16

Jump Start # 1124

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

Jump Start # 1124

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

  The opening line in Dicken’s Christmas Carol is “Marley was dead.” A twist of that could be said about Sardis. Sardis was dead. Now, they didn’t start that way. No churches do. They start small but with great hope and enthusiasm. Family and friends are told about Jesus. People are taught. Baptisms take place. The little group starts to grow. A lot of excitement. Joy fills their heart. In time, the group matures. Leaders are appointed. The work expands. Often, in those early years of a new church, different places are found to meet in. They experience growing pains. Then along the way, they started to settle down and settle in. Routine replaced motivation and drive. The same ole’ same ole became the norm and the standard. Growth tapered off. Some fell away. Others moved on. Before they knew it and realized it, the long, slow process of death started taking over. Sardis died and they didn’t even know it. They still had deeds, but they were dead. They had a reputation, but they were dead. The best years were behind them. They were existing but not living. Church life was routine and no longer a vital and important part of their life. They’d still meet but that’s about it. A dead church is composed of dead members. Dead on Sunday. Dead on Monday. The spiritual needle no longer moved in their hearts. Living, finances, families, fun replaced Christ. They were a great showroom but there was nothing in the warehouse.

 

Yesterday I asked a question an the end of our class. The answer to the question determines everything about a congregation. I asked, “Are the best years for this congregation in the past, present or still to come?” For Sardis, it was in the past. When a church views that as the answer, then they have moved to simply existing. They will go through the motions of life, but it’s all pretense and a show. They talk about events in the past. They glory in preachers long gone. They talk about how large they once were. PAST, PAST, PAST. The best years were in the past. For such places, they are simply waiting for death to take them over. They are in the nursing home phase of existence.

 

Others would say that the present is the best. That’s not a bad answer. This means a church is busy and engaged in what is going on right now. They would be growing and teaching and enjoying fellowship with each other. You could feel the energy, intensity and joy. The downside to all of this is that there isn’t much forward thinking or planning going on. They are so busy with the present that they fail to anticipate, plan and  move toward the future. Where are they going to be in five years isn’t something that they think about. Who will be the next leaders? They don’t think those thoughts. Who is on the five year list to be an elder? Who is on the ten year list? Most likely, they don’t have those lists. They are busy with today. Sometimes congregations like that get caught off guard. They didn’t anticipate needing to expand the building and they didn’t prepare for that. Something happens and some of the leaders move or resign because of personal issues and they are caught in a time without leaders. They didn’t think about that. A church must be engaged in the present, but they cannot take their eye off the horizon to see what is next.

 

Some congregations are in the mode that the best is yet to come. I believe this is where God wants us to be. Busy in the present, but planning for the future. Looking at the little 2 year old class and realizing that someday they will be in the teenage class. Making the proper steps to shore up and strengthen things for the future. There is a lot of planning and vision for congregations with this mindset. They recognize that what they do today paves the way for the future. The classes taught today are in anticipation for tomorrow.

 

Interesting question to chew on. The best days: behind us, right now, or ahead of us. The answer to that question will set the tone for what the church does. Don’t be a Sardis that died without anyone recognizing it. Don’t let the past be the best. Do things, the right things, so today, and even tomorrow will be better than the past. This takes busy servants. This involves planners and dreamers. This takes finances. This takes the congregation catching hold of that spirit and believing it. This is not giving up and throwing in the towel. This is working on current problems and then trying to hold off coming problems. This is anticipating rather than reacting. This is seeing that each person is responsible and each person has different spiritual needs. This is the work of overseers. A skipper that is looking behind the ship will crash. He must be at the helm, looking ahead. We need more and more leaders to be like this. To get out of the rut and plan, dream and anticipate. What does the congregation look like in five years? How about 15?

 

Sardis was stuck in the past. They were dead. Don’t let that happen to you or your congregation. A church dies because the members die. Getting life back in the congregation begins by getting life back in our hearts as individuals. Don’t wait for others. Don’t sit on the sidelines any longer.

 

The best years…when are they?

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 1123

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1123

James 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.”

 

It seems that most of life is made up of one of three kinds of days. First, there are great days in which we are bathed in the blessings of God. Weddings are like that. The birth of children are like that. Yesterday was one of those days for us. Our daughter gave birth to a baby girl. We welcomed Brynnlee Grace into our family and this world. Cute, sweet and special. Many prayers were offered. Many thanksgivings were said. Pictures taken. Phone calls made. Post put on Facebook. It was a great day.

 

Then some days are just the opposite, they are very sad. As we were at the hospital rejoicing with a birth, a dear friend was making his first trip to the cancer doctor. Treatments and plans were made to fight that ugly disease. Some days bring tears to our hearts and our eyes. We have a bad day at work. We receive disappointments. There is a death. There is sorrow. Some days are like that. While one family is rejoicing, another family is in tears.

 

Then there are some days that are just normal. Nothing spectacular happens. Nothing tragic happens. Just another day. Another school day. Another work day. Another day at home. Around us are families rejoicing with great news. Others are feeling the heartache of loss. As Wide World of Sports used to advertise, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” There are some days that are neither. It’s just a normal day.

 

Most of life is made up of these three type of days. We live for the great days. We look forward to the weddings, the babies born, the vacations, the graduations, the special occasions. The sad days often come unexpected. They can catch us off guard. They change our plans and our lives.

 

Of the three, we’d tend to think that the sad days are the hardest. They certainly drain us emotionally. But to be honest, it’s the everyday, normal days that we often stumble in. We are not geared up, anticipating like a great day. Nor are we rallying all of emotions and energy to get through those tough days. It’s just a normal day. We may not pray as much during normal days as we do the great days and the tough days. I expect most of us have more normal days than any other.

 

Here’s some things to consider:

1. When Paul says to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, it tells us that we do not all experience the same kind of day. While one person is rejoicing, another may be crying and another is having just a normal day. My life cannot be the barometer for how I treat others. I will run into those who are excited and want to talk about the great day they had. Ignoring them or being jealous of them is not the answer. Others may be having a terrible day, I cannot ignore their pain. Be happy for those who are happy. Comfort the sad. Even though I may not be in either one of those kind of days. We must be mindful of what others are going through. This is one of the powerful blessings of a church family. We are there for each other. We support, we comfort, we rejoice and we help one another. It’s pretty easy to deal with great days. It’s those dark, tough days that are hard to go through, especially on your own. Having a church family that is there to remind me of God, to pray with and for me is so important. The road is especially long and hard for those who do not have this. You see the person sitting alone in the hospital waiting room. They don’t have anyone. What a blessing God’s family is. This tells me that when announcements are made at church services, I need to pay attention. I may be having a normal day, but others in my church family are not. I need to rejoice with some and cry with others. The time will come when I will have some of those days and I will need them to help me. Be there for them when you can.

 

2. Not every day is the same. Those who rejoice will return to having normal days. Those who are suffering will return once again have great days. That’s the way life works. It’s hard to imagine, coming home from the cemetery with eyes full of tears, that your heart will ever be happy again. But it does. It takes time. We must work at it. God helps. It is comforting to know that not every day is the same.

 

3. Whatever type of day I am having, I must seek God, help others and remind myself that I walk with Jesus. Having a bad day is not a reason to toss out the virtues and character that I have learned from Jesus. Having a great day is not an excuse to do things that I shouldn’t do. Our language, attitudes and hope must reflect God, no matter what kind of day that I am having.

 

How about you? What kind of day is this for you? Look about you, there are others who are having a different day than you are. Be there for them. Rejoice. Pray. Walk with God.

 

Roger

 

12

Jump Start # 1122

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1122

 

Mark 5:35 “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, ‘Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore.”

  Faith—it’s easy to talk about it. Faith—it’s fine on a sunny day. But faith when everything about you says give up, quit, throw in the towel, it’s over—that’s something else. Many can talk a good story, but faith is much harder than it seems. It was in the first century world and it is today.

Our verse comes from that action packed, event layered Mark 5, where we find a miracle within a miracle. Jesus had just calmed a storm on the sea that was so serve that the disciples thought they were going to die. The chapter begins with a demon possessed man rushing toward Jesus, screaming. He’s naked, bloody and feared by most. Jesus sends the demons into pigs that race off a cliff and drown. Two thousand hogs. Jesus is escorted out of town. He crosses the sea, the same one He had just calmed. Upon reaching the shore, a synagogue official makes his way through the throng of people to find Jesus. He has a 9-1-1 crisis. His twelve year old daughter is dying. This is not supposed to happen. He throws away all prejudice, protocol and pride for his little girl. Who cares what fellow Jews say. His little girl is dying. He reaches out to the one person who can save her. He didn’t go to the temple. He didn’t go to his rabbi. He’s not in his synagogue. It’s Jesus he wants. No one but Jesus. Will you come, Jesus. He falls at Jesus’ feet. He begs. He pleads. Come lay your hands upon her. He believes. He knows she will get well if Jesus will come. This is a most urgent situation. It’s time to drop everything and go.

 

Jesus does. There is a ton of people. It’s crowded. I can just see the panic in this father. As they push through the crowd, a woman touches Jesus. She too needs Him. She’s had a problem for twelve years, the exact age of the dying girl. Embarrassed and quiet, she touches Jesus from behind. Instantly, immediately, she is cured. Jesus knows. He turns to question her. A conversation takes place. She tells her story. No longer is she in the shadows. Jesus wants her to realize that it wasn’t His garments, but the power of God that healed her. While this is going on, the frantic father must have tried to pull Jesus away. There is an emergency here. We must go, NOW.

 

Then our verse. Word comes. It’s too late. The little girl has died. The father must have collapsed in anguish. Hope gone. We took too long. I have seen this grief too many times. I know what it looks like. It’s a very sad scene. The messengers add a word of “disbelief.” They say, ‘why trouble the teacher anymore.’ The girl is dead. It’s too late. Even Jesus can’t do anything now.

 

I wonder if Jesus smiled. This is similar to what happened with Lazarus in John 11. His dear friend was dying. Word was sent. They wanted Jesus to come. He waited. He waited two days. He waited on purpose. On the fourth day He showed up. Sisters, Mary and Martha, say the same thing. Had you been here…The thoughts of this father in our story today. Had you been here. But you weren’t.

 

Here we see faith with limitations. They believed there was a ceiling to what even Jesus could do. Too late. Death, the ultimate enemy, claimed more victims. Death, it was believed, could not be conquered, not even by Jesus. Faith is hard. Faith comes up to obstacles and too often it ends. We no longer believe or, possibly worse, we set limitations upon what God can do. Don’t trouble Jesus anymore. He can’t do anything now. We’re too late.

 

The death of a parent…a disaster…feeling abandoned—is all it takes for some to give up on God. Their faith has run it’s course and came to a dead end. God let them down. God wasn’t there. Jesus allowed the little girl to die. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die. He did that so faith would ignite again. He wanted people to see that God can do all things. There is nothing too great for God. God has no ceilings. There are no limitations to God.

 

What a surprise to the synagogue official when Jesus still wanted to go to his home. Why? The girl is dead. He went. He talked to her, just as He talked to Lazarus. The dead hear Jesus. The dead obey Jesus. He has all authority—even in the spirit world. She came back. Rejoicing replaced tears. Faith overcame doubt. Love triumphs. What a great lesson.

 

What a surprise it is to us to learn that we are not too dirty for God to cleanse. We are not too broken for God to fix. We are not too far gone for God to reach. We are not too guilty for God to forgive. We are not too worthless for God to love. Sometimes we doubt that. Sometimes we give up on ourselves and on God. Our faith quits. We allow death to win. The death of a relationship. Death in the form of guilt, anger, brokenness to prevail. We believe that even Jesus can’t do anything. Like the messengers, we say, “Why trouble the Teacher anymore?” Why? He won’t care. He can’t do anything. He doesn’t want a mess like me. Oh, the sad and mournful tune we sing. The problem is faith. Just as the messengers didn’t believe, sometimes we don’t. We sit in church houses mumbling words to hymns but leaving with hearts filled with worry, fear and guilt. It’s too late, we believe. A younger me, possibly, but not now. It’s too late. Even Jesus can’t. Why trouble Him?

 

I’m finding more and more folks who are like this. We feel our past, our baggage, our issues, our sins are just too much for Jesus. Even Jesus can’t help us. I don’t believe that for a moment. That’s the gospel of Satan. He wants you to sink back into the bottle, the self-pity, the lifeless, going no where life. He wants you to be conquered. He wants you to be defeated. He wants you to believe that Jesus can’t.

 

Nothing is impossible with God. Jesus showed Mary and Martha. Jesus showed Jairus. Jesus shows you through the gospel.

 

Don’t give up on God because He certainly hasn’t given up on you. He can cleanse you. He can forgive you. He can fix you. He can reach you. He does love you. He always has.

 

Faith is hard…

 

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 1121

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

Jump Start # 1121

John 16:21-22 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

 

This verse came to mind today. Our daughter is due to have a baby any day. The Bible has much to say about childbirth. It was because of sin that God increased the pain in childbirth. We use the expression ‘labor,’ and most would agree that it is. The Bible also uses childbirth as an illustration, such as our verse today.

 

Jesus was describing the present and future status of the apostles. They were like a woman in labor. The words found are “pain,” “anguish,” “grief.” This was an emotional time for the apostles. The popularity of Jesus had turned sour. The Jewish hierarchy was bent on eliminating Jesus. The threat of death hung heavy. Jerusalem, especially, was a place that Jesus was no longer welcomed. He knew. He knew what He had to do. He also knew what this would do to the apostles. They would beg Him not to return to the area. He had to. He was on a mission from Heaven that led to Calvary.

 

Our passage today reminds us of several fascinating truths:

 

First, Jesus knew. He knew that He was going away (death) and that He would return (resurrection). This was nearly too much for the apostles. They had witnessed Jesus raising the dead but who would raise Him? How can a dead person raise himself? All kinds of questions. If they kill Jesus, what will they do to the apostles? Fear, questions, confusion and doubt. The pains of labor. However, Jesus knew that once He was raised and was with them again, the tears of sorrow would be replaced with the tears of happiness.

 

As the passage states, after the birth of the child, a mother “no longer remembers the anguish.” This is a qualified statement. Certainly she remembers. Decades later, mothers can recall the events of the birth. Get a group of women together and they often tell stories about having babies. How is it that they “no longer remember the anguish?” Later, after the birth of the child, they are not focused upon the pain of birth. They are so happy to hold that cute new baby. A few years later, a mother will go through the process again. Most mothers would quickly agree that it was all worth it to have their son or their daughter. Their love for that child surpasses the personal discomfort they endured. The resurrected Christ would replace the terror of the dead Christ. Jesus knew.

 

Second, it is most interesting that it is Jesus who is encouraging the apostles. One would think it would be the other way around. It was Jesus, not Peter, not John, who had to endure the torture of the cross. The pain was felt by Jesus. He wore the thorns. He was beaten. He was humiliated. He was scourged. He was nailed to the cross. They watched. Jesus experienced it. Jesus felt it. Here we find the Lord being the one to encourage, strengthen and build faith in these troubled apostles.

 

That often happens to us. The one having surgery is the one who encourages the rest of the family. The one who lost the loved one is the one who encourages others. The faith and trust in the Lord often carries a person through difficult circumstances, even to the point where they become the instrument to help and encourage others. Jesus didn’t play the victim. You won’t find any “woe is me,” here. Strong, confident and helpful is what Jesus was. There is a lesson for us. So you are going through some tough procedures, continue to be the pillar of faith. So you experienced some devastating news, be the anchor for others. Keep hope bright in your eyes. Let your voice speak with confidence. How you handle these trying situations can bolster faith and hope for others. Don’t be the victim. Don’t use your difficult times to give up on what you believe and know. Continue on with the Lord.

 

Third, God sees things that we can not. All the apostles saw was a day coming when Jesus would be gone. They saw clouds and the darkness of doom. Jesus saw the time when He was coming back as the resurrected Savior. They couldn’t see that. Often we can’t see beyond the darkness and gloom of bad news. God can. God sees the cancer in remission. God sees the recovery after the surgery. God sees the soul in Heaven with Him. Could this be one reason why Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes upon Jesus? Maybe we get too focused on the problem at hand and we can’t see beyond that. We can’t see the day the problem is gone. We can’t see the time when things are better. We can’t see Heaven. The Psalmist referred to the valley of the shadow of death. Often, the shepherd would lead the flock from the lowlands to the higher pastures, especially in the summer. To reach those places, they had to go through dark canyons. Valleys. Shadows. Death. The shepherd knew where he was going. The sheep followed, often scared. Once they were in the high country, cooler, better pastures, the sheep were very happy. The shepherd, our Shepherd, can see things that we cannot not. It is a matter of trust.

 

Fourth, Jesus saw that the joy coming was going to be lasting. No one, He said, would take that away. Someone had at the present. The joy of being with Jesus was about to end. The apostles liked being with Jesus. It was a life changing experience. They saw things that they never would have dreamed of, such as the dead being raised, demons being cast out, the blind seeing. They saw tears replaced with cries of praise and gratitude. A thankful leper falls at Jesus’ feet in gratitude for healing him. A sinful woman washes the feet of Jesus in love and honor. These apostles had been places with Jesus that they would never have gone on their own, such as the homes of tax collectors, or to Samaria. But all this was about to end. Jesus was going to the cross. Someone was taking away their joy. The pain that they were about to feel would be replaced with the joy of the resurrection. No one would ever take that away from them.

 

The risen Savior would be their message, hope and motivation. Later, these same apostles would be chased, beaten, imprisoned and executed. The joy of Christ remained. James said, ‘count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” Peter said, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed.” Later he continued, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed.” No one could take the joy away from them. It could not be driven out, beaten out, scared out, threatened out. They knew. They believed.

 

Fifth, there is a parallel to what Jesus was experiencing and what we go through. Often, very often, life is harsh and cruel. We experience pain, tears and trouble. The process of death can be painful and scary. But once we are on the other side, once the righteous have made it, it will all be worth it. In some ways it is like flying. Some trips I have been on have been very bumpy. There have been a few intense moments. But once you are safe on the ground, the turmoil of the journey is soon forgotten. The joy of the journey is found in being safe in our destination. For us, it’s Heaven. How we get there won’t matter, once we are there. Some, like the apostles, died violently for their faith. Some have been victims of crime. Some died young. Some died old. Some died with long diseases. Some died quickly. None of that matters, once we are there. On this side of life, we worry about those things. On the other side, it will all be forgotten. The joy of Heaven will surpass any discomforts, hardships and difficulties we had in getting there. It simply will not matter. The joy of Heaven awaits us. The joy of Heaven will be greater than anything else. No one will take that away from you.

 

Our hearts will rejoice! God knows. The smile will return. Good days lie ahead. Here? Maybe not. There, definitely. The pain of childbirth is forgotten by the joys of the baby. Pray for my daughter as she delivers her baby today or tomorrow. The anticipated joy of this grandfather is running high.

 

There are many of our readers who are experiencing very difficult times. I hope this encourages you, helps you, and reminds you. Some day all of this will be behind you. The joy that is coming will surpass anything you are going through and it will be so worth it. You’ll forget this some day.

 

My prayers are for you.

 

Roger

 

10

Jump Start # 1120

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

Jump Start # 1120

2 Peter 3:12 “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat.”

 Peter is describing in our verse today a type of divine Anticipation. We are waiting on God. There is a lot of anticipation going on in the Shouse house this week. Our daughter is due with her first baby. We are excited. Another grandchild. She has chosen not to know the sex of the baby, so that makes the anticipation even greater. There are many moments in life that are filled with anticipation. Kids get excited when school is over for the year. There is a count down to how many days are left. The holiday season brings much anticipation as families gather and presents are exchanged. Weddings, and in our case, the birth of a baby are great moments of anticipation in our lives.

 

Paul also talked about a divine anticipation. He told the Corinthians, “For indeed, in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from Heaven” (2 Cor 5:2). Longing, looking for, hastening, anticipation, wanting—there is an inner desire found within our souls that wants to be with God. This world isn’t it. There is much disappointment in this world. This world is cursed and we suffer because of that. We feel pain, sorry and the crushing affects of sin. We know of divorce. We know of indifference. We know of rebellion. We know all too well and all too much about sin. We may know more about what’s wrong than we do with what’s right.

 

For the righteous, these things weigh upon us. They can get us down. We know because of Scripture, that a world exists that is separated from the broken and the wrong. This is why the N.T., written almost from the perspective of an ancient mariner, speaks of looking for that distant land. We are reminded that our citizenship is not here. We are sojourners and pilgrims. This world, as we sing, is not our home. As the book of Revelation ends, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

 

This divine anticipation does a few things for us:

 

First, it motivates us and keeps us going. More bad news. More disappointments. More people doing wrong. This weighs upon us. We can feel like throwing in the towel ourselves. We sense that Satan has the upper hand. But this divine anticipation, this longing for Christ, puts us back on course and keeps us going. Someday, we are out of here. Someday, none of this will bother us. Someday we will be with the Lord and that will never change. That thought, that hope, makes us strive harder. It pushes us to tell others. It drives us to continue the journey. There is no glory for those who quit. God is counting upon us and that divine anticipation keeps us where we need to be.

 

Second, it keeps us from being bogged down with things that do not matter. Greed, worry, arguments that are superficial and shallow don’t distract us like they do other people. We are looking for something. This is not it. There is something better than this. There is something God has planned for us and we don’t want to miss that. It is amazing some of the current TV shows on today. Can things get any lower in the gutter? Violent, argumentative, immoral, offensive—and this is driving primetime. It’s dumb. It’s not helpful to our character. They won’t last long. We have better things to think about and be engaged in. We can become so earth bound that we forget that we are heading somewhere else. When a man interrupted Jesus and demanded that Jesus settle a family dispute about inheritances, Jesus refused. He told the man to quit being greedy. The man probably went home disappointed in Jesus. Many do today. They want the church, they want God, to dive into the trivial and superficial matters that have no impact upon our souls. Jesus wouldn’t do it. He had a mission and He stuck to that. We need to be the same. There is a wonderful, wonderful place that we are headed to, and we cannot take our eyes off of that.

 

Third, this divine anticipation helps us to keep our priorities in line and to remain spiritual. After Sunday, it’s easy to turn off the spiritual radar. Back to work. Back to the business of life. We forget about the spiritual until we are in the church house again. So sad. Shouldn’t be that way. Daily praying. Daily Bible study. Daily longing helps us remain spiritual. Being spiritual helps us to think about choices and consequences. Our attitudes and our words become what they should when we walk by faith. Worry is lessened when we are spiritual. What’s the worse thing that can happen to us? Jesus said do not fear the one who can kill the body and do no more. Death is not the end. The story doesn’t end at the cemetery. Because of the grace of God we live on. Death is simply a door to the next room and what a room it is. It is where God is. It’s a room that only the righteous in Christ are allowed in. Satan won’t be there. Death, sorry, tears, heartache, bad news, disappointments, frustrations—all those things are kept outside. Most of us keep our garage cans out of our living room. It may be in the garage or it may sit outside. When our waste baskets get full of trash, out it goes. Out into the trash can. The trash is kept outside, away from us. Isn’t Heaven going to be the same. The trash that smells, is ugly and is not wanted, is not allowed in where God is. This longing for Christ allows us to face terrible things with our chins up. It doesn’t matter what the doctor finds, this is all temporary. Soon, very soon, we will be with Christ. There is a joy, a hope and a divine anticipation in all of that.

 

Fourth, this divine longing, makes us pick the pace up. It’s easy to let temptation side track us. It’s easy to take our eyes off of Jesus. It’s easy to succumb to things we know that are wrong. Sometimes we don’t resist as hard as we ought to. Sometimes we let Satan push us. Sometimes we flirt with wrong. Keeping this divine anticipation before us will help us to remain focused, serious and sober about the things of God. We can’t miss Heaven. We get only one shot, this life. We must get serious about things. We must stop laughing at wrong. We must stop flirting with wrong. We must not wink at wrong. It’s time to stand up, stand up for Jesus. No longer taking God’s name in vain. No longer playing church. No longer sitting on the sidelines of faith. Involved. Growing. Active. Getting after things. Why? Something is coming. We long for it. We want it.

 

Imagine a morning when you wake up and you have never felt so well in all your life. You feel good inside and outside. You open your eyes and you realize that you are not in your bed and you are not in your house. You are not afraid. You see that you are in Heaven. You see the heavenly host. You recognize the faithful of God from long ago. You see people, righteous people, many that you remember from your life. Gone are the thoughts about bills, worries about leaky roofs, aging cars, sore knees, and lawns that need to be mowed. You’re in Heaven. You made it. You are with Christ. Things are so beautiful. Things are so nice. It is better than you ever dreamed. You don’t want to be anywhere else. For the first time you have no burdens, cares, worries or fears. You have never experienced this before. You are in Heaven. You are here to stay. It seems as if you were made just to be here. You have never felt as loved and wanted as you now do. This is so great. It is so amazing. It’s not a dream. It’s something that you have looked forward to for a long, long time. And now, you are here.

 

Divine anticipation. How much do you want that to be a reality for you? Would you change something in your life if it meant it could be a reality? Would you apologize and drop the ill feelings toward someone if it meant it could be yours? Would you step up your faith if it meant it could be yours? What price would you pay? What commitment would you make? What would you be willing to give up, do, become if Heaven could be yours?

 

Many talk a sweet game, but when it comes down to it, they are not very serious. How about you?

 

We are one day closer to Heaven. Live as if one foot is already in Heaven.

 

Roger