30

Jump Start # 381

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 381

1 Kings 2:36 “Now the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, ‘Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. For on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall die; your blood shall be on your own head.”

  The story of Shimei is fascinating. It involves David and Solomon and our rich Bible history. During the time when David was king, he was dealing with a revolt from Absalom his son. Absalom tried to take over the kingdom and make himself the ruler. David had to flee Jerusalem. It was during those dark days that Shimei is found. He was a descendant of Saul, Israel’s first king. He comes across David and his men. They are discouraged because of Absalom. Shimei accuses David of stealing the throne from the family of Saul. He curses David and throws dirt on him. One of David’s men offers to kill Shimei. David won’t have it. When the tide turned against Absalom and his revolt, Shimei switched allegiance back to David. Shimei couldn’t be trusted.

  As David dies, he tells Solomon, his son and next king, about Shimei. Our verse above is Solomon’s way of dealing with Shimei. He allows him to live, but puts him on a short leash. He is not allowed to leave Jerusalem.

  Something happens after our verse. Two of Shimei’s servants take off. Shimei goes after them. He leaves Jerusalem to do this. Word reaches Solomon and the order to execute Shimei is given. He is killed.

  There is a powerful lesson for us here. This story is more than a history lesson, it reflects you and I and our relationship with God. Solomon was giving Shimei grace and allowed him to live. There were conditions. Even something innocent, such as chasing after runaway slaves, was a violation of Solomon’s order. He broke the rules. He knew.

  It’s the same with us and God. He allows us to live in His grace. Jerusalem is the Lord for us. We must stay with the Lord. If we leave, we violate the rule and consequences will take place. We can see this. This isn’t hard to grasp.

  The difficulty is with run away slaves. That seems to give us the reason to break the rules. In the 1960’s this was labeled “Situation Ethics.” The debate then surrounded the “situation” which determined the “ethics.” It was proclaimed that under certain circumstances a person may have to lie to survive. If that was the case, then lying wasn’t always wrong. This thinking included all kinds of sins. Situations determined right and wrong, not God’s word. A person could never absolutely say that something was always right or always wrong.

  The voice of Shimei reminds us that that thinking stinks. It didn’t work with Solomon and it doesn’t work with God. We need to quit playing games and understand that God says things for our good. There are reasons He tells us what He does. Our hearts lean toward the rebellious side and we want to push God’s buttons to see how much we can get away with. That’s not the spirit nor the attitude that God wants from us.

  Jesus did a similar thing with the woman caught in adultery from John 8. She was used as a means to trap Jesus. No one seemed to care about this woman, except Jesus. She was guilty and deserved to die. Fear must have raced through her veins as she was moments from being put to death. Jesus turned the guilt upon the corrupt crowd that brought her and told her to go and sin no more. Don’t leave Jerusalem. She was given life, life with a condition. Do you think she went right back home and engaged in more immoral sexual sins? I doubt it. This was life changing.

  Too many want to fuss with the rules and they don’t realize that God has allowed us to live, just don’t leave “Jerusalem.” When some of us do and we get caught we tend to get upset, first with the church, then the Bible and finally God. Why? We knew. We were the ones who left.

  Had Shimei sent someone else after the run away slaves he would have lived. Had he written them off as gone, he would have lived. The moment he left, he was on his own and guilty. Don’t leave Jerusalem. Don’t leave Jesus. Don’t leave the Bible.

   This isn’t hard, until we feel that we have to go after something outside the city.

Roger

29

Jump Start # 380

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 380

Acts 10:33 “So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

  Our passage today sets the scene for the conversion of Cornelius, a Roman soldier, a Gentile. Cornelius was a god-fearing man who loved the Lord. He prayed, gave alms but he wasn’t in Jesus Christ, he wasn’t saved. Goodness is not the same as salvation. Doing “religious acts”, including praying, reading Scriptures is not the same as salvation. God sent Peter. God had to convince Peter that a Gentile was “clean”. To do that, God gave Peter a vision of clean and unclean animals. It took three visions for Peter to fully grasp what God wanted.

  Peter connects with Cornelius. He preaches Jesus to him. Cornelius is baptized, as all people in the book of Acts who are seeking salvation. Cornelius opens the door to the Gentiles. Later, the apostle Paul would spend most of his time among the gentiles, preaching and establishing churches.

  Before Peter reached Cornelius an interesting lesson takes place. In verse 24 we read, “On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and he had called together his relatives and close friends.”  Our verse today is the words Cornelius says to Peter as they meet. What I want you to notice is the expression, “we are all here present before God to hear…”

  We are all here present before God to hear…

1. Could that be said of us? Has church services become so routine that we gather out of habit or guilt but not before God to hear. Some things must take place for a person to be ready to hear. They must have the attitude and heart to want to hear. Some are preoccupied. Their minds are elsewhere. They are thinking of work, things they have to do, day dreaming, or just in zombieland. They are there but they are not ready to hear. Others are tired. They have been up all night or chasing kids so much that they sit down, but they are not ready to hear, they are ready to sleep. It shows. God knows.

  If I am ready to hear, then I have my Bible with me. I may have some paper and a pen so I can write things down. I am focused. I am alert. I am ready. I wonder if we put too much emphasis upon the preacher and the sermon. “He better have a great one today, because I’m really tired.” Are you serious? Is that person ready to hear God’s word? If the sermon doesn’t have whistles and bells and lightning and thunder we blame the lack of attention upon the poor sermon. Some sermons are pitiful. I’ve preached enough of those to know. But there is something about the audience gathered ready to hear. There was an anticipation, an expectation and even an excitement about that.

2. Cornelius had an impact upon his relatives and friends. He invited them to come. And they came. They had never heard preaching like Peter was going to do. In fact, none of them, not even Cornelius, had heard Peter preach before. The gathering wasn’t so much to hear Peter as it was what Peter had to say. They came for the message not the messenger. Cornelius invited. The invited came. What a great influence Cornelius had and what a great lesson for us. Invite our family and friends. Invite those we know to come. We do that, but they don’t come. With Cornelius they came. Have you ever thought about that? Have you wondered why? Could it be us? Could it be the way we are inviting? Could it be the times that we live in? Could it be our friends?

  The greatest impact you will have is upon those that know you. The influence and relationships that you have upon others is powerful. They see your faith. They know you. They know your heart.

  Cornelius and his family and friends were all present to hear the word of God. Great things happen when good and honest hearts connect with the word of God. That’s what happened in Acts 10 and it still happens today.

Roger

28

Jump Start # 379

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 379

Psalms 31:23-24 “O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.”

  Our verses today come at the end of this Psalm of David. It was a 911 call to God. He states that he has been in affliction (7), known troubles (7), been in distress (9), terror is on every side (13), enemies have schemed to take away his life (13). David was scared. He was confident that God would help him and be a guide to him. He never gave up on God.

  The final verses, our passage for today, speak of a spirit of optimism and hope in God, a hope in the midst of trouble. It sounds as if David is telling this to himself first, but more so, to those who were with him. As King Saul chased David throughout the countryside, trying to kill him, David had an army with him. He was not alone. He felt responsible for them. These are words that would help those with him.

  Notice the declarations from our verse: LOVE THE LORD; BE STRONG; TAKE COURAGE; HOPE IN THE LORD. David was building up the spirits of those with him. This was more than a pep rally cry, this was faith building. There was substance behind these words. Walking with God brings this kind of hope and courage.

  We need to take these words to heart ourselves. We don’t live in optimistic times. People love to complain, point out what’s wrong and live with a dark cloud above their heads. That thinking affects the attitude, the performance and the behavior of people. More than that, it affects their faith in God. Negative living leaves us with a knowledge of God in our heads but a doubt in our hearts. We struggle with the idea that God will do anything for us. Surely not us, He doesn’t care that much about us. Not so. He does.

  The people of God ought to walk through the day with a hope that can only be found in God. A hope that holds us like an anchor. A hope that is seen by others. A hope that makes a difference. This hope is built upon the teachings of God’s word. It’s not crossed fingers and selfish wishes, but trust in the promises of God. Promises such as He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can handle. Promises such as He is coming again. Promises like the assurance of forgiveness if we follow Him. These promises make a difference. They show God cares for us, even us.

  It is easy to get excited and have a pep rally spirit but those things are all hype and never last. Some churches thrive on that. They get the crowd all excited and by the time the people get to their cars in the parking lot, it has gone away. It is external and based upon emotions. The music, the excited speaker and the mood of the hour becomes contagious. That spirit spreads through the audience. Everyone gets pumped up. The bucket is passed and people drop a bunch of money in. Everyone is on board. Let’s go. Then these people go home. The kids are fighting, there is stuff to do and you don’t feel like it and reality hits. The hip and the hype are gone. Returning is the sad and miserable spirit you had before.

  This is not what David is talking about. This is not the direction of the Bible. Faith in God will make you passionate about God but it is an internal not external thing. It is not based upon what is happening around you but what is in you, your trust and faith in God. Unlike the hype of some places, this lasts. This affects your outlook, your heart and your head.

  Places that put all the emphasis upon the externals are missing the point. Faith is built upon the word of God. More Bible not less is the answer. More preaching, more classes, more reading the Bible. Hope comes from faith…faith from the word of God.

  Love, strength, courage and hope—those are the words from our verses today. Those are the characteristics of a person walking by faith in God. Those are the words that stay, even when the storms around get darker and the outlook is gloom. God is there and faith in Him will get you through.

Roger

27

Jump Start # 378

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 378

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy”

  This powerful verse from Jude is filled with many interesting thoughts. It is found at the end of this short letter and it is addressed to God. It is God who is able to keep us from stumbling. We sing a hymn, “He is able.” The three Jewish boys thrown into the Babylonian fiery furnace knew that God was able to deliver them. He is able. Consider a few thoughts here:

 

  • We can stumble. This letter is written to Christians. Some think that once you become a Christian, that you can never “lose” it. Not so. This passage alone shows that one can stumble and be guilty (the opposite of blameless). Paul said similar things to the Corinthians and to the Galatians. Our relationship and “standing” with God is based upon our walk with Him. It is a journey. We can’t stop nor quit. To do either, will lead to stumbling.

 

  • God is able to keep us from stumbling. How? By the nature of His word. As we walk with God and please Him, we can not stumble. Peter said it this way, after listing the virtues that a Christian should add to their life, the apostle wrote, “…for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Pet 1:10).  “These things” are the characteristics that Peter wants us to develop and grow and add to our life. Becoming more spiritual and following God is the means by which we will never stumble. It’s God’s plan. It’s God’s way. It is God who keeps us.

 

  • These things will make us able to stand in His presence. What a powerful expression, to stand in the presence of God. Not to hide in fear of Him, as Adam and Eve did; nor to run from Him as Jonah did, but to stand. And how do we stand? Blameless and with great joy!

  These expressions from Jude remind us that God is working with us and for us. He wants you saved. He wants you in Heaven. He’s doing what He can to get you there. But we have to take responsibility and ownership of our own souls. And that is the problem. Too often we don’t. We don’t feed our souls the good food of God’s word. We don’t encourage and build up our souls by being in encouraging circumstances. We take care of our bodies, our minds, our pets, our homes, our kids, but our souls starve. They long to be built up. They need maintenance. They need fellowship and association with God.

  Intimacy with God is a wonderful concept that is expressed both in our song books and throughout the book of Psalms. Expressions such as, “I need Thee as a deer pants for the water” illustrate the soul’s desire for intimacy with God. Sunday church services are not enough. We need time to meditate, to grow, to talk with, and to be with God. Your soul needs it. My soul needs it. When it’s missing we tend to begin to stumble. We make choices that are not based upon the spiritual. We tend to ignore the spiritual side of things. We tend to live for now and we fail to remember God’s word.

  “To Him” as Jude addressed this verse is our help and our hope. To Him we must turn. To Him is the answer.

  Roger

24

Jump Start # 377

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 377

Psalms 119:136 “My eyes shed streams of water because they do not keep your law.”

  We continue our look at the longest chapter in the Bible. It is a beautiful expression of love and appreciation for God’s word. Without the Bible we would not know God. There is enough in us and around us to make us believe that “something” is out there, but we wouldn’t know who or what. We wouldn’t know his name, his ways, nor our relationship with him. Without God’s word we wouldn’t know what was expected. God gave us His word. It is His will, His law, His words for us. How honored we ought to be because of this.

  It is sad that so many churches today have gotten away from the Bible. They seem so interested in attracting people that they have given up the very thing that all people need the most, and that is the Bible.

  Our passage for today comes from the heart of the Psalmist. He loved God’s word. Others didn’t. He felt it was a treasure, others didn’t. He wanted to follow God’s word, others didn’t. The people he has in mind our his countrymen, fellow Jews. The law was given to Israel, not all people. Those that were to keep it was Israel. He saw that some of his own people, maybe his own family, did not keep the law. This caused him to cry. “Streams of water” were shed from his eyes. He knew that those who didn’t keep the law were not living right. To live right, or righteously, we must obey God. A person who doesn’t keep the law is not living right. Their attitudes will not be as God wants. Their worship will be corrupted. They behavior will be sinful and unrighteous. How could they do that, he felt.

  Nothing has changed. Most people today do not keep God’s word. More are interested in left and right than they are up and down. The lack of law keeping is obvious by the crimes, the broken homes, the broken hearts, the worry filled lives and the grind of living without a purpose or hope. You see it in the eyes of people. You hear it in their stories they tell, often bragging about wild weekends of disobeying God, although they don’t call it that. They know God, at least their language says so. They use “God’s name” in about every sentence. But it isn’t done in honor and glory of God, instead it is blasphemous and in vain.

  How does all of this make you feel? Have you thought about your family members who do not keep God’s law or your neighbors or your co-workers? Wouldn’t things be so much better if everyone honored God, obeyed God and used His word as the defining terms of their life? Marriages would become purer and stay together. Parents would actually be parents. Righteousness would prevail. Offensive shows, crude talk, and indecent things would gradually disappear because no one was interested in them. The followers of the Bible would prevail. Righteousness would reign. Deals could be made on a handshake and someone’s word would be as good as gold. Can you imagine?

  The tears that the Psalmist shed and that we shed ought to move us to tell others about God. It’s more than just going to church on Sunday, it’s giving your life to the one who made you. It’s realizing His way is always the best way. It’s seeing the goodness of God and caring for one another. It is learning to love His word and His way. The Bible is an awesome book! We need to let the world know that. Incredible stories, amazing feats of faith, an awesome God and a loving Savior—that’s the Bible. It has a way of stepping on our toes, lifting our broken spirits, solving our problems, and igniting a passion within us for all things right.

  You may be the instrument to reach your circle of family and friends. What can I do, you think? Talk to them about what the Bible means to you. Let them know that they are missing something. Try a simple home Bible study. Read some passages and talk about them. Share our Jump Starts with others. Pray. Pray that you will find a way. Pray that God will touch their hearts.

  A life without the Bible is a life without God. At the end of that life, we know what will happen. If they have ignored God now, He will grant them that choice and decision in the next world. Eternity without God means Hell. There is a sense of urgency about this. There is a need to tell and not give up.

  Psalms 119 is about God’s word—it needs to be our story and our life.

Roger