30

Jump Start # 487

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

Jump Start # 487

Genesis 2:19-20 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

  I’ve been thinking about Adam lately. Not sure why, but he’s been on my mind. I mostly have been thinking about how God made him. Not the physics, biology, chemistry, bone structure, tissue and organ sort of way, rather, how functional and suitable and intelligent he was. I don’t know if we have given that much thought. Adam was amazing in what he knew and could do. He wasn’t a cave man that pulled Eve by the hair to some cave where they grunted at each other all day. Adam wasn’t the early version of the Flintstones. The way he came was a reflection of God, as is all of God’s creation.

  First, remember that Adam had no teacher other than God. How did he know how to make a fire? How did he know what to eat? If you never saw a banana before and if you never saw someone eat a banana before, you might stick the whole thing in your mouth and eat the peel and all. How would you know? God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. That means having babies. How would they know how to take care of a baby? By Genesis 4 we read of people who are forgers of bronze and iron implements. I don’t think I could do that. Early man was smart. He knew.

  Second, Adam named all the animals. Our passage says, whatever he called it that was it’s name. Where did the name “cattle” come from, which is found in our passage? Adam. What about the other animals? Adam. Naming the animals is a far cry from a grunt. Adam could express himself. He was really smart.

  Third, the impression from Genesis three is that God walked in the garden with Adam. They had a special relationship. They must have talked. He knew God. He knew how to communicate. He understood God’s law. When God spoke of trees and middle of the garden and fruit, Adam understood all those things. He understood. He knew.

  What God makes is functional, equipped and sufficient for the purpose God intended. Adam could survive well in the garden. It wasn’t a Survivor show where he was running for his life, jumping over deadly things and barely escaping. Not at all. He had the know how, the means to live a life what would bring joy, peace and satisfaction to him. That’s the way God made him.

  The same could be said of other things God has made. Everything God makes is a reflection of God, good, right and holy. The Bible’s that way. It’s the message we need to get us to Christ. It’s the map to follow to take us to Heaven. We don’t need anything else. What God gives is capable of doing what it is intended.

  The same could be said of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His blood cleansed us. We don’t have a need for other sacrifices or for Christ to die again for us. It fulfilled exactly what God intended.

  Couldn’t the same be said about the church as God designed it? It is capable of doing exactly what God intended. It is capable of encouraging, teaching, and preparing souls for Heaven. You’d think some don’t believe that today. They add things to the church that you never read about in the Bible—ways to attract people…ways to keep people…ways to motivate people. Yet none of those ways were used by the apostles. Is the church capable of doing what God wanted it to do? Did God make the church fully functional? Do we believe that?

  Couldn’t the same be said about you and me? God made us in such a way that we can find Him, we can please Him and yes, we can spend forever with Him. God made us that way. Everything He made reflects Him. We are made good, not evil. We are made to serve, not be selfish. We are made to connect to others, not be isolated. We are made to want Him. That’s how we are.

  Adam was a sharp cookie. He was God’s first and in many ways perfect creation. He didn’t inherit a cowlick, big nose, bad teeth, or carry the baggage of dysfunction as most of us do. He started right, pure and ready to go. I expect his IQ was off the charts. Why not, he was not just made by God, he was God’s first. He didn’t have brothers or sisters to deal with. He didn’t have in-laws or out-laws. Just he and Eve at first. And of course, God. God was always there.

  All of this comes down to the idea that God had a plan and a purpose. The created world helped serve that purpose. The animals filled a place in that purpose. You and I are a part of that purpose. He made us the way we are to fulfill His plans. Why are some of us male and others female? God had a purpose in mind. Why are some artsy and others analytical? God had a plan. Some work best with their hands, others are dreamers and planners. Some are outgoing and others shy. Some can stand before a crowd and others would never do that. Why is all that, that way? God had plans. Everything He makes, reflects Him. Everything is made to do what He wants. And what He wants most of all is for you and I to follow Him, love Him, obey Him, and spend forever with Him in His home.

  We see that, all the way back to Adam, a long, long time ago.

Roger

29

Jump Start # 486

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

Jump Start # 486 

Ecclesiastes 12:12 “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” 

  Books—if only Solomon could have seen ahead to our world I wonder what he would have thought. Books are found on every subject and in every size. There are old books and every year a crop of brand new books. It seems every politician has a book about his life and every famous singer and every athlete has a book about how they became famous. Books, books, books. They now come audio so you can listen to them, they come electronically so you can read them on the go.

  Our verse follows Solomon’s thoughts about the words of wise men. They had been collected and read and studied. There must have been many of those books. The costs of ancient books was very expensive, being hand made, and a luxury only the affluent could afford. We remember in the N.T., that the Ethiopian treasurer had a private copy of Isaiah that he was reading when Philip met him and preached Jesus to him. How rare it must have been to have your own copy. I doubt that Philip had his own copy. Books back then were scrolls. Large, tedious and cumbersome to handle. Books of the Bible did not come with chapter numbers or verse numbers which we have known all of our lives.

  There will always be books. There will always be books to read. My dad has a lot of books. His coffee table looks like a doctor’s office with all the magazines he takes. I grew up in a home where reading and knowledge and information was welcomed. I have come to love books. I now have grown children who have their own private collection of books which is very impressive. The presence of books begs someone to pick them up and read them. This is the focus of Solomon’s thoughts in our verse. There is so much to read. There are so many books.

  Everyday we have so much to read, including these Jump Starts, the daily newspaper, work related items, emails, text messages, and we haven’t even gotten to the “BOOKS” yet. Some read for pleasure. Some read to be informed. Some read to learn. Some read to improve. Many reasons to read and many choices to fill those needs.

  There are many books on the market about marriage, communication, parenting, leadership, character development, church—most of which are very helpful and good. There are many, many books about the Bible. So many, it is easy for a person to spend his days reading about the Bible, instead of actually reading THE Bible. Commentaries, word studies, histories, all have a place in learning more about God’s word.

  Here’s what I’ve found after a lifetime of reading. Books written by men are good. I have read enough about certain subjects that I find factual mistakes in some books. These are not just typos, but wrong people named at the wrong places. Someone didn’t do their homework. I have found that some books are good for the moment, but another comes along and it seems to be better than the last one. If you read books about marriage and relationships that were written in the 1950’s and you read current books on the same topic, you’d be amazed at the differences. Wow!

  Nothing beats the Bible. Nothing. First, it’s from God. Everything else is from man. Everything man writes must be taken with a grain of salt. It may be right and it may not. God’s book, the Bible is enduring. It has always been right. Nothing helps like the Bible.

  Some find the Bible hard to read. It’s not a novel that is written to grab your emotions and take them on a journey. That’s not the intention of the Bible. Read the death of Jesus. Facts. No embellishing. No stringing out of the emotions. God tells us what happened.

  The Bible needs to be read. Take a day in the Life of Jesus. Read a simple event. Notice questions that are asked. Pay attention to the reactions of the crowds. See the difference in how Jesus sees people and how His disciples see the same people. Be impressed with the compassion and power of your Savior. The Romans were told that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Reading the Bible feeds your faith. The Bible has a way of working on your conscience like no other book can. The Hebrews were told that God’s word is living and active and sharper than a two edged sword. A few verses every day makes a difference. Chew on those verses. Let them simmer in your head a while. Ask why? I wonder why Jesus did that? Why did God do that? Think. Connect with other verses. This is how people become strong Christians. It’s not where they sit in the church buildings, it’s God’s word sitting in their hearts. They have become a people of the book. They know the book, and they have come to know the author.

  Do you have a favorite verse? How about a favorite book of the Bible? Have you come to know and feel comfortable with the Bible? After a while, it’s like sitting with an old friend. You have read the pages so many times that you know the story, but somehow each time, you look at it with fresh eyes and you find something new. It amazes you. You become impressed. It affects your thinking and your life. That’s what your Bible can do. No other book can do this.  Living without the Bible is like going through life with your eyes closed. You miss out. You miss big things. You can’t function.

  A couple of old quotes about the Bible:

1. If you carry the Bible when you are young, it will carry you when you are old.

2. The Bible that is worn and falling apart belongs to someone whose life is not.

 Books—don’t forget the greatest book of all, the Bible.

Roger

28

Jump Start # 485

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

Jump Start # 485

Matthew 16:21 “Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!”

  Poor Peter. He meant well. He loved the Lord and was trying to be optimistic and encouraging but without realizing it, He was standing in the very way of what Jesus came to do.

  Jesus had just told the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed and then on the third day be raised up. This was too much for Peter. He didn’t like hearing these things. Little did He realize that this was God’s plan. God was not going to forbid it. Jesus Himself would pray in the garden to “let this cup pass from Me,” but that was not the will of God. God so loved that He gave—that was the purpose and that was the plan.

  It has always amazed me that Peter “rebuked” Jesus. The word “rebuke” is a strong word. It is a word of correction. You use that word not when someone is right, but when they are wrong. Paul included this word when he told Timothy to preach the word. He was to reprove, REBUKE and exhort brethren with God’s word. The word of God will correct a person—IF THEY ARE IN THE WRONG. Jesus wasn’t.

  It’s interesting that often those who are in the right receive rebukes and correction. A parent tries to discipline their child and the child lashes out at the parent. Who is in the wrong? A cop pulls over a speeding car and the driver, who is in the wrong, gives the police a stream of harsh and unkind words.

  Sometimes a parent may be wrong. Sometimes the police fumble the ball. But not Jesus. Not once. He never had to apologize. He never misstated His words. He never had a mental lapse. He never lost His cool. He never went too far, over the edge, or was in the wrong. Never! Hebrews tells us that He was tempted as we are, YET without sin. He was always right. Even when He told Peter and the others that He was going to die and be raised.

  I also find it interesting that some folks are more interested in correcting others than they are themselves. They always seem to know what the other person ought to do, and not only do they know, they have to tell. They often tell people not involved. They just love to “fix” the problems of others, run the lives of others, and generally, let everyone know that life would be much easier if everyone did things their way. Do you know anyone like that? I do. It’s hard being around them. Sometimes parents of adult children act this way. We have a hard time cutting the strings and letting them live their own lives. The role of parents to grown children changes with age. You no longer control, nor tell them what to do. That worked well when they were five, but when they are thirty-five, it bombs. The role shifts from deciding their life to merely advising their life and they may not like your advice any longer.

  Peter rebuke the perfect Jesus. He didn’t like what he heard from Jesus, so he felt compelled to correct Jesus. Peter missed it. He was so far off, that the Lord would say, “Get behind me, Satan!” What Peter suggested is what Satan wanted. Satan did not want Jesus on the cross. The cross crushes Satan and it atones for sin, once for all. Satan tried to get Jesus to by-pass the cross at the temptations. He offered Him all the kingdoms of the world, just bow to Satan. Peter was acting more like Satan than he was a disciple. The one who rebuked got rebuked. Peter was wrong, Jesus was right.

  We don’t tell God what to do. We don’t blame God. We don’t try to stop what God wills. Peter would learn. It took a while. The same goes for us. Sometimes it takes us a while to grasp what God’s will is and our role in those things. When we do, we learn that God thinks higher, better and sees farther out than we do. That’s just the way God is.

  God has a plan for you. Do you know that? Are you working with God on that or are you fighting God, trying to go your own way and do things your own way? God was patient with Peter. He’s also patient with us. God knows what He is doing and He is NEVER wrong. Never.

Roger

25

Jump Start # 484

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 484

 

1 John 2:2 “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also those of the whole world.”

  Today is known as “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day of the year. Some were at the stores very early this morning while the rest of us stayed in bed. It is the time for bargains and deals that cannot be found the rest of the year. I’m not sure if I’d get out of bed at three in the morning to go to a store even if the price was free. There was a time when I would, but not any more.

  There is another black Friday that is much more important to me. It has nothing to do with stores, shopping or presents. It’s about Jesus. Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday morning. The Gospels are specific about that. He spent three days in the tomb. That calculating has been hard for some to figure out. They feel that three days means three full or complete days. Jesus was in the tomb on Sunday, not much, but He was in the tomb on Sunday. He was in the tomb all day on Saturday. That’s two days. He was crucified and buried on Friday. He wasn’t in the grave all day, but He was in the grave on Friday. Friday– Saturday-Sunday. Three days. I rented a car awhile back. It was in the late evening when I picked the car up. It was on a Thursday. I returned the car early on Saturday morning. Guess how many days I was charged? Three. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

  Jesus was buried on Friday, black Friday. It was on that day that the sky grew dark. The earth shook. Some of the graves were opened and the dead were raised. It was a most unusual day. It was the day that God turned His back on Jesus. It was the day that the price was paid for our sins. The real black Friday is about Jesus.

  Our passage reminds us that Jesus’ death was the propitiation of our sins. That’s a fancy word that isn’t used much. It means “satisfaction.” It meant the debt was paid. It meant God was satisfied. Nothing more was required. Nothing more was needed. The death of Jesus was completely what we needed.

  In Hebrews we are told that the blood of bulls and goats wasn’t enough. That’s what ancient Israel had under the O.T. system. Every year, another lamb. Every year, do it again. It was never enough where God would say, “enough, no more.” Animal blood just wasn’t enough. But the blood of the perfect Jesus was different. It was enough. He doesn’t need to come again and do it again. It was enough.

  We sing an old hymn that says, “There’s power in the blood…power in the blood.” And it’s true. There is power in His blood. Power to cleanse not some of us, but all of us, of all time. The worst among us, and those that don’t seem so bad. We all need that blood. We all need to be cleansed. There are few things, if any, that works for all generations. How my grandma washed clothes doesn’t work in this generation. How folks got their news back in the Roman days doesn’t work today. We build buildings differently. We cook food differently. We talk differently. We do just about everything differently, except one thing. We all still need that blood of Jesus to be right with God. That blood still works. It works just as well today as it did for the jailer who heard Paul preach. It works just as well today as it did along ago in Europe. It still works. Amazing!

  I doubt the stuff bought on this black Friday will still be working in ten years, but the blood of Jesus will be. We are so different than people in third world countries. We are so different than people in the fifth century. Yet that same blood of Jesus worked on them as it does on us. That’s amazing!

  Be thankful for that first black Friday long ago. It truly changed the world and it can change your family destiny.

  Another old hymn asks, “Are you washed in the blood?” Great question. What’s your answer?

Roger

23

Jump Start # 483

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 483

Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”

  This endearing passage of Paul connects three wonderful principles and thoughts together. The Philippian church meant a lot to Paul. They had been there for him in many ways, including financially, especially when others should have but didn’t. Paul didn’t forget. He loved those people and they loved him. And through this verse we learn the value of three great principles. 

  First, it is important to remember others. Our busy schedules don’t afford us much time to do that and as a result we miss out. This is more than just memory lane, it was connecting in spirit to people who made a difference. It’s one thing to remember a kid in the third grade, a long time ago. Maybe you never kept in contact. Maybe you don’t even remember his name anymore. This is not what was going on with Paul. He was remembering a people, a church, that helped him, stood with him and supported him. There was a spiritual connection, a fellowship. These people made a different in Paul’s life.

  Each of us can do that. There has been people who have helped us, encouraged us, taught us and maybe even kicked us in the pants when  we needed it. We remember them. For many of us, we would not be where we are had it not been for those people. I remember people who allowed me to preach when I wasn’t very good. In fact, it was worse than that, it was pitiful. They gave me chance after chance. They encouraged me. They told me to keep trying. Today, I owe so much to those people. Do you remember such in your life? Maybe it was the sweet older Christian, who always smiled when your eyes connected. Maybe it was that one person who stayed and stayed and allowed you to talk and talk and talk. And you did. And it didn’t seem to bother them. Do you remember the person who helped you know the Lord better? Or the person who gave you a chance to teach Bible class? Paul is connecting with those who made a difference.

  The second principle is that Paul was thankful. His remembering made him thankful. These were not bitter memories or old wounds he opened up. Instead, they were precious memories, as we sing that song. Thankful for those people. Thankful they did what they did. Thankful  for their generosity. Thankful for their kindness. Thankful for their time.  Remembering, made Paul thankful.

  Thirdly, Paul was thankful to God. Paul realized that these people were servants of Christ, only doing what all Christians ought to do.  He didn’t thank them first, he thanked God first. It was God who put them together. It was God who allowed their paths to cross. It was God who  put the helpers with those in need. God does that. He’s still doing that today. Remembering made Paul thankful, thankful to God. That should work the same with us. Remember how others have made a difference in our lives ought to make us thankful to God. This is one of the many ways God helps and encourages us—through the lives of others.

  This morning I go to preach the funeral of a friend. I’m honored to call him my friend. We didn’t know each other very long, about four years and there were light years between us, he died at the age of 96, but his kind spirit and gentle ways and soft smiles were always welcome to me. Looking at his body today, brought a tear to my eye. He was dressed in one of his newest suits. He always dressed nice. Under his hands was His Bible. On the top of his hands, his hat. He looked as if he was ready to go to services. This is how I remember him. I thank my God for Rex. He was special. He is now off to the greatest service of all, with all the righteous before the King. The angels will be there. The host of Heaven will be there. He loved the Lord and was a Christian for 83 years, since he was 13 years old. Amazing! Impressive! I wish I knew him longer. I wish I knew him when he was younger. But I am thankful that our paths crossed.

  Thank you, Lord. Thank you, for Rex.

Roger