth. But a wiser person said, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned about holding on to our faith!”

“…When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”—Luke 18:8.

 

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Facing Criticism

Posted on September 8, 2017 by jesustrek

Practically everyone who ever tried to accomplish anything significant faced some type of criticism. We must not allow our critics to deter us from our mission to serve God and to make disciples.

Here is what President Theodore Roosevelt said about critics: “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

“…We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.”—1 Thessalonians 2:4.

 

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Sacrificial Giving

Posted on September 7, 2017 by jesustrek

Someone once pointed out that you can look at your breakfast of bacon and eggs to see a good example of the difference between commitment and sacrifice. The chicken was committed to providing for your breakfast. However, the pig was the one who made an actual sacrifice!

In our giving to the Lord, there is a difference between commitment and sacrifice. This is not to say that commitment is a bad thing. We need people who are committed to giving their tithes and offerings on a regular basis so that the gospel message can be spread and so that people who are underprivileged can be served in the name of Jesus.

However, there are times when sacrificial giving is needed. Sometimes we need to go beyond our normal offering in order to meet a sudden need that arises. It might be that we have to do without something in order to give on such a level. Some Christians have chosen to give up their family’s second car or to get rid of cable TV or forgo their family vacation in order to give to a worthy cause.

These are just a few examples of what it means to give sacrificially.

“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”—Luke 21:1-4.

 

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Beware the Little Things

Posted on September 6, 2017 by jesustrek

Drywood termites

I have read that termites destroy more homes than earthquakes. If this is true, then perhaps we should re-examine our priorities about what is to be feared.

Maybe we should pay more attention to the little things that threaten destruction in our lives. An affair can destroy a marriage, but so can simple neglect. The moral failure of a leader can bring great harm to a church, but so can a gossip that is never confronted. Drug abuse can tear a family apart, but so can the distractions that the world has to offer. Committing a serious crime can ruin your witness, but so can a careless word.

Beware the little things!

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”—Proverbs 27:12.

 

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Fishing

Posted on September 5, 2017 by jesustrek

I recently went kayaking on Lake Barkley in southwestern Kentucky. As I was paddling along, a huge fish jumped out of the water right in front of me. It jumped about 3 feet high, and came just a few feet from landing right in my lap! That would have been a nice—if unexpected—catch!

In Luke 5, Jesus provided such a miraculous catch of fish that it caused some experienced fishermen to be astonished and afraid. Verses 10-11 read—“…Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

If we are following Jesus, we will be fishing for other people, to get them to follow him also.

Sometimes the fishing will prove to be difficult.

Other times, they jump up right in front of you.

 

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