16

Jump Start # 1081

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1081

1 Chronicles 22:7-8 “David said to Solomon, ‘My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.’”

 

Our verse is about King David. He is old and beginning the process of passing the torch on to Solomon, his son, to be the next king of Israel. David’s heart was loyal to God. He had made Jerusalem the center and capital of the nation. The king’s palace was there. The city had walls for protection. Yet the focus of worship remained within the tabernacle—the mobile, tent structure first established in the wilderness in the Moses years. David wanted to give God something better, something permanent. The temple was planned. David intended to build it. God said ‘No.’ David wasn’t the one. Solomon would build it. The temple became the most beautiful building in Jerusalem. David gathered workers, supplies and all the necessary steps, so the process for Solomon would be very smooth. Solomon’s temple served Israel until the Babylonians sacked it around 587 B.C.

 

There are some lessons for us:

 

1. Some of our dreams are unfulfilled. This is especially true as one gets older. Age, finances, limitations often make a person realize that the dreams of youth are not going to come about. Sometimes the dreams of our youth do not seem as important when we are older. Things change. Priorities change. A young person wants to travel and see the world. The older that person becomes, the more he just wants to stay home. This is true with many of our dreams and goals.

 

Spiritually, some of our goals may not be realized. Some may have had the goal of serving as a shepherd in a congregation. Things happened along the way and now that is not going to be a reality. Some had the dream of preaching and that didn’t pan out. We all have dreams that were not fulfilled.

 

2. God sometimes says ’No.’ He did to David. In the book of Acts, Paul wanted to go to Asia to preach and the Holy Spirit refused to allow that to happen. God said ’no.’ Crushed dreams. No instead of a yes. Those things can come to a young couple who want a baby, but find out that they cannot have one. It can come in the form of closed doors and opportunities that never come. We want ’yes,’ and God says ’No.’ “Thy will be done,” is hard to swallow when Thy will does not line up with our will. Thy will may be completely opposite of what we want and pray for. Thy will may take us a different direction. Even noble intentions such as building a Temple for God, or preaching in Asia, can be rejected by God.

 

How we respond and react to these things reveal our character and our faith. Someone the other day gave me a picture of myself when I was 22 years old. It was at a farewell party. I had finished working with a church in a training program and was soon to start off preaching on my own. I was given a briefcase as a present. Tall, skinny, single and full of thoughts about what I was going to do. Now, 34 years later, no longer a kid, but having four kids who are older than the guy in the picture, life has taken me places that I never dreamed of. Some of those dreams and goals of that 22 year old guy in the picture never came about. Most of them have long been forgotten. They have been replaced with better goals, more realistic dreams, and things thought out.

 

A person can live their life being disappointed. There is an old Harry Chapin song called, ’Taxi’ where he picks up a woman for a taxi ride. They recognize each other and remember their dreams of long ago. He was going to be a pilot and she was going to be an actress. Now, he’s just driving his taxi. We can spend too much time regretting what never came about. The “I was going to be,” is a song that no one wants to hear.

 

A person can be bitter because of failed dreams. They can feel chained to kids, work, aging parents and never feel like they got to do what they wanted to in life. This leads a person to resent others. They resent the kids. They resent a marriage that took away dreams. They resent their life and envy those who are doing what they never could. Bitterness comes from resentment. Misery follows. A person who is like this isn’t happy and content. There is a volcano brewing on the inside. It will erupt some day. It will be messy and generally, ugly things will spew forth.

 

From our passage we learn that David couldn’t build the Temple, but he did other things and mostly he built a son who would build that temple. As a person ages, the experiences of life can polish and change you. As faith grows within you, priorities change.  You replace the dreams of youth with mature, seasoned, and spiritual goals and dreams. You have better goals, deeper dreams that are driven by Scriptures.

 

We learn, especially from Paul, that when God said ‘No’ to Asia, he didn’t quit. There was another plan, another place and another direction God wanted him to go. Don’t fight God. Don’t quit because dreams do not become fulfilled. Don’t try to push God out of the throne. He knows what’s best. He sees things that we don’t.

 

So things didn’t work out for you to serve as a shepherd in the congregation. Can you do other things? Can you be one of the best members? Can you be that bright spot that encourages others? Can you be an incredible teacher? Can you find ways to help others serve? Don’t give up because your dream didn’t come about.

 

So you can’t have children. Can you adopt? Can you be that person in the neighborhood that all the kids adore? Can you be the adoptive parent to all the kids at church? Can you volunteer at the local library to read stories to kids? Can you teach kid’s classes at church? Don’t give up because your dream didn’t come about.

 

So you can’t travel overseas and preach. Can you find those that do and encourage them? Can you help them financially? Can you get names of foreign preachers and write them. I’ve done that for 30 years. There are books you can send to them. There is friendships you can form this way. Don’t give up because your dream didn’t come about.

 

David couldn’t build the temple. He helped the one who would. Paul couldn’t preach in Asia. He preached in other places. What about your dreams? What about your hopes? Don’t live in the past. Don’t live defeated. Don’t blame others. Live your life in the sunshine of today. Serve the Lord the best you can today. Continue to dream, plan and make goals.

 

An old sermon I used to preach everywhere, “Bloom where you are planted.” In our new place where we now live, there are all kinds of spring flowers popping up. Behind us is woods. In the woods, there are spring flowers popping up. The seeds from one year blew into the woods. Now the flowers are blooming where they are planted. That is some of us. It’s not where we intended to be, but here we are. Bloom where you are planted. Keep blooming. Keep dreaming. Keep serving the Lord.

 

Roger

 

 

 

15

Jump Start # 1080

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1080

2 Kings 19:19 “Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

 

Our verse today comes from a prayer. It is how the prayer ended. It was the prayer of a king that realized that his country was in trouble. He knew his only help was in the Lord. Hezekiah, the Judean king prayed these words to God, acknowledging that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was devastating the nation. These simple words reveal several great thoughts to us.

 

  First, Hezekiah realized the serious trouble that his nation was in. He called upon God to help. Some people never see the danger that they are facing. Troubled marriages, troubled teens, troubled churches, troubled hearts, many deny that there are any problems or worse than that, they believe in a fantasy that everything will get better. I’ve heard folks say that to a scared and broken heart, “I just know it will get better for you.” You know that! Really? It’s great to be optimistic. Optimism without a plan is pure fantasy. Hezekiah realized that his nation would be captured by the Assyrians unless God helped them.

 

  Second, Hezekiah did not tell God what to do. He wanted divine help with the Assyrians, however he left the details up to God. His prayer says, “I pray, deliver us from his hand…” Just how God was going to do that was left to God. If we are not careful, we tend to tell God how to do His job. We work out a plan ourselves and expect God to stick with our thinking and our plan. That doesn’t work. Jesus understood this. In the garden He prayed for the cup of suffering to pass. He didn’t tell His Father, how. He also acknowledged God’s will be done. If Calvary was the will of God, which it was, then Jesus would accept it.

 

Sometimes we like to sit in God’s chair and tell how things ought to be. We play God and believe that how we have thought things out is the way that it should be. Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are higher than our ways. God is holier than we are. God is more merciful than we are. God sees the entire picture, and we don’t. God’s will prevails and we often do not grasp what all God’s will involves.

 

Deliver us recognizes that God can do that many ways. In Egypt, it involved plagues and death upon the first born. In the days of King Saul, it was a teenager with a sling and a rock that routed the Philistine armies. For Noah, it was an ark. For Lot, it was being led out of a city by angels. For the apostle Paul, it was being lowered over the city walls in a basket in the middle of the night. God has delivered many ways. Hezekiah did not lock God into one specific way. He allowed God to be God. We must do the same. There are many ways that God can open a heart to receive His saving message. There are many ways God can protect, save and rescue His people. Believing the prayer, “Deliver us,” puts trusts in God and not a plan. It’s not the plan that saves, it’s God that saves. The plan without God is doomed to fail. With God, anything can happen. Hezekiah understood that. Do we?

 

  Third, Hezekiah named names in his prayer. In his prayer, Hezekiah told God about Sennacherib and the terrible destruction that he caused upon other nations. Hezekiah said the name Sennacherib. This prayer was specific and concerned specific people and specific problems. There is a place for that, especially in our private closet prayers. Generic prayers too often are not asking God for help and they are too hard to see the answers. Specific people. Specific problems. Hezekiah had a problem with Sennacherib. Hezekiah was not in the position to do anything about it. He prayed. He told God what was upon his heart.

 

Have you done that? Got a problem with someone at work, in the neighborhood, the family, or in the congregation? Have you named that person in your prayers? Have you asked God for deliverance from the problems that they are causing? Could it be that we really do not have a problem with another, we simply don’t like them? Possibly, we are jealous. Maybe, we feel inferior to them. They may have had more success than we have. We don’t like them and we allow them to bother us. That’s different than what Hezekiah faced. He had a national problem. His country was about to be invaded and he couldn’t stop it. The track history of Assyria is running through nation after nation. No one could stop them. Now Judah was in their sights.

 

We let other people bother us much too often and we fail to take that to God in prayer. Maybe someone doesn’t understand you or your faith. Pray about that person to God. Maybe someone is being mean to you for no reason. Pray about that person to God. Remember our second point. Let God be God. Don’t tell God what to do with that person.

 

Throughout the New Testament, putting other people’s names in prayers is very common. Sometimes it was to thank God for them. Other times, it was to seek divine help. I heard a guy once pray, “Lord, we pray for those that we are supposed to pray for.” What does that mean? If we are supposed to pray for others, why not actually do that? Why not thank God for those who have helped you? Why not pray for those who are not Christians to receive the Gospel? Why not name the sick, physical and spiritual?

 

The story ends in 2 Kings, with the angel of the Lord coming at night and killing 185,000 Assyrians. All of them were dead. Sennacherib returned home and never again bothered the people of God.

 

In the model prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, we find the expression, “but deliver us from evil.” Deliver us. The prayer of Hezekiah. The example of Jesus. The work of God.

 

We might worry less, sleep better and be more at ease, if we prayed more about the people that trouble us.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 1079

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1079

1 Corinthians 11:18 “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it.”

Sundays are special. There is nothing else like a Sunday. I love Sundays. Two special things happen on Sunday: we praise God and we get to be with our church family. There is so much good that comes from those two things. We are encouraged, strengthened and helped by those two things.

Several times in this section of 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the expression “when you come together.” He says that in vs. 17, 18, 33. In vs. 20 he uses the words, “when you meet together.” Getting together. Coming together is much more than just sitting beside someone, it is a coming together of spirit, heart and love. You can sit beside someone on the airplane, without the bond of “coming together.” Most would rather have an empty seat beside them on an airplane. That spirit is not the same as coming together.

When we come together, we are not all the same. We can forget that sometimes.

  • Some like me, are up early, energized, excited and bouncing up and down like Tigger.
  • Some have been up and down all night with kids and they are dragging. It’s a struggle to get the eyes open.
  • Some do not feel well. The body hurts and they almost didn’t come but they did.
  • Some have come with mountains of concern in their heart. A marriage is crumbling apart, a child is a prodigal, there is worry about finances, there is concern about an aging parent. These thoughts weigh heavily upon the heart.
  • Some come with shame because of wrong done. Their sins are now known. An unwed pregnancy…fired from job for ethical reasons…lost their temper in the public…others know of their mistakes. They are embarrassed to come.
  • Some come with questions and doubts. What they thought they knew has been challenged. They are not so sure.
  • Some come with tears in their eyes. A loved one was buried in the past week. Prayers were answered “No,” and they feel rejected and disappointed.
  • Some are there because they have been pressured by a parent or a mate. They would much rather be in bed, but they came to have peace at home.
  • Some are there because nothing else is working in their life. Their life is a mess and they feel that Jesus is the answer, but they are not sure. They show up, not knowing anyone.

 

Now, when you look at this mixture of people, they all have different needs, emotions and experiences. Some will sing enthusiastically. Some will barely mouth the words. Some drink deeply every word the preacher says, some have question marks in their mind.

 

We find that the multitudes who followed Jesus were also a very divergent group. Some were looking for help for a sick friend. Some were curious. Some believed. Some were looking for something to accuse Jesus.

 

This thought leaves us with three observations:

 

  • Not everyone will get from worship what I do. Some will get more. Some may get less. Some may leave shaking their heads in doubt, feeling it has been a waste of time. Some will not want to leave because it was so helpful to them. Same service—different reactions. There are hurting people among us on a Sunday. I need to remember that. I need to realize that not everyone is where I am at. I need to get the thoughts off of my self and think of others. I cannot be the measure of how successful a worship has been. I, alone, do not represent the feelings of everyone. I may complain, when others didn’t notice what bothered me. I may have thought the preacher was long and others not feel that way. I am not the gauge of the successfulness of a worship.

 

  • Shepherds of God’s people need to recognize how different everyone is. They must see the congregation as individuals that are each needing different kinds of nourishment and help. One-size-fits-all most often doesn’t work these days. Classes need to be designed around the needs of the people who come.

 

  • Preachers need to remember what a mixed audience that the stand before. Some know the Bible well and find it to be great comfort. Others are not so sure. Some have questions. Others have doubts. Some don’t want to be there. Some don’t want to go home. What a challenge for preachers. Find the right message and find the best way to present it. Find a way to help people become stronger spiritually. There will be some sermons that impact some people more than others. Understand that. There are some who are struggling and need more attention and guidance than others. Jesus always knew where His audience was spiritually. Jesus knew what they needed to hear. We do well to learn from Jesus.

 

When we come together. What a unique thought that is. We come, from different directions. We come, in different sizes. We come, with different things floating through our minds and hearts. We come. We come because of Jesus. There is a common need. There is a common bond. We all need Jesus. We all need each other.

 

The Corinthians misused their coming together. It became, for them, a power and position thing. They used it to dominate others. Wrong. They missed it all together. We can do the same, if not careful.

 

Sundays are special because we all come together.

 

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 1078

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1078

Acts 2:46 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”

  Folks that know me, especially the home congregation, know that I love Sunday. Sunday is the best day of the week. Our routines are different on Sunday. We get to see each other on Sundays. Our attention and emphasis is upon praising and worshipping God that day. Sundays are great. I wish every day was a Sunday. But they are not. Some days are Mondays. Some days are Fridays. Some days we can seem so far away from Sunday. Some days the chaos of life can make it seem like Sunday may never come.

 

Our verse today reminds us that the first Christians were connecting with each other and with God every day. “Day by day” is the expression. Day by day they were eating together. Day by day they were teaching and learning. Day by day. We read this and think, “Didn’t they ever go to work?” Where does the kid’s soccer practice fit in? Did they have nothing else to do? We don’t know all those details. We know that they were people like us, and like us, it’s a thoughtful and purposeful choice that we must make to stay focused and connected to the Lord. It’s important to do that. If the totality of our spiritual life is lived on Sunday at the church building, we will suffer greatly. Satan’s attacks are stronger away from the church building and when we are together. Fear and worry are greater when we are by ourselves. The lion, which Peter compares Satan to, looks for the animal that has strayed away from the flock. He’s eyes are upon the one that is vulnerable. Together we are strong. Together we are encouraged. Together we believe we can make it.

 

Day by day…how do we do that? How is it possible, especially in urban congregations when we are spread out, shopping at different places, unlike the first Christians seeing each other in the daily market places, working in different places and not seeing each other? Is it possible in these days to keep a “day by day” relationship with each other?

 

We may not be able to be with everyone day by day as the first Christians were, but there are wonderful and powerful ways to stay connected with each other. This is a choice we must make. This choice involves looking and finding ways to be with each other. This choice sees the positive value of Christian relationships. There is no reason for any Christian to feel alone.

 

Here are a few suggestions:

 

  • Use your time in the car to call someone in your church family. Just a short “hi, I was thinking about you today,” can be all it takes to make someone’s day. Talk to the elders once a week. This helps them and this helps you. Sitting in airports, construction traffic, waiting on the kids—use the time for good. Prayer time. Connecting time.

 

  • Use social media to stay connected. Facebook messages, email’s are a great way to connect with others, ask questions, let others know that you are praying for them. Just a short note can do so much to encourage another.

 

  • Have lunch with others. This helps when you work in the same area as others. During lunch allows you to draw closer to others. It can be a time to have prayer together. It can be an opportunity to have a Bible study. In time, deeper relationships are formed. Serious conversations can take place.

 

  • Have families over for dinner. This is a great way to know others. The meal doesn’t have to be over the top. It can be simple things. You are not showing off, you are drawing closer to each other. Have a couple you know well and a couple you do not know well. This expands your relationships, fellowship and friendships.

 

  • Go to events, such as ballgames, concerts, movies, vacations with others. This is a great way to share wonderful memories.

 

All of us need those close ties in Christ. It makes a difference in our lives. Those that don’t build those relationships, will often turn to family and friends for advice. Often that advice may not be Biblical, helpful or accurate. They may be encouraged to leave a marriage, when they should have hung in there and got things going. They may be encourage to skip services to do family things. They become weaker by spending time with weaker people. Strong Christians recognize the importance of surrounding themselves with spiritual giants.

 

Day by day. It’s powerful, it’s wonderful, it’s the next best thing to Sundays.

 

We are one day closer to Heaven…then we will never be separated again!

 

Roger

 

10

Jump Start # 1077

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1077

Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”

  Our verse today is taken from the judgment pictures of Matthew 25. Jesus gives us three illustrations that show different aspects of the judgment. It begins with the parable of the ten virgins. Five were wise because they were prepared and ready. Five were foolish because they didn’t anticipate the groom being gone as long as he was. They ran out of oil and they missed the wedding.

 

The second picture is of a master who went away and left his three servants with money, or talents. Upon his return he called them in to see what they had done with his money. The first two had doubled what he had given them. The last servant had done nothing. Our verse is found in this section.

 

The third picture that Jesus gives in this section is of a king that gathers the nations together. He separates the sheep from the goats.

 

The judgment of God will be righteous and fair. That is the way God is. The judgment will have nothing to do with our secular accomplishments, our good looks, our travels, our adventures. They will have EVERYTHING to do with our relationship with God. Jesus is coming. He came to the wedding feast as the groom. He returned as a master who wanted to settled accounts with this servants. He returned as a reigning king. The Lord is coming.

 

Our verse today is what the master said to the servant who was given five talents. He had doubled those talents. The master was pleased. The master used the words, “Well done.” He called him a “faithful slave.” He invited him into the banquet with his master.

 

This verse tells us a couple things. We need to be reminded of them.

First, it is possible for us to please God. Sometimes we forget. We may have a parent or a spouse that never seems pleased. The child brings home a report card with mostly A’s and the unhappy parent states to the child’s disappointment that they all should have been A’s. The child grows up feeling that he can never please his parent. Some live this way the rest of their life. It can be the same in a marriage. No matter what is done, the other always finds something wrong and something to complain about. Vacations aren’t right. The house isn’t right. The income isn’t right. The marriage is strained because one feels like a slave to a master who can never be pleased.

 

God is not like that. Jesus was happy with what this servant did. Jesus praised him and invited him to share in the blessing of God. God can be pleased. We can put a smile upon his face. That is important for us to realize as we serve Him and obey Him.

 

  Second, this shows us that we can do things right. It is easy to see only problems with people and churches in the Bible. We talk about Noah, but must mention that he got drunk. Abraham, he lied. David, committed adultery. The church at Jerusalem neglected some of the widows. The Galatians were mixed up about the law. The Roman church judged each other about eating practices. The Corinthian church was in the cellar with so many problems. There was immorality, division, abuse of the Lord’s supper, lawsuits. They were a mess. The Philippian church had two sisters that Paul called out and told to behave themselves. Then there was Ephesus who left their first love. Sardis was dead. Laodicea was lukewarm. We see these things and after a while just figure that no one can get it right. We settle for second place. We give up too easily.

 

Jesus reminds us that the five talent man did things right. Jesus didn’t say, “You gained five more talents, but I wish you’d gotten seven.” He didn’t say that. This man pleased Jesus. This man did things right. We need to know that.

 

Not every home has to have a prodigal. Not every home has to have a disaster story. Families can be raised godly and righteously. You can do things right as a parent.

 

We can do things right as individuals. We can have an honest and good heart. We can love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. We can be holy as He is holy. Don’t give up too easily. Don’t believe that no one can do it. We are not talking about sinlessness. We are not talking about perfection. We are, however, talking about doing things right. We are talking about doing things “well done.”

 

We can do things right as a congregation. Again, much too much, we accept the idea that we cannot do things right, so we don’t. Philadelphia, in Revelation 3, had no rebukes from the Lord. There is nothing negative stated about that group. They were not told to repent. They were doing things right. A congregation can do that. We can please the Lord.

 

This week I have preaching for the Milwaukee Avenue congregation in Lubbock, Tx. What a delightful group of disciples this is. The leadership, the preachers, the spirit, the love, the interest has been amazing. What a wonderful, powerful, growing and impressive congregation. West Texas is flat and there aren’t very many trees and it hardly rains there, it’s so different from my Indiana, but the people in that congregation stand as giants in kingdom of Christ. Now I’m certain if I dug around like a detective, I might find some flaws. That’s not my place, my job, nor my desire. They have it together. Other places could learn from this group. This isn’t the only congregation like this. There are many, many throughout the nation like this. There are, sadly, many that are not. Too many fight. Some don’t try. They seem to be in a hurry to be somewhere else. They don’t like each other. They are engaged in beating one another up. They don’t realize that it is possible to please the Lord and do things right. A church can do things right. I’ve seen it this past week. Amazing singing. Powerful prayers. Loving concern. They are an oasis in a dry part of Texas.

 

Faults are much like the headlights of a car coming toward you. The other guy’s lights always seem brighter than our own. It is easy to see what is not right with others, while we remain blind to our own sins and failures. The five talent man got busy when his master left. He didn’t sit around thinking about what could be done, he did things. He wasn’t long on talk and short on doing. He got busy. He didn’t seem to follow the example of the one talent man. When the master returned, there was something to show for it. The master was pleased. He had done well. “Well done, “ are the words of the master. Well done!

 

Can we do the same? Certainly. Can we please Jesus? Yes. Can we do things right? Yes.

 

Isn’t it about time we did?

 

Roger