28

Jump Start # 3687

Jump Start # 3687

Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

Young men and old men—such is life. If one lives long enough he will experience both. And, the contrasts that this passage brings out, builds upon the experiences and maturity that comes with time. There are some things that only time, faith, and experience can teach a person. One can have the book smarts, but until he has walked down some paths in life, it is hard to understand.

This may be one reason that leaders in the church are referred to as “elders” and one of the qualities is that they were not to be a new convert, as the NAS words it. Maturity. Learning things. Having some miles on the heart. The wisdom literature states, “I have been young and now I am old…”

Here are some lessons from this:

First, we must appreciate the gray hair among us in our churches. These folks have worshipped for decades. They have seen troubles, trials and when things haven’t gone according to plans. They have prayed a thousand prayers and listened to hundreds and hundreds of sermons. They have worn out Bibles, cried with other saints and seen the disappointment when some chose to walk no more with the Lord.

Our culture is driven by youth. Most of the commercials, except the ones for medicine, have young people in them. And, it is easy in our congregations to dismiss the thoughts of the senior saints as being traditional and out of touch. Often those words are said when in reality the proper expression is Biblical. The passion and energy of the youth needs to understand the wisdom of the aged.

I know of a congregation that takes a Sunday night now and then and has a special Bible study in which all ages sit together in the auditorium. The purpose is to get the young hearts to hear the voice of the shepherds and the senior saints. Most times we are divided up in our classrooms by ages and a young person never gets to hear the comments of an older Christian. The shepherds complimenting a fifth grader and then adding his own thoughts to the discussion. What a rich and wonderful experience that could be.

Second, we must work hard to blend together the ages within a congregation. Often there is a tug of war that takes place. Faster, new songs verses the older, well known songs. This way verses that way. Senior saints must not be sticks in the mud and be opposed to things just because they are different. Methods change. Methods come and go. We must not be wed to one way of doing things. The Biblical model never changes, but the generational one often does and needs to. Young people can be discouraged because any suggestion they make is met with an immediate “No,” because it’s never been done that way before. Using that logic, we’d still be using party telephone lines, driving cars with no seat belts and using funeral fans to cool us down.

Teaching the difference between Biblical and Generational models helps smooths things out.

Third, many mistakes could be avoided if young and old communicated better. No one ought to feel threatened because of a generational difference. No one ought to be dismissed or discounted because of age. It was a young servant girl that brought healing to the Syrian Naaman. He could have thought that she was too young to know anything.

Older women are to teach younger women, Titus was told. How we diaper a baby may be different and how we cook food may be foreign to some, but the issues of life such as worry, fear and doubt still circle around us. It is faith that drives those things out. One generation may not fully understand the other generation, but together they can bring so much to the kingdom of God. Together, they can be a blessing to the community. Together, they can show the world what unity, love and grace looks like.

Gray hair—not such a bad thing.

Roger

25

Jump Start # 3686

Jump Start # 3686

1 Samuel 16:11 “And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are these all the children?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest and behold, he is tending the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’”

Our verse today is God’s introduction of David to us. We do not find him in a classroom, busy studying advanced classes. We do not find him on the battlefields, fighting for the glory of the Lord. Instead, David is out watching sheep. The youngest of a nothing family. He was not even brought in when the prophet wanted to see all the sons. No one would have thought that he’d be the one. Young and watching sheep, doesn’t seem like the credentials for someone who is going to run a nation. What did he know about kingdoms? Would he bankrupt the nation buying stuff for himself? What did he know about military insights and diplomacy with other nations? Why would God pick a kid to govern his people? Wasn’t there anyone else? Wasn’t there any one more qualified?

Some things gradually take place that puts David in the palace. His skill on the harp allowed him to sit before King Saul. That puts him in the palace where he sees the day to day operations of a kingdom. His humble heart allowed the Lord to guide him and lead him to wisdom that would make a difference. Many of he Psalms appear to have been written during these shepherd years of David. Pulling from the night skies, the mountains, the water, David seemed to have a great faith in the Lord.

And, that becomes a great lesson for us:

First, we may not give someone much attention because of their age. Too young, we think. God didn’t see that with David. We may think a person has too little experience. God didn’t with David. Watching sheep is not the same as running a kingdom. Yet, within that young heart, was the insight and wisdom to make the right decisions.

Second, David didn’t waste his time while out in the fields watching sheep. Fewer things could be more boring than watching lazy sheep eat grass all day. No cell phone. No video games. No tablet to watch movies. The hours must have crept like years. Yet, the choices of young David made all the difference. Learning to play that harp would one day put him in the palace. The courage to fight the lion gave him the confidence to fight the giant. He understood that his strength and his victory was not in himself but in the Lord.

Out in the fields watching sheep, David may have dreamed of one day, owning his own house and having his own flocks. But to think that he believed that he would be the king of Israel, is really a stretch. Yet, what he did during those shepherd years prepared his heart and life to serve the Lord.

And, that’s a thought for us. A dumb summer job. A starter job. The boring job of mowing the yard. The thankless job of cleaning your room. No one cares, we think. It doesn’t matter, we tell ourselves. Yet, the choices we make can shape our hearts for the person we will be in twenty years.

Third, there was no one in David’s family that thought he’d be chosen one day to be the king of Israel. Certainly his brothers didn’t think he would. His own father seems surprised that Samuel wants the youngest son to be brought in from watching the sheep. Why him? He’s nothing special.

Our own families can be our biggest discouragement. One must know what they are capable of and plow ahead, even when family tries to talk you out of such things. Our young men must not be discouraged from preaching. When the talk around the kitchen table is about how much money one can make, preaching is tossed to the floor. When the talk is about how much one can make as easily as possible, preaching isn’t brought up. When it is said, “You can do better than be a preacher,” a young man will look for that. God chose David. Not his family. Not his father.

God saw what no one else saw. Oh, to have such eyes. Oh, to give someone a chance. Oh, to have the heart to find something useful to do when the days are long and boring. Dreams—don’t throw water on them. Direct them. Remind them to stay close to the Lord.

David was chosen because God wanted him. A young person can be useful to the Lord. A young person can do what others will not do. David’s youthfulness was a problem for Saul when facing Goliath. It wasn’t for David. It wasn’t for God. He had the experience. More than that, he had the faith. He had what the older ones did not. And so it is today. The younger ones may have a greater faith in the Lord than we older ones. We do well to watch, learn and listen to the young David’s among us today.

There remains the youngest…but what a person he was. He was God’s chosen.

Roger

24

Jump Start # 3685

Jump Start # 3685

Jude 16 “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lust; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.”

Our verse today is not pretty. You won’t find this hanging on someone’s wall. A saying like this won’t sell well at Hobby Lobby. But it’s necessary and it’s given to us by God.

Jude is pleading with the faithful of God to steer clear of the wicked false teachers that seemed to be gaining a foothold among brethren in the late first century. Paralleled to 2 Peter 2, twisted thinking was denying Christ, opening the door to loose and immoral living and rebelling against the authority of the apostles. In essence, they had trouble with the Christ of the Bible and the Bible of Christ.

Our verse, one of several in the short book of Jude, identifies these trouble-makers are arrogant, complaining, taking advantage of others and fault finding. Such exists today. Not happy and not content with the way the N.T. patterns things, some complain. They find fault. They point fingers. They hold the door open for others to leave.

And, in this dark description we find “finding fault.” Today, we simply phrase this, ‘fault finders.’ Lets give that some thought.

First, people find what they are looking for. Jesus said, “seek and you will find.” The question is, what are we looking for? If one is looking for trouble, he’ll find it. If one is looking for sin, the devil will provide. If one is looking for good, he’ll see it.

While we are here on this planet, things will never be perfect. In our worship, songs will be pitched too high, sung too low, and drag. Sermons will state the wrong reference. They will be typos in bulletins and notecards. Prayers may sound repeated. Some will come in late. Some will leave early. If one is looking for things wrong, there are plenty of things to notice on a Sunday morning. Fault finders will find fault. However, if one is looking to God, he’ll find Him. Beautiful days. Smiling children. Hymns that touch the heart. Prayers that are passionate. Love that is shared.

Second, some by their very nature are experts at finding faults. I’ve known some brethren for decades, and if they ever complimented someone, praised something, or had a smile on their face, I think I’d pass out. Some are determined to leave this place miserable and complaining. And, that’s sad. It doesn’t have to be that way. Finding fault and finding goodness is a matter of the heart. One doesn’t have to be the way they are. They could change.

I’ve noticed also that fault finders tend to marry fellow fault finders. It’s rare to find a complainer and a complementer married to each other. I think they’d cancel each other out. One fault finder fuels another fault finder and when that’s the household, gloom and doom is what you will find.

Third, fault finders rarely start with themselves. It’s everyone else that is wrong. The church is wrong. The worship is wrong. The temperature in the building is wrong. People parked their cars wrong. The weather outside is wrong. Food at the restaurant is wrong. Nothing seems to be right, except them.

Reminds me of some grandchildren that rubbed some stinky cheese under the nose of grandpa while he was sleeping. When he woke up, he took a big sniff and declared that the room stinks. He went into the kitchen to see what was cooking. He said it stank. He went outside to get some fresh air and said that the whole world stinks. He never realized, until the giggling grandchildren confessed their actions that he was the one that smelled. And, so it often is with the fault finder. If we all began by looking in the mirror, we realize that we don’t have much to complain about the other person. We are far from perfect and we need a lot of work ourselves.

And, that’s about the only way a fault finder will stop pointing fingers at others. It’s when he holds up a mirror and humbles himself and realizes that he has done a lot of complaining but had done very little to help out or be part of the solution that he’ll begin the road to recovery. It is then that he will stop expecting others to fix things and he will step up and encourage, help and support those who are engaged in the walk with the Lord. Contend earnestly for the faith, likely the most known verse in Jude, does not give the liberty to be contentious. Contending is fighting for. Contentious is fighting against. Contending is staying with God’s way. Contentious is questioning God’s way.

Finding fault. I wonder what does a person do once they find fault? Most times, complaining follows. Nothing productive. Nothing helpful. Nothing that pulls a person closer to the Lord. Maybe that’s why we find arrogance, grumbling and taking advantage of others all linked together in this verse.

How about we find something today to thank the Lord for? How about we find something good today? How about we find someone to encourage today? Leave the faults to those who dwell in the gutter of life. Let us walk nobly and righteously with the Lord.

Roger

23

Jump Start # 3684

Jump Start # 3684

Genesis 25:8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.

Our passage takes us to the end of Abraham’s life. He was an old man. But more than that, he was satisfied with life. What a journey he had been on. Called to leave his home to a place unknown to him. Promised a child late in life. Ordered by God to sacrifice that child. He walked, he trusted and he knew the Lord. Abraham became the pillar of the faith of Israel.

I want to do a little twist to that expression, ‘satisfied with life.’ There is a greater satisfaction that is the bedrock of the heart of a disciple. It is being satisfied with God. That means being content with God. And, not just God, but God’s word and God’s way.

There seems to be a shift taking place among younger Christians. And, it’s coming from those who are second, third and fourth generation Christians. It’s coming from those who ought to know better. Unhappy with what the church cannot do, they seek to change things and when that is not accomplished, off they flee to a church that satisfies their liking. And, the trade off is enormous. They leave the doctrine of the N.T. because they want a church that does more in the community. They leave the standard of God for a church that offers more social programs. They leave what the N.T. teaches to embrace the call of our culture today and that is tolerating those who are indifferent to God. Out the window goes the distinctive nature of the N.T. church. And, running as fast as they can to find a church that loves and emphases grace, they have ignored and forgotten plain N.T. passages.

What’s behind this movement? Why are so many twenty to thirty year-olds off to community churches, that have no doctrinal foundation but they are full of programs that they are looking for? Some are simply not satisfied with God’s way. They are not content with that God wants. They think the church ought to do more, even though what they want is not found in the Bible. They want less teaching and more feeling. They want a church that looks like the churches around them. And, in communities after communities, young Christians are leaving. Their children will grow up not fully understanding the N.T. way.

Content with what God says. Naaman the leper wasn’t. He wanted a prophet to show up, not his servant. He wanted a show, waving arms, commanding voice, not dip in a dirty Judean river. He went away. He went away a leper. It wasn’t until his own people convinced him, that he followed the orders and went to the Jordan and was cleansed.

Felix wasn’t content with what God said. As Paul preached to him about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix kicked the can down the road. Another time. When I find the time, I’ll call for you. The message wasn’t what he wanted. He wasn’t satisfied with what was said.

The culture of the world can sure color how we see things. Accepting without judging. Accepting without changing. Changing God’s word so people will be happy. Steering clear of touchy subjects. “just as I am,” becomes the anthem. This is who I am, take it or leave it. And, what is missing in the jumbled up theology that is being presented on social media today is that the first mark of discipleship is to deny self. It’s not what I think. It’s not what I want. It’s not about me. My satisfaction is secondary to God’s satisfaction. If I strive to make myself happy, but in so doing, I by-pass what God says, then the Lord will not be happy.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, were the words of the Lord.  Here are some thoughts:

First, too many want the church to do what they could do on their own. The flavor of the month is to put the word “ministry” behind any other word and then it is run through the church, financed by the church and operated by the church. So one will hear of “singles ministry;” “Bike ministry;” “Cooking ministry;” “Puppet ministry;” “Senior ministry;” “Youth ministry;” “Camping ministry;” “Support ministry;” “Grief ministry;” “Dating ministry;” and, on and on and on it goes.

Want to do things with people your own age? Call them up. Invite them over to your house. Have a study, a singing or play games. But it doesn’t have to be a “ministry.” It doesn’t have to be filtered through the church.

Think more ought to be done in the community? Then do it. Volunteer at a shelter. Take items there. Serve food. Pick up trash along the streets. Adopt a rescue pet. Be a foster parent. Go to charity events. Do a 5K run or walk-a-thon for cancer. These things do not have to be run through the church. Could it be that some are wanting others to plan it, finance it, advertise it, and they simply show up? If you find a cause you believe in and is Biblical, be a part of it.

Second, leaving what the N.T. says because I want the church to do more than what God has specified is extremely self seeking and lacks the contentment with God. Once that door is opened, it will never close. You want the church to do more in the community, so you make a trade off and find a church that does what you like, but you have had to sell your soul and your beliefs to do that. Along comes someone else, and he wants God to be more forgiving. So, he’ll toss aside baptism and discipleship because those things are too narrow and people don’t like them. Another comes along and wants the church to be more of a democracy in how it is run. Another comes along and wants women to have more of a voice in matters. Another thinks anyone, member or not, ought to have more of a say in how the church is run.

And, now the door stands wide open. The wind blows so hard that no one can close it. If I can leave the N.T. pattern to find a church that extends more grace than what the Bible says, why can’t someone else find a church that does what they want? Satisfied. Not satisfied with what God says.

And, the flimsy ways to justify such things show a lack of Biblical understanding and depth. Jesus fed the 5,000 and so ought the church, many are crying today. Yet, all through the letters to the churches are passages about helping needy saints, not needy citizens. You want to help needy citizens, do so. That’s the good Samaritan story. Jesus wasn’t giving a pattern for the church to follow. He was demonstrating that He was God on earth. Jesus also turned over tables of those who were abusing God’s way. Ought a church do that as well?

Third, satisfaction with God’s way comes from understanding that our way and our thoughts haven’t worked well. It was our ways that got us into the mess that we are in. Our ways led to sin. The prophet tells us that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That right there ought to stop us. When we begin reading what we think, how I feel, what I like, into the Scriptures, then we have lowered the impact of the Bible. Let God speak for Himself.

Abraham was satisfied with life. I wish we could be satisfied with God’s way. You can’t improve upon God. This is something we can work on together.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 3683

Jump Start # 3683

Psalms 84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

I had a bad day. I’m out on the road preaching. The morning began with a text from someone saying that I had left my Bible at the church building the night before. That never happens. NEVER. I may forget my phone. I may misplace my wallet. But I always know where my Bible is. It only gets worse. Those that have heard me preach know that I like to use fill-in the blank sermon notecards. For the morning class, I brought the wrong notecards. I never do that. NEVER. After class, I went out to eat with someone and left my satchel in the backseat of his car. My Bibles were in that, along with pens, sermons. I couldn’t believe it. That never happens. NEVER.

I thought of my favorite kids book, Alexander, and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Throughout that Alexander story, poor Alexander wants to go to Australia to just to get away from all his problems. I thought about booking a flight there myself.

Why was I so forgetful, I kept asking myself. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I was doing too much and just wasn’t focusing like I should have. Maybe this. Maybe that.

Bad days. They happen. You are in a hurry one morning and you can’t find the car keys. Now everything stops. You spend the next twenty minutes looking everywhere and you still can’t find them. Oh, you have a lot to do today and the school calls and your child is sick. That changes all your plans. Or, a neighbor calls and needs your help.

Bad days. Car won’t start. Dog is not acting right and needs to go to the vet. Furnace isn’t working. The internet is out. Oh, the list can be long and it doesn’t take much to interrupt what we were going to do and create a messy or bad day.

Here are some thoughts:

First, a bad day can become a bad week if you let it. You can continue to beat yourself up for misplacing something, not taking care of something or just being forgetful. Keep your perspective. My Bible was safe in the church building and when I arrived there I knew right where it was. Some inconvenience, that’s all. There are so many who have lost souls and they don’t realize it. There are folks in Florida and North Carolina who still do not have running water or power. Some have lost family members. Some have to start over. All they had was lost. Keep your perspective.

Second, learn and do better. I guarantee you that the next day the right notecards were carried. My Bibles were with me. This wasn’t going to happen again. And, that’s what we do. We do better. Maybe someone was in the hospital and we never came to visit. Maybe there was a funeral and we didn’t go. It slipped by us. We were busy. And, now the feelings of guilt overwhelm us. It’s hard to look at those people because we feel like we let them down. If you need to apologize, do it. But more than that, learn and do better. Don’t make the same mistake again.

Third, stay on top of things by being organized and efficient. Put things in the same place every time. Get things laid out the night before. There are things that we cannot control, such as a child getting sick or things breaking down. Learn to adjust. Learn to use those moments to do other things.

Bad days tend to lead to prayer more than good days. We need guidance, help and support when days are not turning out well. We need the Lord. Bad days remind us that we are not in control. There are things such as the weather, other people, technology that are beyond the limits of our control. There are days when we are at the mercy of others and their schedules and we just have to be patient and wait. And, it’s that waiting that is so hard. I tend to think that if we pray for patience, God puts us in situations that calls upon us to be patient. It’s more than just waiting. Some wait, but they are fuming and mad. Some wait, but they are not patient. Some wait and all you hear are the sighs and “I’m bored.” Others wisely use the moment to send some encouraging words to others. They’ll catch up on some Bible reading. They will use the moment to pray.

In fact, bad days are only bad if you allow that to happen. The day may not end like you anticipated. Your plans may have changed many times throughout the day. What you were going to do is not what you got to do. But that doesn’t make it bad. Growing up I had a Gumby toy. You could twist him, bend him, stretch him. And, after all that, he still had a smile on his face. Maybe that little toy knew something. Our days may bend us, stretch us, turn us and twist us, but can we keep that smile on our face?

For me, the rest of the week turned out well. No lost Bibles. No wrong notecards. No forgotten shoulder bag.

Roger