31

Jump Start # 529

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 529 

Romans 10:11 “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED”

  There is no disappointment in Christ. How can there be? He’s perfect. He’s the best. He’s never let us down. He has always believed in us, wanted us and shown us the best way to live. He gave so that we could live. Those who are believe in Him will not be disappointed.

  We live with disappointments. Nearly everywhere we turn we can find things that disappoint us. Some are disappointed that their favorite football team is not in the Super Bowl this year. Some are disappointed with their wages. Some are disappointed with their insurance company. Some are disappointed that they can’t find a real person to talk to when they call customer services. Some are disappointed with politicians. Some are disappointed that their favorite pizza place closed. Some are disappointed with their kids. Some are disappointed with the church they attend. Friends can disappoint us. It is easy to be disappointed and it is easy to find things that make us disappointed.

  The opposite of disappointment is satisfaction. The satisfied customer doesn’t complain. One satisfied with the meal compliments the cook. “I’m satisfied” – that’s a rare statement any more. Genesis 25:8 tells us that Abraham died an old man, satisfied with life. Abraham was satisfied. His life wasn’t easy. He had many trials and he made mistakes. His satisfaction came from trusting the Lord. By faith, Hebrews 11 tells us, Abraham obeyed God and journeyed, not knowing where God was leading him. He was satisfied.

  I have met those who were disappointed with Christ, especially His word. They were disappointed that Jesus would not allow them to do whatever they wanted. They  were disappointed that Christ makes demands. They are disappointed that the way to Heaven involves a righteous walk and a devotion to Christ. They are disappointed that they can’t live like a sinner and die like a saint. They had wrong ideas, false concepts and just too much of self in them to ever be satisfied with Christ.

  He who believes in Him will not be disappointed. Think about that statement. Let it simmer a moment in your mind.

  • Do you think anyone would be disappointed in forgiveness? Do you think the prodigal was bummed because he got to sleep in house, where sons sleep, instead of the barn, where servants sleep? Do you think he was disappointed that he got to sit at the table and eat with this Father, instead of standing behind him and filling his cup as servants do? Do you think he was disappointed that his father came out to greet him? Was he disappointed that his father ordered the sandals, robe and ring be placed upon him? Was he disappointed that his father invited him to a celebration, with a feast and music? We don’t see it, but for those who believe, we have sandals on our feet and a ring on our finger. They are the symbols of acceptance by God. Through faith we are saved in Christ Jesus. Disappointed with forgiveness? No way!

 

  • Do you think anyone would be disappointed with Heaven? Can you imagine just how beautiful Heaven will be? And think, you don’t just get to see it, you don’t just get a special tour of it, you stay. You stay there forever. His home, becomes your home. Disappointed? Are you kidding? A world that is truly problem free. Never again to take a pill. Never again to lock a door, turn on a light, be afraid, be worried or to have doubts. Heaven! The best place ever. Together with Jesus. Disappointed with Heaven? No way!

 

  • Do you think anyone would be disappointed with God’s love? God never gives up on us. He loves us more than we love Him. He wants us to spend forever with Him. He sent the best of Heaven for us. He has revealed His heart to us. He has put people in our lives to remind us, connect us, and bring us to Him. He has given us the greatest book the world has ever known—the Bible. Disappointed with God’s love? No way!

  Disappointed—No. When people are disappointed with Christ, it is because they don’t know Christ and they want a Christ that suits them and allows them to be selfish.

  Satisfied people look no further—there’s no need, they are satisfied. Those satisfied in their marriages, don’t cheat—there’s no need, they are satisfied. Those satisfied with their homes don’t put them up for sale—they are satisfied. Those satisfied with Christ look no further, there’s no need, they are satisfied.

  The one area spiritually that we are disappointed in is in ourselves. We are not as focused as we ought to be. We are disappointed that we let little things bother us so much. We are disappointed that we choose the here and now, the quick and easy, and often the wrong, over what is best. Our singing could be better. Our prayer life could be better. Our preaching could be better. Most Christians feel this way. We beat ourselves up, thinking we are spiritual losers. Don’t do that. It’s not healthy, helpful or productive. If you see areas to work on, then do it. Realize that God is not disappointed in you. He’s not given up on you. Look at expressions such as the five talent man who heard his master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” He was pleased with him. The reason we don’t give up on ourselves is because of Jesus. Christ works with us, in us and through us to be the people we should be. It’s not us, it’s Christ who makes the difference. 

 There is no disappointment in Christ—None! Is that how you feel about things?

  It’s wonderful being a Christian!

  Roger

30

Jump Start # 528

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 528 

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary”

  Doing good is the hallmark of God’s people. One of the core characteristics of Christianity is thinking of others and then engaging in helping others through good deeds. This was first done by Jesus Christ. The Gospels tell us that He went about doing good. So many people benefited from Jesus Christ. The blind were able to see, some for the very first time. The crippled were able to walk. The demon possessed where able to return to a normal life. The lepers were cured. Some even witnessed their dead coming back to life. Many received hope. Many tasted the goodness of God’s grace and were forgiven. The amount of good that Jesus did can never be fully calculated. To this day, we are still talking about it.

  Most people do good to a circle of people—first, their immediate family, and then a few friends. This is common decency of human beings. We babysit, we help others move, we loan, we share, we are there for them. Anything less than that simply isn’t being a nice person.

  Paul’s words extends that circle. The next verse shows that. In verse ten Paul says, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially those of the household of faith. All men. Not just the immediate family. Not just my close friends. All men. Neighbors, co-workers, cousins, church members, folks that don’t go to church—all people, any people, every people. Do good. That’s us, do gooders.

  There is something special about touching the life of another. We can spend a few moments doing good for someone that can have a life long effect upon that person. They can be changed, forever, by what you do. I know this, because it happened to me a long, long time ago.

  More than 33 years ago, I was just a young puppy at preaching. I was single and working with a church about an hour away from where I now live. I had less that a dozen sermons under my belt and was trying to learn all this preaching stuff from an older preacher. That church had a guest speaker one Sunday afternoon. It was the only time I met this person in my life, and I do not know if he is even alive today. He had been to Nigeria. He had slides and talked about the work being done there. I was spellbound. I had never thought about such things. I had never heard of such a thing as American preachers going overseas to preach. It was all new to me. I was totally amazed that afternoon. The guest preacher left. I couldn’t get Nigeria out of my mind. Within a week I wrote the guest preacher and asked him for the names of some native Nigerian preachers that spoke and read English. He sent me a list. Most of the names I could not pronounce. One man’s name stood out—his first name was Sunday. I liked that. I wrote Sunday. He wrote back. For more than 33 years we have been writing back and forth. I have sent him dozens and dozens of books, money and anything else that I thought would help him. I have arranged for churches to support Sunday financially. Through Sunday, he has introduced me to many other Nigerian preachers. We have written and I have found ways to help them the best I could. One even named his son after me. I have never been to Nigeria. I tried to go twice but political unrest over there made the trips impossible. Sunday is an old man now. We still write. He has thanked me beyond measure for what I have done through the years. He doesn’t understand that it’s not me, it was some guest preacher a long, long time ago that touched the heart of a very young preacher. Someone opened my eyes and touched my heart. That person did good to me. I never thought that one Sunday afternoon lesson about a far away place called Nigeria would change my life for ever. I never dreamed I would devote all that I have through the years to a people and a place I knew so little about. One Sunday afternoon changed me forever!

  The way things are looking, I probably will never meet Sunday in this world. We have shared pictures with each other. We’ve grown to know and love each other. It doesn’t bother me anymore that we won’t see each other face to face, because I know we’ll meet in the next world. We’ll have a lot to talk about.

 I share this with you, not to boast about what I have done, for it’s really not much, but to illustrate to you that the good you do can change the lives of others. I know as parents we get weary. Keep doing good. I know for some Christians, it seems that you are always inviting folks to your home, you are always teaching classes, making food for others, helping others out. It’d be nice to get a break, but you keep doing it. You get tired. Some things can get costly. But deep down in your heart, you realize that you are doing good. You are making a difference to the life of someone else. Our passage says, “let us not lose heart…” That means, do not get discouraged. Don’t stop. Don’t ever quit. Some won’t thank you. Some may not appreciate it. Some may think you are doing this for a false motive. You know. God knows. And somewhere along the line, you will probably touch a heart that may make a difference for ever. You may never know about it—but it’s there. Most preachers would admit that one reason they decided to preach was that they were influenced in a positive way by an older preacher along the way. That’s just the way these things work.

  That good that you do may continue on and touch others that you will never know about. The good that you do can cross the globe to far away places. So don’t get weary. Don’t give up. The letters you write…the bulletins you mail to others…the sermon CD’s that you pass along…even these Jump Starts that you email to others…are doing good and they may go far beyond what you ever know or realize.

  Did I ever tell that guest preacher from long ago what he did to me and what I have been able to do because of his influence? No. I never did. I probably should have. God knows. Out there somewhere is a young preacher…a sweet teenager…a new couple…a new parent that can use your good. They need your help. You are the very one that can make a difference. Your example can change their lives forever. The good you do can lead someone else to doing a lifetime of good for others.

  It happened once, and I know it can happen again.

  Let us not lose heart in doing good…

  Roger

27

Jump Start # 527

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 527

John 4:35 “Do not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

  The setting of this passage defines the urgency of Jesus and the dedication He maintained to His purpose and mission. His disciples urged Him to eat (v. 31). That shows that they were looking out for Him. Jesus replied, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples were thinking and talking physical food and Jesus was thinking and talking spiritual food. Our verse follows shortly after this.

  Jesus pulled illustrations from the natural world on a regular basis. The farmer who plants must be patient. He can’t hurry up the process. So while the farmer waits for the harvest, he must do other things or else just sit around and wait. Idle time. Lost time. The harvest Jesus has in mind is the work that He came to do. He came to seek and save the lost. There was no time for sitting around. Have you ever realized how busy Jesus was in those three years of His ministry? No vacations. No chilling out. When He did get away from the crowds, He was connecting with the disciples or more often praying intense prayers to His Father. Busy Jesus. Not wasted time. For Jesus, it was harvest time.

  That is the thrust of this passage. If the disciples could only see what Jesus saw. He saw that it was harvest time—the busy season for the farmer. Lift your eyes…open your eyes and look. There were things to be done right then. There was work that needed their attention. Jesus had lessons to teach and people to heal. It was harvest time—a busy time.

  Open eyes became a practical lesson in our home when my kids were smaller. My wife and I had gone out for the evening, and when we returned the kids were in front of the TV where we had left them. I was a little disgusted with that and asked them why they didn’t help out around the house. Their response, so typical, was “you didn’t tell us.” I then stood them up and told them to look around and tell me what they saw. There were clean dishes that could be put away, toys on the floor that could be picked up and several things like that. That is when I told them to “have open eyes.” Don’t wait to be told, use your eyes and see what needs to be done. The next time we went out, we returned and they proudly announced that they had “Open eyes” and they showed us what all they had done.

  Open eyes…I’ve noticed many disciples today have trouble with that. Ask someone to do a job and they will do it, but for some reason they don’t have open eyes to see it.

  Jesus practiced “Open eyes.” When the bent over woman came into the synagogue, Jesus saw her. I’m certain others noticed her. Some may have complained about her, however it was Jesus who SAW her.

  I wonder how many bent over people I notice every day, but I fail to see them. Bent over with problems…bent over with pain…bent over with family issues…bent over with worry…bent over with sin. They assemble in our church buildings, often looking for help for their souls, hoping someone will connect and speak with them. They are noticed, but how few are SEEN. They work beside us. Often they spill their souls of stories of dysfunction and heartache, and we hear them but we fail to LISTEN to them. They are our neighbors. They are our children. The world is full of bent over people.

  We often sit in Bible classrooms discussing how to reach people with the gospel of Jesus. The preacher proudly presents some flashy multi-colored flyers that he worked on and tells everyone to take a stack of them and pass them out. Little good comes from the effort. Little change takes place. In another six months, there will be another class and another idea floated. What’s needed is not more color on the flyers, another method, a better plan, more ideas, more time spent in the huddle—NO. What is needed is OPEN EYES. Lift up your eyes and look…

  I hear disciples complaining that no one is interested in the gospel today. That it’s not like the 60’s. LIFT UP YOUR EYES—methods change, people are the same. Hurting people are looking for answers. They are looking for hope. They need Jesus. They are there. They are right beside you, we just have to LIFT UP OUR EYES.

  Instead of pamphlets, people need us. They need us to spend time listening, answering and helping them. It’s harvest time. It’s the busiest time of the year. There’s no time to spend being lazy. The Devil is working overtime. God needs us. The harvest is ready.

  Leaving a pamphlet on someone’s desk or door step doesn’t take much faith on our part. Talking with them does. Asking them how things are going does. Looking and listening does. Building trust and relationships and connecting does. Harvest is busy time.

  I wonder how many bent over people you’ll see today? They are there. Jesus saw them.

  LIFT UP YOUR EYES…

Roger

26

Jump Start # 526

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 526 

Psalms 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

  The beginning Psalms makes a contrast between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, he does not stand in the path of sinners nor does he sit in the seat of scoffers. His habits, his journey, the company he keeps, and his way of life is different. He is set to please the Lord.

  Our verse brings several wonderful lessons for us. First, we must remember that the law referred to in our verse was actually the law—the law of Moses. Most of the prophets had not been written yet. This was before the Gospels, the New Testament and the wonderful lessons of the compassion and grace of Jesus. The Law—the commandments, the many rules and instructions for ancient Israel is what the person in this passage had. It is all that he had. It is the section of the Bible that many today feel is tedious, slow and cumbersome. For the righteous man in our passage, that was his Bible. We are blessed to have the entire picture. We have it all before us.

  The righteous man delighted in the law. He loved the law. He came to understand the law, follow the law and keep the law. The law was his companion. What a wonderful relationship this righteous person had with God’s word. I wonder if we feel the same about the word of God. Most know that we need it and that it is important, but to say that we “delight” in it, well, that might be going a bit far for some. It shouldn’t. What a wonderful book the Bible is. It does so much for us. It answers questions, strengthens our soul, calms our hearts, reminds us of our purpose and place and puts before us the very heart of our God. That is amazing!

  The righteous man in our passage meditated upon the law day and night. It ran through his mind often. I expect that helped him stay righteous. When we forget God’s word, we tend to get into things we shouldn’t. Our lives get messy when we distance ourselves from the word of God. Meditate is planned and purposed. It’s not the same as dreaming. We go to sleep and can wake up with the craziest dreams that make no sense at all. We can’t control those thoughts. Meditation is purposed, planned and thought out. It is thinking about God’s word.

  Meditate day and night…what do you think about before you go to sleep? We fall into bed exhausted and sometimes it’s hard to slow the mind down. It’s still running full steam. Some float off day dreaming—wondering what it would be like to be rich or famous. Others replay the day, thinking about all that was done. Others think about the next day and all that they have to do. Now, how do I know this? Read an article on what people think about before they go to sleep? Seen a study on this? No, these are things I have done. Sometimes my mind is writing a sermon. Sometimes I’m thinking about my next Jump Start. Sometimes it’s a movie I’ve just seen. Thinking about God’s word, meditating upon it, can help our character, grow our faith and make us, make me, a better person.

  It’s easier for me to think about the Gospels than it is Romans. I can see Jesus calling the bent over woman to come to him before He healed her. I can see the woman with the issue of blood, in the midst of a huge crowd, working her way up to Jesus and touching Him from behind and then the Lord turning and seeing her. I can see Zaccheus sitting in that tree and the Lord standing right below talking to him. Those are great lessons. They allow us to see Jesus and His love and compassion. They take us there and we can sense what those people went through. We see the courage and the faith they had to overcome fears and ridicule from others.

  I wonder if we thought about those things more, if we would be in better moods and have better attitudes. I wonder if they would help us see the world differently. I wonder if our next day would be better because of what we thought about the night before.

  We choose what we want to think about. Filling the mind with thoughts that do not matter, or worse, that tend to be lustful, materialistic and worldly will not help us be the person that God wants. A basic rewiring of our heads can do us all a lot of good. Deciding to think about God’s word, God’s people, God’s way, or God Himself has to have a positive impact upon us.

  One of my favorite thoughts is to imagine the first five minutes in Heaven. The view, the people, the splendor, the singing, and of course, the Lord. Give that some thought before you go to bed. Better yet, read the last couple of chapters of Revelation, to get a clear and accurate picture of Heaven in your mind and then start your meditating. You’ll fall asleep wishing you were there.

  Someday, that will be true!

  Roger

25

Jump Start # 525

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 525

Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” 

  Our verse today is found in the setting of several parables about the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is describing and defining different aspects of the spiritual nature of His kingdom to an audience who thought the kingdom was going to be physical like David’s was of the Old Testament. Jesus doesn’t tell about horses, or armies, or generals, or campaigns, or fortresses, instead He describes the influence, the growth and the value of His kingdom.

  Our verse hints at the concept of truth, of which is the foundation of Christ’s kingdom. Back in Biblical times, it was not unusual for a person to bury treasure in a field. Today, we’d put it in the bank. Banks were not institutions like we know them today. They were not insured and the common man didn’t have access to them. In the parable of the talents, the one talent man buried his talent in the field.

  Citizens did that to protect their treasures. This parable has a man  who waking across a field. He stumbles upon this buried treasure. It’s worth is great. He goes and purchases the field so the treasure becomes his. He didn’t steal it, he bought it. This echoes the Proverb that says, “Buy truth and sell it not.”

  The treasure he found was truth, the truth. The kingdom of Heaven is like this, Jesus says. A person comes to the word of God and they discover that it is right and life changing. He gives his all to possess it. For us, it is the total surrender of our will to embrace His will. We give up our sinful ways. We give up trying to be big shots. We give up our independence. We give up running the show. We surrender our self to Him.

  The treasure is not impossible to find. It’s there if a person looks for it. For those who are not interested, they will walk right past it. For those who do not ever want to change, they won’t see it. But for those who realize that there must be more to life than this, they will find it. For those who are seeking God, they will stumble upon it.

  This life changing treasure is something that we want to keep all of our life. One of the saddest things to witness is a person who comes to this treasure and later leaves it. What are they going to exchange for it? What have they found that is better than this? Of course, the answer is nothing. There is nothing. They walk away thinking and believing that they can get along fine without this treasure. It seems to work for a while. They are content, happy and getting along just fine. But things start falling apart, they always do. Without God’s word governing your life, you tend to drift toward sinfulness and selfishness. It erodes relationships and tarnishes your attitude. It is most evident at the end of life, when a person who has lived without Christ comes crashing to that dead end and they cast into eternity without God.

  What a blessing it is to walk with God’s word as our guide, compass and friend. Passages become well known and very practical after years of use. They comfort us. They help us. They remind us. They kick us in the pants. They lead us to be a greater person and they build a marvelous relationship with the Lord.

  God’s word works. It changes us, molds us and shapes us. Let the word work on your heart. Think about it. They it simmer in your mind and heart. See the goodness of Jesus and the power of the Lord. See the righteous ways that He want us to walk in. See that the best marriage is based upon God’s word. The best attitudes are those shaped by God. The best life is life following God.

  It is easy midweek to be so busy with life that this treasure is stuffed away somewhere. School, work and schedules can make us weary, stressed and forgetful that we have a treasure that belongs to us—it is God’s marvelous word.

  We travel life, not without a guide nor a direction—it is God’s word. How thankful we ought to be. How blessed we are to gather with other believers and study that word and to share insights that will help us even more. That is the beauty of Bible study.  Make that a part of your life, it will help you.

  We indeed are a rich people, who have found the treasure of Heaven.

Roger