Jump Start # 1109

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

NOTE TO READERS: This is just a reminder to our readers that Monday is a holiday and I will not be posting a Jump Start that day. When we started Jump Starts, it followed the working schedule. So on holidays, we take a break. Our readership is at an all time high. I want to thank you for staying with Jump Starts, welcome our new readers, and thank you for sharing this with others. There are now 11 Jump Start booklets coving topics such as: Proverbs, Psalms, Jesus, Male Leadership, God’s Expectations, Same-Sex Marriage, Vineyard Parable, Prodigal Son, Weddings and Marriage, Essay’s on Small churches, and Dating. These booklets are free. I also want to thank the wonderful congregation at Charlestown Road that allows me to do this and pays all the expenses involved in the publication of Jump Starts. If you are ever in Southern Indiana area, come visit us.

Monday is Memorial Day. God likes us to remember. Ancient Israel was told to pick up stones from the bottom of the Jordan River as they passed. This was a reminder of God’s providence, protection and promises. Each Sunday, we remember the Lord’s death. That is special. That one death, changed our lives and our eternal destiny.

We each have personal remembrances. We remember Christmas’ long ago. We remember riding to grandma’s house. A school teacher that my kids had is retiring this year. That brought back memories. We sing a hymn, “Precious memories.”

Our verse today involves remembering but it also includes imitating. The Hebrews were to remember those who taught them the word of God. They were not just to remember with a smile on their faces, but to recall how they walked, what they believed in, or as the text states, “considering the result of their conduct,” imitate their faith. This remembrance was to help them stay on course. The implication is that these early teachers had “finished their journey.” The phrase, “considering the result of their conduct,” implies that they had made it. It’s hard to see the results until it is finished. These early Biblical teachers had passed away. They had finished what they started. We wonder if some had died by persecution. That is one of the main issues in Hebrews, remaining faithful in difficult times.

I ran across a list of preachers that held meetings at a rural congregation. My name was on the list. The list covered 100 years. There were some real “giants” on that list. I knew the names of many of them. Many had passed on. Their journeys completed. Every congregation could produce a list like that. The names of men who were their preachers. The names of men who served as elders. The names of those who taught Bible classes. The names of those who came and preached meetings. It might be good for a congregation to post a list like that. We forget. Time moves on. Many of those names made a difference, not only to the church as a whole, but to us personally. They were the ones who pushed us, convinced us, taught us, reminded us, helped us, answered those probing questions and helped a young and struggling faith. They made a difference in our lives.

Here are some food for thought for this Memorial Day weekend:

• Who was the first preacher that you can remember? What do you remember about him?
• Who was one of your first Bible class teachers that you remember?
• What do you remember about the church building that you worshipped in as a child?
• What do you remember about the person who baptized you? What do you remember about the day you were baptized?
• If you could have lunch with one spiritual person from your past, who would it be? Why?

In this looking backward, don’t forget that someone today may be looking at you in this same way. You may be the teacher, preacher or person that made a huge impact in their lives spiritually. You may be the one, years from now, that they remember. All of us leave impressions—good or bad.

It’s been several years now, but the last time I visited the church building that I grew up in, I was amazed at how small the basement hallway was. Back then, the building seemed huge. But what a flood of memories came to me. I remember people like the Wolfgang family, the Corley family, the Clark’s, Charles Crawford and his wife Margaret, old brother Davis, the Hoggatt’s, the Peck’s. Those people were very influential in shaping the spirit and keeping things moving in the right direction. Many of those people taught me. Many of them are now gone. Upon that foundation, I now teach others. It’s a matter of passing the baton on to the next generation.

Most of us who have had a long connection to this fellowship have memories like this. I would love to sit down with some of the leaders of that congregation and talk with them. I was a kid. I didn’t know much. Now, thoughts, questions and ideas fill my heart. I’d like to know how they did it. I like to know what was challenges for them.

Memories. Spiritual memories. Your kids will have them. You are the part of someone’s memory. Never forget that years from now, some kid that is in your congregation, that just seems like a typical kid, may someday be preaching the Gospel as I now do. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that kid years ago would be writing a daily devotional that is read all over the world? I wasn’t a superstar. I didn’t stand out. I’m not one that people said, ‘Watch him, he’s going places someday.’ No, not me. But with that solid foundation, a lot of hard, hard work, and many who gave me a chance, here I am. What great things God can do with a simple person. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever sell yourself short. Don’t ever think that you can’t do much. You may not ever travel the world preaching or writing, but you can be that one that makes it possible  for others or that one that pats the guy on the back and kicks him in the pants when he wants to quit, or that one that taught him the basics that got him going in the right direction. Those people, and there are so many in all of our lives, are due a heart full of thanks and gratitude from those of us who are where we are today.

So this Memorial Day, look beyond the cookouts, the car races, the family fun and spend a moment thanking God for the people in your life who have helped you spiritually. Then, get out there and do the same for someone else.

Precious Memories…

Roger