29

Jump Start # 550

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 550

Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

  This Psalm, like others, makes a shift from talking ABOUT God to God talking to the Psalmist. This chapter illustrates the power and activity of God, especially in calamity. The mountains slip into the sea, our Jump Start yesterday, from verses 1-2, yet God is our refuge and we will not fear. God makes wars cease (9); He “wrought desolations in the earth” (8). He raised His voice and the earth melted (6). God is with us. God is our refuge, our stronghold, our present help. Wonderful expressions from this chapter.

  Cease striving is translated “Be still” in other versions. It’s as if God is placing His finger to His lips and telling us to “hush.” “Be still.” “Cease striving.” Sit down. I like the “be still.” I need that. We all probably need that. We are a busy people. Often too busy with too many irons in the fire to do much good anywhere. We don’t have time to sit on the back deck with friends. We don’t have time to visit. Our prayer life suffers because we are busy. Worship is often quick and short. Going here, going there. In all this busyness, we can rush right by the most important, and that is God. Be still and know that I am God.

  Well, I know that He is God. I’ve known that for a long time. That’s not the point here. It’s not a matter of convincing someone about God—it’s recognizing God, everyday, in my life. He’s there. My busy life can take my eyes off of God and off of the eternal. We can be so tied up with the here and now and the right and the left that we forget that there is an up and a down.

  Be still…Sit down…turn the TV off…put the phone and the other gadgets in other room. You’ll live. You don’t have to see that text message this second. You don’t have to read the email as soon as it hits your inbox. It’s ok, you’ll live. Turn off the music. Take a breath. Now think about God. Think about His holiness. Think about what He wants from you. He has a plan for you, what is it? Think about what God likes…things like truth, goodness, His church, His word, you. Yes, God likes you. Let your mind dwell upon what is good, holy, pure.

  Even during church services, while singing a song about God, our minds are racing. Be still. Slow down. Cease striving. Look upward. Look inward. Look outward. Look backward to the cross. It may be that we have gotten too busy for God. When that happens we are just too busy. Too busy to pray? I hope not. Too busy to read His word? Don’t let that happen. To busy to assemble for worship? No, surely not.

  Be still is not so much about sitting down as it is being calm on the inside. Fear, worry, disappointment and sin can create so much uneasiness in us that we are overcome by those things. Be still is the answer. Jesus came to give peace, a peace unlike the world. A peace that starts inside and works its way out. Calm hearts in the midst of a fractured world. Hearts that are not striving in a world of strife.

 Be still and know that I am God. I am on the throne. I am in charge. I am able to do all things. Be still and know that. Be still and quit trying to solve things without Me. Be still and stop trying to live without Me. Be still and know that I AM.

  I need that reminder. I need that peace. I need that God. Some folks call this “quiet time” with God. I think that idea comes from passages like this. Be still time. Time to recognize God. Time to reflect upon God. Time for God.

  Make an appointment for you and God. Nothing interrupts that appointment. Keep that appointment. Be still…and know God.

Roger

28

Jump Start # 549

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 549 

Psalms 46:1-2 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we shall not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea” 

  This is a great passage to remember. It reminds us of what we know but often forget when things are tough in our life. This Psalm was written by the sons of Korah. The story behind this passage is not known. Their world was upside down, but in God they found help.

  Notice four simple principles here:

  • God is. That is similar to God declaring, “I Am.” I Am is His name. God is, is what He is. We know God by what He is. He is good. He is holy. He is righteous. And as our passage indicates, He is help. That’s good to know. We can’t say that often. Some of us are going to be, but we are not yet. When you grow up, we are asked as a child, what are you going to be? I like what one child said when asked that, “Well, I’m going to be me!” Some of us used to be. Age has caught up with us and we are not as strong as we once were. We can not do what we once did. A dear preaching friend of mine who is in his eighties, tells me that he can’t recall passages as he once did. Then there are areas that we will never be. We can never be God. We can never be everywhere. God is. The God is that the sons of Korah recognized is still the God that is for you and I. Nothing has changed with Him.

 

  • God is a refuge. God is protection. God is shelter. Refuge is a place folks run to in a storm. On the golf course, when a thunder storm pops up, golfers will go to the club house, it is a place of refuge. In the O.T. God provided six cities of refuge. If a person accidently killed someone they could flee to one of those cities. The families of the deceased person could not seek revenge if a person was in one of those cities. God is our storm shelter. God is where we go when things are bad. Who else can help but God? Who else understands better than God. God is safety. God is care. You’ll note the passage doesn’t just declare that God is a refuge, but God is OUR refuge. He’s the place to turn to, He’s the place we go to, He’s the one that is there for us. When enemies came upon the people of Israel, it was God that they turned to. He was their refuge. The same goes for us. When the marriage crumbles, go to God. When health problems arise, go to God. When the child becomes a prodigal and won’t come home, go to God. He is refuge. He is help. He is.

 

  • We shall not fear. Our God is a present help. Fear cripples us and makes it difficult to move on. Fear defeats and conquers us. Folks that are afraid of flying will avoid airports at all costs. They’ll drive. People that are afraid of elevators, will take the stairs. Fear mounts when the doctor says, “Cancer,” or, the bill collectors call, or the company lays you off, or, when someone dear to you says, “I no longer love you.”  What happens next? How will we get through this? What will we do? I don’t think we can go on. That’s the language of fear. The greater the fear, the less the faith. The greater the faith, the less the fear. Jesus told the disciples to “pray at all times and not lose heart” (Lk 18:1). He told the disciples, “Fear not, I am with you.” We shall not fear, the passage tells us. How can that happen? Because God is and because God is our refuge. God can do what others can’t.

 

  • Finally, unbelievable things can happen. The passage talks about the changing of the earth, the mountains slipping into the sea. Just think about that for a moment. We can think about California mud slides, where huge sections of earth crash in the sea below. I don’t think mud slides is what is intended here. If a mountain slipped into the sea, there would be such an earth quake that it would generate massive devastation, panic and fear. This may have happened when God caused the flood. Prophetically, God used the image of falling stars and the darkening of the sun to describe the crashing of a nation. When Jesus died, graves were opened, there was an earthquake and the heavy curtain in the temple was ripped in two. Again, I don’t think the writer is looking to a specific in history, as much as he is describing a worst case scenario. It’s not a thunderstorm. It’s more than a heavy snow. It was mountains crashing into the sea. Some understand this. You’ve walked away from the cemetery after burying your mate. You’ve left the courthouse with a divorce paper in your hand. You’ve got to a prison to visit your child. Those things aren’t supposed to  happen, but they do. Your world has changed. Mountains have slipped into the sea. It’s the worst things you could have ever imagined.

  God is our refuge, we shall not fear. How do you go on? With God. What’s the next step? Take it with God. How do I face another tomorrow? With God. God is. God is our refuge. God is our refuge, we shall not fear. When your mountains crash into the sea, you especially need God. That is the time, of all times, to go to worship, to go to prayer, to seek God’s people, to turn to His word. So often, we do just the opposite. We stay home. We bury ourselves under the blankets of our bed. We isolate. We disconnect. We tremble and fear. It’s hard to get out and go to God. You often don’t feel like it. You may have to force yourself.

  God is…God is for you! Are you for Him? Even when your mountains have crashed into the sea?

  Roger

27

Jump Start # 548

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

Jump Start # 548 

Job 3:1-3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

  We know the story of Job. It is a hurting man who tries to figure out why. It’s one thing to suffer because you have done wrong or got caught doing wrong and now justice is being served. That’s not Job’s story. He’s so righteous and so blameless that God brings him up to Satan. Job is the center piece of God’s trophy case.

  God allows Satan to release all the hurt he can upon him without ending his life. All of Job’s children are killed—all, in one day. His health, wealth, and mental peace are taken from him. His wife gives up and she encourages Job to throw in the towel. Three friends from distant places come and sit with Job. They sit for a week without saying anything. Probably, his best week since all the disaster started.

  Our verse today is what Job says after a week of silence with his friends. It opens the door to  a broken man who doesn’t understand why. What follows are long chapters of dialogue, debate and discussion between Job and the friends.

   Job wishes he was never born. His thought is that had he never been born, then the wouldn’t hurt as he was. Non-existence was better than the intense emotional and physical pain he was going through. When we hurt, we can stand in the footprints of Job. We can say, “I wish I’d never gotten married,” or, “I wish we didn’t have that child…” rather than to witness their death and to have your heart broken.

  Job is one of the oldest books of the Bible. It most likely fits somewhere in the book of Genesis. Let’s follow Job’s thinking for a moment. Let’s grant his wish. Suppose there had never been a Job.

  • Without a Job, Mrs. Job would have never married him. A total of 18 children would not have been born.
  • Without Job, there would have been no story of Job, thus no book of the Bible called Job.
  • James would not have used Job as an example of endurance had he never been born.
  • Without Job. we would not understand why righteous people suffer.
  • Without Job, we would not know that Satan is behind suffering.
  • Without Job, we would not know what to do when we ask “Why?”

  Job helps. Job points us to God. Job reminds us what is right. Job shows that Satan can’t do anything he wants. We need Job. Our suffering would crush us without a Job. We’d blame God and likely quit if it wasn’t for Job.

  Now, take that thought and apply it to you. What if you were never born? That’s the gist behind the Christmas movie, “It’s a wonderful life.” George Bailey is in trouble. He’s desperate. That’s generally when we start thinking those thoughts. It’s not when things are going well, but terrible. Suicide is his only plan. A bumbling angel is sent to save George. In the process, like Job, George wishes he was never born. The angel, Clarence, grants that wish and he gets to see what his world is like without him. It was different. Things changed. It illustrated how much  he had touched the lives of others.

  That story is really our story. Often we feel that we haven’t done much or have made very little difference, but that’s rarely true. Through our family, our friends, we’ve impacted many people. God needs you because only you can do what you do. It’s that way in a family. It’s that way in the church. In the Corinthian letter, Paul would describe the brethren as hands, feet, eyes, ears, and noses. They were different and they each serve different functions. Each of them are part of our senses. Without any of them, a person would be considered handicapped. No one was useless. No one was a part that wasn’t necessary. So it is with us. We are needed. We are needed by our families. We are needed by the church. Life needs us. God needs us.

  The good we do is like a spring rain. It’s soon forgotten, but it nourishes the soil which allows the tender plants to thrive and bloom. Without the rain, the flowers are unable to grow. We sprinkle blessings, help and hope to this one and then to that one, not thinking much about it, just thankful we can be of some help. But those showers of blessings make a difference to the one who receives it.

  Sundays are like that to me. So much good being done. So many lives blessing other lives. Each person simply doing what they can.

  God allowed you to be born for a purpose, for His purpose. You make a difference, even if you don’t see it. Even today, you’ll find ways to send rays of sunshine upon lives darkened with sorrow and pain. It will help, it always does. You are needed. We are thankful for you.

  Roger

24

Jump Start # 547

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 547

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

  Our passage today continues our thoughts from our last Jump Start. This section of Scripture describes Jesus as a shepherd and not just any shepherd but the good shepherd. He knows the sheep by name and the sheep recognize His voice. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In contrast, the thief only takes for himself and leaves things a mess.

  The thief? Obviously, Satan fits in that picture easily. He does nothing that is good. He does not add value. He takes. He destroys. He kills. That’s Satan. Others, might fit into that mold as well, such as, the false teachers and even some of the Pharisees, that we squeezing life out of those who wanted to come to God. Their many man made rules made life unbearable and they made the journey to God extreme and difficult.

  Jesus came to give life. What a contrast here. He gave His life, so we could have life. A life was lost so a life could be found. He didn’t just restore life, He gave it abundantly. To the fullest. The good life is found in Jesus.

  When does this life start? At first, we’d think of Heaven. We sing, “Won’t it be wonderful there…” And it will be. These last few days have taken me to the home of one of our members. His life is nearly over. The dear family gathers and waits. It’s touching and sad. I have been at similar scenes often. Some day, in Heaven, there will be no tears, no death, no sorrow. Indeed, it will be wonderful there. There with the righteous. There and never having to be somewhere else. The end of the journey. The final destination. Home and never again having to leave. Those are great thoughts to me.

  However, I think Jesus intended for the disciples to understand that between here and Heaven, there is an abundant life. It can be found here. It can be now, while we’re on earth. I don’t think we grasp that enough. The image I get from some is that it’s hard being a Christian, nearly terrible, but if we can only hold on, we’ll eventually get Heaven. The dreariness and the difficulty they feel drains all life and energy out of them. They enter church buildings not with a smile because they get to worship God, but with a frown because life is so hard.

  I don’t get that picture from the N.T. I don’t get that from this passage. The abundant life is now. It’s a fantastic life because it’s filled with grace and hope and promises and future and fellowship with God. He doesn’t just allow us to work in His kingdom, but He works with us and through us. He trusts us enough to be part of something eternal. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if God, like a parent with a child in a glass shop, would say, “Look, but do not touch one thing.” God doesn’t do that. He entrusts His perfect word, about His perfect Son to imperfect preachers, like myself. He allows former sinners of all types, to lead His people and to develop the kingdom.

  The abundant life. It’s filled with joy and peace and confidence. We don’t know about tomorrow, but God does. I hold God’s hand, that’s all I need. The abundant life is lived without the shallow and superficial and artificial and temporary things such as materialism, greed, pride, selfishness, or putting others down. We want everyone to have what we have. I don’t have to be rich in money to be rich in God. I don’t have to be well read, well traveled, or well educated to have this meaningful, full life. Some of the best people I have ever met were common, content and generous because of Jesus Christ. They lived in simple homes. They didn’t eat the fancy stuff. They didn’t feel neglected because they never went to Europe, sky dived, or had a degree from a university. Many would look at their life proclaim that it was boring. Not to these folks. They didn’t need “things” to make them fulfilled and satisfied. They never kept a bucket list because if a person dies without doing all the bucket things, someone will think what a disappointment. Not to those living abundantly in Jesus. They have found what they were looking for, it’s Jesus. The look is over.

  The life with Jesus is great. What a joy it is to worship God. Passion, energy and a wealth of love and fellowship abound when those with the abundant life worship. Others are looking for something, they don’t know what. They try changing this, changing that, changing churches, changing mates, changing cars, changing houses, changing jobs, always changing, and never realizing the abundant life, the good life, is found in Jesus.

  Jesus changes us. We become holy when we walk with Jesus. It’s hard not to, because He was so holy. We become mindful of Heaven when we walk with Jesus. It’s where we are going. We become generous when we walk with Jesus. That’s the way He is with us. We become thoughtful of others when we walk with Jesus, that’s the way He is to us.

  The abundant life is not defined by never having to go to work, nor having so much money that you could buy whatever you wanted, nor by living in a mansion, nor by hanging out with celebs, nor by what sporting events you attended, nor by what art hangs on your wall, nor by what cars are housed in your garage—that’s the world’s definition. It’s all phony, shallow, and selfish. It’s all about what I get for me. It doesn’t last. It doesn’t do what you think it would, nor does it give that lasting abundant life.

  Jesus came and gave life. It begins with forgiveness and it continues as we walk and journey with Jesus. I am a friend of Jesus, what else matters. I am a child of God. The promise of God is that He is always with me. I can talk to God anytime. I can read, learn and know His heart, His will and His law, the Bible. I can live satisfied, contented, and in peace because of Jesus. The riches are within and can never be taken away, as long as continue with Jesus.

  Abundantly. Not just a little bit. Not just a spoonful. Not even half full. Abundantly. David said, “surely my cup overflows…” It’s now. It’s here. It’s what Jesus gave. It’s life!

Roger

23

Jump Start # 546

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 546

John 10:3-4 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

  Our passage today describes relationship. Jesus, in this setting, is the good shepherd. His disciples are the sheep. What unfolds here is a wonderful relationship that the shepherd has with his sheep. The shepherd has a name for the sheep. Each are identified. He remembers their names and calls them by name. The sheep recognize his voice. All of this takes time to develop. The shepherd has been talking to the sheep, this is how they recognize his voice. He has shown himself to be good to them. When they hear his voice, they come to him. They trust him. When he leads them, they follow. The context continues by saying these sheep will not recognize the voice of a stranger and they will not follow anyone else.

  The passage begins with the doorkeeper opening the door and the shepherd leading the sheep out. Through the winter, the sheep were gathered together in pens and sheltered. In the early spring it was time to take them out to the fields. Hundreds of sheep would be gathered together. The doorkeeper would open the gates, one shepherd would call out his sheep and head down the path. In the midst of those sheep, his sheep would work their way through the crowd and follow him. Other sheep would remain in the pen. They didn’t know the voice that was crying out. It’s a marvel how all that worked.

  First, our passage is defining our relationship with Jesus. The Lord is good to us. He knows us. He knows us by name. We can trust Jesus. Once in a while someone gets discouraged. Things are not running well in their life. Sometimes they get bummed out about the church and feel neglected. One of the things I will remind folks in those situations is to consider Jesus. He’s never let your down. He’s never done you wrong. He’s continued to bless you, love you, lead you and care for you. Our problems are usually with one another, not the Lord.

  These verses take us to Psalms 23 which begins, “The Lord is my shepherd.” That wonderful passage shows the shepherd leading, guiding, taking the sheep to green pastures, quiet waters and even through dark valleys. It is a passage of movement and direction. The shepherd is active. He’s busy leading and protecting the sheep. We recognize the voice of God. We have a relationship with Him to the extent that we trust Him and will follow Him—anywhere, even through dark valleys.

 Young David developed his character out in the fields watching sheep. Watching sheep can be a boring job. Remember back then there was no i-phone, i-pad, i-pod to entertain the shepherd or connect him to the rest of the world. It was out there that David played the harp– making up his own music. It was there that he saw the majesty of God. His heart was focused upon God and the Lord would later chose David to shepherd his people.

 It’s not a coincidence that the leadership in God’s church are called “Shepherds.” There is a common thread that connects the Shepherd Lord, the Shepherd David, and shepherds today. Leading God’s people is not a position of management and administration. It’s not about writing checks, making executive decisions for others to carry out, and being little CEO’s of a church. In far too many congregations today, this is the very thing that is being done. The concept of shepherding has been forgotten. These verses, God’s example, reminds us of the wonderful relationship that the leaders need to have with the members. It’s a role of shepherds and sheep. It’s a role of trust. It’s a relationship of confidence based upon knowing each other.

  Leaders today must know the sheep. This is more than being able to recognize them and call them by name, it is to know them, as a parent knows their children. Parents of more than one child understand this. Each child is different. Some need a lot of talking to and convincing. Others, you tell them once, and it’s as good as done. Some need more nurturing than others. Some need a kick in the pants every once in a while. Same family, different make up of each child. Sheep are like that. We are like that. Some of us need someone near us almost all the time. We tend to wander off quite easily. We leave the flock to go after this fad, that new idea, this new thing or that new thing. The shepherds are watching us closely because we tend to wander off. Others seem to get irritated by other sheep. Tensions flare and stress arises. Shepherds have to watch that and separate some of us. With others, it’s a diet thing, not eating what we should spiritually. Others are prone to sickness and disease. The work of shepherds is much more detailed than walking out to a pasture and letting the sheep eat grass. They have to see how the flock interacts with each other. They have to care for the sick, go after those that have wandered off, watch out for predators, and be aware of what the sheep are eating. There are different kinds of grasses. There are some that better than others.

  When the spring was nearly ended, so would the early grasses. The shepherd would then lead the sheep to the high country for the summer grasses. To get there, they often had to go through dark valleys. This was tough. A sudden rain could turn the canyons into instead death by flash floods. Up in the high country the sheep would rest through the summer and early fall. Then there was the journey back to the shelter for the winter.

  The shepherds had to know the best routes to take. He had to be aware of how the sheep were doing through those journeys. His presence would calm the sheep when they became startled.

  This is our relationship with Jesus. He is the good shepherd. Trust, knowledge, confidence and love are the foundations of this relationship. God knows us. He knows what we need. We need to listen to Him and follow Him, even when it’s time to go through those valleys. He doesn’t send us through on our own. He is there. He is leading. He knows where He is going. He knows what is beyond the canyons and valleys. We must stick with Him.

 The Lord is my shepherd…what a great way to sum up these concepts. He is!

Roger