Jump Start # 3072

Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

There are many things wrong in our world today. There are wars. There is a lot of crime. There is a culture that is spinning out of control and rapidly heading for a certain crash. Even among brethren there are many things that are not good. This pandemic has kept some home and they will not return to worship. Lukewarm, apathetic, and dead, seem to be the colors of far too many congregations. There are leaders who are more interested in the money in the bank than the souls in the pews. A great number of preachers have quit. Boy, there is enough stuff to just want to put a bucket on your head. And, for some, that is all they see. That is all that they will ever see. Doom, despair and agony have replaced the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

But, I don’t see it that way. It’s great being a Christian. This is a great time to be a Christian. This is the generation that needs to be rejoicing more. Here’s why I feel this way:

First, we have a God who loves us, forgives us and is there for us. That’s all we need. God hasn’t given up, so why should we? God has seen worse. These may be troublesome times, for us, but not for Him. No matter how dark those skies become, knowing that we have a God who lives above those clouds and who loves us is reason enough to get up and get doing what we should. Listening to some folks, you’d get the idea that we ought to find a cave to hide in with ole’ Elijah. You remember, God told Elijah to get out of that cave, and so should we.

Second, we have an amazing spiritual family that loves us, will support us and are there for us. Our fellowship is strong and powerful. We worship as friends. We fellowship like family. When one of us needs help, the prayers go skyward to Heaven. When one of us needs some food, the caravan of food arrives. When one of us needs an ear to bend, there are plenty that are willing and ready. Such goodness. Such activity. Such hope. Such faith. These are our Hebrews 11 for this day. Many have suffered. Many are hurting. Many have the stains of tears upon them. But, they have not looked away from the Lord, not even for a moment. People of faith, and their in our lives. These are our friends. They are helping us get to Heaven.

Third, we have so many tools to guide us and strengthen us today. It starts first and always with God’s word. It’s more than just the Bible, today we have multiple translations on our apps. Years ago, a person would have spent a lot of money getting all of those translations. I know. I did that. But today, wherever your phone goes, you have your Bible with you. So many wonderful blogs, podcasts, and on line sermons. A person can hear a sermon every day of the week. Videos from the Bible lands, puts you right there. The tools to know the Biblical languages are amazing. We have been blessed. We can share things with people all over the world. The gospel message echoes to the far reaches of this planet. Our sermons are heard everywhere. This little Jump Start is read in multiple countries everyday. We have every reason to be strong, powerful and knowledgeable in God’s word.

Fourth, we are on a destination, a journey, that will take us to Heaven. This isn’t as good as it gets. It will only get better and better as we get to the home of God. This world is not our home. We are not from here, nor do we fit in here. Our home is Heaven.

So, you can look at all the dark clouds around us, or you can see the sun peeking through. You can dwell upon the problems or be thankful for all the blessings. You can spend your time complaining or you can use opportunities to praise. This is not about seeing a cup half full or half empty. This is about faith. It’s more than optimism. It’s more than being cheerful. It’s realizing that God remains on the throne and everything will be ok. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Jesus said do not fear the one who can kill the body and then do no more. So, your life ends…it will sooner or later. You’ll be in the hands of Jesus, the place you always wanted to be.

All of this makes me want to sing, “I’m happy today, I’m happy today, In Jesus Christ, I’m happy today.”

How about you? Maybe it’d do you some good to sing that today.

Roger