30

Jump Start # 1755

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1755

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.”

NOTE: There will not be a Jump Start on Monday due to the Holiday.

NOTE # 2: Starting Monday, not part of Jump Starts, but another feature being presented by our congregation, is “Quick Quote.” It is a daily quote with a Bible reference. You can find these on our website, Facebook page and other applications (www.charlestownroadchurchofchrist.com).

 

Well, we’ve come to the end of another year. There is just one day left and 2016 will go into the books. The media is stunned by the large number of celebrities and famous people that have passed away this year. The large number is unusual. As the books close on this year, has it been a good year for you? Was it a hard year? Was it just another year, with nothing very special or note worthy?

 

Our verse today, found in that long context of contrasts, reminds us that the end is better than the beginning. Of all the contrasts made in this chapter, this one is the easiest to see and agree with. It’s hard to believe that the day of one’s death is better than the day of birth. That’s what Solomon tells us. It’s hard believing that going to a funeral home is better than going to a party. But it is. The funeral home forces us to think about things that we don’t like to think about. It can lead to change and a better life, especially with the Lord.

 

But the end being better than the beginning, that’s one that most can see. The day of graduation is better than the first day of the first semester. The day you walk into your new home is better than when you stood in a field and imagined what the house would look like. The day of retirement is better than the first day of work. The end is better than the beginning.

 

How do you measure or determine whether a year has been good or not? Often, we look at what happened around us and to us as that determination. For our readers this year has:

 

  • Brought new babies into the world
  • Some said, “I do” to a marriage proposal, or in their vows
  • Some moved into a new house
  • Some finally got that great job that they always dreamed about
  • Some got their driver’s license
  • Some became grandparents for the first time
  • Some were baptized into Christ
  • Some led a song for the first time in church services
  • Some finally paid off the mortgage of their house

 

Good things. Good year.

 

But for others, the year has brought tears:

  • A mate or a parent passed away
  • A job was lost
  • Injuries from a car wreck took months to recover from
  • Some heard that dreaded word, “Cancer”
  • Some had a family member that was withdrawn from
  • Some realized that they could not retire
  • Some went through the holidays alone
  • Some saw their marriage come to an end

 

Tough things. A long year. A hard year.

 

Most years are like this. For some, it’s been great. For others, it’s been devastating. But here we are, still standing and at the end of the year. Whether it’s been a great year or a terrible year, you are still here. There is hope. There is God. The year brings thankfulness to our lips and a great reminder that we need God so much.

 

The year is just about over. Now, we start a new one. What will it be like? How will it affect me, change me, impact me? Will it be a good year or a long and terrible year? Will I make it to the end of the year? The end is better than the beginning.

 

There are some things you can do to help you in the coming year. Set aside some time for the Lord every day. Pray more and pray deeper. Pray beyond the basics. Pray about people. Pray for changes.

 

Spend some time in God’s word. We seem to be so busy these days. For some, the only time the Bible is opened is when they are in the church building. Download a Bible app on your phone or tablet. Find something interesting to read and set your course in that direction. I have decided to read three chapters of Exodus a day. Why? I recently was in a Bible class taught by my son on Exodus. I realized that it had been a while since I read it all the way through. So, that became my motivation and goal. What book of the Bible have you not read in a while? Get to it.

 

Spend more time with quality books and quality people. These are the things that will shape you to be a better person. You need good people in your life. You need people of God in your life. Know them. Make them your friends. Invite them into your home. Before the new year is over, you may need to lean upon them. They may need to lean upon you. Quality books—not murder mysteries, but books about leadership, family, the Bible. Books that put me back into the classroom, so I can learn. Make a list. Start reading. Watch less TV this year. So much is bland and meaningless and a waste of time.

 

Spend time doing more this year. As each year passes, we not only get older, but we move closer and closer to finishing our journey here. Will you have made any difference? Will you have left footprints for others? Will you have touched the lives of others? Maybe this is the year that you get off the sidelines and really pick up the sword and get into the battle for God’s kingdom. Stop hiding behind, “I’m so busy.” Some day you won’t be and by then it may be too late. Allow the church to appoint you as an elder. It’s time. Teach a class. It’s time. Ask the elders or the preacher if you can do something for them to lighten their load. It’s time. Other than coming to worship, how have you helped the kingdom? It’s time.

 

We close the books on one year and set sail on the new one. We plan vacations. We plan for weddings and babies. It is good to plan spiritually.

 

Let me say, personally, thank you to each of our readers. Jump Starts is at it’s all time high with readership and subscriptions. Much of that is because of you. More and more are finding ways to return to the Jump Starts to use in other applications. Some of these Jump Starts have ended up in church bulletins. Some are being read in a radio program every week. Some find their ways into sermons and Wednesday evening invitations. Some of the Jump Start books have been used as the basis of classes. And dozens and dozens of people have been introduced to Jump Starts because readers like you shared them with someone else. From the bottom of my heart, I say to you, “Thank you.” It has always been my intention that someone, somewhere would be helped through these words. You have shown me that over and over again.

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start # 1754

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1754

Nehemiah 5:6 “I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.”

  Nehemiah is a powerful book that shows leadership, cooperation, vision and the will and gumption to get things done. It needs to be a must read, probably once a year. In 52 days, the walls around Jerusalem went from rubble to being completed. It took longer than that to new build bridges over the Ohio River were I live.

 

Our verse today comes from a section where internal problems were slowing things down. Opposition arose from within the ranks. The people started complaining. There was a famine and the people were hungry. Some had to mortgage their homes and fields to buy grain. Others had to borrow money to pay the taxes owed. Then Nehemiah was pushing the people to get the project completed. That put them over the edge. They complained that they were being treated like slaves. Upset. Unhappy. Complaining. Pointing fingers. The wheels were coming off the project. The Nehemiah dream was quickly turning into a nightmare.

When Nehemiah heard all of this, he became very angry. That’s our verse today.

 

Nehemiah experienced what many people go through.

  • Sometimes it’s in the family. A vacation is planned. Mama does all the research, planning, booking rooms and getting everything set. Just days before the trip is to begin, the complaining starts. Some don’t want to go. Some don’t like this or that. Why now? Why there? What was to be a family dream has turned into a nightmare.

 

  • Sometimes it’s down at the church house where we find this. Plans are set for some teaching or classes. Tons of work is done. Everything is set to launch and then comes the complainers. They don’t like it. They drag their feet. They don’t want to participate. The dream becomes a nightmare.

 

  • Sometimes it’s the appointing of new shepherds in the church. It’s talked about. It’s planned. Everything is set to go, and at the very last second, some raise their voices against the whole thing. It turns messy. The dream becomes a nightmare.

 

  • It happens at work. Projects are planned, budgeted and mapped out. Days before everything is to begin, the complaining starts. Some don’t want to do this. Things are said. Feelings get hurt. The dream becomes a nightmare.

 

Nehemiah did more than just get angry. For some, that’s as far as it gets. People get mad at one another. Feelings are hurt. Words are said that shouldn’t be. Some quit. The forward progress is stopped. Momentum slows down. It’s time to go back into the huddle. Some scrap the plans all together. Some have learned, if you complain long and loud enough, they will stop what they are planning.

 

First, Nehemiah consulted with myself. Great thought. I am having a meeting with myself. He thought things out. He didn’t act impulsively. Put thought and listen to why some are complaining. Is it legit? Do they have a basis for what they are saying? Consult with yourself.

 

Second, Nehemiah contended with the rulers about the taxation. He confronted them. He saw that the people were being burdened. Something could be done and he directed his energies in that way.

 

Third, not only did he speak words to those rulers, but he used himself as an example. He did not tax the people like former governors had (15). He actually worked on the wall himself (16). He fed many people and did not charge the nation a food allowance (17-18), which he could have done.

 

In Acts 6, when a complaint arose because some of the widows were being neglected, the apostles looked into the matter and came up with a plan to make things better.

 

All of these thoughts bring us to three considerations today:

 

First, we need to see what complaining does. It is such a negative. It’s a cloud that darkens the mood and the spirit of others. Some seem to be bent on complaining all the time. They are not happy unless they are complaining. It’s the weather. It’s the prices. It’s the traffic. It’s the long lines. It’s the way their team is playing. It’s the temperature inside the church building. It’s who is leading singing. It’s the length of sermons. Unhappy. Unhappy. Unhappy. Nothing is ever right for these folks. If there is a problem, they will be the first to see it and the first to point it out to everyone else. They see problems. They are looking for problems. If there is a typo, they’ll find it. If there is dust, they will see it. If there is a paper on the floor, they know it before anyone else. Misery lives next door to complaining. They share the same property line. They go together. The complainers are compelled to share their misery with others.

 

Second, complainers too often point out what is wrong, but they do not want to help make things better. Find the problems is what they are about. Point things out so that someone else will fix things. Not my job is a quick and oft used excuse of complainers. It’s not my job to get involved. It’s not my job to do that. However, the complainers do feel that it is their job and their right to complain about what’s not right. In every family, every company, and in every church, there are those dedicated servants that go out of their way to try to make things right. They work tirelessly. They go beyond what is expected. They get little praise or recognition for what they are doing. They don’t have to do what they are doing, other than they want to make things better. They sacrifice tons of their own time, energy and often even money, to fix what the complainers are complaining about.

 

Third, there is a proper way to deal with problems. God doesn’t like complaining. The murmuring Jews got it from the Lord. They were not happy with bread from Heaven. They wanted meat. Then they wanted something to drink. God put up with them and provided for them until He finally stuck down some of those ungrateful hearts. He pulled the plug on many of them. They died. They died in the wilderness because they were not happy. They complained about Moses. They complained about God. They wished that they were back in Egypt. Unhappy. Unhappy. Unhappy. More than that, they were not thankful to the Lord. That was it, for God. Their miserable tongues stopped as God took their lives. Complainers are not content. Complainers don’t count their blessings.

 

I find it hard to write about complaining. It seems that I am complaining about complainers. But I hope you see what a negative experience complaining has upon others. It just kills the spirit of things. Does that mean, we just put up with things that are not right? No. But instead of always complaining, try to do what you can. When you see paper on the floor, pick it up. Maybe someone dropped it without knowing that. Pick it up without saying anything about it. When you see dust, quietly, behind the scenes, dust. Find solutions that are helpful and good. Work more and talk less.

 

Be an encourager. Be one that helps. Be one that people can count on. Poor Nehemiah. He had his hands full, and then his own people started to turn on him. Complaining can cause good people to quit.

 

So, before you start to say something, stop. Think. Consult with yourself. Can you fix it without saying anything? Then do it. Don’t toot your horn afterwards. Just do it. Complainers need to spend more time with Jesus. The heart of a servant is too busy to complain. They need to stand behind Isaiah who declared, “Here am I Lord, send me.” The complainer would write that verse, “Lord, send someone, anyone, but not me.”

 

Are you one to build walls of faith, hope and vision or are you one who points out the mistakes of others? Get off the sidelines. Don’t complain until you have put your own effort into things. Don’t kill the spirit of others because you don’t like the way they are doing things. Jump in there and show us how it ought to be done. It’s amazing how those who have never preached, can complain about preaching. Those who have never taught a class can complain about teaching.

 

The end of the story is that Nehemiah got the walls completed. He didn’t stop because some complained. We must complete the course and finish the race. We must.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 1753

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1753

1 Thessalonians 4:11 “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.”

  In our Jump Start yesterday, we saw that the apostle had instructed the brethren about how to walk spiritually and to please God. Our verse today, tells yet of another instruction that they had received. We wonder if these instructions came in the form of sermons, Bible classes or just informal talks. Seeing what they were instructed in makes us take a look at how and what we are instructing folks in today. Could it be that we are leaning too far into academia and intellectual depth and not simple practical living?

 

Four thoughts come out of our verse today:

 

Lead a quiet life. The opposite seems to be a “noisy” or “loud” life. The word means peaceable or tranquil. Quiet rather than stressful. Quiet rather than bothered and worried. Quiet comes up again in the N.T. Paul would tell the Thessalonians in a second letter to “work in a quiet fashion and eat your own bread” (3:12). Timothy was told to pray for kings so that we may “lead a tranquil and quiet life” (1 Tim 2:2). Just doing what we are supposed to be doing. Not causing trouble; not making a scene; content; happy; quiet life—that’s the idea.

 

Attend to your own business. That’s needed then and it’s certainly needed now. This is directly related to the quiet life. Often the quiet life is missing because someone is not minding their own business. There is a thin line here and it’s often hard to detect what is my business and what is not my business. When we don’t understand the difference, we get things messy and too often, we upset people. The spiritual wellbeing of a person is our business. We want people to go to Heaven. Whether or not they are following God and obeying the Lord is our business. When a man in Corinth was living immorally, it became the business of Paul and eventually the church. For that man to say, “Mind your own business,” doesn’t fit there. Our business is getting folks ready for Heaven. It is teaching and encouraging others. Our business goes beyond what happens at the church building. It’s not right nor fitting to this verse for a person to say, “Mind your own business about my church attendance. I’ll come when I want to come.” Wrong. It is our business because it affects you spiritually and it impacts the church. What a person wears, modesty, is a spiritual issue. To say, “I can wear what I want and you can’t say anything about it,” is simply wrong. God speaks about modesty. If a Christian isn’t obeying God, then something can and ought to be said. Misunderstanding this expression, can lead folks to doing whatever they want as soon as they leave the church building and everyone must take a “hands off” approach. This is not the direction of this passage. There are too many other verses that remind us to “bear one another’s burdens,” or, restore one who is “caught in any trespass.”

 

The minding your business that we too often get involved in is the personal things that do not involve spiritual matters. We love to tell people what they ought to eat, what kind of car they ought to be driving, where they should live. Some times walking into the church building is an intense questioning by busybodies who simply want to know. They want to know if and when you are going to have another baby. They want to know if you are going to stay in your house after your mate has passed away. They want to know how much money you make. They want to know about your sex life. Personal and none of their business. You do not have to answer every question that is asked, even by brethren. You do not have to be compelled to reveal information that you feel is off limits. The direction of this statement is not towards being asked, but rather, don’t be the one who does the asking. Mind your own business. There are things that are off limits to you. Once you know these things about others, a person feels the need to share that with someone else. This is the breeding ground of gossip. Word gets around. Feelings get hurt. People leave a church. Why? Because someone stuck their nose in where it didn’t belong. My grandma often said, “Mind your own bee’s wax.” I have no idea what that means other than mind your own business.

 

It seems that some are so busy running the lives of others that they can’t run their own lives. If we put as much attention into ourselves and pointed the radar gun at ourselves as much as we do others, we’d be better people. What all of this means is that there are some things that I may not like, understand or figure out, but if it doesn’t hurt them spiritually, it’s none of my business. I may not like it, but if they can still go to Heaven that way, it’s their business. A person can go to Heaven being different, weird, or even unusual, by my standards. If a guy wants to paint his house black, go for it. I must mind my own business. You can go to Heaven with black walls. If a guy wants to trade cars every year and he can afford it, I must mind my own business. If a guy changes careers often, switches colleges often and is still excelling with the Lord, I must mind my own business. If a couple decides that they do not want to have any children, I must mind my own business. It they decide that they only want one child, I must mind my own business. If they want to adopt, I must mind my own business. One of my children and his wife adopted a boy from overseas. I have been asked, “could they not have children.” My answer is, “I don’t know. I never asked.” It was their business, and even as a parent, you must mind it. We hurt each other when we don’t mind our business.

 

Years ago, when I first started preaching, we lived in a house that the church owned. Early one morning, we heard someone walking around inside the house. I got up. It was one of the older members. I asked him what he was doing inside my house. He said, “I just wanted to see if the love birds made it back from their honeymoon. Besides, we all have keys.” That crossed several lines with me. He thought it was his business to just come on in, without knocking, since the church owned the house.

 

Thirdly, Paul says, work with your hands. This also is tied in to the quiet life. Don’t work with your mouth, work with your hands. Be busy. When you are busy, you don’t have time to notice all the particulars of others. This applies to worship, as well. Get busy in worship. Pray. Sing. Praise. Listen. You don’t have time to count how many times some people are in and out. You don’t have time to notice who is sleeping. Get busy. Work with your hands. Mind your own business.

 

Finally, Paul says, make this your ambition. This is your goal. This is what you are to strive for. What a great theme for a year. What a great goal for each of us to strive for. Make it your practice. Make it your ambition. Make it your aim. This is what you are striving for. Lead a quiet life. Work with your hands. Mind your own business. When you do this, you’ll find the stress levels going down. This happens because you are not so worked up about others. If it’s not wrong, then don’t think about it. We are good at telling others what we think they need to do. We never realize that what we are doing is pushy and it bothers others.

 

Relationships—this is what Paul is writing about. We are a family in Christ, but there are things that we need to understand to make this work. Bumping into each other can be lessened when we listen to the words of this passage.

 

This verse ends with Paul reminding them, that they had been “commanded” about these things. This isn’t’ just good advise. This is more than helpful stuff. These are commands of God. Missing this, messes up the walk and the pleasing God that this chapter began with.

 

Quiet, work with your own hands, mind your own business—hard to do some days. Something that one must work on, even us parents of grown kids. It helps saying, “They can still go to Heaven that way.” And, I suppose, in our own way, folks look at each of us, and just shake their heads.

 

Walk, please the Lord, live a quiet life, work with your hands, mind your own business. Those would make great stencils on a wall. They work better when they are stenciled into our hearts.

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1752

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1752

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.”

 

Christmas is over. I hope you enjoyed your time with family. We were blessed to watch little ones open their presents. The excitement on their faces is so precious. Buying gifts for little ones is pretty easy. The selection is enormous. Walking down the toy section of major stores can be very expensive for grandparents. They want to get this and then that and of course, they have to have this one over there. Buying gifts for adults is a lot harder. It takes more effort, thought and planning. I don’t know if women feel this way, but guys feel a lot of pressure in buying the right gift for their wife. Something too practical or something totally impractical and the gift becomes a bomb. She smiles, but she didn’t like it. For the man, he feels like he fails if he doesn’t deliver just the right gift. Then there is the commercial on the radio subjectively telling you that she really wants diamonds. Don’t make the mistake and get her a sweeper or a gym membership, she wants diamonds. So, the man walks into the jewelry store, clueless to what he is doing. He sees all the sparkling diamonds and the enormous price tags and running through his mind, “You better come through this year.” The joy of giving gifts can be stressful, especially at the key moment when the gift is opened. “Do you like it?” is actually interpreted as, “Did I come through and give you what you wanted?” “Did I please you?”

 

Our verse today is about pleasing God. The Thessalonians were taught how to walk and how to please God. This is something that a person needs to learn. New Christians need to know this. This thought is often not taught, but assumed. What God likes, may not be what I would have chosen. Just as a husband must think what his wife would like, he buys a gift that pleases her. Her happiness makes him happy. He doesn’t buy his wife a new putter, if she doesn’t golf. If he did that, she might use that putter on his head.

 

How to please another, that’s the thought in buying gifts. How to please God? That’s the thought behind our actions, attitudes and worship. We do what God likes. We do what God wants. We please the Lord.

 

The modern church has moved on from this thought. It is driven by the sensations of what do we like. We don’t like sermons, so we toss them out. Has any thought been given about God? The Lord actually likes preaching. It was His idea, not ours. From the early days, all through the Bible, God has had prophets, priests, apostles and preachers that taught the word of God. We may have grown weary of preaching, but God hasn’t.

 

The modern church has shifted from internal heart felt expressions of love to God, to the external, carnal, festival atmosphere of light shows, fog machines, theatre drama, and comedy routines that makes us feel good. The moderns laugh. They cry. They have a good time. They are promised that next week will be even greater. More lights. More smoke. More laughter. So, they return. Fun, fun, fun. It’s a great time that the modern church is having. But is any of this pleasing the Lord? Is this what God wants? Have we given a putter to someone who doesn’t golf? Have we thought about just what does God want? How do you please the Lord?

 

The Thessalonians knew. They had been instructed in what pleases God. What the Lord wanted, couldn’t be purchased in a store. It wasn’t smoke, screaming music, or dramatic presentations which an audience watches and applauds those on the stage. The Lord wants the audience engaged. The Lord wants us not to watch but to be part of worship, living and walking with Him. He wants our hearts. He wants our loyalty. He wants our obedience. He wants to be the king of our lives. What pleases the Lord is when His will becomes our will. When we want what He wants. When we like what He likes. When we oppose what He opposes. Stop changing the message to please the people. Please the Lord. Stop trying to be cool and different and simply please the Lord.

 

Please God by being dependent upon Him. You need Him. Show that. Show that by praying to Him all the time. Show that by following His word. Show that by including Him in your heart and in your choices.

 

Please God by being spiritual. Think beyond what your eyes can see. Think beyond today. Grow. Become. Use. The Thessalonians, in our passage were told to “excel still more.” More pleasing of God. More worship. More walking with the Lord. More praying. More. More. More. We sing, “More, more about Jesus…” That’s what the Thessalonians were to excel in.

 

Please God by being His hands and feet today. Show the world Jesus. Let your light shine. Be the example, even around family. Defend God. Introduce God. Be kind, when others are not. Be forgiving, when others won’t. Be helpful, when others turn their back. Be like Jesus. Be holy, in an impure world. Be thoughtful in a thoughtless world. Be hopeful, in a pessimistic world. Be spiritual in a materialistic world. Be godly in a worldly world.

 

Please God by knowing His word. Know what God has said. Know what God has promised. Know what is still to happen. Know what happens at death. Know what lies beyond the grave. Know the Lord.

 

Buying gifts can be stressful. The goal is to please the person you are giving the gift to. We want to make them happy. It is that thought that we ought to have towards the Lord. We want to make the Lord happy. Our goal is to please Him.

 

When that is our focus and target, then we will be set on the right course in life. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Do what He wants. A person can’t do wrong when that is where his compass points to.

 

Roger

 

22

Jump Start # 1751

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

Jump Start # 1751

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

NOTE: Due to the holidays and some internal server updates there will not be a Jump Start tomorrow or one Monday. We plan to be back on Tuesday. Thanks.

 

Our verse today, found in the powerful “Good Shepherd” section describes the nature and work of Jesus. Specifically, our verse shows a contrast. Jesus is the good Shepherd. Satan is a thief. He is not just a thief. He is THE thief. Jesus gives. Satan takes. The use of the word “only,” tells us that there is nothing good, positive or beneficial in what Satan wants. When he speaks it is a lie. What he promises, never comes about. His intentions are to ONLY steal, kill and destroy. What he is set on stealing, killing and destroying, is you. There is never a right way to do wrong. There is never a way that wrong can be right.

 

Jesus is just the opposite. Instead of taking from us, He gives. He not only gives, but He enhances and makes things better. He gives life. He gives life abundantly. Abundantly– bucket loads. Our cup overflows. Remember when Jesus fed the multitudes? They ate until they were satisfied and then the disciples gathered up twelve basket full of leftovers. Abundance. Remember when the Lord ordered the disciples to cast out into the deep and lower their nets? The catch of fish filled the boats and they were nearly sinking because of so many fish. Abundance. God doesn’t work in small numbers. He’s in the abundance department.

 

Later today, I go to conduct a funeral. It seems that there are a lot of funerals around the holidays. Funerals are never fun, easy nor truly enjoyable. When they are so close to a holiday, they just dampen the spirit of the families involved. There is no getting around the idea that we are just days away from Christmas and a family is burying their aged mother.

 

In just the past few days, the wives of two preachers have passed away and an aged preacher was killed in a car accident. Tragic. Sad. Heart breaking for these families. But what a difference all of this makes when one has lived that abundant life that is found in Jesus Christ. For the families involved, the faith of a loved one who has passed away means a journey was completed. A faith was kept. A course was finished. It’s the “well done, good and faithful servant.” It’s the welcome home for those who have cherished the name of Christ.

 

This abundant life that Jesus offers is the best life that anyone can ever live. We so often put descriptive words in front of the word “life.” For instance, a good life. Or, a long life. A short life. A miserable life. A happy life. A bad life. A  troubled life. Those words sum up what that life was about. When someone states that they have a miserable life, what follows is the tragic tale of heartache, disappointments and failures. It was miserable.

 

In Christ, we have a word that sums up the walk of a Christian. It happens to be the title of a movie that is played over and over this time of year. That word is “wonderful.” In Christ, we live a “Wonderful life.” That doesn’t mean that every day is sunshine. That doesn’t mean that there are not struggles. But looking back over the years, fewer words sum up what we are doing other than, “It’s a wonderful life.”

 

Here’s why:

 

  • It’s wonderful because through Christ, God considers you one of His children.
  • It’s wonderful because you have forgiveness, peace and hope. It doesn’t matter what happens today, we’re headed to Heaven.
  • It’s wonderful because our lives make sense. There is a purpose for us. God made us on purpose for a purpose.
  • It’s wonderful because God’s word leads us, helps us and strengthens us.
  • It’s wonderful because God is always there for us. Always.
  • It’s wonderful because we get to know the greatest people on the face of the earth, other Christians.
  • It’s wonderful because we are allowed to participate in the greatest work of all time, building the kingdom of God.
  • It’s wonderful because God cares. We don’t struggle alone. We are to cast our worries upon Him.
  • It’s wonderful because we can talk to God every day and all day if we want.
  • It’s wonderful because we can do things that actually pleases God. He loves our worship.
  • It’s wonderful because it never ends. We simply switch locations and we get to spend forever with Him.

 

The burdens of life can suck the air out of our souls. Tired Christians shuffle into church buildings with worry and troubles in their eyes. Our minds are elsewhere as the word of God is taught. We can lose our focus and get so caught up in the things that do not matter that before long, we start saying, “It’s hard being a Christian.” We start believing that there is little joy here. We view what we do as a duty, rather than a passion. We’ve forgotten that Jesus has given us life. Not just any ole’ life, but eternal life and an abundance of it.

 

Stop envying the wicked, as Proverbs reminds us. Don’t daydream about winning the lottery, being a rock star or having so much money that you could be foolish. There is no life in that. That life ends terribly at a dead-end street. Visit the funeral home. Give thought to what really matters. Look into the eyes of a two year old. You are a Christian. Hold your head up. Put that smile back on your face. Realize what you have. Count your blessings.

 

In the movie, “It’s a wonderful life,” George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, has one misfortune after another. He hates his job, the town he lives in and the way he is living. He becomes so despondent that he tries to take his life. It would be better, he thinks, if he had never been born. The movie shows what that would look like. He has touched many lives. He has made a difference to people all through the years. He has lived a wonderful life.

 

Great message in that movie. It misses one demission, and that is the spiritual. The best life here, without Christ, will never be the wonderful life. Only Christ can offer the abundant life. It is in Christ that we find what is truly life.

 

The wonderful life. Helping others. Walking with Christ. Living with hope in your heart. Forgiven. Free. At peace. Developing the best qualities of character in you. Leading and influencing others. A worshippers. A lover of life. Good. Honest. Kind. Sweet. Joyful. Prayerful. This life isn’t based upon where you live. It doesn’t matter if it is “Bedford Falls,” as in the movie. Or, Lanesville, Indiana, where I live. Or, NYC. Or, Norway. Or, Nigeria. Or, Philippines. Doesn’t matter whether I live in a house or an apartment. It doesn’t matter whether I live in the city or out in the country. Anywhere. Everywhere. I can have a wonderful life if I live it in Jesus Christ.

 

Get to know the Lord. Love Him. Obey Him. Trust Him. Follow Him. Become like Him. Life changes when you do that. Your outlook changes. Your values change. Your perspective changes. Suddenly, you find yourself living a wonderful life. It’s the best life. Don’t listen to those who try to throw water on your faith. Don’t pay attention to those who don’t understand. Don’t follow those who are dancing with the devil. You know. Christ has shown you. It’s proven in the Scriptures. That wonderful life is in Jesus Christ.

 

Pitiful, sour and discouraged Christians are Satan’s way of saying, all of this isn’t working. It’s time to get over those things. Put your trust in the Lord, roll up your sleeves and get busy and raise the sails for we are on a journey to Heaven. We are marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. Won’t it be wonderful there?

 

What a life…a wonderful life…

 

Thank you, Lord.

 

Roger