18

Jump Start # 4160

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4160

 

1 Samuel 26:21 “ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error.”

 

There is an interesting contrast in our Bibles. There are two Sauls. One is in the Old Testament and the other in the New Testament. One was the first chosen king of Israel and the other the last chosen apostle. One stood head and shoulders above everyone physically, the other stood head and shoulders above everyone spiritually. And, both men, at the end of their lives, declared “I have.”

 

The Old Testament Saul said, “I have played the fool.” The New Testament Saul said, “I have kept the faith.” One had his crown removed and the other received a heavenly crown.

 

Lets give some thought to these final Saul words:

 

I have played the fool, spoken by King Saul of the Old Testament. One plays the fool when he doesn’t fully obey the Lord and hides behind excuses to justify his wrong doing. One plays the fool when he allows jealousy to lead him to doing evil towards others. One plays the fool when he tries to bypass what God says and seeks his own path and his own answers.

 

King Saul didn’t die in honor of the Lord.

 

I have kept the faith, spoken by the apostle Paul in the New Testament. Understand that this Saul’s name was not changed from Saul to Paul. I hear that often. His Hebrew or Jewish name was Saul. His Roman name was Paul. He kept the faith. He kept the faith when others didn’t. He kept the faith when it was hard and difficult. He kept the faith when he was beaten. He kept the faith when he was alone. He kept the faith when the Lord answered his prayers “No.”

 

What a difference in these two lives. For King Saul to live was self. For the apostle Paul to live was Christ. King Saul tried to kill others. The apostle Paul tried to save others. King Saul had his own ambition and agenda. The apostle Paul made obeying Christ his ambition and agenda. Saul of the Old Testament was troubled. Saul of the New Testament found peace and love. Saul of the Old Testament was focused on David. Saul of the New Testament was focused upon Christ. Saul of the Old Testament broke any command of God to achieve what he wanted. Saul of the New Testament sacrificed himself to keep the command of God. Saul of the Old Testament discarded his faith. Saul of the New Testament kept his faith. Saul of the Old Testament went from good to bad. Saul of the New Testament went from bad to good.

 

Same name but two different paths and two different destinations. Sure is something to think about…

 

Roger

 

17

Jump Start # 4159

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4159

 

Psalm 142:4 “Look to the right and see; for there is no one who regards me; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul.”

 

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

No one cared for my soul

 

The 142nd Psalm contains “a prayer of David when he was in the cave.” David, while hiding from King Saul, thought he had been deserted by all his friends. In one of the saddest verses in the Bible, David said, “Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul” (Psa. 142:4). David felt isolated, alone and overcome with problems.

 

Is it possible that you have a friend or neighbor who, like David, feels that no one cares for their soul? One of Paul’s greatest desires was for the salvation of his nation (Rom. 10:1-3). The obligation he felt to preach made him cry out, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). It is amazing that we can look after the mail, the pets and the yard of our neighbor, but show so little care for their soul. What can we do?

 

First, show compassion. Talk gently with them. Give them time out of your schedule. Allow them to talk and even pour out their worries. Guide them and comfort them with passages of Scripture. Let them know that God cares about them—no matter what. Invite them over for a meal. Invite them to come to services with you. Your friends need to know that you care before they will interested in what you believe.  Do they know that you care for their soul?

 

Do your children know you care for their soul? It will show by your consistent instruction from God’s word. Prayers at meals will be normal. Discussions that include God’s word and his kingdom will be an everyday part of life at home. Right and wrong will be clearly established. The reason is, you care for their souls. As they get older, you want to know more about their friends and who influences your children. Children need to know that their parents care for their soul.

 

Do your brethren know you care for their soul? “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8). Love for the brethren is expressed by action. Even in large congregations, surrounded by dozens of people, it is possible for some to feel alone. Do you go out of your way to try to greet as many brethren as possible? Are you interested in what is happening to others? Do they receive a card from you? Do they ever get a phone call from you? Are you an encourager or a constant complainer? One of the major reasons brethren leave a congregation is because of the way that they are treated. The church is a family, but in far too many places that family is dysfunctional. Telling someone that I’m praying for you is powerful words. Unexpected gifts of kindness speaks volumes to the heart. Young people need more than sermons, they need to know that others care for their soul. Discouragement will disappear if everyone sensed that others care for my soul.

 

Matthew records this about Jesus: And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd (9:36).

 

Roger

April, 2006

 

16

Jump Start # 4158

Posted on September 16, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4158

 

Romans 8:29 “ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren”

 

It is one of the most perplexing concepts that a disciple of the Lord faces. It is a question that most don’t want to find the answer to, for fear that the answer will be a harsh reality that they don’t want to admit. We are talking about being like Jesus. Our verse today is one of many that reminds us that we are to be like Jesus. We are to have the mind of Christ in us. Paul said that Christ lives in him. Our hymns remind us of this: O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer; Christ liveth in me; Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

 

And, running through all of this is the deep question, “Is it even possible to be like Jesus?” Or, more honestly, “Is it even possible for ME to be like Jesus?” Are we fooling ourselves? Are we pretending? Like a child at Halloween, who puts on a mask and cape and for a couple of hours believes he is an Avenger, do we for a couple of hours on Sunday morning believe we are like Jesus, until we get back home and the truth sinks in?

 

Be holy as He is, Peter writes. Imitate Christ, the Corinthians were told. But, how can we? He was always right. He was always perfect. No once in His life did He have to apologize for doing something wrong. Not once in His life did He have a sinful thought racing through His mind. Not once in His life did He gossip. Not once in His life did He tell a lie. Not once in His life did He have to say, “Will you forgive Me?” He never stole. He never cheated. He never cussed. He never got drunk. He never made fun of someone. Never. Not once. And, yet we are to be like Him? Can we? Is it even possible? How? We stumble and fumble through life, making mistakes, hurting others, messing up, and breaking God’s law. How can we possibly be like Him?

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

First, we can’t do it on our own. We’ve proven that. Our way is how we got into the mess we were in. In the Lord’s wonderful invitation, Mt 11:28-30, He invites us to come to Him (the source); take His yoke (Heaven’s direction); learn from Him (the divine example). Less of self and more of Him is the beginning step in becoming like Jesus. What did Jesus do? That’s what we must do. How did Jesus respond? That’s our cue.

 

Second, we must stop settling into the comfortable excuse that “nobody’s perfect.” That idea soothes a guilty conscience. It allows us to be satisfied with substandard service. It convinces us we can never be like Jesus. And, that leaves a huge dilemma in our hearts and minds. Does God know what He is talking when He wants us to be like Jesus? And, as long as we keep saying, “No one is perfect,” we stop trying to be perfect. Our mindset must change. If the Lord says we can be like Jesus, we must believe.

 

Third, it will take constant commitment, effort, zeal and dedication to become like Jesus. No one walks into this accidently. No one gets there without that being a fervent goal in their heart and mind. And, maybe, just maybe, this is the root of why we struggle. We’d like to be like Jesus. It would be nice to be like Jesus. But, who wants to put in the work to do that? Like the Friday night high school quarterback. Every kid in the stands wants to be like him, but no one wants to be in the hot August sun practicing as he has done. No one wants to give up the video games to be dedicated as he is. Like a guy who bought trophies at a garage sale, they looked good on his shelf but he didn’t earn them. They weren’t really his. So, we want the glory, but who wants to do the work?

 

Being like Jesus means saying “No” to self. It means saying “no” to others. It means making wise choices. It means being consistent and dedicated.

 

Oh to be like Thee blessed Redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer. Constant…

 

 

Is it even possible? Yes, is the answer.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 4156

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4156

 

2 Timothy 3:1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.”

 

The setting of our passage today is troubling. Instead of the glowing, happily ever after, optimism that we’d like to believe, Paul paints a dark picture about the future. Difficult times will come. Realize this. Know this. Understand this. What follows are nineteen reasons why the last days will be difficult. Many of this are character flaws that spill over into relationship issues. Running through this list is misguided love. Loving self. Loving money. Unloving. Loving pleasure. Not loving God.

 

Dark times. Narrow attitudes. Causing trouble. Paul’s words to Timothy were to “avoid such men as these” (5).

 

Some lessons need to arise from this:

 

First, some people cannot be changed. It is not that the Gospel is not powerful enough. For the good seed to take hold and do some good, it must intersect with a honest and good heart. These people have demonstrated that their heart is neither good nor honest.

 

We want to save everyone. We want everyone to come to Christ. However, there comes a time when some people must be avoided. We must avoid them so they won’t change us. We must avoid them because they are not interested in honest discussions. We must avoid them because they are hurtful and dangerous. We must avoid them because the Lord said to.

 

Second, we must maintain the course set by the Lord. Later in the chapter we find, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of” (14). There is a separation taking place even before the judgment. The evil are descending in a direction of destruction and the righteous are ascending towards the Lord. Less and less in common. Fewer and fewer things to talk about. Don’t allow them to change you. Don’t meet them half way. Don’t look the other way and pretend things are better than what they are. There comes a time with some people that you must put some distance between them.

 

Third, some simply do not get what the Lord is about. The people Paul describes in this letter were not atheists who denied God’s existence. Instead, the language shows that they had some conscience about them. Paul says that they were “holding to a form of godliness” (5); “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth” (7); “enter into households and captivate weak women” (6). They had an exterior of religion but there was nothing on the inside. The first principle in discipleship is to “deny self”. That comes before taking up the cross. That comes before following Jesus.

 

As long as these people were “lovers of self” they would never become disciples of Jesus.

 

Now, why was Paul telling Timothy these things? This wasn’t to scare him off. Instead, it was a reminder that not everyone is genuine. Not everyone is following the Lord. Not everyone cares. Not everyone can be trusted. Some are not interested in the saving message of Jesus. Some do not want to change their ways. Some are happy just where they are. It’s not the failure of the messenger. It’s not a failure of the message. It’s hearts that are closed and selfish.

 

We can beat ourselves up, thinking we are failures because some people walk away from the message we have for them. It’s not us. It’s not the message. It’s the hearts of some people. Jesus tells us that men love darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil.

 

There will be some in your family that are not interested in Jesus. There will be people you know that do not want to hear what you have to say. This breaks our hearts. This makes us want to find better ways of presenting things to them. But as long as their hearts are closed to Jesus, there is no method that will work.

 

Blessed be the ones who hear. Blessed be the ones who are seeking. Blessed be the ones who follow the Lord.

 

Tough words for tough times.

 

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 4155

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4155

 

John 18:5 “They answered Him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said to them, ‘I am He.’ and Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.”

 

John’s account of the arrest of Jesus is most interesting. The chapter opens with Jesus crossing over the ravine of the Kidron and entering the garden (18:1). Down the valley and back up the other side is what this literally looks like. I’ve been there. Coming out of the city gates of Jerusalem, carrying torches at night, it would be easy to see the coming mob. Jesus had plenty of time to escape into the darkness and get away. He stayed. He could watch them coming.

 

Most of the mob did not know Jesus and it was dark. Rather than stepping back into the shadows or standing behind some of the disciples, Jesus sets forward and asks, “Who are you looking for?” The reply was, “Jesus the Nazarene?” Most desperate criminals would have hidden their identity or lied. Not Jesus. He wasn’t a desperate criminal. He was a willing sacrifice. Jesus identified Himself as the one they were looking for.

 

And, as our verse today ends, Judas is standing with “them” and not the Lord. Later Peter would be found sitting with the wrong crowd. Most times when we are with the wrong group, we get pinned in a corner, and find our faith on shaky ground. Judas was in the group around Jesus, but he was not standing with Jesus. He was standing with the enemy. He was standing with “them.”

 

This is a great lesson for all of us. How is it that we are standing with “them” and not the Lord?

 

First, the heart of Judas wasn’t with Jesus. This is how it always begins. Much like the prodigal, whose heart was in the far country long before he pack his bags and left the house, when our hearts are not with Jesus, we will soon be standing with “them.” We can sit through a worship service and our hearts are not with Jesus. Wandering minds, restless souls, worried hearts, and lives filled with the here and now, we’ve gone to church, but we haven’t worshipped the Lord.

 

Judas heard the very words of Jesus. Judas saw the miracles. Judas helped feed the five thousand. Judas was in the boat when Jesus calmed the storm. Judas witnessed the Lord walking on water. He saw the demons flee into the pigs and then the pigs rushed into the sea and drowned. Yet, after all that, the heart of Judas was not with Jesus.

 

Is it any different for you and I? We’ve read the pages detailing these miracles. We’ve read through the sermon on the mount dozens of times, reading the words of our Lord. We’ve been given an eyewitness glimpse into the transfiguration, which most of the others did not see. We’ve been invited into the home of Jairus and saw his little daughter come back to life. Through the pages of the Scriptures and through faith, we were there. Yet, is our heart with Jesus?

 

Second, Judas had a love for this life and especially money. He kept the money bags. He helped himself by stealing. And, now, there was a quick way to make more money, just sell out to the enemy. When we keep one foot in the world, we will always be pulled that direction. It might be money and materialism. It might be an addiction to gambling, the bottle, drugs or porn. It might be power. It might be honor and fame. A love for this life will keep us with “them,” because that’s where you find those kind of things that interests us.

 

Third, loved by Jesus, chosen by Jesus, and with Jesus, Judas had more in common with “them” than he did the Lord. That’s hard for us to understand, yet it is no different for us. We are loved by the Lord. We are chosen by the Lord. We have the opportunity to be with the Lord and yet our language, our likes, our attitudes, our dress, our motives reveal that we have more in common with ‘them’ than we do the Lord.

 

Judas came with them because he was like them. Judas was standing with them because he was one of them. In contrast, the early disciples were called “Christian” at Antioch. They were like Christ. They were standing with Jesus. They were one of them.

 

Standing…with “them” or with the Lord?

 

Roger