03

Jump Start # 3797

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3797

 

Matthew 25:13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

 

The state of Indiana loves basketball. From the high school level through the college ranks, there is a real fever during basketball season. We have one of the greatest basketball movies of all time, Hoosiers, about a small Indiana high school team. And, March Madness soars to the stratospheric level in this state. One annual tradition so many have is to fill the college tournament brackets. I do this every year. I did pretty good this year. I got seven of the eight final teams and all four final fours right. Some really get into this, by listening to all the predictions from the experts, to deep diving into the stats, seeing what team has beaten what teams. But in the end, March Madness is just that “Madness.” On any given day, upsets take place. The favored team loses. The Cinderella team surprises everyone. The filled out brackets become messy, with crossed out teams and hopes fade as the team you predicted to win gets beat.

 

That’s March Madness. It happens every year. With all the insights, game analysis, stats, replays, much of filling out a bracket comes down to guessing and luck. And most years, the guessing is wrong, and the luck has run out.

 

With all of that, I was thinking about all the predictions about the coming of Christ that have been put forth through the centuries. Here is a very short list:

 

In the year:

  • 500— Hippolytus and Augustine both thought Jesus would return in the middle of the sixth millennium
  • 1186 (September) – People are told to flee to the mountains because it was believed that Jesus was coming
  • 1650- Christopher Columbus in his book of Prophecies, convinced emperors to fund his forth voyage to the West Indies because the world would come to an end by 1650
  • 1666– George Fox developed an detailed system of combining the millennium with the mark of the beast (666). That was the year he said Jesus was coming, 1666. Fox convinced many people.
  • 1795—Richard Brothers claimed he was of divine lineage and would lead the lost ten tribes back to Israel. He believed God wanted him to wear the crown of England. He believed that Christ would return in 1795. He died in an English lunatic asylum.
  • 1884– William Miller, a simple farmer, detailing many prophecies, led a large number of people to believe Christ was coming that year.
  • 1914– through the writings of Jehovah Witness leaders, it was taught that Christ came invisibly and only the righteous could see Him.
  • 1988– Edgar Whisenant in his book “88 Reasons” predicted the start of WW III would be on Oct 3, 1988 and that Christ would come shortly after that.
  • 1992– Lee Jan Rim of Korea taught that Christ was coming on Oct 28, 1992 and 144,000 believers would be raptured up.
  • 1994– Harold Camping in his book, “Are you ready?” believed 1994 was the year Christ was coming.
  • 1997- Mary Stewart Refle taught that the United States would be destroyed and Christ would return in 1997.

 

As you can tell, all these predictions missed it. Kinda like filling out a March Madness bracket. Some thought the Bible taught the dates they came up with. Some claimed to have visions or that God had told them. But, in the end, they were all wrong.

 

Now, here are some lessons for us:

 

First, as Jesus ended the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, our verse today, He said to be on the alert because you do not know the day nor the hour. That’s the point of that parable. Had the foolish virgins known when, they would have been prepared. They didn’t. And, we don’t. We are to live as if each day were our last day. One day we will be right.

 

Some look for hidden messages in the Bible and if they have the right decoder ring, they will know what no one else does. The Bible is not written that way. It’s not a message just for a few. The apostles were to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. And, if somehow a specific date were discovered, most would put off living righteously until that date came near. God wants us to walk with Him every day.

 

Second, the Corinthians were told that we walk by faith and not by sight. Faith walking involves trust. Faith walking is not have visible signs discovered. It’s trusting God. Jesus will return. The earth will be destroyed. The righteous will be taken home to Heaven. Those promises are sure and true. We need to be busy walking with the Lord and expanding the kingdom the best we can everyday of our lives.

 

Third, Moses told us that the secret things belong to God (Deut 29:29). Stop trying to figure out the secret. It’s like when your birthday is coming up and you suspect the family is going to do something special for you. You drop hints. You ask the little ones. You pry and pry to try to find out. That may work for birthday parties, but you won’t get anywhere doing that with God. There are things known but to God. And, there are things we ought to be thankful that we don’t know. Would you like to know the specific day and manner in which you would die? I don’t. Would you like to know what people, especially those that don’t like you, think about you? I don’t.

 

God keeps His promises. That’s all we need to know.

 

March Madness—it’s a fun thing to fill out brackets. And, leave the coming of Jesus to God. He knows and that’s all that matters. Ours is to be ready and stay alert.

 

Roger

 

02

Jump Start # 3796

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3796

 

Proverbs 31:11-12 “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

 

I am getting ready to embark on a journey teaching the book of Proverbs. It’s been a while since I have taught it. Truisms is the heart of these sayings. They are more than just pithy statements, they are valuable lessons from Heaven. The challenge in teaching Proverbs is how to approach the book. The heart of Proverbs are independent statements. I’ve found the most beneficial way to teach Proverbs is to pull themes together. Many contrasts and comparisons are found throughout the pages.

 

Finally, as one reaches the final chapter, the words of King Lemuel, as his mother taught him, we find what is commonly known as ‘the Virtuous Woman.’ It’s a description of the character of a woman that mom would want her son to marry. She is industrious. She is kind. She is benevolent. She is godly.

 

Tucked in these verses we find a wonderful relationship between husband and wife. Our verse shows this. He trusts her. She does him good. And, it’s that wonderful one-two combination that makes a marriage endure and more than that, thrive.

 

There is an old Indian proverb that says, “Marriage is many moons in the same canoe.” I like that. I’ve not canoed much in my life. The kids will tell of the time I t-boned another canoe and turned it over. There is some coordination that is necessary when two people are in a canoe. It’s important to paddle the same direction and on opposite sides of the canoe. Balance is important or else you’ll end up in the lake.

 

Many moons in the same canoe. Let’s think about that.

 

First, from our verse, trust takes time to establish. Trust can be destroyed in a moment. Trust in finances. Husband and wife need to be on the same page financially. Sports gambling is becoming a problem and it is easy to turn the canoe over when one gets caught up in the immediate thrill of gambling.

 

Trust when each is away at work. The majority of affairs begin in the office place. Too friendly. Too much talk about personal things. Flirting. Lonely hearts find a listening ear. It’s just another step to go out to eat after work together. The next step crosses the line. The canoe tips over. Trust. No secrets when trust is strong. No hiding things when trust is strong. No lying when trust is strong.

 

Trust builds confidence. Trust establishes security. He trusts in her. She needs to trust in him. It’s the shadowy, secretive things that leads to suspicion and the eroding of trust.

 

Second, she does him good all the days of her life. She’s thinking about him and he is thinking about her. An endless circle. Doing good—little things. Big things. Everyday things. Things expected and things unexpected. Doing good keeps the electricity in a marriage. Doing good shows that one is appreciated and loved. And, just like the trust factor, she does him good, but does he do her good? A one way street gets tiring after a while. Remember the canoe idea. Both need to be paddling. Both are in this together.

 

Third, such a wonderful relationship will be noticed by others. There are those who don’t want to be in the same canoe with their mate. There are those who can’t leave the dock because they can’t agree upon which way they should go. In some canoes, an argument takes place as to which one is going to steer. And, many canoes tip over because of anger and one wanting to get out and get away from the other person.

 

But, when you see that canoe smoothly gliding through the water, what a beautiful picture of teamwork, togetherness and enjoying the moment. That canoe is going places. That canoe is showing others how they ought to work together.

 

Helping one another is a positive result of trusting each other and doing good to each other. Helping each other when one is sick. Helping each one when one is not well spiritually. Together, in sickness or in health, richer or poorer, helping each other reach the destination, which is Heaven. Staying in the canoe and staying the course, that’s what the Lord wants.

 

Marriage is many moons in the same canoe.

 

Roger

 

01

Jump Start # 3795

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3795

 

 

Psalms 130:7 “O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is lovingkindness. And with Him is abundant redemption.”

 

Major cities in our country are facing a lot of hard issues. The problems are easy to see. The solutions are complicated and often involve policy and politics. Crime. Homelessness. Poverty. Bringing jobs into the community. Revitalizing downtowns. Those are all things that mayors and city councils struggle with. How to keep a community safe and thriving seems easy on paper, but putting those ideas into practice often encounters so many hurdles and resistance.

 

The police chief of Louisville recently revealed that suicides are outpacing murders in our community this year. There have been over 40 suicides in the Louisville area so far this year and the year is still very young. This is on a record pace. In contrast, there have been 30 murders. More suicides than murders is a concern and disturbing fact.

 

Sometime ago I wrote about suicide (Jump Start # 2117). There are many factors that lead to suicide such as relationship breakdowns, drug and alcohol abuse, fearing arrest and prison time, but more than any other reason is when a person has just run out of life. Hopelessness and despair have a way of putting a person into such a deep and dark hole that they see no way out. The absence of God in one’s life also has to be a huge factor. When a person feels that their life is never going to get any better and this is it, they opt to just speed the process up and take their own life.

 

And, let us not be so naïve as to think that cute cliches changes the darkness within a soul. Simply giving someone a verse doesn’t solve the mountain of problems that they face. Quick, easy and painless solutions may make us feel that we have done our part, but most times those things just solidifies the fact that no one cares and no one will go out of their way for the hurting.

 

And, don’t be so clueless to think that no one in our fellowship would ever entertain such thoughts. Not only have they thought that, but there has been those who have taken their lives, including elders and preachers. The pressures at school can be so intense, that some young people would rather kill themselves than be bullied. Parents need to watchful and helpful with their children.

 

Why are people killing themselves? In the end, no matter what the reason, they have no reason to live. Problems can be great. Pain can be intense. Help may be sparse. Money and options may have been exhausted. Yet, when a person has a will to live, they will fight and keep on fighting. Medical staff understands this. When a person has given up, little more can be done for that person.

 

Let us not be so brazen and quick to pronounce that anyone who commits suicide is going straight to hell. When pushed, the reasoning for such statements generally comes down to “they murdered themselves.” Suicide is self-murder, we are told. And, since the last act of person’s life was wrong, there is no salvation for them. PERIOD. And, just like that, we have moved without realizing it from salvation by grace to salvation by works. Instead of killing self, what if one’s final words were a curse word? What if our final thought was anger? Are we concluding that you must die with no sin on your lips or heart or you won’t make it? That sure sounds like perfection to me. I can have a bad thought the day before I die, but if I have a bad thought the moment I die, there is no hope? That sure is a scary way to live and one would be hard pressed to put passages to such theology.

 

Then, someone will question, “Are you saying suicide is ok?” No. It’s wrong because one gives up on God. As long as there is breath in our bodies, there is hope. God’s people have faced chains, prisons, lions, fire, storms, giants and God was there. He was always there. Taking life gives up on God. Taking life means the problems are greater than God. Taking life is a faith issue. That’s the problem. It’s more than killing yourself. It’s lacking faith in the Lord.

 

So, what are some thoughts from this:

 

First, be patient with others. It’s hard to understand the depth of pain and trouble that some are in. There are things that we cannot fix. But we can be supportive. We can stand in someone’s corner. It may mean going to the court house when someone has charges against them. It may mean bringing food to someone who doesn’t have any. It’s easy to lecture and point fingers. This may make matters worse. Be patient.

 

Second, always pull God into the conversation and the situation. A person may feel that God has given up on them or that they have done so many wrongs that even God won’t forgive. Help them with the prodigal story. Help them with Paul’s story. Help them with your story.

 

Third, keep a close eye on those who are wavering and about to fall. Having lunch with them is essential. Checking in on them often is important. This will consume a lot of time. You may not get other things done. But, with the help of the Lord, if you can pull someone out of the ditch, what great work you have done.

 

Young people commit suicide. Professional people commit suicide. Moms commit suicide. Old people commit suicide. Athletes commit suicide. Actors commit suicide. Rock stars commit suicide. Hopelessness recognizes no race, economic status or importance.

 

Our verse today, “O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is lovingkindness. And with Him is abundant redemption” (Ps 130:7). Problems come and go. The Lord stays. God is good and God forgives.

 

Again, in the Psalms: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (46:1). Again, in the Psalms: “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth” (121:1-2).

 

Roger

 

31

Jump Start # 3794

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3794

 

Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

 

Our verse today is more than just a call to slow down. We need that. There are many expressions that remind us of that, such as, “Stop and smell the roses.” Simon and Garfunkel had a song that began, “Slow down, you move too fast.” We live in a fast paced time. People are in a hurry. It seems that we are in a hurry all the time.

 

Other translations begin our verse with “Cease striving.” The Latin is even more specific, “vacate.” To vacate a place is to move out. At the end of a semester, college students pack up and move out of the dorms. They vacate. At the end of a vacation, we load up the car and head home. We vacate. I’ve had the “pleasure” of cleaning out more than one home that belonged to someone who passed away. Before the house could be sold, everything had to be cleaned out. Some items went to family members. Some to charity. And, a bunch to the dump. When we were done, the house was “vacated.”

 

Sticking with that Latin word, “Vacate,” the Psalmist is telling us to let God be God. Vacate our presence from His position and His role. In other words, Stop being God. We can’t do a good job of being God and we are extremely limited in what we know and what we can do.

 

Here are some thoughts on vacate:

 

First, rarely do we know everything. There is a lot of interests in the releasing of the JFK assassination files. The public believes we will finally know what happened. I doubt it. And, even if we did, we still won’t know the reasons why. We have our perspectives. We hear part of the story. We think we know motives. We must vacate and let God be God.

 

When we don’t, we can become very judgmental towards others. The Pharisees were like that. They thought they had everything figured out. They knew, so they thought. And, for us, we can be really critical on those who are weaker in faith and those who struggle. We think we know, but most times we don’t.

 

Second, our patience and ability to wait runs thin most times. This is why we must vacate and allow God to be God. Our hurry up nature, wants things done immediately. It takes time to grow a tree. It takes time to mature a person. God does things in His time, not our time. Some get ideas and concepts the first time through. Others have to let those thoughts simmer in their minds and hearts for a while. God knows. And, in our quest for speed, we can overlook things and not dedicate the time necessary to bring things about. Let God be God.

 

Third, our ideas may seem great to us, but they may not work well when put in action. This is why a home needs a father and a mother. This is why the church needs multiple shepherds. And, even with that, plans, goals, dreams and ideas may just fall flat. It’s hard for some to be content with the way God has established and designed things. We get our fingers into things and we start believing that we can shape the church in a way better than the Lord did. We come up with better ideas of evangelism. We come up with ideas to keep the young people where they are. And, sadly, history has shown that some of our ideas not only add layers of organization that is not in the Bible, they even leave the purpose and plan of God. Vacate. Let God be God. Do things God’s way. He knows.

 

But even in our personal lives, we must learn to vacate and allow God to be God. We want to try to fix things that we cannot fix. We want to try every option but God’s way. We stress. We worry. We get frustrated. And, if we only ceased striving, became still, and vacated, and took our problems to the Lord at the beginning, rather than after we tried everything else first, we would be much better. Let God be God.

 

We don’t have to know the answer to every question. We don’t have to understand the “whys” of this world. We don’t have to have a solution to every problem. When we operate that way, one wonders why we even need God. We need the Lord because we can’t. We can’t survive without Him. We don’t have all the answers. We can’t see into tomorrow. We don’t understand why some people do what they do.

 

And, when we finally get to that point, it is then that we begin to trust the Lord and allow God to be God. He has a divine purpose. No armies, no chariots, no kings, can undermine and alter the plans of God. He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

 

And, that will lead you to simply saying, “God’s got this.” Bad news, “God’s got this.” Some stressful times, “God’s got this.” Facing lions, “God’s got this.” How about a fiery furnace? “God’s got this.” Prison doors of life shut around you. “God’s got this.” Storms in your heart and life, “God’s got this.”

 

We may not know the outcome or how we will get there, but there’s one thing we do know, “God’s got this.”

 

Be still. Cease striving. Vacate. Let God do what He’s good at, being God.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 3793

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3793

 

Revelation 21:4 “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

 

Our study at church of Revelation is nearing the end. Throughout this quarter, on both Sunday and Wednesday, we have marched through this book. There have been living creatures, a dragon, beast, locusts, false prophet, drunken harlot and signs and messages from Heaven.

 

The vision of judgment completed, the book ends with two glorious chapters about Heaven. One writer said this., “Chapters 21 and 22 are the most familiar part of the book of Revelation. In many people’s Bibles the early pages of Revelation are as clean as when the Bible was bought, but the last two chapters are worn from constant reading and perhaps stained with tears. Few pages have been read and quoted more than those chapters. None have comforted more hearts” (David Roper).

 

A new order of things. No more tears or mourning that leads to further tears. No sun. No sea. No temple. No devil. The message of victory, hope and faith live on through those final pages. The dark valleys have been crossed. The evil wickedness that has plagued the saints has been destroyed. Home, finally home, with the Lord.

 

Revelation 21 reveals two pictures: a glorious city with fellowship with God and a beautiful bride dressed for her wedding. The city is perfect. The city is beautiful. The city is comfort and security. The city is the home of God and now becomes the home of the righteous.

 

It is those resounding truths and promises that lifted the hearts of those early disciples that were beaten down by the oppressive Romans. Christ wins. Heaven is ours. God is awaiting us.

 

Aristides, an Athenian philosopher and general wrote a friend about Christianity, around A.D. 125. He was explaining why this new religion was so successful. His words, “If any righteous man among the Christians passes from this world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God, and they escort his body with songs and thanksgiving as if he were setting out from one place to another.”

 

What a strange twist this must have seemed. No gloom and doom. No despair. Rather, in joy, hope and song, they understood that the deceased Christian was home with God.

 

Some lessons for us:

 

First, far too many among us have a dread and a fear of death. Where is the hope? Where is the joy? When announcements are made about the passing of one of us, it’s like the air was sucked out of a room. Little rejoicing. Little singing. Little thankfulness to the Lord. Just tears and tears and tears.

 

Peter reminds us to live in such a way that people we ask about the hope that is in us. Maybe people no longer see any hope. Maybe all they see is that we act like everyone else.

 

Second, Christ came to not only conquer death but to take away the fear of it. Death is merely a door that allows us to leave this room for the next room. The door swings one way, but it remains a door. Why do we stare so long at the door? Why do we talk so much about the door? Why are we obsessed with the door? All that a person is lives on in the next room as they pass through the doorway.

 

Our language, our tone, our prayers reflect a fear about death that some have not yet conquered. At the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus said to the grieving sisters, “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” Or, might we dare to ask, “Do we believe this?”

 

Third, the story of Revelation is not peace on earth, but rather remaining faithful in spite of the turmoil, and overcoming so as to have that heavenly home. We want to find that “everyone lived happily ever after,” but that may not happen here, but it will over there.

 

New things are coming—God’s promised that. Better things are coming—God’s promised that. Above all, God promised to be among us. All will be ok, because God is here.

 

Roger