15

Jump Start # 540

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 540

Luke 23:32 “Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.” 

  The cross of Christ is central to the New Testament. It is the core of Biblical preaching and it is the single event that changes the eternity of thousands of believers. We sing, “Jesus keep me near the cross,” which is more than a song, it is a way of life for us. Keeping us near the cross reminds us of that great sacrifice and hope that rests for those that walk with Jesus. Keeping us near the cross has a way of keeping us out of trouble. It is near the cross that we are reminded of how much God loves us. It is at the cross that we discover the horror of our sins.

 Our passage today is about the cross of Jesus. He had been whisked through a series of trials, stood before Pilate, then King Herod and then Pilate again. The angry mob was growing impatient with the indecision of those in charge. They demanded His execution. Jesus who had shown mercy to multitudes, received none on that terrible day. Found to be innocent, Pilate closed His eyes to the murderous thirst of the mob. To the cross Jesus went.

  Our verse tells us that two others were led away to be executed with Jesus. This passage leads me to some questions that to be honest I don’t fully know the answers to. For instance, did the Romans “re-use” crosses for execution, or was each cross assembled and then destroyed afterwards? Did the soldiers already have three crosses ready at Calvary that day or was there enough lumber to make five crosses if they needed to? Or, could it be that they had planned to execute three criminals that day, however one got a pardon and Jesus took his place?  It makes you wonder if Barabbas was supposed to be executed that day. He was a well known criminal and may have been the ring leader and connected with the other two that died. Pilate’s offering the crowd Barabbas was not random. He chose the worst of the worst. He was a thug, thief and killer. His freedom and return to the streets meant more trouble and more heartache for the citizens of Jerusalem. It would have been breaking news the day he was arrest. People would have felt a sense of relief. With his freedom, more crime was surely to follow.

  Three crosses on a hill. Three lawless men were to meet their justice and doom. A gang that terrorized the streets of Jerusalem was to be eliminated. Finally, the law wins. It would show that crime doesn’t pay. This seems to fit the flow of the gospels. 

  But what a twist. The worst of the worst is released. He is released without turning over more names, more evidence or some compromise. He’s released to keep a mob from become riotous.

  I wonder if Barabbas could hear his name being called by the crowd? Tucked away in the prison, knowing his criminal life was about to come to an end, he hears a mob shouting his name. He doesn’t know why. He can’t hear Pilate. The governor asks who should be released and the crowd shouts, “Barabbas. Barabbas.” Pilate then asks, what about Jesus? The crowd shouts, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” Put those two loud statements  together and Barabbas hears his name and he hears, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” He feels that the end is coming. The guards appear. The prison door opens. He expects to be tied up and led to his death. Will he struggle and fight them all the way? Will he spit in the face of his executors? Instead, they tell him to go. Confused, but not wanting to stick around, he hurries out to his freedom. Someone else took his place that day. The guilty got away and the innocent died.

  We ought to see ourselves in Barabbas. It was us, not Christ who sinned. It was us, not Christ, who were held captive by Satan. It was us, not Christ, who disobeyed and disappointed God. There was a cross on a hill that was for us. It was assembled for us. Instead, Jesus took our place. Just like Barabbas, freedom is offered and our status has changed from guilty to innocent.

  I don’t know what ever happened to Barabbas. I don’t know if he ever knew what all happened and who took his place. It wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t care and worse, never changed his ways. Did he return to his criminal behavior and selfish attitudes? Did he die a violent death in a first century shoot out with Roman soldiers? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Jesus took the place of one like that. To think that the death of Jesus may have had no impact upon the one who got freedom.  That’s so hard to grasp.

  As we see ourselves in the role of Barabbas, we must ask, “has the death of Jesus had any impact upon our lives?” We walked out of that dark prison, and away from execution hill to what? To return to our old ways?

  The cross of Jesus ought to affect us in many ways. It ought to draw us closer to Christ. It ought to make us thankful to God and make us realize that He saved our lives. How can you ever repay someone for that? Much more, how do you ever repay God for such wonderful love and grace? The cross ought to drive us to be holy and to bow our hearts and wills to the way of God.

  Three people were executed that day. Had Jesus not been there, this story would have been lost in history. Because Jesus WAS there, history has been rewritten. Our history and our future has been rewritten.

  This is more than the Gospel message. It is our story. Freedom. Salvation. Hope.

  Jesus, keep me near the cross…

  Roger

14

Jump Start # 539

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 539

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” 

  Today is Valentine’s Day. Stores are full of heart shaped candy and the color of the day is red. There will be roses purchased and chocolates given as expressions of love. It’s good to remember our love for our family and to express it to them. Our busy schedules and the demands of life often make it difficult and we can just assume that everyone knows how we feel about them. It’s good to say it. We need to say it often.

  Our passage today is not about romantic love or family love. We’d tend to think it is since it is addressed to those married, “Husbands love your wives…” This is not candle light dinners, moonlit strolls along a beach, holding hands, or romance. This is a greater and usually a more difficult form of love. This is to care and want the best for another. This is the same type of love as found in the famous passage, “for God so loved the world…” This love is a choice, not a feeling. It is not based upon how the other one acts nor reacts. God loves us, even when we were sinners and not very loveable. He did that not because we are so cute and irresistible, but because He chose to. God wants the best for us. He sent the best for us. He prepared the best for us. God cares.

  The difficulty in this passage is Paul’s use of “just as.” He likes that expression. It’s a comparison. He used it earlier in chapter four when he told brethren to forgive one another, “Just as” Christ has forgiven you. That’s tough. It’s one thing to forgive, but to forgive like Christ, that’s the ultimate example. Christ never says, “enough,” I’m not forgiving you anymore. Christ never puts limits on our forgiveness, such as, you get ten a week. After that, you are on your own. Have you ever thought about how many times God has forgiven you? 100 times? A thousand? More? Forgive “just as” Christ has forgiven you.

  In our passage, Paul uses the “just as” expression again. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church…” Just as. To grasp the depth of this passage we have to understand how Christ loves the church. Look at what Christ has done for his people, the church. He’s there to forgive us. He mediates for us. He blesses us. He works with us and through us. He wants the church to thrive. He wants us to be faithful and devoted to Him. He gives us every reason to do that. Christ never lets us down. He never disappoints. He never abandons us. He is everything to us. Our relationship with the Lord is joyous, fulfilling and often it seems one sided. He does so much for us, compared to what we do for Him. Our words of praise are not close to what we ought to be feeling about Him.

  Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church. Powerful thought. The thoughts of the husband needs to be on the wellbeing of his wife. He is concerned about her and wants to see her do well. He will be concerned about her health. He will be concerned about her happiness. He is concerned about her spiritual wellbeing. He wants to see her connecting with the Lord and growing spiritually. The closer she gets to the Lord, and the closer he gets to the Lord, the closer they become to each other.

  Have you ever noticed that Jesus illustrated and demonstrated nearly everything He asks of us? Think about that. We have to worship God. Jesus did that. We have to be Holy. Jesus was. We have to obey God. Jesus did, perfectly. We are to love others. Jesus did. Pray—Jesus did, often all night long. We are to be kind and helpful. Jesus was. Heaven needs to be near to our hearts. It was with Jesus. Our Lord didn’t bark out commands that He never did Himself, instead, He showed, He demonstrated with His own life. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church…This makes us look in the mirror. It’s easy to walk into the house and shout out demands and expectations of which we would never do ourselves. Christ wasn’t like that. He did. He showed. He was first in all things.

  Christ wants us Holy, so He was holy. Christ wants us obedient, so He was obedient. Husbands want wives to be caring, so they must be caring. Husbands want wives to be thinking of them, so it goes that he ought to be thinking of her.

  Wanting the best, begins by being the best yourself. This is what Christ was. Our upside down world doesn’t get this. It builds a marriage based upon selfish happiness instead of the glory of God and the wellbeing of the other. This explains why there is so much turmoil in relationships today. Folks are starting off wrong. When I used to high jump, it was important to begin your jump with the correct foot. If you didn’t, everything got ugly very fast. It’s that way in relationships. If one doesn’t start correct, with the right foundation, purpose and expectations, it will soon turn very ugly, very quickly.

  Husbands love your wives…How is your wife feeling about God? Do you know? Is she becoming a spiritual rock? Is she growing in the Lord? Is she connecting with her church family? Is she stressed because she feels that she is carrying the load of the family by herself? Fair questions to ask. It would do well to ask the same questions about husbands? How is he doing spiritually?

  I dare say that God is more interested in my helping my wife get to Heaven than my getting her a card with a heart on it. The card is nice and it will bring a smile to her face, but helping her get to Heaven will bring a smile to the face of God. I help her get to Heaven by first, being serious about that myself and being the spiritual example that I should. I need to lead the house in prayer, holiness, and seeking God. The family ought to see in me, what I want in them. I want them spending time with the Bible, so they ought to see me in the book. I want them to have spiritual values and to be able to turn a channel when a show or the commercial is offensive, immoral, indecent, immodest. If I want that in them, then I need to set the pace and do that myself, even when they are not around. I fear that we’ve gotten to the point that we want others to do what is right, but we excuse ourselves for not doing the same. That’s not the way Jesus was. Love just as Christ loved the church…

  Why is it that husbands have to do this? Because God said so. Because you are the head of the family. Being the head doesn’t mean you get the remote, the choice of where to eat, and the best seat on the couch. No, it means you lead. Christ is the head of the church—He leads, shows, and following Him takes us to Heaven. The family ought to be able to follow dad, all the way to Heaven. That’s being the head. Tough job, few do it well. 

 It’s the “just as” part of this passage that drives us husbands. It’s hard to match Jesus, we’ll keep trying.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 538

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 538 

Romans 12:11 “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

  Our passage today is part of a string of admonitions that Paul gives the Romans. Verse 10-13, is one long verse in our English Bibles. The string contains 10 specific characteristics of the Christian walk. Some of these describe what we owe to others. Some of them are attitudes that we should have within us. Combined, these ten statements, define a busy Christian who is active, helpful, and making a difference in the lives of others. We would all do well to develop these within us.

  The verse for today, identifies two attitudes directed toward our serving the Lord. These two statements are opposites. If one is lagging behind, then he is not fervent. If one is fervent, then he is not lagging behind. The answer to lagging is becoming passionate or fervent.

  Lagging behind—what an interesting expression. We might think of a group of runners. The leaders stay together in a pack, but one guy has fallen behind. He is lagging. He can’t keep up. Before long, he will realize that he cannot win.

  We might think of a family taking a walk through the neighborhood. One of the kids is out front, leading the group. One stops to pick up rocks, climb a dirt pile, while the rest are walking on. He is lagging behind. Or, the smallest child can’t keep up, and has slowed down, complaining that he is tired of walking and it hot, and is thirsty and wants to go home. Dad stops, and picks the child up and puts him on his shoulders. No lagging behind now.

  Lagging behind soon becomes left behind if we are not careful. Paul has a specific in mind here, “Not lagging behind in diligence…” Diligence—focused, determined, full speed ahead. It is with diligence that we study the word of God. We should assemble to worship with a determined (diligence) heart and mind. Lagging behind in diligence means other things get in the way of God’s work. We’ll do it, we tell ourselves, when we get around to it. We just have a hard time getting around to it. A day of not reading the Bible, turns into three. A day without praying becomes a week without praying. Things come up. The kids are sick. Errands have to be run. The schedule is full.  There is so much to be done. Everyone is pulling for some of your time. You’re tired, stressed and frazzled. Something has to give. Something has to be pushed to the back burner. The easy thing is your diligence. Things will change, you say, once we get through this busy season. Once things settle down at work. Once we are through the holidays. Lagging behind. Letting the spiritual slip. It’s so easy to do. We all fight this. We all need to work at this.

  The other expression, “fervent in spirit” is how we ought to be. Instead of lagging, fervent is the answer. The word fervent reminds us of the “fervent prayer of a righteous man” that James talks about. We see the word, “fever” – which means hot. Passionate, serious, on fire,  committed, that’s the concept of fervent in spirit. 

  I don’t know anyone who wants to lag behind. I don’t see that as anyone’s goal or a must on their bucket list. It happens. We fall into that and the passion dwindles. We remember Ephesus that lost their first love—not fervent in the spirit.

  We see it—now what can we do?

  Throughout the day, most of us are given opportunities to work on these things, we just don’t think that way. Think about how much down time, how many times you are waiting for things, other people—and what do we do? Text. Check email. Play angry birds. Cat nap. Could spend some of those down times or waiting times praying or reading a few passages or making a list of things I want to do to help the lives of others. Is it wrong to text? No. Check email a no-no? Certainly not. What about angry birds? Great game. But don’t allow those things to cause you to lag behind.

  Use stop light time for prayer. Think about someone that you want to pray about. When you get to the stop light, pray. Then think about someone else. Stop light—pray. Drive, thinking about someone else. A light—pray. After a while, you’ll enjoy hitting red lights—prayer time. Not lagging behind.

  While waiting to pick kids up, read a few verses. While waiting for the doctor, read a few verses. Keep your Bible near, or have it on your phone. Not lagging behind. Everyday there are moments like these. Airports are a great place—there is a lot of waiting there. Even in the church building, waiting for services to begin…not lagging behind in service.

  I used to run some in high school. I don’t anymore. I’ve not kept up with the latest shoes and stretches and so forth. Yet there is one thing that never changes. The guy who lags behind, doesn’t win. The trophies go to the dedicated, the passionate, the fervent.

  One other thought here: lagging behind implies someone or something is ahead of us. We’ve not kept up with them. We’ve lagged and they kept going. It’s not others that we are lagging behind, it’s not the church—we don’t compare our selves with others. We are lagging behind in what we are capable of doing. We are not hitting on all cylinders. We are not living up to our potential. It’s not that we are giving 100% and lagging behind is our best effort, it’s just the opposite. We are not giving it all. We are not busting it as we are capable of doing. We lag, when we could do more. We look for the easy and the comfortable, not for the best. Paul was telling the Romans to step it up to their capabilities.

  That’s a fair question to ask ourselves. Are we maxing out for Jesus? Are we giving it our all? Are we pushing as hard as we can? Most would say, “no.” We could do more. We could do better. We could be involved more, attend more, do more. Why don’t we? It’s a lag thing. We are lagging and not even aware of it.

  Something to consider…look for opportunities, they are there. Be ready for them and don’t lag behind.

  Roger

10

Jump Start # 537

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 537 

Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” 

    Proper thinking—that’s Paul’s thoughts here. Not just proper thinking, but proper thinking of self.  That’s hard. We tend to bounce from one extreme to the other. It’s like watching some kid bowl with the bumpers up. His ball won’t go into the gutter, it hits one of those bumpers and bounces on down the lane. Back and forth, from one side to the other, until if finally reaches the pins. We can be just like that. One extreme is to think too much of ourselves. We can be Mr. Big Shot, thinking the company, the church, even the nation, can’t get along without us. Our opinions, are the best. Our ideas trump all others. This thinking sees too much of self and too little of others. Every success, every victory, every accomplished is thought to be directly attributed to self. Thinking too much of self feeds an ego and pushes the envelope of arrogance and pride. We must fight that and work at not thinking too highly of self. Parents can be a leading cause of this when they treat little Johnny as if the world spins around him. Johnny grows up thinking the world owes him and that he is better than everyone else. Little Johnny will have a lifetime of turmoil because his thinking is off center.

  The other extreme is to think too little of self, to the extent of low or no self esteem. This guy feels like a failure and tells everyone he meets that very thing. He lacks confidence. He feels like he is a loser. He second guesses everything. He hides in the shadows of life because of this. He’s afraid to try things, express his ideas or do things, because “most won’t like.” His life, just the opposite of the one who thinks too highly of himself, will also be plagued with turmoil, sorrow and defeatism.

  Neither extreme is to be desired nor chosen. Both are full of problems and both create problems for others. These two would do well to pour of pint of blood in other.

  Getting the proper thoughts about self is hard. At home we are treated like the king. At work, it’s more like a dunce. Egos are strong in the music world, the athletic world and even at work. Like a Kentucky horse race, everyone is jockeying for position, place and promotion. If they have to step on you to get there, they will do that. If you don’t stand up for yourself, you’ll be left behind. This is hard stuff.

  Spiritually, this has major implications for us. How we see ourselves affects our relationship with others, and especially with Christ. Am I a loser to God? Am I the greatest thing since the apostles came along? Extremes—we see them in the church family. One guy wants to do everything, even though he’s not trained and may lack talent. He doesn’t see that and he thinks he has so much to add. The other guy won’t do anything because he lacks confidence, fears he’ll fail and is content to sit on the sidelines of life. Mr. Bigshot and Mr. Nobody—what a pair they make! 

  God helps us here. He doesn’t leave us alone to figure out our proper thinking of self, He shows us and tells us.

  • First, we are all sinners who need Jesus. All of us. No exceptions here. We may think if we were living back in the Bible times that we’d be right with the Jewish boys who refused to bow before the Babylonian idol. Maybe? We may think that we’d been with Paul on his journeys? Who knows? Before we put on our Superman outfit, remember, we need Jesus. We need His grace, we need His forgiveness, we need His guidance. We are all in the same boat. We are all equal with everyone else here.

 

  • Secondly, although we are all sinners, God doesn’t give up on us or cast us off as losers. God loves us. He loves us so much that He sent the best of Heaven, Jesus, just for us. God gave His heart and His will in the Bible.

  Knowing yourself helps with your journey to Heaven. Satan certainly knows you. He knows what buttons to push. He knows what temptations work with you. While lust may not bother some, it crushes others. Greed may have no affect on some, and others can’t get it out of their mind. The thirst for power and position drives many. Others want nothing to do with it. Satan knows. He knows just what you need. It helps to know yourself. You can shore up and be watchful in your weak areas. You can put more attention on those areas and learn how to resist Satan’s attacks. You can develop your strong areas and become a spiritual giant for God.   Seeing yourself as you really are makes you realize two things:

  • It makes you see that you need others and you especially need Jesus. You realize that you get discouraged, confused and often need a kick in the pants. You are thankful for brethren who challenges you, pushes you and connects you to Jesus. You need that. I need that. You realize brethren are the Lord’s help to strengthen you. Knowing this, you’ll spend time with your church family. You’ll get to know them, like them and even pray for them. You need them.

 

  • It also makes you realize that you make a difference in someone’s life. All of us do that. Some do it on a grand scale and they help tons of people, others are more subtle about it and it’s just a few lives that they touch, but they are making a difference. I think of the mom who early in the morning, as she is trying to get everyone off that day, shares her love and reminds the troops who they are. She’s making a difference. I think of that young preacher who pours his heart out on Sunday morning trying to teach and guide souls to Jesus. He many never realize the impact that he is having on those people who are blessed to hear him week after week. I think of the business owner, who in the midst of a busy day, reminds his people of doing things right and going out of the way for others. He’s making a difference. I think of a retired grandmother in another state who emails these Jump Starts to her friends every day. She is making a difference.

  Seeing yourself just the right way is hard. When you get it, you’ll see that God loves you and wants the best for you. You’ll see that others are counting on you, even today. You’ll see that your presence makes a difference. There are hearts that rejoice when you come home. There are faces that light up when you walk into the church building. There are those who do the same for you.

  Seeing yourself in the right way…not one extreme, nor the other, but just the way God sees you. He’s made some promises for you. He’s counting on you. He wants to work with and through you. He’s not done with you. He wants His home to become your home someday.

  Roger

09

Jump Start # 536

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 536

Exodus 26:5-6  You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.

  Purple curtain, fifty loops and golden claps—these are some of the details that God gave for the building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle would be the place of worship for ancient Israel. It would be used by Israel through the days of Moses, Joshua, the judges, Saul, David, until Solomon built a permanent place, the Temple. The Tabernacle was a series of tents—portable, so as Israel traveled, it could travel.

  The chapter of Exodus that our passage comes from details what God wanted in the Tabernacle. It was important. The ark of the covenant would be placed there and the high priest would seek the mercy of God there.

  I referred to this passage recently in a sermon and talked about it again yesterday with one of our members. Fifty loops—why fifty? Does God care? Why not 55? Or, 45?  If Israel, made fifty-one instead of fifty, was God going to count? Those sort of questions ought to bother us, but any more they don’t. We ask them. We’ve read books such as, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” and have been taken in by the philosophy that the “big picture” is all that matters. Love God, that’s important, we’re told, don’t sweat the other stuff. Just what is meant by “the other stuff?” Those of this mindset will quickly tell you. The kind of music you have in worship, how the church raises money, fellowship, baptism, the frequency of the Lord’s Supper—small stuff we’re told. Don’t sweat it. Love God. Diversity is good. Different flavors, different types of worship—contemporary, rock, old fashioned, traditional—any way you like—it’s all good.

  Tons of books on the market right now would say what I have just said. Loving God is most important, this other stuff really doesn’t matter. Build, grow, seek and relate to the community—that’s the mindset today. Find ways to attract. Use any thing that works, especially clips from movies and TV shows. Less Bible, more reality stories and humor. Tell your story—the sadder, and more sordid the better. Does any of this sound familiar? This is what’s going on in many places today. This is typical Sunday for a lot of folks.

  What about the fifty loops? God thought it was important and God wanted Israel to make fifty loops—not forty-three, and not sixty. FIFTY! This is as much about listening and following God in all things as it is about fifty. Can we just do what God said, in the way He said it, or is it necessary for us to always be changing, trying to improve and trying to run ahead of God on our own?

  Fifty loops has everything to do with you and I in our relationship with God. If I don’t think fifty loops is important, and think Israel could put make as many loops as they wanted, then I will be one who is loose with what God says and will make my own list of “the small stuff.” Maybe fifty loops was BIG to God. It may not seem that way to us, but who are we to determine what is small and what is BIG. In the New Testament, the church sang. Nine times in the N.T. the Bible shows the early church singing. Yeah, but someone says, “I like Rock Music” as my form of worship. As long as we are singing to God from the heart why does it matter? Just singing from hymnals is so old fashioned—get real!” Remember fifty loops? He said fifty. The same person that said fifty, said sing. The same one that said fifty, said give. Yeah, but we can make some more money with a car wash and selling raffle tickets. Fifty loops or sixty? Which will it be?

  And the Lord’s Supper on Sunday? Why not Saturday night? Why not Tuesday afternoon? Why not only on Easter? Or flag day? Or Groundhog day? Why Sunday? Remember the fifty loops? That’s why. Is it wrong to have it on Saturday? The Bible doesn’t say “You can’t.” It also didn’t say, “you can’t have sixty loops,” either. Is it possible to do things the way God said it?

  If you can’t handle the fifty loops, just a few verses later, God tells Israel to make boards 15 feet long for the flooring of the tabernacle. Throughout Exodus 26 you find details, measurements, colors, numbers of what God wanted exactly in building His tabernacle. This served as a pattern for Israel and an example for us. God knows what’s best and God knows what He wants. Loving Him is obeying Him, even down to the number of loops in a curtain.

  Let’s not get too big for the Bible nor think that we can do a better job than what God has done. Social issues today have led some to declare activities, lifestyles and practices as acceptable, when God declared that they were wrong. Does it matter? Who’s right? Fifty loops, that’s what it comes down to.

  I expect that Moses and the priests counted the loops. They were interested in details. They were interested in what God said. I expect we’d be better off if we got back to counting the loops God wants today. I’m interested in a group of Christians that are interested in fifty loops, how about you?

  Fifty loops—that’s in your Bible for a reason!

  Roger