09

Jump Start # 933

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 933

Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

 

Our verse today is difficult to grasp. It is one that many feel. It describes the inner turmoil and struggle between obeying God and the guilt that comes from disobeying Him. This struggle is real when we read:

  • “…for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” (15)
  • “For I know that nothing good dwells in me…” (18)
  • “For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish” (19)
  • “but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (23)

Indeed, as he stated, Paul was “wretched.” He was miserable. His heart and mind where at odds. The inside and the outside were not on the same page. He knew, but he didn’t do what he knew. Guilt and shame were winning. He felt like a loser spiritually. He knew he wasn’t pleasing God.

Many Christians can relate to Paul’s words. In some ways Paul has written their story. Romans 7 has become their spiritual autobiography. Since they have become a Christian, their life has been miserable. They are eaten with guilt. They are not confident nor do they feel good about their spiritual journey. For some, life was better when they were not following Christ. Sure they were lost, but they had freedom and fun. They didn’t live with a constant guilt. Not a day passes that they beat themselves up for not praying more, doing more, saying the right word, having the right attitude. They love Jesus and go to services but deep inside, doubt that they will go to Heaven. Why? Romans 7.

Is that how you feel? Something is wrong if it is. Consider:

 

  • The same apostle that wrote Romans 7 also told the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.
  • It was the same apostle who told Timothy, “in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge will award to me on that day…” (2 Tim 4:8).
  • It was the same apostle who wrote a sentence or two later in Romans, “There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus” (8:1).

This inner struggle Paul describes in Romans 7 is illustrating a man who is trying to live by perfection. He can’t do it. He’s eaten alive with guilt. The struggle is too much. Wretched is how he feels. Romans 7 is the life under the law. Romans 7 is not what Christians should feel. Romans 7 has no joy, no confidence and no future. Misery is not what is found in Christ. Jesus gives us freedom. Remember, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” The Gospel doesn’t enslave us in an inner prison of mental and emotional torture. How is the Gospel “good news,” if that is the case? What is the motive for trying to convert someone if a miserable life awaits them?

What is missing in Romans 7 is Jesus. What is missing is grace. What is missing is the Holy Spirit groaning for us. Romans 7 is NOT the life of a Christian. In Christ there is joy, peace and hope. Romans 7 is gloom and doom.

There are some who need to grasp this. You have allowed guilt to dominate your life and have tried to force others to live by perfection. Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving. Using guilt as a means to change behavior doesn’t last long.

 

Keep Romans 7 where it belongs. Be thankful that we don’t have to be perfect. Be thankful for grace. Now, does that mean we can be foot loose and fancy free and not try? No. Does that mean nothing matters? No. Does that mean I can do what I want? No. Does that mean I can preplan sin and know that God will wipe it away? No. All of those reflect unrighteous attitudes that are not characteristic of a disciple. A disciple wants to be like the master, that’s Jesus. Romans 8 tells us that God wants us to be conformed to the image of His son.

 

As we come and worship, it ought to be an oasis of joy and a celebration of goodness that is found in Christ. The reason some stay away from church is that they know they have been wrong, and they fear the church will only make them feel worse. Shame on us for that. The prodigal didn’t feel that way. He didn’t think, “Might as well go home where I will get lectured, beat up and treated like dirt.” Grace is the banner that flies from God’s flagship. Forgiveness is the fuel that keeps us going. As long as we are all going the same direction with God on the journey to Heaven, we have help and hope from God and each other. We are not on the same place in this journey. Some are ahead of us. Some are behind us. It’s easy to wrongly judge others because they are not beside us. It is easy to feel worthless because we think we are so far behind others. But that’s not how God feels about you.

We marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion.

 

I hope this helps. It’s time to pray to God and let go of some of that guilt. It’s time to smile again spiritually. It’s time to realize that you are God’s sons and daughters. He loves you. He wants you to spend forever with Him.

Wretched? No. I am a Christian. I walk with the King. I am forgiven. God’s grace shines upon us.

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

06

Jump Start # 932

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

 

Jump Start # 932

Ephesians 3:3-5 “that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made know to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.”

 

I started a new book last night. It comes with a lot of hype and is about living the transformed life in Christ. Two pages into the book and I was already disgusted with it. I’m getting fed up with modern religious writers. All their books read the same. First, they can’t write a few pages without having to tell their story, their success and how great they are. If I wanted an autobiography about the author I would have bought that. This is especially true on books about the prodigal son. It seems that modern writers aren’t content with Jesus’ story. They have to tell their own prodigal story in such a way that it trumps what Jesus said.

 

Secondly, the lack of Biblical knowledge is astonishing. If these writers don’t know the Bible is it any wonder that the people sitting in the pews where these guys are preaching don’t have a clue. In the book I read last night, the author described a dream God sent him about building a church. When they couldn’t afford a paved parking lot, his wife had a dream, from God, about how the parking lot would be paved for free. A local businessman, also had a dream from God, was directed to pave the parking lot for free. Sure was a lot of “godly” dreaming going on in those first few pages. Everyone was happy, happy, happy. God was really working. Dreams will flying and parking lots were being paved.

 

When someone writes stuff like this, and this is common, run of the mill lingo found in current religious books, who can argue with a dream from God? It seems that this is divine. This is what God wants.

 

I am so weary of such misuse of God and ignorance of His word. Our passage tells us that the APOSTLES were guided by the Holy Spirit. The APOSTLES were led by the Holy Spirit. The APOSTLES were filled with the Holy Spirit. They wrote. The Christians read. When the Christians read, they knew. They knew what the apostles did. This came after the apostles wrote and the Christians read. God didn’t send dreams to the Christians. Peter had a dream before he went to Cornelius’ house. Peter was an apostle. Paul had a vision a couple of times. Paul was an apostle. The Christians weren’t getting dreams from God. They were busy reading what the apostles wrote. Had the author of the book I read spent more time reading and less time sleeping or dreaming he would have learned some things.

 

The book of Hebrews begins with the principle that long ago God talked to man in many ways. The Old Testament shows that. He spoke through burning bushes, visions, donkeys, prophets, messages written on walls. The passage goes on to say that in these last days He speaks through His son. God speaks through Jesus. John begins his gospel by referring to Jesus as the “WORD.” He didn’t call Jesus the “DREAM.”

 

Twice in the New Testament we are told that God is not a respecter of persons. If God tells me something, but doesn’t tell you what He told me, it seems like He has favored me. God doesn’t do that. I never got a dream about parking lots. Peter wrote in his second letter that all things pertaining to life and godliness has been given by God. If Peter’s readers had EVERYTHING they needed, then why is God still sending dreams, whispers and other messages?

 

The bottom line is that God speaks through the written word today. That is His avenue. This is why the Bible takes such a supreme place in the plan of God.

People can have dreams. People can have goals, plans and ideas. But to say, “God sent me this dream,” is not Biblical. It’s starting at a wrong place. Someone building a church, movement or foundation at this starting place is going to miss it because his misunderstanding of God’s word is going to take him places that he shouldn’t be. The assurance of God is in following His word. It is not in trusting our feelings or what we think are Heaven sent dreams.

 

So many people operate under the thinking that God told me to do this, or, God sent me here. They confuse faith and feelings. They put more trust in feelings that the word of God. They will ignore what the Bible says because of what their feelings tell them. When discussing things like this, it is common to hear someone reply, “Oh, that’s just the Bible.” Yeah! You’re right, it is the Bible. Put the brakes on. Stop. Listen. Read. Study. Look. You can’t be right with God and wrong with the Bible. You can’t please God and ignore what He says in the Bible. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Feelings can be misleading. Feelings change. Feelings are fickle. Faith isn’t like that. Faith is based upon the word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith and feelings are not the same.

 

Does God tell me what to do? Yes. How does He tell me? Not in dreams, whispers, voices, feelings. He tells me through His word.

 

God’s people are a people of the book.

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 931

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

 

Jump Start # 931

 

Psalms 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.”

The Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith. It defines what we believe; it shows what we are supposed to do; and it reveals what is going to happen. Without the Bible we have no structure, purpose or definition. This is why the Bible is used so heavily in our sermons and classes. We want to know it, believe it, follow it and use it. We quote the Bible at weddings and refer to it in funerals. We stay up late at night reading it. When there are questions that we do not know the answer to, we get digging in the Bible to find out. Through the years the Bible becomes our friend, companion, tool, and help.

Recently, I looked into someone else’s Bible. Sometimes I will see one in the church building that someone left or if I visit someone’s home and see a Bible on a table, I’ll take a look at it. Have you ever done that? It’s a fascinating adventure. I’ll see papers stuffed in some Bibles. In some cases, too many papers. That can be hard on the binding. Old bulletins and class outlines. Sometimes there are poems that have been cut out and kept in there. Years ago I remember some people would press a four leaf clover in their Bible. That’s just the start. Flipping through someone’s Bible you’ll find verses underlined or highlighted. Sometimes there will be notes written in the margins. All of that gives insight into what is important to a person.

 

All of that got me thinking about my Bibles. I have a bunch. Two of them are most important to me—one is my study Bible. It’s a mess. Pages are loose and it’s a mess to look at. It looks like a truck ran over it. The binding is busted. The cover is chipping off and faded. I love that old Bible and have spent a long time with it. The other is my preaching Bible. I can’t use my study Bible in the pulpit because pages would fall out and it would be a disaster. My preaching Bible has a lot of words circled and underlined. If someone took a look at those Bibles of mine, they would see something about me. They would see what stood out with me and what I wanted to remember. I have a lot of little thoughts and quotes written on the back “white pages” of my Bible. These are things that I picked up from listening to others. They struck a cord with me and I wanted to remember them so I wrote it on those pages. I have a couple of bulletin items taped on those pages as well. Years ago I was given the Bible of an old preacher. There’s nothing in it except his name. Nothing underlined. Nothing circled. Nothing taped or written on the back pages. Clean and nice. I wish that he had jotted things in it. I would have picked up on some of the things that impressed him. As it is, there’s nothing there.

 

How about your Bible? What does it look like? If someone were to open it up and flip through it, what would they find? Our Bibles are our tools. Make it comfortable and useful to you. Fill it with the things that will help you. My old study Bible has charts and timelines and dates written in it.

 

God’s word is a lamp and a light. It’s there to help us. Use it. Become familiar with it. Make your Bible user friendly to you. Those electronic versions on our phones and tablets are very handy and useful and I have several that I like. However, nothing beats that feel in your hand of your own Bible. Get it out—flip through it. Put your notes in it. Underline. Circle words. Make it your own. The more you do that, the more you will become very comfortable with it.

 

I’ve heard it said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person whose life is not falling apart. There is a connection there. Nothing beats the Bible. Raise the hood and get inside it and learn it. You’ll see, very shortly, that it has an amazing effect upon you. The more time you spend with the word, the better you become. The Bible is that way. It’s living and active and it works on an honest and good heart.

 

Give me the Bible…is an old hymn that we sing. It’s also the mindset and the motto of Christians.

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 930

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

 

Jump Start # 930

Romans 10:14 “How will they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

 

Paul makes a direct connection between God—faith– belief-preaching– listening. Preaching is the medium in which the word of God was heard and understood. Without the word, there is no faith. Without the preaching of the word, people wouldn’t know. Remember, this was written in a day in which the New Testament was still being written and when few, very, very few would have copies of the Old Testament. Preaching was the key. This is how people knew.

 

Originally, preaching was about sharing the message of God to listening ears. Today, it seems preaching is about administration, growing churches, putting out trouble among members, budgets and meetings. It seems that many have come to expect those things. I for one rebel against such notions. Preaching is about the word. Preaching is about sharing the word of God.

 

I’m finding more and more, a growing segment that has no connection to any preacher, of any kind. Which in turns means that they have no connection to a church. They seem to get along fine like that until there is a death. A funeral is planned. The funeral director asks the family about who will conduct the service and panic sets in. No one knows a preacher. No one has any connection to a preacher. If they are lucky, some second-cousin’s girlfriend’s dad used to preach and he is connected. When that doesn’t happen, they call a stranger. It happens. It happens a lot. It is awkward all the way around. The preacher doesn’t know the family and especially the deceased. The family knows nothing about the preacher. Everyone is hopeful. The family wants the preacher to put mama in Heaven. The preacher, if he has any conviction and any conscience at all, can’t do that.

 

I thought about that recently. My son, who preaches has been called to preach the funeral of strangers. I have done that many times as well. I can’t imagine going through life without knowledge of any preacher. My best friends are preachers. I know tons of preachers. We call each other. We bounce questions off each other. We share reading lists and ideas and articles and sermons. The presence of preachers reminds us of the Word. The Word reminds us of God and eternity. The more we are reminded the better. Could it be that is why some do not know a preacher? Could it be that the reminder makes them feel guilty and ashamed? Could it be that they are so busy with the here and now that they have forgotten about the eternal? Could it be that they don’t want to be reminded? Could it be that life is good until mama dies? Then, an unknown preacher is called. He says a few words. We are convinced that mama is in Heaven, because she was mama and she made chocolate chip cookies. Why wouldn’t she be in Heaven? Right? Then the funeral is over. There is no need for the preacher. We go about our way living empty and shallow lives and doing all we can to get ahead and be happy. Isn’t that what life is all about? How tragic. How vain. How false.

There is an old saying that the only time people need church is when they are hatched, matched and dispatched.

Here are some things a preacher can do for you:

 

1. He can help you learn the story of the Bible

2. He can give you useful passages that will help you fight temptation, raise your family and be the servant of God that you are supposed to be

3. He can help you get stronger in the Lord

4. He can help you become a productive servant of the Lord

5. He can give you depth and insights that will help you for a long, long time

6. He can recommend great books to read

7. He can help teach your friends and family the gospel

8. He can show you how to find answers and study the Bible

9. He can bring comfort that only comes from God’s word

10. He can answer questions

 

What he can’t do is live the message for you. He can’t believe for you. He can’t tell you what it is that you believe. He can’t make you be a Christian. He can’t forgive your sins and he can’t put you in Heaven.

 

How well do you know your preacher? How often do you use your preacher?

Paul said, “How will they hear without a preacher?” How will they?

Roger

 

 

03

Jump Start # 929

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 929

Luke 12:19 “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”

Our passage today comes from the parable of the rich farmer. Jesus used this parable to reply to someone’s demand for Jesus to get involved in settling a family inheritance dispute. Jesus would not do that. That is not why He came. That conversation followed a warning about greed and abundance. Life does not consist of abundance is the principle that Jesus was illustrating with this parable of the rich farmer.

 

The farmer in this parable had many good things going for him. First, he was rich. Many farmers are not. Many struggle. Weather dictates the success in farming and no one can predict nor control the weather. Not only was he rich, he had future plans. He was planning on expanding. Larger barns. Larger barns are needed for more bountiful harvests. He was even planning to slow down and retire. Our verse states that he was going to “take your ease.” there isn’t a lot of ease in farming. Up early. Working hard all day. That every expression implied that he was just about to the point that he was going to retire. Farming had been good to him.

The parable takes a horrible twist when he died suddenly that night. He hadn’t calculated that. He didn’t see death in his future. In the parable he is called a fool. The word “fool” is the harshest word God ever uses. It’s not because he was rich, successful or planning. It’s because he failed to include God. Long before this the Psalmist declared, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” This rich farmer lived that way. He may have known that there is a God, but he didn’t act that way. He lived as if he was in control of things, he wasn’t. He lived as if he was always going to have a future to build barns, he didn’t.

Our verse today, uses a very interesting expression. It says, “I will say to my soul, “Soul…” We do not talk that way. We talk to ourselves. We sing to ourselves. We think out loud. We read out loud. We say that we are thinking. The Bible uses the concept of meditating. Rarely, if ever, do we hear, “I will say to my soul…” Our soul and ourselves are so intertwined that you cannot separate them. You can’t leave your soul in bed and the rest of you go off to work or school. That doesn’t happen. That can’t happen. There is no separation. One affects the other. Our soul affects our behavior. Our behavior affects our soul. We feed our soul, spiritually. We strengthen our soul spiritually. Our soul lives after our bodies die.

It might be good if once in a while we talked to our soul. Our soul is who we are. It defines us. A conversation with our self or our soul might help us keep our priorities in line. It may connect us to what is important in life. It may reveal a weakness, as this farmer would have noticed had he been paying attention spiritually.

Greed, like lust, like most addictions, creates tunnel vision. It’s all a person can see, think about and talk about. They become obsessed. It takes over their life. Nothing else seems to matter. Greed is not stuff, but it’s that desire or wanting of stuff. It thinks that a person will be more happy with more or bigger or newer things. It defines things by labels. The name of a suit, sunglasses, brand of car, watch, shoes impresses many people. I’ve found that a name of a designer, who I have never heard of before, and who I can’t even pronounce, generally makes things more expensive. It’s a show off type of thing. A person will say, “I’m wearing Mr. Big Italian designer watch.” Some would say, “Ohh,” because they are impressed. The most important thing, does that watch tell the time!

 

The rich farmer had a talk with his soul. They  talked about the wrong things. The conversation with his soul didn’t go well. He convinced himself that he was on the right path, doing the right things and had thought it all out. WRONG. He forgot God. He failed to thank God for the kind weather that made him successful. He failed to ask God for his plans and wishes. He certainly failed to include, “Thy will be done.” He wasn’t interested in God’s will, but his will. This wasn’t about what God wanted, but what he wanted. This wasn’t about God’s glory, but his ease, retirement and comfort. That’s what greed will do for you. It’s a faulty GPS. It’s a broken compass. It sends us down the wrong path and that path is always away from God. Greed doesn’t lead a person to God. It always takes a person away from God. Greed doesn’t make us a kinder servant, like Jesus would like us to be. Instead it makes us grumpy, stingy and selfish. Greed hordes. Greed takes.

When a person talks to their soul, they ought to listen to what they are saying. Do you hear yourself? What are you saying?

 

The farmer died. He died suddenly. He died not realizing that he no longer had a future here. He died without giving any thought to who will have his barns after he was gone. He died and never made a difference for anyone. He died without walking with God.

 

Maybe it would do us all well to turn off the car radio and talk to our own soul. That little talk may tell you that you need to step it up with the Lord. It may tell you that your attitude is out of line and needs some adjusting. It may tell you that your are becoming grumpy and selfish. It may make you thankful that you even have today. It may make you thankful that you have a family, a job and a Lord that loves you.

Do not think that talking to your soul is as good as or can replace talking to the Lord. Prayer and talking to your soul can be about the same things, the difference is that one is talking to self and the other is talking to the God of Heaven and Earth. We are limited in what we can do, what we know and what we see. God is not. God can open doors that no one can. God can do what we cannot not. Pray to God—talk to your soul. Do them both. Connect the two together. One will help with the other.

 

“I will say to my soul…”

Roger