25

Jump Start # 3707

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3707

Psalms 147:10 “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.”

Our world is full of fascinating, unusual and interesting things. There are so many things that grab our attention. There are many things that impresses us.

Every year there is a national hotdog eating contest. I never watch it. Stuffing hotdogs in your mouth as fast as you can isn’t something I want to see. But it is impressive to me how many hotdogs they can down. I have been in the home of a former major league baseball player. He had framed all the years of his baseball cards. I have a few of them. But to have your own face on a major league card, that’s impressive. I have sat in some very expensive sports cars, just sat, didn’t drive. Impressive. I’ve walked through some amazing palaces in Europe, impressive. I’ve seen the diamond studded crowns that kings and queens once wore. They are guarded behind glass cases today, but still, after all these years, impressive.

There are so many things that impresses us. Maybe for an anniversary dinner you go to a very expensive restaurant. You couldn’t afford to eat there every night, but on a special occasion you do. Very impressive. Maybe you met someone who got straight A’s all through high school and college. Hard to do. Very impressive. There have been a few preachers through the years who could stand before an audience and quote entire lengthy chapters of the Bible. Impressive.

Our verse today is the opposite of impressive. The strength of a horse, the legs of a man—those could impress us. The speed of a thoroughbred or an athlete who can run the hurdles at blazing speed, catches our attention, but not God’s. God does not delight in the strength of a horse. God does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. Those things do not mean much to the Lord.

The following verse states that the Lord favors those who fear Him and those who wait for His lovingkindness. God is impressed not by the size of your house, but the size of your heart. He cares little about your trust fund, but is interested in how much you trust Him.

Some thoughts:

First, what grabs our interests and attention is often superficial, vain and shallow. We care about how many hotdogs someone can eat, but give little thought to what eats us each day with worry and fear. We get impressed with the shiny, fast, and expensive and can forget it’s the simple things such as kindness and generosity that catches Heaven’s attention.

Second, what often impresses us is something that so few can do. Not many people get a professional baseball card with their likeness on it. Not everyone can afford an expensive sportscar. Few ever live in a palace. Fewer still every have a jeweled crown placed on their heads. But each of us can walk with our Savior. Each of us can have a heart that is changed by the Gospel. Each of us can live righteously. That’s what the Lord is interested in. That’s what is enduring.

The things that impresses Heaven are within are grasp. Each of us can do these things. It’s not for a select few.

Third, we are fascinated with externals, and God is looking at the internals. Character and heart is what impresses God. Jesus marveled, not at the buildings He saw. Not at the expensive chariots that some rode in. Jesus marveled at faith. Faith that was often demonstrated by Gentiles better than His own disciples. Faith that understood that Jesus could do the impossible.

Even spiritually, we get impressed by the size of the crowds or the beauty of a church building. Not Jesus. He notices hearts singing with trust and love, even in small settings. Jesus notices passionate prayers that are uttered in small, run down church buildings. It’s not the settings, the surroundings, the crowd that Jesus notices. It’s faith. Two small copper coins placed in the temple treasury was praised by Jesus. The coins didn’t amount to anything and wouldn’t buy much. But the heart that dropped those two coins in was pure gold. Jesus noticed.

And, maybe, just maybe, when we think about these things, our alignment gets straightened out. The glitter of the world passes away but the glory of the Lord will endure forever.

Thank you, Lord.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 3706

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3706

Ephesians 1:16 “Do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers”.

He sat across from me at the airport while awaiting my next flight. He was young, late teens or early 20s. He had long stringy hair that was purple. He had satanic earrings in his ears. His black t-shirt had the word “Death” on it. He had knee patches on his jeans that had other colorful words on them. He didn’t sit down, he flopped. His body language was anger and don’t mess with me. For a brief moment, we made eye contact. I smiled and asked him how he was doing. He replied with a grunt. His face was glued to his phone and he never looked up, nor looked at me again.

I thought about that kid today. It’s been several months since this encounter. I said a prayer for him this morning. I wondered if anyone has ever said a prayer for him, EVER?

In our verse today, Paul was praying for the Ephesian brethren. He was thankful for them. Have you ever given thought about praying for strangers? Why pray for someone you don’t know?

Here are some thoughts:

First, everyone needs the Lord. It’s hard to know someone’s story in a few brief moments. However, there are things that we know. Everyone struggles with choices. What should I do? Everyone has battles to fight, demons to overcome and mountains they must climb. All of us do. There is not a person you meet today, that does not need prayer.

If we are not careful, we build imaginary monasteries around our fellowship. The truth belongs to us, we think. Prayers ought to be for just our people, we think. And, those distorted ideas easily lead to pride and self righteousness. Paul’s words to Timothy were to pray for all who are in authority. Few Christians were in governmental roles in those early days. So, when we pray for ourselves, our families and just us, we soon can believe that God is just for us. Like the child who doesn’t want to share, God is mine and you can’t have Him.

The people in the grocery store need prayers. Those in hospital beds, as well as the medical staff taking care of them, need prayers. Your child’s teacher needs prayer. Your neighbor needs prayer. The guy who brings packages to your door, needs prayer. The person who brings your food to the table when you eat out, needs prayer. Soon, your eyes open and you’ll see that everyone needs prayer.

Second, how can I prayer for a stranger when I don’t know anything about him? Where do I begin? What do I say to the Lord? First, you ask the Lord to open that person’s heart. May they see the Lord in kindness. You pray that they may have a good day. You pray that they will be drawn to God’s word. As you see things, you pray. You pray that someone’s anger lessens and that they find peace in their hearts. As you see a worried person, you pray that answers become available and that they would learn that many things that bother us shouldn’t. You see someone tired, you pray that they find some rest.

Third, we likely will never know the outcome of those prayers. I doubt I will ever run into my purple haired, knee patched kid again. Will he have a long life or a short one? Will he make wise choices or fail in life? Will he marry, have a family and one day honor the Lord? I said a prayer for him at the airport and now, months later, I said another prayer for him this morning. God can do great things. We know this because He has already. Lydia’s heart was opened by the Lord. A scared jailer, listened to the words of God by one of his prisoners.

So often people will say, “I don’t know what to do for that person.” You can pray. You can pray for that cancer patient. You can pray for that new widow. You can pray for that tired parent. You can pray for that confused teen. You can pray for those that win elections and those that lost elections.

A person of prayer. Once this gets in your DNA, everywhere you look, you see someone and a quick prayer is fired from your heart to Heaven. What a beautiful world this would be if more would say, “I’m going to mention you in my prayer.” Pray more and argue less. Pray more and complain less. Pray more and worry less.

I’m praying for you…

Roger

21

Jump Start # 3705

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3705

Romans 16:1-2 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”

As Paul concludes the Roman letter, he lists several names of those who had been useful in the kingdom. If I counted right, 27 specific names are listed. The majority are only found here in Romans and nowhere else in the Bible. The details of what they did are known but to Heaven. But, they played a major role in helping Paul be Paul.

Our verse today, begins that list with Phoebe. Phoebe, the servant of the church. Now, don’t get all excited and run pass Jerusalem with this. Some hoist the banner that she was a deacon in the church and we ought to have female deacons and maybe even elders. She was a servant. Not all servants would fit the description listed in 1 Timothy 3. Paul was a servant, but he wouldn’t fit those qualifiers. Jesus was a servant, but He wouldn’t fit those qualifiers. One can be a servant without having a title. Phoebe was a servant.

It is the end of these verses that really grabbed my attention, “a helper of many.” I’ve been on the road a ton this fall. My schedule has been every other week. Arkansas, then home for a week. Alabama, then home for a week. Texas, and home for a week. Back to Texas, and home. A lot of hotels. A lot of traveling. But, a lot of special brethren who have helped.

One of the beautiful things about traveling and preaching in various places is the joy and benefit of meeting so many incredible brethren. The people of God are the kindest, sweetest and most generous hearts on the face of the planet. In teaching about Job in many of these places, God said about Job, “there was no one like him on the earth.” We’d today say that Job was one of a kind. There was no one like Job. I can’t say that about our times. All over this wonderful world, I have met so many strong, faithful, godly men and women who love our Lord with all of their hearts. Some are young, and when I visit their homes, the children are jumping up and down in excitement and you see the weariness in the parents eyes. Some have been disciples for decades. What a history they share. The connections are strong. As our beloved Bowman often reminded us, “It’s not a small world, it’s a big family” that we are a part of.

Here are some thoughts:

First, we are not told what Phoebe did, but Paul remembered. Others may not know how you serve, but the lives that you touch will be encouraged and helped. I can’t say that Phoebe helped John or Thomas or any of the other apostles. I doubt she helped everyone in the kingdom. But there was Paul and she could do something for him and she did. Don’t try to rescue the whole kingdom. It’s too big and you can’t. But, like the days of Nehemiah, you repair the walls in front of your house. You do what you can in your part of the kingdom.

The reformer Martin Luther said, if everyone swept the porch in front of their own homes, the world would be cleaner. Make things good in your congregation. Be the bright spot that lifts weary hearts. Be the supporter of the shepherds and those that preach. Be a helper.

Second, one learns so much by meeting other brethren. I’ve been given pictures drawn by children. Their image of me is rather scary, but I love the tender hearts that took the time to draw those pictures. I’ve been given the history of congregations, talked about long ago preachers, ate some of the finest foods and have enjoyed the wonderful conversations. People love the Lord. It’s easy to see the troubles in the kingdom and concentrate upon the things that need to be fixed, but what beautiful hearts everywhere. In small country congregations and in large city churches. It’s not the locations. It’s not the size. It’s the love these  folks have for the Lord.

I’ve learned about books that I never heard about before. I have been taught things from the Scriptures that I did not know. I come home with ideas from congregations that are doing so well. We are not dying out. We are not being defeated. The kingdom is growing. The kingdom is strong.

Third, and through all of this, there is one central thread that ties  all of this together, and that is Jesus. Had it not been for Jesus, I would have never met so many wonderful people. The best people on the face of the earth. Had it not been for Jesus, I would not have been helped in so many wonderful ways. Jesus is what ties us all together. Jesus is what we have in common. A Yankee can feel so welcome and accepted by people in the South, because of Jesus. A republican can eat a meal with a democrat and not be disgusted with each other because we both love Jesus and we love each other.

Are you a helper in the kingdom? Do you step up and make a visiting preacher feel accepted?  Would you have helped Paul? Phoebe, a servant of the church, a helper of many. If that could be said of us, we are doing something right.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 3704

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3704

Ecclesiasts 8:10 “So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.”

 

There is a truism and a reality connected to our verse today that we hate to acknowledge. We live in a moment of time. And, it is just a moment. We would like for it to last on and on, but it doesn’t. We live, work, connect, leave an impression and once that moment is passed, we are quickly forgotten. Students of history who love to dive deeply into the lives of those before us can pull out names and events that most of us never heard of.

 

  On the road recently, in a hotel, I caught a TV show about lost buried treasure. The episode took place in a Southern Indiana town about an hour from where I live. Back in the mid 1800s, a group of brothers robbed a series of trains. This is thought to have been the first train robberies in America. Caught and in jail, a group of vigilantes broke them out and hanged them. The loot from the train robberies was never found. It is thought to be buried, but no one knows for sure. I had never head this story before. It caught my attention because I knew the places where this happened. “They are soon forgotten,” is so true.

 

  You might be able to pull out the name of your great grandfather, but most couldn’t tell much about that person. What kind of music did he enjoy? What was his hobbies? What was his favorite food? We may know a name, a few dates, and even a burial place, but that’s about it.

 

  If time allows, the homes we live in now, will be occupied by someone else. The cars that we drive will be scrap metal. The treasures that we treasure will likely be trashed. We are here in a moment of time.

 

  Now, from this we ought  to see:

 

  First, a moment in time can seem depressing. That’s all, just a moment. Most of all I do will be forgotten? But, that’s what everyone has, a moment in time. It is God who is eternal. It is God who endures through the ages.

 

  Rather than being depressed, we  ought to sense the urgency of not wasting time and doing the most that we can. The reason being, we only have a moment in time. In a moment of time, a person can change their lives around for good. In a moment of time, the desire to follow Christ can change the legacy of a family.

 

  Second, although we are here for just a moment, and most of all that we do will be forgotten one day, Heaven will remember. The cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple will be remembered. I  was hungry and you fed Me, would not be forgotten. Grace extended would not be forgotten. The seeds of truth that was sown through classes  and sermons will sprout and although the sermons will be forgotten the roots that run deep in faith from those sermons will be enduring. It’s not the sermons and the classes that we want to be remembered, but, a faith that is deep in the Lord. The sermons and classes happen to be the bridges that allows faith to grow.

 

  Third, in a moment of time, the good that you can do is good. It  is not a waste of time because it is not remembered by others. How many cards you have sent through the years? How many meals have you served to others? How many classes have you taught? How many sermons have you preached? How many words of encouragement have you passed on to others? A waste of time? Absolutely not. Those things made a difference. They keep a soul going. They lifted a weary heart. They pointed the way to Jesus.

 

  Lasting memorials go to just a few. Eternal memorials go to those who in a moment of time, have used their opportunities wisely for the Lord. 

 

  Soon forgotten…that’s the vanity of life. Remembered by Heaven…that’s the grace of God.

 

  Roger

 

19

Jump Start # 3703

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3703

2 Samuel 24:16 “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough! Now relax your hand.’”

Our passage today brings an interesting story and a fascinating expression to us. I like the words, “relax your hand.” I’ve had lab techs and nurses tell me to relax my arm before they put a needle in me. Here, the words are directed to an angel.

King David decided that he wanted to take a census of the people. We are not told why. Pride? Future plans? His own commander tried to talk him out of it, but David wouldn’t listen. And, God wasn’t happy. God gave David a choice: War, famine, or disease. Seven years…three months…three days. Which will it be. David, couldn’t or wouldn’t decide. It was his sin, but now others were going to suffer because of him. Some would die because of his foolish decision to number the  people. Since he wouldn’t decide, God made the decision for him. An angel bringing pestilence inflicted the nation. Seventy thousand died—does that number register with you? The angel wasn’t done. He turned his attention to Jerusalem. The capital, the city of David, was going to be destroyed. It is here that our verse is found. God said, enough. Relax your hand. The angel obeyed and the city was spared.

What great lessons are found here for us:

First, there is a time to relax our hand when it comes to punishment. Parents need to understand this. Shepherds in the kingdom need to understand this.  Biblical punishment is intended to turn our feet and hearts back to God. It is not intended to destroy, crush and ruin someone forever. Relax your hand and show compassion. Relax your hand and extend grace. Relax your hand and come running with open arms as the prodigal’s father did.

Our anger can cause us to cross the line. For some, punishment quickly becomes abuse. For others, punishment becomes estrangement and alienation. For some, punishment falls from a bitter and revengeful heart. And, out of that, more harm and damage is created.

There are times to relax the hand.

Second, there is a time to relax the hand and open your ears. Listen. Understand. Allow a person to explain. Some will lie. Some will hide behind excuses. Some will be humble, honest and sorrowful. Each has to be dealt with in what you know. Getting caught up in emotion can allow a person to only hear one side of the story. Off we go, ready to battle, when we need to sit down and first have a conversation.

Third, there is a lesson of relaxing our hand and resting. The weary worker becomes tired. This is especially true of us preachers. Sunday ends, and immediately there begins the thought, “What will I preach on next Sunday.” Another article to write. Another blog. Another podcast. Another class. Ideas. Ideas. Ideas. Sometimes the well runs dry. Leaders who are on the ball recognize this. They realize letting the preacher have some breaks only helps the church. A tired, worn out preacher is just a block away from becoming a burned out preacher. So many of us when we leave our jobs on Friday, we don’t pick it up again until Monday. Doesn’t work that way for the preacher. More than just a vacation now and then, give your preacher a rest from teaching all the time. Allow others to fill in, even when he is there. And, send him away with a few books to read. He’ll come back relaxed, sharp, and ready to hop on the horse and ride it.

Relax your hand. Holding something tight for a long time, can hurt the hand. The same is true of our hearts. The same is true of our work ethics.

We also see in this that God is a just God. Don’t play with breaking God’s commands. Don’t be so shallow to think that because God loves you, He’ll never get upset with you. That may work with your grandma, but grandma isn’t the Lord. David found out.

I wonder, late in David’s life, if he had more tears than joy. It was because of his sin that Bathsheba’s baby died. It was because of his lack of involvement that his son killed another son. It was because of his sin that 70,000 in Israel died. These things  happened because of him. Our choices, our attitudes, our pride may leave a trail of destruction, like a tornado path. While we continue on, there are those around us who have been hurt because of us. It was too late for David to undo what he had done. It’s not too late for you.

Do you need to apologize? Relax your hand and do it.  Do you need to forgive someone? Relax your hand and extend grace. Do you need to have a deep conversation with someone? Relax your hand and make it happen.

It is enough, God said. Relax your  hand. Great lessons for us.

Roger