Jump Start # 598

Luke 24:32 “And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

This week we have been looking at the reforms led by Nehemiah. He restored the walls around the city of Jerusalem. He then turned his attention to restoring the true faith in the hearts of Israel. To do that, they had to get back to following God. A corrupted view of things, no matter how passionate a person is, will remain crooked. Israel had to get back to the Law.

Those thoughts ought to be of interest and concern for us. Many churches today, many individuals today, need a boost in their faith. They literally need a Jump Start. Sadly, the option some turn to is external, temporary, and emotional. In doing this they equate feelings with faith. If a person “feels” good, then they have faith. The two are not the same. Faith is substance. It is based upon the word of God. Feelings come and go. Food, moods, weather and people all affect our feelings. Our feelings can change quickly. We can be calm and then in a moment we can be all stirred up, upset and excited about things. Feelings can be misleading. You can feel something is right but be wrong, this is why GPS’s were invented. We thought we knew where we were, but we were lost. Feelings can do that. They can do that with directions, they can do that with salvation.

Faith is different. It’s something you can put your hands on. There is evidence and proofs to our faith.

Our verse today shows Jesus explaining to the two men on the road who He is. Jesus had been resurrected. The men were walking away from Jerusalem. They were heading home. They had hoped that Jesus was the Messiah. He was crucified. Their dreams were crushed. They didn’t know about the resurrection. Worse, they didn’t know that they were walking and talking with Jesus.

Jesus used Scripture to explain who He was. Interesting. He could have easily preformed a miracle. That would have been impressive. These two men would still have questions about the role the Messiah played and the kingdom. Jesus, using Scripture taught them. He explained who He was and what the role of the Messiah was. They got it. They understood. They connected O.T. prophecy to Jesus. They saw and grasped that Jesus was the Messiah. They had faith.

Their wonderful response was, “our hearts were burning within us while He was explaining the Scriptures to us.” They had eager hearts to learn. Their minds were opened. They were hungry and thirsty for righteous ways.

The steps back to God must begin with the Word of God—the Bible. Reform, restoration, repentance begins with a call back to Scriptures. Leaving the Bible out will only produce a shallow, empty reform that will not last. Worse, it will not please God.

• Broken marriages must go back to the Bible to begin the steps of repair.
• Strained relationships must learn about grace and forgiveness from the Bible if any hope remains of making things better.
• Those who have left God can return as they go back and learn what God requires.

Give me the Bible is more than a song we sing in worship, it’s the way it is. Give me the Bible. Give it to me when I need to come home to God. Give it to me when I’ve sinned. Give it to me when I am discouraged. Give it to me when I am alone. Give it to me when my feelings change and I no longer know how I feel. Give it to me when I must walk through those long, dark valleys of life.

Nehemiah understood that the way back to God begins with teaching the Law. We understand the way back begins with the Bible. We do not need less Bible—it’s more that we need. The more we spend with God’s word, the greater our faith will be.

Burning hearts…listening ears…the teaching Jesus… Scripture… faith… reform… connection… hope…God.

Roger