It’s Still True

Posted on May 11, 2017 by jesustrek

A Bible college professor and his wife were involved in a serious automobile accident. When he regained consciousness, the professor was on a stretcher, preparing to be loaded into an ambulance. He glanced a few yards away and saw a first responder pulling a sheet over his wife. He knew immediately that she had not survived the crash. For all he knew, he too, could die from his injuries. With an urgent sense of purpose, he spoke to the EMT beside him—“Make sure that my students hear this—Romans 8:28 is still true!”

Romans 8:28 says, “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.”

If you love God, there is no tragedy that can occur in which God cannot bring about something good. In a world full of tragedy, that’s good to know!

 

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I’m Ready

Posted on May 10, 2017 by jesustrek

It’s fun to watch youngsters play baseball and softball. Sometimes they don’t listen to their coaches very well, which leads to some frustration on the part of the coaching staff.

However, sometimes they do listen.

One little girl’s coach had obviously told her to be ready in the batter’s box. Ready she was, with her eyes steadily riveted on the pitcher and her hands tightly clenched around the bat handle. Crouching slightly in her stance, this young lady could have been the poster child for readiness. Even when the pitch got away from the catcher and rolled to the backstop, and the catcher’s return throw to the mound went beyond the pitcher and had to be retrieved by an infielder…this girl never lost her focus! Every split second, she was ready!

Jesus says we must be in a constant state of readiness for his return. He will come at a time when many are unprepared, like a “thief in the night”. We mustn’t be caught off guard!

“What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”—Mark 13:35.

 

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I Have My Reasons

Posted on May 9, 2017 by jesustrek

An elderly lady who had never been married was planning her funeral. One of her requests was that all of her pallbearers be female. The funeral home director thought this to be an odd request, so he asked her why she didn’t want any men to be her pallbearers. She replied, “They wouldn’t take me out when I was alive; I don’t want them to take me out when I’m dead!”

While most people do have a desire to get married, many do not. They prefer being single. According to the Bible, there is nothing wrong with this. Paul the apostle says that those who are single can devote more of their time and energy to the Lord’s work (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).

Too many times we Christians have been guilty of disregarding the Bible’s teaching on singleness. Well-intentioned people have made single people uncomfortable with their choice not to marry. Some have even pushed others toward marriage, when it might not be right for them. Let’s try to be more discerning about such matters.

 

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Good Financial News

Posted on May 8, 2017 by jesustrek

When it comes to finances, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news is that the average American has almost no money in the bank. The good news is that the average American is $20 trillion richer than the United States government!

The best news is that the Bible is filled with excellent teaching on how to handle our finances. Jesus talked extensively about the importance of handling our wealth properly. The Proverbs contain excellent advice on how to handle our money.

Most Christians could stand to learn how to better manage their finances. Most churches could stand to do more teaching on money matters. We need to stop neglecting such an important subject that affects so many people in so many ways.

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.”—Proverbs 28:19.

 

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Birth Pains

Posted on May 5, 2017 by jesustrek

April and her baby

It seems like April the giraffe was in the news all spring. She finally gave birth to her calf after, what, six weeks of labor? Maybe it wasn’t that long, but it sure seemed like it! I think that baby giraffe’s birthday is April 11-16!

This well-publicized birth reminds me of Romans 8:22—“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

The fall of mankind had a wide-ranging effect on all of creation. Sin not only made life more difficult for humans, the whole earth was subjected to frustration and decay. Storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters are just some of the ways that we see creation groaning. This won’t stop until Jesus returns and makes everything new. Paradise will then be restored.

Meanwhile, the birth pains continue.

 

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Coarse Language

Posted on May 3, 2017 by jesustrek

Stephen Colbert

Late night television host Stephen Colbert is taking some heat for his recent opening monologue, in which he used vulgar language to make disparaging remarks about President Donald Trump.

I don’t regularly watch Colbert, but I have enjoyed some of his comedy over the years. While he has shown a propensity for pushing the envelope when it comes to common decency, I have given him the benefit of the doubt, partly because Colbert has been a Sunday school teacher.

I don’t know if Colbert still teaches Sunday school, but if he does, I imagine there may be an interesting conversation in the near future between Colbert and his pastor!

While the public discourse has become coarser in recent years, we who claim to follow Jesus must not lower our standards for speech.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”—Ephesians 4:29.

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”—Ephesians 5:4.

 

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Classy Response

Posted on May 3, 2017 by jesustrek

Adam Jones

Outfielder Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles was on the receiving end of some mean-spirited racial taunting at the hands of some of the Boston Red Sox fans during a game at Fenway Park Monday night. After the game Jones spoke out against the treatment that he received. The next night, when Jones came to the plate for his first at bat, the Red Sox crowd gave him a standing ovation. Jones later expressed his appreciation for the classy gesture.

There will always be those who will say and do the wrong things. The proper response to evil is to do something good, even if it means cheering for a player on the opposing team!

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”—Romans 12:21.

 

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Trouble in Paradise

Posted on May 1, 2017 by jesustrek

Adam and Eve lived in paradise, and then they had to go and mess things up—not just for themselves, but for the whole human race. Not only did their sin get them kicked out of the Garden of Eden, it caused God to put a curse on the earth. Man’s work would become much more difficult, with thorns and thistles now coming up among the good plants. Everyone who has tried to farm or grow a garden has probably had some negative thoughts about Adam and Eve at one time or another!

This curse can be seen all over the earth. I heard about a man who travelled to Hawaii, and while he was there he played a round of golf. He hit a ball out of bounds, and when he went to look for it, he was surprised to find that it had gone into a thicket of thorns! Thorns! In Hawaii!

You can’t go anywhere without seeing the effect of sin. But God will reverse the curse someday, and Eden will be restored. Rev.22:3 says, “No longer will there be any curse…”

That gives us something to look forward to as we live in this fallen, troubled world.

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Posted on April 28, 2017 by jesustrek

There is a local legend about a fellow who, many years ago, was amazingly meticulous about keeping weeds out of his garden. As the story goes, he would hoe his garden early every morning and then offer boys in the neighborhood 50 cents—a nice bit of spending money back then—if they could find a single weed in his garden. That’s confidence!

Weeds have sometimes been used to illustrate the sin in our lives. We have been called to live holy lives. Therefore we need to do our best to get rid of any words or actions that are unholy. However, the only way we can be confident that no sin will be found to condemn us is if we trust the blood of Jesus to take it away.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:8-9.

 

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Seeds of Success

Posted on April 27, 2017 by jesustrek

Shortly after we moved into our new home a little over a year ago, I sowed grass seed, hoping that I would soon have a lawn that looked like a lush, well-manicured golf course. It didn’t happen. So I reseeded the yard early this spring. A few weeks later there was little evidence that anything positive was happening. In fact, I was so disappointed with the results of my seeding that, as recently as two weeks ago, I considered tilling up the ground and starting over.

However, I noticed some young grass seedlings starting to make an appearance. Perhaps with timely rains the lawn will begin to look more green than brown. It’s not the perfect yard I had pictured in my mind, but at least there is hope for improvement.

When we sow the seeds of God’s Word in people’s lives, we have high hopes for success. However, sometimes the results are slow in coming. Nonetheless, we mustn’t give up hoping for results. In God’s own timing, his words will not come back to him empty.

“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”—Ecclesiastes 11:6.

 

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