Jump Start # 2725

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.”

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. It will certainly look much differently for many folks. Many traditions such as heading to a movie theatre will be altered. Some may even think, “there’s not much to be thankful for in this messed up year that we’ve had.” School at home. Work at home. Worship at home. Masks everywhere you go. And, the virus is spiking all over the country. How can we be thankful?

I know some families that have had funerals this year. Even in that, things were so different. I know some who have loved ones in nursing homes and the only contact has been peering through a window. I know some who have lost jobs this year. I know some congregations that had all kinds of trouble this year, much of it about masks and whether or not someone has the right to enforce wearing them. Sports with no one in the stands. An election that has many wondering if it was right and fair. Be thankful? Really? For what? For this?

Our passage today calls for us to be thankful. Written by an apostle who was in a Roman prison. His prison epistles, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians are filled with thoughts of thankfulness and joy. This was not a miserable person. This was not a person who felt that life cheated him. This was not someone who saw only the bad breaks in life. Be thankful. Be thankful for 2020. Be thankful in the midst of a storm. Be thankful in a pandemic. Be thankful when things are not as you would want them to be. How spoiled we must be if we can only be thankful in the sunshine.

Here is my short list for you to think about:

First, you are still here. Be thankful. Maybe you had Covid-19. You are still here. Maybe things have been inside out for you. You are still here. Maybe it’s been tough turning your house into a school room, an office, and a house of worship. You are still here. A live dog is better than a dead lion, Solomon tells us. Easy to think, ’yeah, I’m still here, but so is the pandemic.’ Lots of problems are still here. Sin is still here. But so is the Lord. You can worship. You can pray. You can do good. God has kept you here for a reason. Be thankful for that.

Second, you are part of the amazing kingdom of God. Nothing, absolutely nothing can destroy this kingdom. God promised that in Daniel. Wars come and go. Kingdoms come and go. Pandemics come and go. But, God’s kingdom remains. And, you are part of that. You are part of something eternal, big and powerful. God loves His kingdom. Sometimes we view the kingdom through the walls of our church building. That’s too limited a view. God’s kingdom is global. There are saints in Norway, Philippines, Africa, America, and Europe. There are so many Christians that no one place could hold all of us. And, great things are being done every day. People are being converted. Lives are changing. The word is being sent out worldwide every day. And, to think, you are a part of all of this. You help make it possible. You are on this amazing team. You are part of something large, eternal and divine.

Third, this storm of 2020 may well be the hands of Satan. We don’t know. But if it is, is this the best he can do? We are still standing. We are still praying. We are still worshipping. Yes, we preachers have had to do more videos than we like, but it’s ok. Yes, we’ve had to make some adjustments about seating and touching, but it’s ok. Satan shook the tree and maybe a few fell, but not you and not me. Looking back, his fastball wasn’t that fast. Plans are being made for next year. We are not hiding in a cave like Elijah was. We are not wringing our hands in despair. Onward we go. The Lord has been with us and will continue to be with us. Faith is not shaken nor destroyed. Hope is not abandoned nor given up. We are marching to Zion.

Fourth, this year has opened our eyes to things that we may have taken for granted such as fellowship, worship, and being together. Sometimes things are not fully realized until they are taken away. Then we see how wonderful they were. We’ve learned that worship services is much, much more than just getting information from the pulpit. Hearing babies cry, seeing older folks coming in, the teens, the young couples, the shepherds, the busy deacons—that’s what we are. It’s not a building. It’s not pews. It’s us. Family, whether physical or spiritual is important. Bless be the tie that binds our hearts together. Worship comes from our hearts and it’s not locked in a building. Everywhere and everyday our hearts are lifting Heavenward. God is good. God hasn’t forgotten us. God loves us.

Finally, we’ve learned how to adjust. Making changes is hard for some. But storms can force a person to do what he doesn’t want to do. We have found innovative ways to connect, teach, and build lives for Jesus. We’ve seen that there is more than just one way to teach a class. We’ve see that connections and communications can take place even when we are not together. We’ve found ways to encourage, help and lift hearts other than through hugs. We’ve had to put on our thinking caps. We’ve had to try some things that we have never done before. And, through this we’ve found ways that are working better than before.

Thankful…this year? In all of this? Absolutely! Positively! God has been good to us.

Roger

Jump Start # 2230

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Note: With the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no Jump Starts on Thursday or Friday this week.

Our verse today ends with the simple reminder, “and be thankful.” We get that reminder a lot around this time of year. Our preachers preach on thankfulness. Articles in the bulletin remind us to be thankful. Paul’s words weren’t a reminder because of a certain season or a national holiday. I tend to doubt the Romans had a national day of thanks and if they did, it would be to some pagan god that the Greeks had invented.

And be thankful, is simply a reminder of what we already know. It’s like your mom telling you to be nice when you were going over to a friend’s house. Being nice wasn’t a new concept or a change in your character, it was simply a reminder to be what you are, nice. And be thankful, is like that. It’s not the start of something new, but simply a reminder of what we are, thankful.

And be thankful, is a spirit and an attitude that we carry with us. It’s easy to see all that is wrong and all that needs fixing these days. Fires, shootings, political turmoil, crazy stock market, gloom and doom and too much of that and we forget to “ be thankful.” The thankful heart sees through all the wrong and still finds blessings, hope and good things. Being thankful is not ignoring problems, however, it’s not allowing the problems to set the course of our life, our attitudes or our moods.

I preached a funeral the other day. I found an expression that I really like and I used it over and over in that funeral. The quote says, “Do not cry because it’s over, be thankful for what you had.” The thankful heart has a way of looking back and seeing wonderful blessings, opportunities and precious memories.

Think about all the places you have been in your life. Some have traveled far away. But for those who haven’t, still think about all the things you have seen and all the places you have been. And, be thankful.

Think about all the people that you have met in your life. Many pass through and we barely remember them. But there are others, teachers, coaches, friends, brethren—they left something in our hearts and we remember them. They took time. They went out of their way. They opened doors for us to have a chance. And, be thankful.

Think about all those incredible sermons you have heard in your life. Our times have produced some of the finest preachers. They made Heaven seem so real. They taught us, reminded us, warned us and helped us so much. To this day, there are certain parts of those sermons that we still remember. And, be thankful.

Think about those early days when you went to visit your grandparents. Now, some of us didn’t have that blessing, but others did. I can still hear my grandma humming to a song on the radio as she went about her work in the kitchen. She’s been gone for a long time, but what fond memories of someone who loved the Lord and loved us. And, be thankful.

Think about those fun times with your family when you were small. Family trips. Fishing. Playing in the backyard. Sitting around the table on Thanksgiving day. Wonderful times. And, be thankful.

Think about how far you have come spiritually. You wouldn’t be reading this Jump Start if you didn’t have some love of the Lord running in you. The Lord has used you to help others. You may have taught Bible classes. You may have helped out during the VBS. Maybe you’ve had families over to your home. Who would have thought that you would be doing any of those things, but here you are. And, be thankful.

Think about your family that you love so much. Certainly there are things that you would like to get them to do, or see, but you love them. And, as they grow and start having their own families, you see this transition taking place. They are moving on their own. You like what you see. And, be thankful.

Think about you and the Lord. What a journey this has been. For some, it may have been up and down and in and out. You may have gone to the far country, the wilderness and every other place that you didn’t belong, but here you are. The Lord has been patient with you. The Lord has forgiven you. The Lord has blessed you. And, now, looking back, you see how the Lord has shaped your heart, and molded you into the person that you are today. You are much more compassionate today than you used to be. You listen more than you used to. You hold your tongue more and pray more. You offer to help out. That’s something you never did before. You stick around and talk to all kinds of people. You enjoy that. You find yourself not being so angry and not judging as you once did. You’ve changed and it’s because of the Lord. And, be thankful.

And, with this list of thankfulness, I add you our readers. If no one was reading these, I wouldn’t be writing these Jump Starts. But you are. You let me know that. Something special has happened. The Lord has blessed me to write and put me with a group of brethren that believe in these things which allows us to send these out and you are kind enough to read these. And, through this wonderful combination, good is being done. The right time, the right people, the right elements, and the good Lord and wonderful things have happened. And, be thankful.

I hope you each have a wonderful day today as well as tomorrow. And remember, be thankful.

Roger

Jump Start # 1074

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

  In our verse today, Paul begins this sentence and the following sentence with the word “Let.” Here he says, ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.’ The next verse begins, ‘Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” Let peace rule…let the word dwell.

The word “let” moves things into our category. Let means allow. Let is something that we do. There are other ‘let’ verses in the New Testament, such as in Hebrews, where we find, “let us draw near with a sincere faith,” and,  “let us hold fast the confession of our faith,” and “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” Let. Do this. Allow this.

Let is something that we do. We let the dog out. We let our hair grow. We let things bother us. We let things go that we ought to do. Letting is our part of things. Paul wanted the brethren to LET the peace of Christ rule in their hearts.

Peace. Jesus is called the prince of peace. The angels announced at His birth that He came to bring peace on earth. The standard answer that people give for what they wish for is world peace. The peace of Christ has to do with our relationship with God. It isn’t about treaties, war, alliances or one nation and another nation. There’s always going to be wars, because there’s always going to be sin. Paul’s peace is about us and God. The peace of Christ means that we have been reconciled with God. We are no longer enemies with God. For that to happen, forgiveness of sins must take place. Our sins is what  makes us enemies with God. God is holy and we are not. God is righteous and we are not. Christ is the bridge. Faith in Christ brings salvation. That brings peace with God.

Long ago, the expression “Rest In Peace,” or, RIP, was found on many tombstones. That was a hopeful thought that the loved ones put on the grave of the departed. They wanted them to be resting in peace. That comes about when a person has lived in peace. That happens when the peace of Christ rules our hearts.

When the peace of Christ rules our hearts, it means that it controls our hearts. Our thinking, our decisions, our choices, our words are governed by the peace of Christ. Jesus rules our heart. He commands our hearts. He shapes and molds our hearts.

The opposite of peace of Christ ruling your heart is having worry, or fear, or anger, or doubt, or sin rule your heart. Those things will really affect us. They keep us up at night. They steal our appetites. They make us nervous and we become obsessed with those things. They surface in nearly every conversation. It shows on our face. They change us, and it’s not a change for the better. The expression ’worried to death,’ is often true. Those that do not have a foundation and an anchor in a storm will get this way. It’s natural. Your world is falling apart and you have nothing to hold on to. It is scary and you wonder if you are going to make it through to the other side safely. Many don’t. That bothers you as well. Who does the atheist turn to when he needs help? Where does the unbeliever go when the bottom drops out? For some, the answer lies in a fanciful ’it will get better’ dream. Others live in denial. Some just want to be numb so they don’t face the problems. Their choice is drugs and alcohol.

The believer has something to hold on to. The believer has something within him. He has the peace of Christ that is ruling his heart. That peace will keep him from giving up. That peace will allow him to carry on. That peace will keep him steady and calm with everyone else is in panic mode. The peace of Christ. Jesus is upon the throne and always will be. Jesus is who our trust is in. The Old Testament warned about putting trust in horses and bows and the strength of men. Our trust is not in this nation. Our trust lies in Christ.

The peace of Christ—not just in you. Not just existing, but ruling your heart. Christ is at the wheel. Christ keeps you out of the ditches of life. You must LET that happen. There are some things that we must give to God in prayer and then trust Him. He knows. He’ll see us safely through to the other side.

Let the peace of Christ rule your heart. Are you letting that happen?

Roger