23

Jump Start # 1630

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1630

Matthew 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

The wise man and the foolish man—it was one of the early songs that many of us sang when we were kids in Bible class. It’s one of those songs that you acted out with hand motions. It’s more than a kids song, it is how the Lord ended the greatest sermon ever preached, the sermon on the mount.

 

The parable of the wise man and the foolish man is built around contrasts. The wise man heard and did what Jesus said. The foolish man only heard. He did not act upon what Jesus said. The foolish man never really believed. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The foolish man’s house was build upon the sand. The wise man’s house stood during the storms. The foolish man’s house collapsed.

 

What we forget is that both men had rain, flood and wind. The storms came to both men. The believer and the unbeliever, alike suffered storms. The storms were not the result of disobedience to God, nor punishment for evil doing, nor caused by wrong choices. The righteous wise man endured storms. This bothers us. We tend to think that if we are doing right, following the Lord, then the storms ought to bypass us. We should be exempt from storms because of our faith. That’s not how this story unfolds. The winds slammed against both houses. That doesn’t sound nice at all.

 

There are certain lessons we connect with here.

 

1. The choice of foundations is up to us. We don’t see the coming storms. We don’t think much about them. At the moment, the choice is a matter of believing Christ and doing what He says. Why is it that some have a solid foundation and others don’t? It comes down to a matter of choice. Any one can have a solid foundation. It will take dedication, effort and choices. You can have a solid foundation if you want.

 

2. The solid rock which the wise man built his house upon is Jesus Christ. That rock is unmovable. Later, Jesus would say that “upon this rock I will build my church.” How does one find that foundation? It comes from studying God’s word. It comes from the Bible. Time was spent with God’s word. Time was invested in learning, knowing, and believing what God said. Faith grew. The person changed. His attitude, behavior and thinking was shaped by the word of God. He became a man of the book. God’s word was a constant companion to him.

 

3. The foundation was built in good weather. That’s the key. One cannot wait until he is in the midst of a storm and then try to decide what he believes. It’s too late to bail water, try to hold the door shut and shore up the foundation. When the storm hits, it’s a matter of what I believe at that moment. This tells us that we need to be building a solid foundation now. The storm is coming. Too many wait until the storm hits and then they fall to pieces. They missed opportunities. They wasted time. They never built during the sunshine. Bible classes, sermons, articles, personal reading—these are all foundation blocks that will help you get that solid foundation. There is not one sermon or one class that will do it all for you. Piece by piece, block by block, a foundation is built. This means that sermons, Bible classes are times for learning. I need to come prepared to learn. Bring a Bible. Bring a pen and paper. Write things down. Go home and think about these things. Learn. Know. My friends who live in hurricane regions do not board up their windows when the hurricane is slamming against the house. It’s too late and too dangerous. The prep time is done before the storm hits. The same is for us spiritually. It’s in the sunshine that we must be growing that faith of ours.

 

4. Storms come. They always do. Storms come from different directions and with different intensities. Troubles at work. Problems at home. Issues at church. Financial burdens. Health failing. Aging parents. Teenagers. Demands pulling you several directions at once. Storms do not wait in line, they often come several at a time. They did for Job. They might for you. It is during the storms that your trust in God is relied upon. Storms are weathered and even makes us stronger because of our faith in the Lord. Without that faith, our house collapses. We throw the towel in on God and His people. We blame others. We get mad. We lose it. We say things that we shouldn’t. We don’t understand, “Why me?” The collapsed house is useless. No one can live in a collapsed house. The house is one’s soul and heart. He’s crushed by the storms. He didn’t do well because of the storms. He is ruined spiritually. His soul is lost because his faith never existed. The collapsed person is of no help to his family. He lives without direction, purpose or plan. The storms will define him. He will never fully recover unless he turns to the Lord and believes.

 

I have seen families go through terrible storms. I knew a 16 year-old, that on Sunday morning high-fived me as he walked out the church building. Two hours later he was dead because of a car accident. I’ve known sweet families that lost husbands, moms, sons and daughters, suddenly because of death. I’ve seen men in their 50’s who were counting on a coming retirement, lose their jobs. I’ve known mothers who buried newborn babies. I’ve known parents who had to make the sad and dreaded journey to prisons to visit their incarcerated kid. I’ve known young mothers who discovered that their husband was having an affair. The marriage ends. The young mother must find a new place to live, a job and carry on by herself. Storms.

 

Storms come. They are not nice. They can tear a place up. The only hope of getting through the storm is having a faith that is built upon Jesus. That comes from the word of God. The cotton-candy theology of today is no hope for the coming storms. The religion of feelings and self is nothing more than a house of cards, that will collapse with the slightest breeze. The solid rock is where we must be. That comes from the word of God.

 

Open that Bible up. Read it. Know it. Use it. Follow it. Become what God wants. This will not keep the storms away, but it will give you the strength to endure the storms and not be changed by them.

 

The wise man and the foolish man…more than a children’s song, it’s everyone you see today. Some are in the midst of a storm and they don’t know what to do. You can help them. Others are enjoying life in the sand, never realizing that a storm is coming their way and it will destroy them. Others are quietly laying block after block as they read their Bibles and gain insights, faith and strength in the Lord. They are ready for the storms.

 

Are you ready?

 

Roger

 

22

Jump Start # 1628

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1628

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

 

It is a common complaint about the Bible. It is stated so often, that it has become the default statement that people turn to when there is a disagreement about Biblical teachings or the application of God’s truth. “No one can understand the Bible.” Or, “No one can agree on the Bible.” Then what is said, “Everyone has their own interpretation, mine is just different than yours.” These things are said to avoid an uncomfortable conversation and more than that to avoid having to admit you might be wrong and need to change. Your interpretation is different than mine, implies that we are both right and it really doesn’t matter. This thinking has allowed division to exist and it has justified doing things that are not taught in the Bible. “I see it differently than you do,” can be nothing more than a cover for, “I’m going to do it whether the Bible teaches it or not.”

 

Our verse is important in this discussion.

 

1. Truth is recognizable and distinguishable from error. Continuing in Jesus’ words leads to knowing truth. Jesus said concerning false teachers, “you will know them by their fruits.” They are recognizable. This idea that truth is evolving and ambiguous and what is truth to you is not truth to me, is liberal theology spewed by the devil. You can recognize truth.

 

2. Jesus said that you can know the truth. Not only can you recognize the difference between truth and error, you can attach yourself to what is truth. You can believe what is right. You can be right by following what is right.

 

3. Truth has positive results. It makes you free. Free from what? Free from the darkness of error. Free from having someone else tell you what is right. Free from the clutches of Satan. Free from sin. Free from death. Free from displeasing God. Freedom.

 

4. Implied in all of this is the thought that God is capable of writing a book that we can understand. This is the heart of the discussion. When people say, “No one can understand the Bible,” they are implying that God is a lousy author. We can read Shakespeare and understand that. We can read medical journals and understand them. We can read college textbooks and understand them. We can read diaries and understand them. We know what everyone else wrote, but the greatest mind of all time, the greatest power of all time, God, can not write a book so we can understand. In the little community I live in, there is one stop sign. A few feet before the stop sign, there is another sign. It says, “Stop means stop. Rolling through the stop sign is a $150.00 fine.” Four letters on that red sign, S-T-O-P. Is that hard to understand? Is a dictionary needed to explain this, or is a matter of the will. I don’t want to stop if I can beat the guy that’s coming. It’s not a language issue. It’s not an understanding issue. It’s a matter of some don’t want to stop. This may be the very issue with the Bible. It’s not the words. God doesn’t write in words that we cannot understand. Look at the model prayer in Matthew 6, that begins, “Our Father who is in Heaven.” Simple words. Easy to understand. It’s the forgiving others that we don’t want to do. We would rather roll through that sign than stop. God can communicate on our level. God can explain Himself very easily. It’s really a matter of the will. It’s easier to say, “No one understands the Bible,”  than to admit that I need to be holy.

 

You can know the truth. That truth can make you free. There are some things you have to understand about this. Knowing this truth means reading it and thinking about it. Speed reading isn’t good with the Bible. Reading the Bible, like a newspaper isn’t good. I tend to read the headline, first paragraph, skim through the rest and catch the last paragraph. If something catches your attention, then you slow down and read it. This is not appropriate for God’s word. Every word is important. The order of the words is important. Each word must be looked at and considered. Slow is the pace when reading the Bible. It is much better to read a few verses and grasp the understanding than to read chapters after chapters but have no clue as to what you are reading.

 

When reading the Bible, we must concentrate. This is hard for many of us. Reading while the commercials are on TV, is not the best. Reading while trying to  send texts on your phone isn’t much better. Find a time and a place where there are few distractions. Read with a pad of paper and a pen with you so you can write things down.

 

Could it be that one claims “No one can understand the Bible,” because of the way that they are reading? It may not be the message is difficult, but rather, they are not putting themselves in the best atmosphere to study and learn.

 

When reading the Bible, view it as God’s message. He is talking to you. Read with reverence and care. Read carefully. Read with the heart that wants to please God. Be willing to change your mind or your ways. Read with knowledge that God is right. Read with the hope that God is wanting you to believe and obey Him.

 

I think for too long we have said, “Study the Bible,” but we haven’t told people how to study. A similar thing happens every semester on college campuses. Freshmen start off thinking that college is like high school. It’s not. Many do not know how to study in college. They soon find out that things are not spoon fed to them. They have to work at it to learn. Many don’t and so, many fail. In a similar way, just study the Bible, implies that folks know how to do that. Many don’t. Many have never read books before. Many don’t understand what the Bible is about. Start with the table of contents. There are lessons to be learned about the order that the books of the Bible are in. Understanding a few things about the background of what is going on helps.

 

You can know the truth—you can. That truth can make you free. Don’t buy into the shallow excuse, “No one can understand the Bible.” That’s not what Jesus said. Don’t accept the idea, “We all have different interpretations.” Years ago, there was a cartoon in New Yorker magazine. A student was at the chalk board in school. The problem on the board was 7×5. He wrote the answer, “75.” He said to the astonished teacher, “I know that’s not the right answer, but it’s how I feel.” How I feel. That’s at the heart of understanding, interpretations, and knowing truth. I feel that…and we let that statement guide us and shape our faith rather than the word of God. We let our feelings shape the direction that we go. We let feelings determine what is right and wrong. I feel 7×5=75. You may feel that way, but that’s not the right answer.

 

You can know the truth, if you want to.

 

Roger

 

21

Jump Start # 1628

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1628

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

  The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me…is a great song that is sung in VBS and children’s classes. It is the book for me. Our verse today, very familiar and oft used by preachers, reminds us of the place of God’s word in our lives and our responsibility toward it.

 

There are some things the Bible won’t do. That is shocking for some to hear. They feel that the Bible is the end all solution to all things. Just read a verse, we are told, like taking a daily vitamin, and everything will be ok. Preachers some how work in “study your Bible” into every lesson, no matter what the topic.

 

What are some things the Bible won’t do:

 

1. The Bible doesn’t answer every question. That’s surprising to many of us. Got a question, run to the Bible.  That’s not the intention nor the purpose of the Bible. It is not Heaven’s encyclopedia to look things up. Who did Cain marry? What happened to the dinosaurs? Where did the devil come from? Why did Jesus pick polar opposites, like Simon the zealot and Matthew to be apostles? Were James and John His cousins? Those are just questions from the book. What about questions in your life? Should I marry her? Should I take the promotion and move? Should I get involved or mind my own business? Just how much should I give?  Questions, questions, questions. The Bible doesn’t answer all of these.

 

2. The Bible doesn’t foretell my specific future. How long will I live? How many kids will I have? The Bible isn’t written to reveal those things. It can show us if we are pleasing to God and ultimately if we are on the path to Heaven or not, but so many details about the future, will not be found in the Bible.

 

3. The Bible alone won’t solve all of my problems. This is where we sometimes leave the wrong impression. Are you discouraged? Just read a verse. Confused? Read a verse. Having doubts today? Read a verse. Feeling tired? Read a verse. Worried? Read a verse. Reading those verses many give you solutions, they can strengthen your faith, but just reading alone won’t make your problems go away. Just reading a verse won’t fix a troubled marriage. It won’t bring home a wayward child. It won’t bring unity to dysfunctional relationships. YOU have to work on those things. Reading a verse doesn’t do it without your input, your changing things and your involvement. We hand out verses like they are anti-biotics. Just take a couple a day and you will feel better and be back to normal in a short time. No, it doesn’t work that way. Worry won’t stop just because you read a verse. You have to make some changes about how things affect you. The Scriptures can lead you, but you have to do something. Reading a verse won’t bring back communication in a strained relationship. You have to sit down and talk. The Bible can remind us, shape us, encourage us and help us, but we have to take the steps and roll up our sleeves and do things.

 

4. The Bible isn’t the end to all that I must do to please God. Reading the Bible is much easier than living the Bible. To read the Bible but that’s it, doesn’t mean that a person knows God nor is doing what God says. More than just reading, is becoming. Peter said, “Be holy as He is holy. Be—become that light in the world. Become a disciple of Jesus.  Become a living stone. Change.

 

5. The Bible doesn’t tell us every detail of what we must do. Now, I am not implying that there are additional revelations, or, more messages coming from Heaven. When Paul listed the works of the flesh, in Galatians 5, he said, “envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, Justas I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21). What are the THINGS LIKE THESE? Paul didn’t list a complete itemized list of the works of the flesh. There are SUCH THINGS and THINGS LIKE THESE that the spiritual heart will recognize through the teachings of God’s word that are also wrong. In Hebrews we find, “Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Discern is to think. Not everything is spelled out. Not everything can be found on a list. There is some discerning that must take place.

 

Our verse today, presents two powerful actions. First, be diligent. Older translations use the word, “Study.” Diligence is the idea of getting at something. Getting busy. Action. Not delaying. Make pleasing God first on your “To-do” list. You want God to approve of you. If the world slaps you on the back, but you have disappointed God, you have failed. Be God approved. You cannot be right with God and wrong with His word. Don’t be like a workman who is ashamed. Don’t stand in line to get a paycheck for doing nothing. We see that all the time. Co-workers who spend the day on the phone or playing games on the computer and not doing much work. They find ways not to work. They ought to turn their paycheck back in, but they won’t. They gladly accept a wage for doing nothing. They ought to be ashamed. You are not to be that way. You are to be serious about pleasing God.

 

The other action involves handling God’s word. Handle it accurately or carefully. Have you ever been to a military funeral? I’ve done several. After my part, the military takes over. Very solemn. Guns are fired. Taps is played. And then the flag that is draped over the casket is reverently folded with extreme care and dignity and handed to the family. Many times, those that are folding the flag are wearing white gloves. The family holds that flag to their chest. In many homes, we have special display cases that we keep those flags in. They are special. Handle God’s word that way. Don’t be careless. Don’t skip the details. Don’t assume. Do your homework. Look up words. Chase those rabbits. Know it. Know it well. Know it accurately.

 

Knowledge of God’s word will drive out fear and error. It will help us build confidence and it feeds our faith. It is through our faith and walk with the Lord that we please God. It is our faith that conquers fear and allows us to stand boldly with the Lord.

 

Don’t settle for, “It’s in the Bible somewhere…” Find it and know where it is. State a passage correctly. Understand how your English Bible fits together—the chronology of the books and the history and the background of the times. Know dates. Know names. Know why this or that happened? Make your Bible user friendly. Underline in it. Write things in the margins and back pages. Write other verse references. Tape things in the back that will help you. Make it friendly to you. Don’t be afraid of it. Handle it. Handle it accurately, but handle it. Understand it. Use it. Go to it.

 

It’s been said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone whose life is not falling apart.

 

Give me the Bible…more than a hymn, a way of life for the child of God.

 

Roger

 

20

Jump Start # 1627

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1627

1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord.”

 We heard a great lesson yesterday at our congregation from a talented young preacher about Eli and his boys. It was a powerful reminder to all of us about our roles as parents. Hands on is the only way we can help shape the moral and spiritual direction of others. It’s not the church’s job, but the parents role to raise their children up in the Lord.

 

What a blunt statement our verse starts with, “the sons of Eli were worthless men.” Such language would not be acceptable today. Some would tell us to find good in them. There is good in everyone, we are told. That search for something good, often leads one to overlooking the obvious wrong. God called these boys worthless. They were priests serving God’s people, yet they were worthless. They did what they wanted to do and they ignored and violated the law of God. They were not leading the nation to God but being terrible role models and indifferent to the important roles that they played.

 

This leads us to understand that:

 

1. Not everyone in leadership roles lead. Some don’t care. Some are selfish. Sometimes the worst person may be elected, chosen or appointed to a position. You may witness this at work. Some in management roles do not manage. Some feed office gossip, help turn co-workers against each other and are responsible for creating a toxic and unhealthy environment. It’s hard to deal with this when the boss is acting this way. Some play favorites. Some bend the rules for some but not for others.

 

Eli’s sons were priests, but they weren’t acting very priestly. They abused the sacrifice. They did things by force. They were immoral and not good examples. They trashed the roles that they were in.

 

Spiritually, the same has happened in the church. Preachers and elders have trashed their roles, taken advantage of others, bent the rules to their favor, made sure that they benefited financially and ruined things for those who follow. The role of leadership is to lead. You are to help things be better. You are to smooth out problems and not be the source of problems. You are to be the go-to person when there are problems. But more than that, you are paving the way for those who follow you. You are leaving footprints of how things ought to be. The way some have handed things over to the next generation is shameful. They have left the church in a mess. They have discouraged and destroyed the work of God. Worthless leaders can be found today.

 

2. Not everyone in God’s family is godly. They ought to be, but some are not. Look at these rotten apples in Eli’s family. They broke so many commands doing what they wanted to do. There doesn’t seem to be any humbleness, devotion to God or interests in doing what God said. Sometimes Christians can be mean, ugly in spirit and hurtful. We can be hurt more by fellow Christians than people of the world. Judgmental. Finger pointing. Demanding. Loud. Offensive. Rude. Such should never be found among Christians, but it has and it continues. Eli’s boys, men as they there, because Eli was old, never seemed to appreciate the position and honor that they were in. This is a classic temptation of second and third generation Christians. We’ve grown up knowing only this. We know the songs. We know the routine. We take some of this for granted and have not used this wonderful opportunity to help us, rather, we have misused it to our disadvantage. We have not seriously believed as we should have. We have not seriously connected to either God or His people as we should have. Some use Bible class time not for a period of growing and learning, but to chit-chat with friends. Some have become the worst examples of what a Christian should be.

 

Worthless priests and worthless Christians do more harm to God’s people than all the world combined. We expect more from our own people. When one sees worthless behavior, they are likely to follow. Christianity becomes shallow, and like the hollow Easter bunny, there is nothing on the inside. Hypocrisy is the next step. Then follows indifference and apathy. In time, if the person has enough nerve, he just drops out. His faith has zero impact upon his decisions, his work and his family. Church is habit. Church is being with friends. Church is nothing about God to this worthless heart. He fools others and he deceives himself. Empty, shallow, and faithless—he is really worthless. He doesn’t help the kingdom grow, because his light has gone out a long time ago. He doesn’t help encourage others to do right, because he doesn’t do right himself. His kind confuses others. He is especially troublesome when he is the preacher or one of the elders. Long after he has moved on or died, people will continue to talk about him in a negative way. He leaves a trail of unpleasant memories. Worthless.

 

There are several shows on TV where folks will bring old junk to appraisers and find out that they are very valuable. Once in a while, on those shows, someone learns that his treasure is worthless. It has no value. Can’t sell it. No one would buy it. It is worth nothing.  Burned out light bulbs are like that. Broken scissors are like that. Lint from your dryer is like that. We don’t keep those things around. They don’t have other uses. They are not going to be bought on Ebay. They are worthless. Junk. Trash. No value. No use.

 

It is hard to think that a person could be like that. They are when they are not fulfilling the roles that God wants them to do. Parents can be worthless. Teachers can be worthless. Preachers and elders can be worthless. Eli’s sons, who were priests, were worthless. Worthless because they were not doing what they should. Worthless because they were doing the very opposite of what they should be doing. They were engaged in wrong and wouldn’t stop.

 

Some parents need parenting. Some teachers need to stop teaching and be taught. Some preachers need to sit on the other side of the pulpit. Some elders need to hang it up and have some one lead them.

 

Worthless. What a contrast to the parable of the talents where the master declared, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Worthless to well done. It’s a matter of choices. It’s a matter of taking your role seriously. It’s a matter of doing what God wants you to do.

 

Are you worthless or doing well? You steps, your heart, your words—they tell the story.

 

Roger

 

17

Jump Start # 1626

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1626

Luke 13:10-11 “And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.”

 

This week we have been looking at the feelings, attitudes and emotions that often plague God’s children. These thoughts are not healthy nor what God wants from us. We often recognize them, study them and know that they shouldn’t control us but they do. Hatred, fear, guilt, worry and finally doubt—each of these are different, yet each of these can feed the other. The heart that struggles with these will have difficulties having confidence and assurance in the Lord.

Today, we talk about doubt. Doubt is a wide subject.

First, one may doubt that God loves or forgives a person. Sometimes the experiences in our lives give cause for doubt. It seems that prayers are not answered positively, so we doubt. We just can’t seem to rise above trouble and turmoil, so doubts take over. We feel that we ought to be happier than we are, but we are not. We doubt God. We doubt God loves us. If He did, we think, our lives would be better. We doubt God can or will forgive us. I’ve met some who have thought that even God could not forgive what they did.

 

Second, we can doubt the promises of God. We know what the Bible says about Heaven and who will be there, but deep inside, we just doubt that we’ll be one of those people. We want to. We’d love to. But we doubt. Nothing on this side of life has seemed to work out very well, so why will it on the other side.

 

Third, we can doubt the Scriptures. God’s word is full of promises, help and assurance. We know the stories, but some how, it just isn’t the same for us. It won’t happen that way for us. The “Eeyore” complex of doom and gloom fills our hearts and our days.

 

Fourth, we can’t forgive ourselves. We know what the promises of God teaches, but we refuse to let go of the pain and the reminders of wrong choices. We continually beat ourselves up. We refuse to rejoice with the saints, because we feel inferior and do not deserve God’s goodness. So we live in a cloud. This has caused some to refuse to participate publicly in worship. They don’t feel worthy.

 

These doubts are self induced. There is nothing from God, nor His word that would lead one to these conclusions. They have decided this on their own. Doubt, lacking confidence and an esteem that is shot full of holes tend to all blend together. The doubter looks sad. He would like to soar with the saints, but he’s not good enough. His doubts keeps him on the ground.

 

Our verse today is one of the best “anti-doubt” passages in the N.T. Nothing is said about doubt, but it is full of hope, optimism and faith, which is the opposite of doubt. Here, on a Saturday in the synagogue was this bent over woman. Jesus sees her. Jesus heals her. There is no indication from the text that she knew Jesus was going to be there. He happened to be there and she happened to be there. That is what makes this story incredible.

 

She has been bent over for 18 years. Imagine that. The time it takes to graduate elementary and high school, she has been bent over. She could not straighten up. She couldn’t lift things off a shelf. She couldn’t look up and see a bird flying by. A bent over person doesn’t move very fast. Bent over means limited and unclean in terms of going to the temple. I expect she prayed. I expect she prayed over and over about this. I expect she never quit praying about this. And now, 18 years later, we find her, not on the roadside, cursing God who doesn’t care, but in the synagogue to worship. She had not given up. Doubt had not conquered her. She body was bent, but not her faith and hope in the Lord. I think most of us, after just a few months of this stuff, would have given up on the Lord. He doesn’t like us, would be our thought. We must have done something wrong, would have been our conclusions. We prayed and we remain bent. Why go to church, people will stare and it won’t do us any good. Came bent, left bent.

 

Not this woman. She was there. Had she allowed doubts to overcome, she would have stayed home and missed Jesus. She believed. Her actions demonstrate that. After 18 years and still in the place of worship, can’t you and I do better?

 

God has not promised you health and success. That’s the TV preachers, who don’t know what they are talking about. God has promised you grace, love and a home with Him. You may leave this world with a limp, or a bad back or a bad heart or the loss of eye sight or poor, or lonely, but God will not let you down. Without much faith, those conditions build doubt. With faith, we find ourselves, bent over as we are, in God’s house worshipping. We go when it’s hard. We go when the weather isn’t good. We go when we feel like staying home. We go because we believe. That’s the one thing that kicks doubt out of your heart, faith.

 

She was in the synagogue. Did she know that Satan had caused her illness? Did she know that Jesus was going to change her? Probably not. She knew that she still loved the Lord. The Lord had been good to her, bent back and all. She knew that God was deserving of her praise, affection and devotion. She wasn’t a “fair weather” Christian, who only worshipped when she felt good. Her faith wasn’t tied in to her back. Her back was bad, but her faith was great.

 

God loves you. God forgives you when you come to Him on His terms. God has a home for you. Do you believe? Do you trust Him? This woman did. The measure of God’s love is not the wellness of your body. When it comes to your forgiving yourself, trust God. If He has released your sins, then you need to. You are not the worst, but even if you were, God forgives. You forgive. Let it go. Don’t go back and revisit over and over what happened. Move on. Walk in the light as He is in the light.

 

Saturday in the synagogue and here was this bent over woman. She had not given up. If she did, many would understand. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. God was greater than her back. Someday that bent back would be something of the past. She didn’t know it would happen on that Saturday.

 

Doubts—don’t feed them. Don’t landscape them. Don’t dwell on them. Build your faith. Get to the church house on Sunday—even when you don’t feel like it. Even when folks might stare at you. Bent over. Moving slowly. Limited. But a faith that trusted and believed in God—that’s what we see. Jesus saw her. He saw something about her. He called her forward and He healed her.

 

It was her faith, not bent back that Jesus saw. There was no doubting with this one!

 

Roger