07

Jump Start # 789

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 789

Acts 10:35 “But in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

 

We are looking at what God expects from His people. One truth that this series reminds us is that God does not expect the impossible from us. He doesn’t do that. I love sports. If God said, “I expect everyone to throw the football like Peyton Manning,” just about all of us would be in trouble. Can’t do it. Physically impossible. Sometimes, we get the idea that what God expects is impossible. It’s not. We may feel that way because what He expects requires effort, attention, time, and commitment. What God expects is not something that we can just hurry through and be done with it. His expectations feel impossible because we may not want to give up the easy chair, the easy lifestyle, and the convenience and freedom of doing whatever we feel like. We can do what God expects!

Our study has shown that God expects us to be strong. God expects us to be faithful.

A third principle God expects is for us to be obedient to Him. Obedience, especially to what the Bible teaches, simply isn’t in vogue today. People like having their own interpretations to the rules. People like being able to have just as much religion as they like. Some want just a little bit. Some like more. Some want their lives smothered with it. Doesn’t matter, they think, just what ever your tastes may be. Sounds wonderful, but that’s not the spirit of the Bible. God never said that. He wants us to obey Him.

Consider:

 

  • Mt 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

  • Heb 5:9 “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation”
  • John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come t him and make Our abode with him.”

 

  • John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

 

  • Romans 6:17 “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed”

 

  • 1 Corinthians 14:37 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.”

Our verse today reminds us of the importance of obeying God. Peter, the Jewish apostle, said to Cornelius, the Gentile, “every man that fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” Every man! Every person! Respect God. Fear God. Do what is right. What is right is defined by God in the Bible. It’s not what I think is right. There has been times I turned down certain streets, thinking I was going the right direction when I wasn’t. There have been times when I wrote down an answer that I thought was right, but it wasn’t. What is right is not what I feel within me or what I want but what God says. He defines what is right. He tells us what He expects.

Peter is saying, God welcomes everyone that fears Him and obeys Him. Parents understand this principle. You want your child home by midnight. You expect to hear the door opening around midnight with your child walking in. If the child doesn’t come home until three in the morning, you are not happy, neither will he be once you are finished reminding him of the value and importance of OBEYING you. The government expects the citizens to obey. When I am pulled over for driving 25 miles over the speed limit, I’m in trouble. I didn’t obey. This principle is everywhere: at work, home, schools, business, taxes, speed limits. The same principle goes with God. He welcomes us when we fear Him and do what He says. Obey God.

 

He doesn’t want us changing what He said. He doesn’t want us trying to come up with something new and exciting. He never says, “Surprise Me.” Obey Me, is what He says. Do what I said. Do what is right. Follow the leader, Jesus. This is what God wants. This is what God expects.

This is hard for us when congregations don’t obey God. Instead of doing what is right, they do what they want. If a church is wiggly with what God says, is it any wonder that members think it is ok to do the same. Churches that are loose on this and that, or, no longer teach what God says, how can they please God? He wants all of us to obey Him. Some think following the Bible is too stuffy. Some think following the Bible won’t draw people. Instead, fun is in and doctrine is out. It doesn’t matter, some say, how you worship, what you believe, just love Jesus. That’s not what you find in the Scriptures. If you are worshipping at such a place, it’s about time you left. You need to find a place that is serious about God, serious about His word and serious about obeying Him.

You can obey God. You can do what is right. In a world that is rapidly moving downstream, you can still swim upstream. You can be holy in an unholy world. You can be righteous in a world that laughs at smut and has lost all sense of shame. You can be obedient to God in a disobedient society. People, including some in your family, will think you are weird. That’s ok, God welcomes you. It means you don’t watch what everyone else is watching. It means you walk away from some conversations. It means you find yourself on Sundays worshipping with God’s people. It means you give thought to your influence, your words, your appearance, and your attitudes. You are trying to obey God. You want God to welcome you. Some will think ill of you. Some will not invite you or include you. Some will mock you. That’s ok, you are welcomed by God. You are invited to His home, Heaven.

I love churches and families that are trying to obey God. You won’t find people selling popcorn or high wire acts or doing your taxes at churches that want to please God, but you will find solid Biblical teaching and serious and incredible worship of God. I fear that some may leave a church service and not know if they have been to the circus, rock concert or worship of God. Things should not be that way. Remember, our God is upon the throne, not a stage!

 

Do what is right. Do what is right, even if it is hard. Do what is right, even if that includes apologizing, forgiving, accepting or going out of your way. Do what is right.

If you make it your life to do what is right, God will welcome you! He expects you to do what is right.

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 788

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 788

Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

 

This week we are taking a look at some of the things God expects from His people. We understand that when we live by these principles, God is pleased. We are doing what He wants us to. When we don’t, He is disappointed and usually, it results in us getting into problems, sins and situations that hurt us. God knows what He is talking about. Yesterday, we saw that God wants us to be strong.

 

Today, God wants us to be faithful to Him. Our passage comes from the dark days of persecution. The news wasn’t pleasant. The writer didn’t sugar coat things and tell them, “everything will be fine, I just know it.” Instead, you are going to suffer. You are going to be imprisoned by Satan. You will be tested. You will have tribulation. The road ahead is tough. Be faithful. Be faithful even if it takes your life. The “until death” is not old age in an nursing home, but a sword stuck under your throat demanding that you denounce Jesus Christ. Be faithful. Be faithful, even if it means you die!

 

The idea of faithfulness means being true or staying with it. We use the concept of faithfulness in marriage to describe one who has stayed true to his vows, especially morally. With God, it is the idea of staying with Him. Staying committed to what we started. Finishing.

It’s easy to start things. Most of us do. Staying with it is what is hard. It’s easy to start projects, to start back to school, to start a diet, to start a budget, to start a plan to read the Bible. We do those things all the time. It’s the “staying with it” that trips most of us. Things come up. We get sidetracked and off schedule and then it’s hard to get started again. The kids get sick in the middle of the night and that throws us off our plans in the morning. An emergency comes up and that crashes the budget. We stay up too late watching a ballgame and are too sleepy in the morning to do our reading.

Faithfulness with God involves more than a reading plan for the Bible. It involves keeping the principles of God throughout all of our life. Remaining holy, generous, thankful, obedient and keeping a heart of praise to God.

I find that the difficulty in these things is the length of our journey. It is a lifetime. Being what we should isn’t too much on a Sunday. A week, no problem. A month, gets a bit harder. But the journey continues on and so does life. We get sidetracked and tempted and things come up and we find ourselves not as strong, not as devoted, not as serious as we ought to be.

I also find that during difficult times, it is easier to be committed to God. That may be because the need for God is before us. A loved one hanging on in the hospital pulls our hearts to pray and pray hard and constantly. A prodigal child, the loss of a job, a marriage falling apart—all of these are tough times, but they seem to bring out the best in us. We realize that we need help. We embrace God tightly.

It is the plain, everyday days that tend to lessen our faithfulness. Nothing grand. Nothing trying. Nothing hard. Getting up and heading to work. Getting the kidos ready for school. Another church service. Another Bible class. Another meal at home. Just another day. It’s easy to be less intense during those days. It’s easy to be a bit lazy spiritually on those days. It’s easy to not see the importance during those days. It happens. We slide through a day without even talking to God. We allow days to pass without opening the Bible. We haven’t given up. We aren’t ready to walk away. It’s just our schedules. It’s that we are tired. It’s just life. We look back and we realize that an entire day has passed and I lived as if God didn’t even exist. No thought of Him. No prayers to Him. No thankfulness expressed. During those times it easy to let the guard down. Maybe gossiped when I shouldn’t have. Maybe I told a couple of lies. Just not being careful with the spiritual walk.

 

Be faithful. That’s the charge. That’s the call upon us. Be faithful—when it is hard. Be faithful  -when it’s easy. Be faithful, when Satan knocks on the door of your heart. Be faithful, when others are not. Be faithful, when it hurts. Be faithful, when out of town. Be faithful, when having to work late. Be faithful. Be faithful, even to death.

 

God wants you to be faithful. If you are young, be faithful. If you are old, be faithful. If you were once faithful, continue. If you stopped, start being faithful again. If you stumbled, pick yourself up and get faithful again.

Being faithful means that God can count upon you. Being faithful makes a difference to those around you. Anyone can be a fair weather Christian. It’s easy being a Christian in the church house on Sunday morning. How about in the school house? The court house? The gym? The work place? Be faithful.

How are you doing with this? Can God count on you? Can He count on you today? Faithful. Faithful when doing your taxes! OUCH. Faithful when selling things! OUCH. Faithful when someone asks you tough things. God is counting on you…be faithful.

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 787

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 787

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

This week, I want to focus upon some of the common expectations God has for Christians. Just “getting saved” isn’t enough. There’s more. God expects more. We leave ourselves short and miss out on some powerful opportunities when we “settle” in our faith.

We begin with this great admonition found in Ephesians. This leads into the spiritual armor of a Christian. There are many things to be learned from this simple verse.

Be strong is a choice. It doesn’t just happen. A strong mind, a strong body, a strong faith all takes effort, diligence and a plan. The opposite of being strong, is being weak. Weakness in any area is not something we desire. A weak mind is gullible, shallow and easy prey to wild ideas and falsehoods. A weak body is an easy target for the flu and other sicknesses. A weak body can’t do much. A weak faith doesn’t help a person much. There isn’t much resistance given to the devil by a weak faith. A weak faith isn’t one that will accurately tell the story of Jesus. A weak faith is just a step away from throwing in the towel and quitting.

God’s words are, “be strong in the Lord.” We look upon the leaders in the church as men of strength. We want our Bible class teachers to be people of strong faith. With strength comes conviction, assurance and answers. The world throws doubt at the Christian. A strong faith deflects those doubts. A strong faith recognizes error in a book. A strong faith sees through the shallow hype of trendy fads that many are attracted to. People of strong faith build strong families and strong congregations. You cannot have a group of weak members and believe that from that you will have a strong church. Strong churches are made up of strong members.

So, how do you become strong in faith?

 

  • It begins with wanting that. Like anything else in life, until we are motivated to change, we tend to settle for the easy things. It’s easy to come home at the end of the day and spend hours watching TV until we fall asleep. There is nothing wrong with TV, as long as the shows are decent. But patterns and habits are formed and watching TV doesn’t take much effort. A week goes by, has my faith gotten any stronger? Like saving money, or losing weight, a desire to better self spiritually is the key. It will take changes of habits and effort to become stronger.
  • It will take more than just what the church offers. A person ought to get stronger by coming to worship and Bible class. If they are reading their Bible, listening, taking notes, they will learn, make applications and thereby become stronger. But more is needed than simply what is done at the church building. A plan at home. Reading passages every day. Having specific things you want to learn. Thinking about what you have learned, read and heard is part of the process. What am I going to do this day? This week? This month? Goals are part of the process. Start simple. Learn the books of the Bible. Learn about each of the books. Learn about Jesus. Learn why certain things happened certain ways. It’s like anything in life, the more you put into it the more you will get out of it. Paul’s words, “be strong,” are intended to say, “put your all into it.”
  • Use your faith. Teach others. Tell others. In difficult times, rely upon that faith. Like building muscle, the more you use it the stronger you become. Think spiritually. Think about what this show or this friend or this activity will do to you spiritually. Think about how you can glorify God TODAY. Be thinking. Be praying. Be looking.

 

  • Spend some time with those who have strong faith. Ask them what they are reading. Ask them about their routines. Learn from those who have become strong. If a person was serious about saving money, he’d read books and listen to those who have achieved financial success. Following the advice of a broke cousin won’t get you there. The same is true spiritually. Following the example of others who are weak in faith will not make me strong. Get to know personally your preacher and shepherds of the church. Ask them questions. Learn from them. Strong Christians pray often. Strong Christians attend every service, unless they are sick. They come straight from work. They come tried. But they come. Strong Christians are engaged in worship. They are singing, fellowshipping, participating and connected during worship. Strong Christians have family time where they help the faith of those in their household. Strong Christians are readers. They love reading the Bible. They love reading about spiritual things. Strong Christians are busy with others. They are sending cards, making phone calls, encouraging and doing what they can. You’ll run into them at the hospital and funeral homes. They are there because they care. You’ll see them long after services have ended, talking with others. They are open, friendly, kind in heart and generous with time and resources. These are the people that have helped you in the past. These are the people that you go to when there is a problem. These are the people that you count on. Spend time with them. Learn from them.

Be strong. This is what God expects from you. A weak faith not only hurts you, it hurts your family and it hurts those you impact. Being weak is not acceptable. It is not pleasing to God. It is not the best that you can do. Be strong…people will notice. It shows. It’s what God wants from you. This is something that you CAN do, because God said so. Are you strong?

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 786

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 786

Revelation 7:15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits upon the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.”

Last night was the Super Bowl. Part of the tradition of watching the game are the special commercials that are aired. People talk about them as much as they do the game. They are ranked by favorites. One that we liked was the commercial about the farmer. The voice and words of legendary Paul Harvey reminded us of the value of the farmer, especially as the phrase, “And God made the farmer” was repeated through that commercial.

 

We could make our own list using that expression: And, God made the elder…And, God made the mother…or, And God made the dad…there are many hard working people who are dedicated, selfless and doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. But, you may not be a farmer, an elder, even a mom or a dad. There is one more thing in all this that we need to remember, and that is, “And God made you…”

 

Each of us have God’s thumbprint upon our soul. Each of us are special to God. Each of us have been designed by God, given opportunities by God, blessed by God, loved by God and made by God to praise and glorify Him. We are different. We look differently. We are wired differently. We respond differently. And each of us, in our own way, following God’s way, honor and glorify Him. Some of us sing praises quietly. Others, belt out the song very loudly. Some sit and listen to a sermon just thinking and taking it in. Others are flipping through the Bible with the preacher, taking notes, and busy, busy through a sermon. We are different. We are made by God.

Sometimes our different ways bothers others. They think we should do what they are doing. The guy who sings out has a hard time understanding why someone sings softly. The guy who is busy flipping pages in his Bible and taken extensive notes of a sermon doesn’t understand how someone can learn by just sitting there listening. These difference can lead us to untrue and even unkind judgments. Someone can assume that the unless you are worshipping like me, then you are really not worshipping at all. It’s hard to understand that God has made us all, but He made us differently. Our pasts, our backgrounds, our upbringings, our experiences all shape and mold us.

 

We so often try to change someone to be like us and judge someone who is doing things differently than we are that it causes friction in the family and in the congregation. We all have our own way of doing things, from cooking, to cutting the yard, to serving the Lord. Within the boundaries of what God’s word says, there are many judgments. For instance, God wants us to pray to Him. How often? How long each time? God wants us spending time in His word? How much should we read a day? A page? A chapter? A whole book?

 

What works for you may not work for me. We know what doesn’t work for any of us, and that is nothing. That’s not the answer. Our walk with God will fit the way we are. The more focus we put upon our relationship with God, and the less we worry about how others are doing things, the better we will be.

We see those differences among the apostles. Peter seems to be very talkative in the Gospels. Bartholomew says little. Which one is better? Peter writes very practically. Paul writes with much depth. Which is better? If I am a Paul, should I view Peter as shallow? No. If I am a Peter, should I try to make Paul more practical for the audience? No.

God made us. He made us differently. I need to try to serve God the best I can with my talents and opportunities. I should try to develop myself, grow, and be the best that I can be. Judging others and trying to change others, often overlooks the very idea that God made some of us differently than others.

God made you…be the best you that you can be. Glorify God in all that you do!

Roger

 

01

Jump Start # 785

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 785

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

One more day on Satan. We have been looking at Satan these past few days in our Jump Starts. We’ve seen where we are engaged in a war with him, whether we want to be or not. We saw yesterday that his future is set and determined by God. He is destined to be tormented forever. Good! No tears lost there!

 

Today, we are reminded that Satan has plans and schemes. Paul said, “we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Part of the preparation that sports teams go through before a game is to study their opponents. In baseball, batters will study pitchers and pitches will study batters. In football, films of the other team will be watched over and over. They are looking and learning. They don’t want any surprises. They don’t want to be caught off guard.

 

There are three thoughts from our passage that we need to notice.

First, Satan has schemes. That word, schemes, in the Greek means something that is thought out. In legal terms, we might say, “pre-meditated.” It’s not something that is spontaneous or on a whim. It is looked at, thought out, and planned. It is calculated. Satan put time into tempting you. He’s been thinking about you. He has put time into you. I don’t know about you, but that bothers me. I’m not a huge fan of people thinking about me, much less Satan thinking about how he can trip me. Makes me wonder if he has been thinking about me more than I have been thinking about myself. It is so easy to just go through the motions of life, being busy every day with the stuff of the day that we forget about the spiritual. Satan hasn’t. He never does. Have you thought out where you will be spiritually at the end of the year? I expect Satan has already been thinking about that.

 

Second, the context of this chapter is about forgiving and accepting a repentant brother. The person in mind seems to be the same one in 1 Corinthians 5 who was in a moral mess with a relative. Paul led the church to discipline this person. Apparently, he came to his senses and wanted to return to a godly life. Forgiveness was in order by the church. Discipline, whether at home by parents, or from brethren is intended to lead one to a better life and better choices. Not forgiving is connected here with Satan. One of his schemes would be to use the closed hearts of brethren to cause his brother to be crushed with sorry. Rejection is hard to overcome. When one is wanting to do what is right but that is refused, that nearly cripples a person. Satan knows that. We fail to see that our attitudes toward others often plays right into the plans of Satan.  This was his scheme. He thought this out. This will work, is what he would have thought. If the Corinthian church would act like the prodigal son’s older brother, then Satan would have this one. It was a good plan. It was laced with pride and self righteousness. Just the right amounts to make folks turn their heads and walk away. Satan working through brethren.

 

Thirdly, Paul said, we are not ignorant of his schemes. We see right through this. We know what he’s up to. We know what he wants. He’s using us to hurt each other. We wants us to forget about Jesus. He doesn’t want grace and forgiveness. Paul indicates that they were on top of it. This wasn’t about to work. Oh, if we could be as sharp as Paul was. I fear that too often I am ignorant of what is going on. I only think of myself. I say and do dumb things because I forget about others. I play right into the hands of Satan. Feelings hurt, egos bruised, promises broken, all to the delights of Satan. I tire of being Satan’s puppet. I wish congregations could see this. Too many fuss about a bunch of nothing, never realizing that they are following the playbook of Satan. Don’t be ignorant! Wise up! The same goes for fussing at home. The same goes for hurting others by saying mean things. When are we ready to cut the strings and be done with Satan? We walk right into his trap over and over.

A simple thing such as forgiving…God’s playbook or Satan’s?

All this makes you wonder what the evil one has planned around the corner. Doesn’t matter when you are walking with the Lord as Paul was. He could see through those things. He was sharp and aware of what was going on.

Roger