22

Jump Start # 1939

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1939

Ephesians 4:24 “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

I saw on the news that there is a new smart phone being released. It’s very expensive. Apple is working on smart glasses. I was in the store the other day, and saw a bottle of water called “Smart.” Smart water. I started putting all of this together. A guy with a smart phone, wearing smart glasses and drinking smart water—you’d think he’s smart. It’s hard to drink plain water when there is smart water. Who wants to let others know that you drink “dumb” water. All of this is labeling, marketing and selling a product. It’s about image. We like image these days. It’s the days in which there is shiny stuff in the show room, but not much in the warehouse. The right phone. The right clothes. The right car. The right bottle of water. The right neighborhood. This translates to the right church. The right spouse. The right job. Image.

 

I’m one who gets caught up in this image craze. I wear Happy Socks. I wear bold ties. I wear cool cufflinks. That’s nothing but image. It’s a fancy wrapping on the package. There are a couple of things about image that we need to remember.

 

First, what’s on the inside is more important than on the outside. Our verse today stresses the new self that is holy and righteous. Those are qualities of the heart. They are manifested in our choices and behavior. Jesus rebuked the Jews for washing the outside of the cup but not cleaning the inside. The most important image is what’s on the inside. Substance, not the wrapper, is what we need to focus upon. A person can dress up in their Sunday best and sit in a pew during worship, but their hearts can be far from God. Their attitudes can remain sour and wrong. Their thoughts can be impure. It’s what’s going on inside a person that matters.

 

Jesus shows this in His sermon on the mount. It’s not enough that we do not kill others. Do we hate them on the inside? It’s not enough that we are sexually faithful to our mates. Do we lust after others? Inside and outside. The outside can look pretty good, while the inside is still a mess. Wearing smart glasses, with a smart phone and drinking smart water doesn’t make you smart. You can be dumb as a brick and spent way too much money for those things. Labels do not change who we are. It’s our hearts that matter.

 

Second, having things of image doesn’t make us better than others. If not careful, our image can turn quickly into showing off. “Look what I have,” also means, “Look what you don’t have.” Be careful. Don’t let image change who you are. Don’t get the big head because you have a new phone, drink smart water and have the latest and greatest things. There was a time when guys like to brag about their cars. Now, it’s the size of their TV screens. Bigger is better. If mine is bigger than yours, that implies I’m better than you. No. Don’t go there. Don’t think those thoughts. Image has a way of distorting values and killing contentment. Bigger is not always better. Newest and greatest isn’t always what one needs.

 

There are qualities of the heart that everyone gets the same way, through Jesus Christ. Kindness. Generosity. Faithfulness. Hard working. Dependable. Devoted. Spiritual. Forgiving. You don’t get those characteristics from having the right image. Drinking the right brand of water won’t make you kind. Having the newest phone won’t make you dependable. It’s spending time in the Gospels. It’s looking at Jesus. It’s having an open heart Name dropping, image wearing and being a trend setter catches our eyes. It doesn’t the Lord. I really don’t think Jesus cares what kind of socks you wear. I doubt if He even cares if your socks match. He probably never wore a pair of socks in His life. What he cares about is what those socks are doing to your character. Do they make you uppity? If so, it’s time to get rid of them. Do you put your hope in those socks? If so, time to get rid of them. Do you feel that those socks make you a better person? It’s time to get rid of them. We ought to be who we are because of Jesus, not the socks we wear, or the brand of water that we drink.

 

What impressed Jesus was faith. There are just a few times in the Bible when the Lord “marveled.” That word simply means, “WOW.” It wasn’t the size of the boats, the outfits some were wearing or how fancy things were. The Lord was impressed with faith. Faith that wouldn’t stop. Faith that overcame great odds. Faith that stood face to face with doubt and won. That’s what Jesus saw. He saw poor people who had great faith. That impressed Him.

 

There is a lot of image stuff even down at the church house. It’s ok if one is trying to put forth an attractive means of showing the Gospel. Color bulletins, large church buildings, fancy powerpoints—all have their place if there is some substance under the surface. These are merely tools to get people to Jesus. If we think we are better because our bulletin is in color and yours is not, we missed the point and are now travelling a dangerous direction. What’s in the bulletin? What’s the point of the bulletin? That’s the questions to be asked.

 

We live in a world of image. Every product is about image. Every show on TV is about image. Look the best. Shine. Sparkle. Impress. It catches our attention and our eyes. But don’t think you are less because you do not drink the right water, have the right phone or drive the right car. You are made in the image of God. Your soul is so valuable that Jesus came and died for it. Your value is not in the superficial image but in the heart and soul. This is what God cares about. This is where you shine the brightest.

 

Let your light shine, isn’t about image. It’s about substance. It’s about doing things. It’s about pointing people to Jesus.

 

Don’t lose fact of what is truly important in life. Don’t confuse image with substance. Don’t be guilty of washing the outside but neglecting the inside. Your heart is what matters to God.

 

Roger

 

21

Jump Start # 1938

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1938

Matthew 19:16 “And someone came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’”

Our passage today is taken from the conversation between a wealthy young man and Jesus. God allows us to sit in on this conversation. There is much that is said openly and much that is under the surface.

Mark’s account tells us that this young man knelt before Jesus. Luke is the one who reveals that he is a ruler. Matthew adds that he is a young man. The rich young ruler is what this is commonly known as. How does a young man become a ruler and wealthy? Our first thought would be that he inherited both the throne and the riches from his family. Hezekiah was young when he became king. Young—powerful– wealthy. It seems he had it all. Now, it seems he wants to keep it all. He finds Jesus and asks Him a question.

Immediately, Jesus fires a question back to this young man. “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good…” In Mark, the young ruler calls Jesus, “Good teacher.” The One who is good is God. Did the young man realize that he was talking to God? That thought should change our tone and our conversation.

Three things are seen in this question:

First, he asked the right person. He went to Jesus. Who better to ask about eternal life, than the Eternal One. Jesus came to give life and give it abundantly. It was Jesus who said that those who believe would not perish but have eternal life. This rich ruler didn’t ask his mom. He didn’t ask his counselors. He didn’t ask any rabbi. He came to Jesus.

We need to take our questions to the Lord. We need to look in the Bible for answers. We can be quick to ask each other, ask our preacher, ask our friends, search Google, but we ought to be asking the Lord. Some will ask and ask until they hear the answer that they want. Some don’t want the truth, they want approval of what they are doing. It’s like the man who went to the doctor and was told to lose weight and stop smoking. He told his wife that he was going to find a fat doctor who smoked. The search for truth is not the same thing as the search for approval. Truth may lead us to change. Truth leads us to being right. Approval simply allows us to keep doing what we are doing. Approval is comfortable. Approval surrounds itself with people who agree and support, whether they are right or wrong.

This young ruler went to Jesus with his question.

Second, he asked Jesus the right question. Of all the things to ask Jesus, his question was about obtaining eternal life. He could have asked Jesus how to make more money. He could have asked how to be a better ruler. He could have asked about finding a wife, or, how long he would live. I wonder if we were standing in the shoes of this young man what we would have asked. Some might ask silly questions. Some like to be cute. “What’s it like being Jesus?” “Do you really know the names of all the stars? Tell me some of the names.” “Why did you make red, red?” Those questions answer the curiosity in us but they miss the main point. They do not change our relationship with the Lord. They do not improve us. He asked a question about himself. He didn’t ask about the nation. He didn’t ask about his family. It was personal. “What must I do…”

I wonder sometimes if our Bible classes are nothing more than stump the teacher contests. Instead of leading in depth and understanding of God’s word and instead of making the lessons practical and personal, we chase rabbits of curiosity that really do not matter. Speculation can open many wonderful doors but so often you will not find truth behind those doors.

Of all the things to ask Jesus, he asked, ‘What must I do to obtain eternal life?’

Third, he understood that he had a responsibility in this. He didn’t ask Jesus to just give him eternal life. Jesus had the right and the power to do that. He understood, possibly from being a ruler, that there was something that he had to do. What must I do? He didn’t ask, “What must YOU do?”

I’m not certain that the “eternal life” that the young man was asking about and the “eternal life” that comes through Jesus were the same. He may have simply wanted to live forever. It is likely that his father or another family member had died and that made him the ruler. Instead of thinking about who will rule after him, he wanted to live forever. He wanted to rule forever.

His question is missing the spiritual element. He asked, ‘What good thing must I do…” Good thing—that’s singular. Is there just one thing and if I do it, I will have eternal life? Would it be feed the poor? Would it be help the unfortunate? Would it be rule with fairness? One thing. Just one thing is all I have to do. That was the question. He didn’t ask, “what things must I do.” Instead, “what one thing.”

Jesus’ answer takes him through the 10 Commandments. Jesus lists six things. Right away, the ‘One thing’ theology is going out the door. Boldly, the young ruler proclaims that he has done those things. Is that it? Do I now have eternal life? Am I lacking anything else?

This is when Jesus pulls the curtain back upon his heart and we see what he was really interested in—wealth. Sell all. Sell out. Give it to the poor and follow Me. If you do that, you will have treasure in Heaven, is what the Lord told him. And the young ruler walked away. It wasn’t the answer he wanted. He left “grieving.” He was disappointed. He was defeated. His wealth was who he was. His wealth defined him. His wealth made him. Without his wealth, he’d be nobody. Without his wealth, he would not have the throne or the power. Without his wealth, he’d be a poor Jewish man, like Jesus. And, “follow Me?” That wasn’t in the plans. How could he stay and be a ruler if he had to follow Jesus. Following Jesus would involve much more than “one thing.” This would be life changing. This would alter his entire world. This wasn’t the answer he was hoping for. This wasn’t right, at least not in his thinking. So, he left Jesus. He walked away. He walked away from the right answer. He walked away from eternal life. He walked away, keeping his lifestyle and his riches, but throwing away an opportunity to be touched by the Savior. Imagine if he had followed Jesus? His character, his outlook, his hope, his priorities would have all changed. He could have been an early preacher in the kingdom. With his wealth, he could have supported the apostles. He could have done so much. But as it is, he walked away. He died in obscurity to us. His name is lost to the ages. His soul, so close to the Savior, lost, because he would not follow Jesus. He could not let go of his riches.

We ought to see ourselves in this story. We ought to understand what it’s like to be in shadows of this young man. How many times have we walked away from Jesus, simply because we didn’t like what He said. We ought to learn that there is no one else that can give us eternal life. Deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me—that is in essence what He told the young man. This is what He tells us.

Will we do it or will we, too, walk away?

Roger

20

Jump Start # 1937

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1937

Matthew 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

You see it all the time. There are lists made up of the best and the worst. The best songs of the decade, or, the worst movies of all time. The best catches of the NFL. The worst political blunders of all time. These things dominate the web. There are lists for everything. I often don’t agree with the choices on these lists. They are made up by the people who are promoting them. It’s often based upon their opinion or a small sampling of suggestions by others. Because someone says, ‘Here are the top ten worst things you can spend your money on,’ doesn’t mean it’s true.

Now, having said all of this, I came across an old sermon of mine the other day, “The Worst Words in the Bible.” It’s an old sermon. I don’t know when I preached it. I don’t know where I got that title from. It was based upon our passage today. Three simple thoughts. I will share them with you.

1. It’s the worst words because of when they are said. The previous verse says, “Many will say to Me on that day…” On what day? Not just any day. Not just some day. “That day.” That day, was the last day, the day of judgment. This is what is being discussed here. These are the worst words because they are spoken on the last day. There is no more time to change. There is no time to make things right. Had these been said on the half-way point in life, adjustments, repentance and changes could have been made. Course corrections could have made a different outcome. But as it is, it’s on THAT DAY. Worst time to hear those words. It means a lifetime wasted. It means too late to do anything about it. It means condemnation from the Lord.

2. It’s the worst words because of who said these words. This isn’t spoken by our parents. It’s not spoken by a boss, a roommate, a wife, or, a neighbor. None of those. It’s Jesus who said these words. These words of condemnation come from Jesus on THAT DAY. Had an apostle said these words, we could hold out for hope and mercy from God. Had our preacher said these things, we might believe that he doesn’t know the whole story. Had our church felt this way, we may think that they just do not understand. But as it is, Jesus said these words. Jesus is never wrong. He never misunderstands. He knows all and hears all. He can read our hearts and see through the fog of our excuses. He knows our motives and our attitudes. He knows when we are faking things and when we are genuine. It is Jesus who said these things. You can’t go above Jesus’ head. There is no one that you can appeal to beyond God. If Jesus is the mediator between man and God and it is Jesus who says these things, then all hope is gone. We have disappointed, disobeyed and let the Lord down.

3. It’s the worst words because of what is said. Jesus said two things. Both of them are shocking and condemning. First, Jesus says, “I never knew you.” This is what strangers say to one another. ‘Have we met?’ one asks. The reply, “I never knew you.” This means a lifetime was spent not in fellowship with Christ. It means one did not walk with Christ, follow Christ, nor make Christ the Lord of his heart. He did not read the words of Jesus. His character, his heart and his behavior was not shaped by Christ. He did what he wanted to do. He may have heard about Jesus, but he never really KNEW Jesus. He may have had his own impression of Jesus. He may have thought that Jesus doesn’t mind what he does. He may have believed that Jesus loves and for that reason alone, everyone is going to Heaven. How wrong he was.

I never knew you. The Lord didn’t say, “I once knew you.” A long time ago, we knew each other. He didn’t say, we once were friends but you defriended me. The Lord didn’t say, ‘you look familiar to me. Have we met?’ No, it was the bold, “I never knew you.” NEVER. Never—not when you were first starting out and I could have guided you. Not when you first got married and I could have taught you about Biblical love and forgiveness. Not when you started making money and I could have shown you how to help others. Not on Sundays, because you didn’t worship Me. You never talked to Me. You never sought Me. You never had a relationship with Me.

What is surprising is that the people who heard this actually thought that they knew the Lord. It was in the name of the Lord that they were casting out demons, preforming miracles and prophesying. How did they do this without the Lord? That, I do not know. But in their minds, they not only knew the Lord, but they were working hand in hand with the Lord. So, wrong. So, confused. So, misguided. Their disobedience, their lawlessness, their failure to do the will of the Father, was the very reason that Jesus did not know them. It doesn’t matter what good we do, if we do not follow God’s will, we distance ourselves from Him. They believed they knew Jesus, but Jesus declared that He never knew them.

The second thing that Jesus says, is, “Depart from Me.” Leave. Get out of My sight. You are not going to be where I am. We remember in John 14, Jesus said, I go and prepare a place for you. That where I am, there you may be also. Not so for this crowd in Matthew 7. They are not going to be with Jesus. Depart. There is only one other place. If it’s not Heaven, then it’s Hell. Eternity without God. No hope. No future. No help. No God. That’s Hell. Here are folks who claimed to cast out demons, prophecy, and do miracles. By those very words, we’d classify them as being spiritual. Spiritual people in Hell? Yes. They were there because they did not obey God. They were there because Jesus never knew them. What this tells us is that not everyone who goes to church services goes to Heaven. Heaven is for those who know Christ and He knows them. Heaven is for those who do the will of God.

The worst words…spoken on the last day…spoken by Jesus…declaring depart from Me. The door closed. Too late. A life was spent doing the wrong thing. Lost forever. Lost, when they didn’t have to be.

Are these truly the worst words in the Bible? It’s be hard to top them. But more important than that, are we wasting a lifetime ignoring the will of God? Will those words be said of us? Until our last day, we can do something about it. We best begin today!

Roger

19

Jump Start # 1936

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1936

Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was enraged wit the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold t the testimony of Jesus.”

 

We are at war. It’s not North Korea and the nukes. It’s not one political party against another on policy. It’s not college football game day. All of these may seem like wars, but the real war, that has been going on for a long time, is between Satan, the dragon, and the people of God. This is what this passage is showing us. This wartime language is sprinkled throughout the N.T.

 

  • Timothy was told to fight the good fight of faith
  • The Corinthians were told, we are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes
  • The Ephesians were told to put on the full armor of God so they could extinguish every flaming arrow of Satan.

War movies are exciting to watch, but real war is tough. Good men often die in wars. Hearts are broken and lives are changed. The spiritual war that Satan is engaged in with us has many sides to it. Sometimes it’s not so obvious. He can be very subtle in what he does. He chips away at our faith. He gets us bogged down in trivial things that do not matter. He gets us sidetracked. Apathy, discouragement and worldliness are huge tools that he uses to pull us away from Christ. He’ll attack the congregation that we worship with. Internal fighting. Dullness. Passionless worship. Gossip. He’ll stir and stir things up until there is a real mess in the church. Folks leave. That’s what he wants. Folks will get mad at each other. That’s what he wants. We lose our focus and we stop doing what we are supposed to do. Satan wins.

 

But he’s not done with us. He’ll attack our home. He’ll smack our marriages. Jealousy, lust, indifference can pull a couple apart. Money troubles develop and we fight and fuss with each other. Satan will use Facebook to bring up people from our past that may confuse us and make us wonder if we married the right person. He’ll open the door to lustful thoughts through the internet. He makes porn available and easy to find and easy to hide. He’ll mess with our kids. Wrong friends. Drugs. Self esteem issues. A family that is pulling apart is a family that Satan loves. He wants divorce. He wants words flying through the air that are not kind, thought out or loving. He loves doors that slam shut, ending conversations. He encourages flirting at the office. Attack the family, and it is likely that they will stop worshipping together. Prayers will stop. Hearts will close the door to Jesus and a battle has been won by Satan.

 

And, in all of this, Satan will attack you. He’ll use doubt to confuse you. He’ll use situations to scare you and make you worry. He’ll introduce you to twisted religions that seem right, but they are not. He’ll get you to stand in line with the world and have the world influence you. It’s little at first. Social drinking—what’s so bad about an occasional glass of wine. We are hearing more and more Christians asking that. That’s just a foot in the door for Satan. It’s a glass. What can be wrong with one glass. Satan is very patient. He can wait. He can wait months and even years. One glass, easily becomes two glasses and on some special occasions, a whole bottle. Without even knowing it, we have taken yet another step away from Christ. Then it’s movies that we shouldn’t see. There’s just a little bad language, we tell ourselves. It’s not much. It’s no different than what we hear at school and work everyday. Satan is patient. Then, it’s the blockbuster movie that everyone is talking about. It’s laced with profanity, but it’s up for the awards. We have to see it. Satan smiles. Then one day, out of the blue, a car pulls out in front of us, and we slam on our brakes. Without thinking, a bad word comes out of our mouth. We’d never say that word, but we did then. Satan smiles. We get so busy at work and there is so much to do at home, that our Bibles sit on the back seat of our cars, untouched until the next church service. Satan smiles. We stay up until we are exhausted, and as soon as we lay down we are asleep. Another day without a prayer. Satan smiles. We don’t see it, but he does. Day by day, we are getting weaker spiritually. Day by day, more of the world is filling our hearts. Satan is patient, the day will come, when we go to worship out of habit and not love for the Lord. The day may come when we think of everything in world to do, except feed our souls. We pull away from our church family. We become more selfish. It’s hard for us to see all of this, but Satan does. This has all been a part of his plans. This was designed by him. This was a war and we did not even recognize the enemy.

 

And, when it’s all over, our souls lie empty, shallow and faithless. Tears stream down the face of God as Satan dances with delight. Another battle won. Another soul lost.

 

What can I do? You can win the war with Christ. Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world, is what John wrote.

 

First, get passionate about worshipping God. Pour your heart into what you are doing. Never settle for substandard worship. Always give your best. Always focus upon God. You may not be able to change the preacher, song leader or those that lead worship, but right there from where you are, you can make it meaningful for you.

 

Second, save that family. Get close to your mate. Put up the phone and tablets and talk to each other. Establish boundaries that will protect your marriage. Be transparent. Let your mate see what you are reading, sending and texting. Let them know your passwords. No secrets. Get God back into your home. Real prayers. Real conversations that are laced with spiritual insights and truths. Real answers to today’s questions.

 

Third, put on that armor of God and fight for your soul. Don’t let Satan have it. Pray. Open the Bible up and do some real reading and thinking. Go do something for someone else. Establish some out of bounds on movies, music and even friends. A little poison in some brownies, even though those brownies look great to taste is deadly. The same goes for poison in movies, music and friends. In your house, you set the rules. So, set them. Keep Satan out.

 

There is a war going on. If you sleep through life, chances are you’ll be a causality. If you think we are over reacting and things are not so bad, you’ll be shot down. If you think things will just work out for the best, you’ll be in Satan’s POW camp before you know it. The language and warnings from Heaven are that we are at war. Time to put on the helmet, grab the shield, take up the sword and defend our hearts and faith.

 

Through Christ, we can be more than conquerors. Through Christ, our congregations can thrive, our families can be awesome and our live can please the Lord. It won’t just happen. We must work, fight and hold our ground against Satan.

 

The victory belongs to the Lord. Are you winning these battles with the Lord’s help, or is Satan taking over?

Roger

 

18

Jump Start # 1935

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1935

John 20:29 “Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

 

I saw the Beatles the other day in a live concert. It wasn’t the actual Beatles, they are no more. It was a tribute band that was playing with the symphony. They were good. A couple of times, they were so good that it seemed like the originals. I never saw the actual Beatles live. I’ve seen them on film often. I saw Paul McCartney live. These guys were really close. As I was watching them, sitting in the fifth row, I thought wouldn’t it have been incredible to have seen the actual group, from the fifth row. I would have been a kid for that to have happened. And the screaming girls back then would have deafened their songs. But it was a thought.

 

This is when our passage came to my mind. Wouldn’t it have been amazing to have actually heard Jesus speak? I have heard preachers for decades read the very words that Jesus spoke. I have done that myself. But how amazing it would have been to have been in the audience and actually heard Jesus. But would it? Would I have joined the number that shook their heads and criticized what He said? Would I have closed my mind and my heart to what He was saying?

 

Our verse today, spoken by Jesus to Thomas, reminds us of the incredible place that Jesus puts faith. Blessed are those who did not see, yet believed. How could they believe without seeing? That’s where you are I are. We are of the very massive group who never saw Jesus. In fact, you and I do not know anyone living who actually saw Jesus. Our faith is based upon the Word of God. That word, so true and so pure, is as good as actually being there. Our faith isn’t blind. Our faith isn’t based upon the rumors and stories of others. Those things tend to get stretched through the years and a bit distorted. Instead, our faith is built upon the testimony delivered by God. Tested through time, accurate, pure and backed up with supporting evidence, our faith stands as if we had see the Lord with our own eyes.

 

John would say, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled…these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete” (1 Jn 1:1,4). The proof is in the words of those who were there. Amazingly, what God left for us is not images of what Jesus looked like, but rather, impressions of His character, His heart, and His Lordship. This is what our faith is built upon and stands.

 

All of this leads us to some serious conclusions:

 

  1. We need to know the Word of God. We cannot see Jesus any other way. We cannot know Jesus apart from the Word of God. The more the Word is in our minds and hearts, the better our picture of Jesus becomes and the greater our faith grows. It’s easy to read books about the Bible rather than actually reading the Bible itself. Nothing beats reading the actual words. Look at the words. Think about the words.

 

  1. We need to be purists with the Word of God. We need to filter out all the opinions, ideas and supplications that folks add about the Bible. We have our own. We can manipulate the word to fit our own agendas and ideology. Instead of shaping our hearts around the word, we can reshape the word around us. Teach it as it is. Don’t change the word. Don’t water it down.

 

  1. We need to teach all of the Word of God. If the word of God is the only way that people can know Jesus and see Jesus today, then we need to teach it. We can spend more time talking about what’s right and wrong with all the churches and fail to teach Jesus. Our sermons ought to be packed with verses that are used accurately. Our Bible classes ought to be just that, classes on the Bible. We need to develop a respect and a love of the word for our children. We need to show people how to study the Bible. We need to teach and teach and teach God’s word.

 

  1. Our lives must be filled with the Word of God. Differences need to be solved using God’s word. Our hearts and character ought to reflect the Word of God. We ought to be a better people because God’s word is deep within us. In our conversations, God’s word ought to be talked about, brought up and shared. It’s so much a part of our lives, that is ought to be so natural in our speech to use God’s Words.

 

We know. We believe. We live. We hope. Not because we actually saw the Lord, but through faith, through the Word of God, we know that He is. The Word is God’s bridge from Heaven to us. What a blessing God’s word is. What a privilege it is be able to own a copy of this Word. What an honor it is to stand, with imperfect hands, and preach the perfect word about the perfect Savior. This word isn’t locked away in a secret museum. It’s not reserved for just the rich who could afford it. It’s not given to only a select group of people. But all of us, any of us, can have this word, God’s word, in our hands and in our hearts. God wants you to know Him. God wants you to spend forever with Him. So much so, that He has allowed you access to the one bridge that will get you there, faith through His word.

 

Love it, obey it, share it and live it—that’s what we must do with the word of God.

 

Roger