Jump Start # 2061

Psalms 90:10 “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.”

Psalm 90 is an old Psalm. It may be the oldest. It was written by Moses. There was a lot of time between Moses and David, who wrote most of the Psalms. Yet long ago Moses said that life is about seventy to eighty years. That hasn’t changed much in all this time. Some live longer, some shorter. But about 70 or 80 is pretty much the average.

I attended a funeral yesterday of someone who was 95 years old. She was one of our members. It’s rare for me to sit in the audience. Usually I’m the one behind the pulpit fighting nerves and trying to find the right words to comfort a grieving family. But on this occasion, it was our young preacher in training. He did a fine job. To this day, I remember the first funeral I ever did. Those things stick with you.

The dear sister who passed was special. She was old, but she didn’t seem old. She had such a spark and zest for life. She’d enter the church building pushing her walker and her family trying to keep up with her. She’d hug me and ask me if I was ready for a Holy kiss. She sure loved the Lord and her family. As I sat there listening to the young preacher pouring his heart out, I thought of a few thoughts that I want to share with you.

First, some people are just old in life. They may not have the years on them, but they just act old. I’ve seen forty year olds that seemed old. What a contrast to this dear sister who was old but didn’t seem like it. I wonder why some are like that.

Perhaps, they’ve gotten worn out carrying the burdens of life. Jesus invited those who were weary and heavy laden to come to Him and receive rest. What if a guy didn’t come to Jesus. He’d just keep on going. But it doesn’t take very long, carrying heavy loads, to just feel worn out. Tired of having so little peace in their hearts. Life without forgiveness. Life without direction. Trying to figure everything out on your own. Worn out before one is even old. There are people just like that.

It just may be that the faith and love of the dear sister that I knew, kept her young, fresh and enjoying life. Faith will just do that. Let God run the universe for a while. Don’t try to figure everyone out. Don’t try to put everyone in a category. Don’t try to assign people to Heaven or Hell. Let God do that. Love the Lord. Love your family. Love worship. That’ll put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Second, some folks, if you gave them 200 years, they’d still not do anything worthwhile with it. We get that from the Scriptures. Ole’ Methuselah is known as the oldest person in the Bible. He lived 969 years. Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah. Now, Noah was blameless and found favor in the eyes of the Lord. By faith, Noah prepared the ark according to God’s instructions. Was grandpa Methuselah a believer? The Bible doesn’t say. What did he do with all those 969 years. He lived. Some folks are just like Methuselah. They live a long time and that’s all they accomplished. No examples of goodness. No footprints left that leads to the Lord. No history of walking with God. No helping God’s people. No spreading the Gospel message. Just 969 years. I tend to think it would have been tough to preach Methuselah’s funeral. The preacher back then could say, “He’s old. He’s really old.” But what else was there to say?

Now, all this reminds us that life isn’t measured by how long you live but by what you do with it. Some can squeeze more life in two or three decades than all the Methuselahs’ ever do. Now, I’m not talking about living for your self. Sky diving. Rock climbing. Vacationing in Europe. What good is that? I’m talking about helping others. I’m talking about taking time to teach Bible classes. I’m talking about living in such a way, as our dear sister did, that her great grandchildren, were impressed, touched and moved by her. You see, some folks, given a hundred years to live, would still be selfish, demanding and always talking about themselves.

I’ve only known this dear sister for a decade. But the way she was, I expect she was just like that when she was in her fifties. I expect as a young woman in her twenties, she was like this. Choices. Faith. Christ. Serving. Character. These are the things that molded and shaped her ninety plus years. Some never get it. They never quite figure out what life is all about. So, all of this reminds us, it’s not how old you are, but rather, what are you doing with your life right now. Where you are, what are you doing? Choices. Faith. Christ. Serving. Character. It doesn’t matter if you are in your twenties, or if you are in your nineties, this is about who you are.

Third, some day it will be our time. I thought about that as the young preacher was preaching. Some day it will be our time. It really doesn’t matter what is said then. What matters is what we have done up to that point. We are leaving examples and footprints today. People see us. People know us. They are making conclusions about our faith as they travel along side of us.

To love the Lord and your family, what could be more important than that. I’m getting more and more convinced that God puts before us living examples for us to not just admire, but to show us that it can be done right. Life, the way God wanted it to be. Sometimes, we don’t notice those examples. Sometimes, we want the Lord to help us, and the help is right before us. It’s in that older Christian. It’s in that teenage Christian. It’s in that young family that comes every week. It’s in the heart of that young preacher who is doing is best to teach God’s word. All around us, living examples. God is not leaving us alone. God is reminding us. God is showing us. And when we look at of this, we must ask our self, “What’s my problem?” Why can’t I do what they’re doing? Why can’t I be an example? Why are all my thoughts about me? Why am I stuck in problems and pain? These examples all around us, have buried mates. They buried children. They went through wars. They experienced national depressions. There were long nights and hard times. Yet, there they are, with a smile on their face. There they are asking about us. There they are ready to serve. They didn’t walk through life with a chip on their shoulder. They didn’t act like they were cheated out of something. They weren’t sour on life. They are the sunshine that brightens a room. They are this way because they chose to be this way. God has placed these people in our lives to show us that we too can be just like they are. We too, can make a difference in this world.

Some day we’ll leave this room. We’ll pass through that door called death. I wonder if we’ll walk through with a smile on our face. I expect my dear sister did. That’s just the way she was.

Thank you, Lord, for giving a wonderful example of Wanita. Her many years are layered with powerful reminders to all of us. May we be the same for others.

Roger

Jump Start # 1446

Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

  Psalms 90 is most likely the oldest of the Psalms. It is recorded as a prayer of Moses. Moses and David, who authored most of the Psalms, lived hundreds of years apart from each other.

This little expression, “teach us to number our days” is a very interesting thought.

First, this is something that we must be taught. Teach us to number, is what the text says. It doesn’t just come naturally. We learn how to count. We use numbers all the time. We can count our money. We have sleep numbers. Kids count how many days until their next break. Expectant mothers count the days until the due date. But our days seems to fly by and many of them seem like all the rest. Every once in a while we have a great day. Vacations are that way. Holidays are that way. Spending time with the grandkids is that way. And there are a few dark days mixed in there as well. Funerals, sickness, bad news—they darken the days for us. But most days are pretty much the same. Nothing really earth shattering takes place. Nothing much. I guess this is why teenagers always answer the question, “What’s going on?” with a “nothing.” Nothing much. Same old stuff. And in that, we fail to count our days. Each day is a gift from the Lord. Each day has the wonderful opportunity to honor God, glorify His name or be lost in the maze of nothingness. Just work. Just school. Just hanging out. Just housework. One day can seem like a thousand other days. But it’s not. There will never be another day with today’s date. Days are like snow flakes, no two are exactly the same. Count those days. Have you ever figured out how old you are in days?

Second, our days can be counted. Some things can’t be counted. The sand on this earth can’t be counted. The stars in the sky can not be counted. The saved in Heaven can’t be counted. That’s what the angel told John. God can count the number of hairs on our head, but most of us have never taken the time to count them ourselves. Our days can be numbered. Our days can be counted. This reminds us that they are not endless. They really are not all that many. Life is short. Time is precious. Time wasted can’t be earned back. There is no bank to store left over time.

Third, one day is not a life time. One day is simply that, one day. Our faithfulness is counted in more than just one day. A common expression used in the Bible is “walk.” Noah walked with God. Enoch walked with God. We are to walk in the newness of life. We are to walk worthy of our vocation. We walk in love. Walking is more than just one step. It implies movement, progression and forward going. Any one can take a step, but to walk, now that’s a different story. There has been many a person that took a step with the Lord but that was about it for them. One step and they were done. No more. Jesus kept walking, but these folks stopped. They weren’t with the Lord any more. Counting our days reminds us that not every day is Sunday. Sunday is the best day of the week. Sunday is just different for many of us. Our schedules are different. We gather with our church family. We worship. We are thinking less of the world and more about Him. However, not all days are Sunday. Some days are Fridays. Some days are Mondays. It’s that daily, consistent faith that makes the difference here. Anyone can love their mate on their wedding day. That’s pretty easy. But love them when they have the flu. Love them when they are cranky. Love them when they are not loveable. One day is not a lifetime. Count those days. Be faithful. Paul told Timothy to preach in season and out of season. Hunters understand seasons. Those that grow veggies understand seasons. Where I live, a person isn’t going out to their back yard and get a vine grown tomato in January. Won’t happen. It’s out of season. Some folks are out of season Christians. They are on it when it’s right, easy and popular. But when it’s not, they’ve turned the switch off.

One day is not a lifetime. Persistent prayer. Faithfulness even to death. Steady. Unmovable. Always abounding. Those great Biblical expressions remind us of our call to walk with the Lord every day. Walk with Him when at work. Walk with Him when at the mall. Walk with Him when alone. Not just Sundays. Not just when it is easy. Walk with Him as you visit the funeral home. Walk with Him when clouds hang above your head.

Fourth, One mistake isn’t a complete failure. Count your days. Number your days. Sins will happen. Mistakes will be made. There will be accidents. There will be trouble. Those are part of life. The prodigal messed up really bad. He lost his inheritance. It was gone. He came home a failure. However, he was forgiven and given a second chance. He didn’t jump off a bridge. He didn’t settle on the thought that he was doomed to be a failure the rest of his life. He came home. There were lessons learned. There were things seen that he had never understood before. We need to see that in our own lives. Yes, we have failed. Some won’t forgive themselves because of that. Some give up. Some can’t pick themselves up and return home. They need to count their days. They would see that God has been there. They would see the answer to prayers. They would see blessings from Heaven. Not all days are dark. Not all days are stormy. Count your days. You’ll see some sunshine in them.

What a great thought, “Teach us to number our days”.

Roger

Jump Start # 511 

Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

  This is one of the oldest Psalms. It was written by Moses. It reminds us that there are things we need to learn and be reminded of throughout our life. One of them is to learn to number our days.

  Long ago people did just that. Old tombstones would tell how old a person was in years, months and days. Every day counted. We don’t do that any more. Most of us just count the years. The years are made up of days. Each day is a gift of God. Each day is special.

  I’ve found that most of our days fall into one of three categories.

First, there are those special days that we remember. Weddings and vacations and even holiday times with family are like that. We love those times and take pictures to remember them.

Second, there are those terrible days such as surgeries, funerals and car accidents. They are stuck in our memories and we often use them as bookmarks of our lives. We say things like, “that happened the year of my big car wreck.”

Thirdly, there are the common, not so special days. The first two categories do not happen very often, maybe once or twice a year. All the other days fall into the regular, everyday kind of days. Getting up and going to work or school. Making dinner. Paying bills. Routine.

  It is the common everyday type of day that we need to live for Jesus. We have more of those than the other kinds. It is easy to just float through those days and not do much. I had a day like that recently. Did some reading, did some work, but spent too much of the day watching TV and really not doing much of anything. I guess that’s ok—we all need time to let the mind settle and rest the body some. For some reason that day is stuck in my mind. There are things I could have done that day, I just didn’t feel like it. The day was rather wasted doing nothing. I found that it was easy to do that. Sit on the couch and vegetate or play another computer game after another computer game. I found that it was so easy to do nothing, I think that’s what bothered me the most. I realized I could get in the habit of doing nothing everyday.  Days then become months and before you know it a person has spent a lifetime doing nothing.

  It is those plain, everyday days that we must not waste. We have more of those than the other kind of days. They tend to shape our habits and form our character. Here’s a few things I came up with for those many common everyday days:

• Start the day in prayer. A person never knows when what begins as a common day turns into a nightmare. One day will be your last day. Few, if any, really know when that day will be. Pray that you will honor God and glorify His name this day.

• Open the Bible and read a chapter. Just a chapter a day will make a difference. It puts the mind into the spiritual and connects you with God.

• Find something meaningful to do. Make some contribution to life. If it’s helping around the house, do it. If it’s sending a note to a fellow Christian do that. If it’s helping a co-worker do that. Be able to end the day thanking God for using you to make one small difference in a person’s life.

  Don’t beat yourself up for spending time doing something relaxing and something for yourself once in a while. Life is to be enjoyed, experienced and loved. All work makes a person weary and grouchy. But balance these things. Don’t justify staying in bed all the time nor watching TV all the time as “I need some time for myself.” Moderation is the key. Don’t overdo it.

  Number our days…you’ll find more common days than anything else. Days of work, housekeeping, car fixing, yard working, bill paying, grocery shopping than any other. Even in those days, we can make them meaningful, useful, productive and even fun. Each of these can be avenues to share God’s word. All of them can be used to glorify our king.

  Today, may be just one of those days.

Roger