10

Jump Start # 1306

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1306

2 Chronicles 20:12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

  Our verse today is how a prayer ends. It was the prayer of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. Jehoshaphat, followed Asa, his father on the throne. He was another of the good kings of Judah. The situation was a massive invasion by a three nation collation. Armies from Moab, Ammon and the  Meunites invaded Judah. It was war. The good king of Judah called a national fast, assembled the people, and prayed. His prayer is impressive, recalling the mighty works of God and seeking help from the Almighty. Our verse today is how the prayer ends.

There are three great statements Jehoshaphat makes in this plea to God.

 

First, he admitted the reality of their condition. We are powerless before this great multitude. Now the page before lists thousands of valiant warriors that served the king. He didn’t rely upon those numbers. He was serious about the situation. Before a person will seek help, any help, but especially help from God, they must be honest, humble and realistic about the situation. This is where many fail. Our pride keeps us from admitting that we are weak. Men especially have trouble with this. We do not want to call for others to help. We do not need others to pray for us. We do not want advice from others. We don’t want help in our marriages, congregations or personal lives. We don’t want to admit that we are weak. We deny that there is a problem. This is the classic line of a problem drinker. He will tell you that he is under control and can quit any time. He boasts, I just don’t feel like quitting now. The reality is that he can’t. He is a slave to the bottle. He has a problem, but he won’t admit it. Just as the alcoholic struggles to admit his problem, congregations can do the same. They won’t fess up and admit that there is a leadership problem, or that they are weak. So instead of turning to the Lord and seeking help, onward they sail, not knowing where they are going. Jehoshaphat knew the situation. He knew it was above his pay scale. He knew that he needed God .

 

Second, in an even more honest confession, the king admits, “nor do we know what to do.” That’s a scary thought coming from the commander and the leader of the nation. I don’t know what to do. American presidents would never admit that. There is always a plan, a stagey meeting, a think tank approach to turning the ship around. I don’t know what to do. I believe there are times parents feel that way, especially with teenagers. Some of the messes kids get involved in can be very complicated. The solutions out of those messes are hard to see. It’s so easy to go to the land of wrong. The journey home is hard. A church would be shocked to have leaders pray what Jehoshaphat did. There would probably be a call to remove such leaders and to put in some people that knew what they were doing.

 

There was one thing Jehoshaphat knew. Seek the Lord. Although the king didn’t have the answer about the current crisis, he knew the Lord did. Do we fight? Do we surrender? Do we hide? God will know. God will help us.

 

Thirdly, Our eyes are on you. That’s how the prayer ends. We look to you, O Lord, to be our answer, our guide and our savior out of this crisis. Similar to what is found in Hebrews, “fixing our eyes upon the Lord.” That’s the answer. That’s always the answer. For today’s people it means praying, putting the crisis in God’s hand, and finding answers in His word. Take it to the Lord in prayer is more than a nice hymn we sing, it sums up our spirit, our attitude and our course of action. We will do what God tells us. God will help us. When Peter was walking on the water, the text tells us that he saw the wind and the waves and started to sink. His eyes were not on the Lord. The Peter syndrome is fairly common. We look at the problem and not the solution, the Lord. We see what’s wrong, but we fail to see what’s right. The wind and the waves causes us to complain, be frightened and to doubt. Eyes upon the Lord, causes us to march onward. I wonder what would have happened had Peter never took his eyes off the Lord. Would the two of them walked across that sea together? I wonder what would happen to me if I kept my eyes upon the Lord? Would I find myself more at peace and less bothered by things? Would I be more spiritual? Would I have a deeper relationship with the Lord?

 

I expect that there will be times in all of our lives in which we do not know what to do. There will be times when the troubles seem greater than we are. Yet our help and our answer remains the same as for this king of Judah, long ago, “Our eyes are on You.” We don’t know, but God does. We don’t know the outcome, but God does. We are in for a real battle, yet our eyes are on the Lord.

 

Maybe this is why Paul told the Corinthians that we walk by faith and not by sight. Walking by sight means seeing all the trouble, problems and turmoil facing you. Walking by faith means our eyes are on the Lord. In that context Paul says, “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” In essence, Paul is saying, ‘we see the invisible.’ We see what others cannot see. We see the eternal. Our eyes are on the Lord.

 

Maybe you are having some health issues. You may be awaiting test results and you are a bit anxious. Is a surgery in the future? Do you have cancer? Have the doctors done all that they can? Our eyes are on the Lord.

 

Maybe there are problems at home. There may be a prodigal that hasn’t come to his senses yet. Maybe the marriage isn’t hitting on all cylinders. Maybe there are aging parents and a decision about assisted living must be made. Our eyes are on the Lord.

 

Maybe there are problems in the home congregation. People are leaving. Things are stale. The leadership is stuck on auto-pilot. Preachers move in and out on a regular basis. Tension and complaints are on the rise. Our eyes are on the Lord.

 

That is always the answer. Our eyes are on the Lord. Be honest, like this great king of Judah. Be humble, like this great king of Judah. Turn to the Lord, as this great king of Judah.

 

Our eyes are on the Lord. What are you seeing? Problems or the Lord? Where you are looking has a lot to do with how you will get through your battles. Long ago, Israel saw a nine foot giant named Goliath that stood before them and taunted them and scared them. Young David saw the Lord. The giant was nothing to him. We all have our giants in our lives that we face. See the giant or see the Lord?

 

Our eyes are on the Lord.

 

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 1305

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1305

1 Kings 15:12-13 “He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his father had made. He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 

  Our last Jump Start focused upon the first good king of Judah, Asa. Near the end of his life he did not seek the Lord as he should have. There is another great lesson from Asa that we must mention. Our two verses today illustrate the courageous faith that it often takes to stand up to your own family.

 

The father and grandfather of Asa were not men of God. They worshipped idols and built them throughout the land. Asa was cut from a different cloth than they were. Instead of just continuing what they had done, he took the nation back to God. He was different. He took a stand for God and did two nationally identified things. He removed the idols his father had established.

 

This was not something that was secret or down only in the king’s palace. Throughout the land the idols were everywhere. The nation was engaged in praising these pagan gods. Then one day they are gone. All of them. People would have noticed. “What happened to the idols?” would have been the breaking news of the day. Then he removed his mother from being the queen. That took a lot of courage. It’s one thing if one of your kids were acting up, or even your sister, but your Mom. He destroyed the horrid image that she had made, took her crown and her position.

 

Asa demonstrates to us that sometimes even within our families, we must make a stand for God. This is something so few can do. It is hard to see that dad is wrong spiritually. I doubt that Asa mom went down easy. There must have been some harsh discussions and I wonder if Asa came with soldiers and literally removed her. And after that, I expect mamma wasn’t much in the mood to talk to Asa any more. It may have killed what relationship they had.

 

Asa wasn’t the only person to go through this difficult situation. The many Jews in the first century, some of them priests, others officials in the synagogues, came to realize that Jesus was the Christ. They became believers. They worshipped on Sunday, and not Saturday as their families had done. How difficult that must have been for them. Jesus warned that when the persecution arose, parents would turn their children in to authorities because the children were disciples.

 

Asa shows us the importance of having our own faith and not just going along because our family has always done this. Today, it means looking in your Bible and following the truth wherever it takes you. That journey may open your eyes that your parents did not follow the Bible. It may make you see that your mom wasn’t right with God. It’s then that you must decide what you will do.

 

Some don’t have the faith nor the courage as Asa did. They find a way in their confused minds to continue doing what dad did. They come up with an excuse. They continue the family tradition of being wrong.

 

Some don’t want to know. So they don’t. They stay on the superficial, surface level of faith and are content to think everyone has to do what is right for them.

 

Some become like Asa. They not only recognize that mom and dad were wrong, they try to undo the wrong that they did. Down go the idols. Off comes the queen’s crown.

 

Many of us, myself included, have grown up with families that studied the Bible and tried to worship God the right way. Even in that they may be some things that we do not see eye to eye on, but nothing like what Asa went through. It’s hard for us to appreciate, understand or know what others have gone through.

 

I have some dear friends who left the faith of their parents because it wasn’t Biblical. Their leaving caused a lot of tension in the family. Harsh things were said by the parents and other family members. They were regarded as rebels and viewed as insulting the family. Family get togethers were often stressful. For some, they were not even invited. Years have past, and still the subject cannot be discussed because some in the family just do not what to hear it. God bless those, who like Asa, had to do the right things. The faith of their parents did not keep them from following God.

 

Today, the lessons of Asa are lived out every day. Do I stand with God or with family and friends? Do I tear down what my father did or do I go along with what he did? Each of us must have our own faith. Each of us must take our own stance with God. It is difficult for the young person. A young man or a young lady starts dating a Christian. Often, they haven’t thought too much about God or the Bible. They believe but not too much. They start attending services with their date. They see things and hear things and conversations take place. The Christian wants her boyfriend to become a believer. Now, for the first time, he thinks about things. He realizes his parents do things much differently. They are a bit looser with things. The Bibles are opened. He reads. He thinks. He sees what the Bible says. Then he stands at the crossroads with Asa. Do I do what is right or do I simply stay the way I have been? His parents start fussing at him. Now will he be able to stand up and do what is right?

 

Be patient. Pray. Study. Show. Illustrate. Those are all the necessary things to getting someone to open their eyes. Trusting Jesus. In some families, the choice to follow Jesus meant moving out of the house. They were no longer welcome at home. For others, it was the first step to leading their parents into the truth.

 

God bless those who stand where Asa did. May you trust the Lord and do the right thing. It may be hard, but with God’s help you can do it. Don’t just accept things. Know why. Ask for proof from the Bible. Think for yourself. Be a disciple of Jesus.

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 1304

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1304

2 Chronicles 16:12 “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.”

 

Asa was one of the early kings of Judah. He was the great grandson of Solomon. He served a long, long time, forty-one years. He is the first of the good kings. Recently, we started a class about the good kings of Judah. Asa was our first study. He did many great things to get the nation back on center with God. He tore down the idols that his father had set up. He removed his mom from being the queen mother after she set up a horrid idol. When a massive million man Ethiopian army invaded, he sought the Lord and they were devastated the invaders. He was compared to David, the greatest king in the Old Testament.

 

Asa made two mistakes late in his reign. When their fellow brothers, Israel, invaded, he did not seek the Lord. Instead he took money out of the Temple treasury and paid the Syrians to fight on his side. When a prophet rebuked him for not seeking the Lord, Asa put the prophet in prison.

 

Then our verse today. Asa had a personal problem, diseased feet. He did not seek the Lord, nor ask the Lord to help him. Instead, he consulted physicians. In just a few years the disease would take his life.

 

Asa is a reminder to all of us not to take our foot off the accelerator of our faith. There isn’t a time to coast. There isn’t a time to stop. Asa did. The end of his life was marked with continual wars because he failed to seek the Lord.

 

Jesus used a similar thought in the parable of the sower. One seed fell among the rocky soil. It sprang up immediately but it didn’t last. There was no depth in the roots. Later in the N.T. we are told about Demas, who abandoned Paul and went back to the world. Keeping your foot on the accelerator is hard.

 

When a person first comes to Christ, they are so excited. There is so much to learn. So many new people. Growth, growth, growth. But then life settles in. The newness becomes old. Other things pop up. Kids, life, jobs and the foot lets off the accelerator. We spend less time reading the Bible. Our prayer life is shorter and shorter. Things become routine for us. Then something happens and we fail to seek the Lord. We find ourselves standing in the shadow of Asa.

 

The mature faith is often harder to feed and maintain than that young faith. The preacher announces his topic will be on “Love,” and we groan inside because we have heard so many lessons on love. We think that there is nothing new, different, original that will be said. It’s like leftovers of yesterday’s dinner. It’s the same thing again. Without realizing it, our foot gradually lifts off that accelerator of faith. We coast on what we already know and what we have already done. If not careful, our foot completely comes off the accelerator of faith and we begin to drift without any power from above. Our choices, our decisions begin to reflect a life no longer governed by faith and Christ. Like Asa, we make poor decisions. Trouble looms over the horizon and we feel like we can figure it out on our own. Pride, stubbornness and the failure to understand that we always need the Lord leads to a weakened condition. This is just the moment that Satan has been waiting for. One moment, that’s all it takes. He plunges in with sinful opportunities, ideas and people. And like that, we can be in a real mess.

 

So the challenge before us is to never let up. Keep your pedal to the metal, as folks used to say. Don’t wait for others to keep feeding your faith, that is your job. Do it yourself. Here are some suggestions:

 

  • Never stop bothering God with the things that bother you. This is prayer. If you are twisted up on the inside about things, if you have a health issue, if there are things that are not right, take it to the Lord in prayer. Seek God. If it is too little to bother God, then do not let it bother you. Jesus told the disciples to pray about their daily food. There are a lot of steps and people involved from the time something is grown, harvested, packaged, shipped, stocked, purchased and found in our pantry. Little things, big things—take them to the Lord in prayer.

 

  • Keep challenging your faith by feeding it often. Don’t simply settle for reading and then closing the book, dig and dig deep. Ask questions. Find those answers. Look into why this happened. Think. Put yourself there and see what you would have done. Keep feeding your faith.

 

  • Exercise your faith by doing things for others. Be the encourager. Be the one who sends nice cards. Be the one with a hot meal for a new family or new mother. Be the one who hugs. Be the one who supports and compliments the teacher. Be the one who helps. Use what you know. Teach. Invite. Show.

 

These are just a few simple things that will keep your feet on the accelerator. We remember that Paul said that he had “finished the course.” Finish. Many start but not all finish. Getting across that finish line is important. Dropping the ball at the one yard line isn’t going to win the game. That happened this past year in college football. A player thought he was in the end zone. He dropped the ball at the one yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone and a player on the other team picked it up and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. The first player didn’t finish. We must finish.

 

Asa is a great example of one who took his foot off the accelerator. Keep going. That’s the answer.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1303

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1303

Proverbs 21:6 “The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.”

  The Proverb writer in the section where our verse comes from is identifying the steps of wickedness. The following verses describe the “violence of the wicked,” (7), “the way of a guilty man” (8), and “the soul of the wicked” (10). Our verse describes the profit one has achieved through lying. The wicked has acquired treasures, not through hard work, not through diligence, but rather by lying. Dishonest, he has stolen from others. He thinks he has gotten an angle and found a way to profit. Smug has he is, arrogant, and indifferent to those he has now wounded by his lies, he thinks he will not be caught. This is where our passage show otherwise. His lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, a phrase used by James to describe the shortness of life. This wicked person thinks he is pursuing treasures, the reality is he is pursuing death. His house of cards will collapse upon him. The drug lords are caught. The identity thieves are found. The long arm of the law finally closes in, and if he even escapes that, the Lord will bring the wicked to his knees.

 

This is a losing proposition. This is foolish thinking. There is no way that the wicked will win.

 

I especially like how this verse ends, “the pursuit of death.” What a contrast that is to the life saving work of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to give life. He was for life. The wicked choose death. The work that is opposite of Christ is nothing more than the pursuit of death.

 

Without realizing it many folks are in the death business. They are pursuing death. The obvious ones would  be those who are just a step from physical death. The criminal mind, those that are addicted to drugs and alcohol, many daredevils, are pursuing death. It catches up with them. A life time of drinking, an overdose, a foolish dare—and someone is ruined or even killed. That happens every day. What we don’t see is the other pursuers of death. Their work is more subtle and much harder to identify.

 

The critical and sharp tongue is one who invites death. Not so much for themselves, but for those who are on the receiving end of their tirades. This could be a parent who is never pleased, never compliments, never invites life into the life of their child. Even for the grown child, this type of parent never backs off. Guilt, shame and pressure are the constant motives to make a grown child do what this parent wants. The relationship becomes weary and strained. Without realizing this, this whole endeavor has been a pursuit of death.

 

The same could be said within a marriage. Gone are the days of romance, happiness and being together. Now, every day is a battle. Little things become big things. The scabs on the wounds are picked. Healing and forgiveness never take place. This goes on until one finally has had enough and he declares that he just wants peace and rest. He walks out and never comes back. What happened? Their relationship was a pursuit of death.

 

The same could be said about some fellowships today. Walking into the church building requires a deep breath, knowing that someone will say something that is not nice. It’s like have a dozen mothers, who instead of loving you, are on your back. Judgmental. Critical. Harsh. The pursuit of death involves gossip, backbiting and finger pointing. A person can only take so much. So they quit. They are accused of not being faithful. They are considered weak by the rest. The truth is, the fellowship was a pursuit of death. What killed their faith wasn’t Satan, but rather, wicked and mean folks in the church.

 

The pursuit of death. It kills relationships, marriages and fellowship. The solution is simple, stop killing others. Watch what you say. Hold a mirror up and be more concerned about yourself and be more critical of yourself than you are others.

 

But there is more to it than that. Instead of pursuing death, pursue life. Do the things that add life to your soul and life to those around you. Smile. Be pleasant. Be calm. Be thoughtful. Be generous. Be an encourager. Praise others. Thank others. Help others. Go out of your way, because that adds life.

 

So many people today have the oxygen leaked out of their souls. They are drained emotionally and spiritually. They’ve been beaten up all of their life. It stared with their parents. Then marriages. Then work. They are so beaten down that they are now convinced that they are worthless and incapable of doing anything good. They exist but that’s about it. They dream of a better life. They envy those that seem to have it better. So beat up, they have little self worth. Those people are all around us. They need oxygen in their souls. They need to see value. They have pursued death so much that they don’t know what life looks like. That is what you can do. You can be the one who helps. You can be the fresh spirit to their soul. You can be the one who pursues life. You can be the one who sees good when everyone else sees bad. You can be the sun breaking through the clouds. The encourager. The one who praises. The Barnabas, the son of encouragement, that’s what you can be and do. Everyone needs that.

 

The pursuit of life or death…it’s a choice like all of life. Don’t get caught up with what others are doing, decide that you will be life to those around you. It makes a difference. It’s enough to restore relationships. It’s enough to add years to a marriage. It’s enough to give energy to a tired soul who is ready to quit.

 

The pursuit…death or life. Which will it be?

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 1302

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1302

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

  As I write this, the weathermen in my area are warning of yet another coming winter storm. Those words are all that is needed to get folks buzzing and excited. There will be a rush of customers at grocery stores, kids will dream of yet another snow day home with no school, and commuters will groan about having to drive on dangerous streets. This is typical stuff for us in the Ohio Valley. It happens every year.

 

Our passage today tells of another coming storm. This is not weather related, but divine related. Jesus is coming. Those that heed the warning will be ready. Those that ignore, will be caught unprepared. The chapter our verse is found in is the “resurrection chapter of the New Testament.” Paul proves that Christ arose. He shows the reality of what happens if He wasn’t risen. Then he transitions to describe our resurrection from the dead. Our verse fits right in there. Not all of us will sleep, meaning die. All of us will be changed. The resurrected dead will be changed. Those who are alive when Jesus comes will be changed. It will happen fast, like a wink, or a twinkling of the eye.

 

A few thoughts:

 

First, the world will not destroy itself. Not by nuclear bombs, not by environmental disasters, not by being hit by a asteroid, not by aliens—all life will not be destroyed. The movies make us think otherwise. Paul said, “we will not all sleep.” We will not all die. More than that, sleep is a word that seems to be exclusively used for the death of the righteous. It was used when Lazarus died. It was used when the synagogue official’s daughter died. It is used here, when Paul is writing to brethren. There will be some believers alive when Jesus comes. “We” means Christians. We will not all sleep. We will not all die.

 

Second, the change that takes place will be fast. In an instant. In the twinkling of an eye. We want to know what it will be like. We want to know what it will feel like. The living do not have to die and then be changed. They will be changed instantly.

 

Third, when Jesus comes, He will deliver the kingdom back to His father. Life as we know it will end. The world will be destroyed. There will be a gathering and a resurrection of all dead. A judgment will take place and Heaven and Hell will be opened.

 

I thought about what would happen if Jesus came today. Here’s my short list.

  • I wouldn’t have to shovel snow later today
  • I have two more grandchildren coming into the world this year. I wouldn’t get to hold them.
  • I have a wedding that I am to do later this year. That wouldn’t happen.
  • I have some travel plans. That wouldn’t happen.
  • I have some bills to pay this month. They wouldn’t get paid.
  • I have some books I am reading. I wouldn’t get those finished.

 

On a grander scale:

  • There are some criminals who would never serve time in jail if Jesus came today.
  • There are some elections that would never be held if Jesus came today.
  • There are some weddings, graduations, births that would never take place if Jesus came today.
  • There are sermons that would never be preached, articles completed if Jesus came today.
  • There are some plans that would never be fulfilled if Jesus came today. Some homes that never got finished. Some businesses that never opened. Some projects, like the bridges in our area, that never were completed.
  • There would be some doctor visits that never were kept.
  • There are some who never got to graduate.
  • Some dreams would never be fulfilled.

 

We are so tied in to there always being a tomorrow. We live this way. We make plans thinking that tomorrow will always be there. Some day it won’t. Some day it will stop. When the patience of God has run out, Jesus will come. The truly sad part of this is that there would be some people who have been thinking about Jesus, but never got around to doing anything about it. There would be some prodigals who realized that they need to come back home, but never got up and made the trip. There will be some people who needed to make changes. There will be some who needed to repent. There will be some who needed to be baptized. Christ comes, all of that changes. It’s over. It’s too late.

 

The rich man in Luke 16 found out that his spiritual interests was most important to him. He discovered this after he died. After it was too late to do anything, he finally got his priorities in order. He was concerned about the spiritual well being of his brothers. He didn’t seem very concerned about that while alive.

 

Jesus is coming. For the faithful, they realize things will change, but it will be a change for the better. No more Satan to tempt. No more bad news in the middle of the night. No more evil. No more pains. No more of this world that frustrates us. For the faithful, the coming of Jesus means Heaven. It means togetherness with God. It means togetherness with the faithful of God for all time, what a wonderful time that will be.

 

There is a great day coming, a great day coming. Are you ready? Would you be ready if it were today? Things are going to change. It’s coming.

 

Roger