30

Jump Start # 1986

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1986

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

All around us, nearly every day, we witness the world collapsing around powerful males who used their position to do what they wanted. They believed they were untouchable and their sins would never come back to haunt them. At the top of their world, these men used their influence and position to take advantage of those who were just starting in that field. This allowed them to prey upon young females which only fueled their lusts and their egos and power. They were the best in their world. Hollywood. News media. Radio. Sports. Politics. The hidden secret that one had to sleep their way to the top is now being found to be true. But in many of these recent allegations, these immoral encounters were not mutually wanted. It was pressure. It was force. It was against their will.

 

This outcome of this will bring changes in the work place setting. There will be stricter guidelines enforced about what is acceptable and what is off limits. But a society that has turned it’s back to divine rules from Heaven will not long follow rules manufactured by man. Lawsuits and the threat of a career ending firing will cool the heels of some who have no regard for marriage vows nor respecting another person. For many of these high profile people, their legacy will not be their work or their accomplishments, but rather, how all of this came to an end. They will be tied to this sin and defined by this sin.

 

Long ago, our passage today, the last of the Ten Commandments, set before Israel the importance of keeping your eyes off of your neighbor and his stuff. Coveting, wanting what is not lawfully yours, and cannot be yours, is where this begins. Coveting takes place in the heart and the mind. It begins as a thought. That thought lingers and dwells. It builds into a desire. Then it explodes into a passion that one has to have what his neighbor has. Ahab wanted a neighbor’s field. Jezebel worked it out to steal it for her husband. David wanted a neighbor’s wife. He worked it out to have her. Achan wanted gold taken from the conquest of another city. He got it. He hid it in his tent. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look good before the church. So they lied about how much they sold a piece of property for. Coveting was behind all of these sins.

 

Coveting—it messes with our mind. It gets a hold of a person until he doesn’t see clearly nor think rightly. Coveting your neighbor’s wife is the first step that leads to the tangled web of adultery, lying, deceit and cover up. David was there. Every day we are hearing about high profile people who followed the same steps. People are shocked and disappointed. Families are hurt. Reputations are ruined. Careers are destroyed.

 

 

Paul referred to evil desire, immorality, passion, greed as idolatry. It becomes our god. We can’t get it off our minds. We are not satisfied until we get what we want. It’s more than a thirst or a desire, it becomes an obsession. It’s a religion. This is what coveting does. It doesn’t have to be sexual sins. We can covet stuff. Commercials are really good at planting those seeds into our brain. We are never content while coveting swirls around our head. We have to have that new car. There’s nothing wrong with our present car. In fact, it’s paid off. But that new car commercial is stuck in our head. It’s all we think about. We drive by the dealership just to look. It’s a terrible time financially to be thinking about this, but here we are. There are more pressing things that we need to use our money for, but there we sit behind the wheel. Our heads tell us that this isn’t the right time. Our family tells us that we shouldn’t do this. But coveting has taken over. We won’t listen to reason. Nothing will change our minds now. The course has been set and we are going to sail that direction. Papers are signed and off we go driving something that we shouldn’t be. What happened? Coveting got a hold of us.

 

Pornography is built around coveting. It’s nothing more than looking at someone who is off limits to you but it builds evil thoughts in your heart and the passion gets out of control. Like a drug, porn gets one addicted until he is conquered. Reason, sense and even guilt are not enough to sway the coveting desire for more lust.

 

Do not covet. That’s our verse. That’s the last commandment. That’s been the problem for a long time. It’s behind every affair. It’s involved in every theft, from shoplifting, to armed robber. It distorts, it changes, and it ruins a person. Our times are shocked by the behavior of so many high profile men who were immoral, abusive and thoughtless to the people they hurt. Coveting was behind it all. Living without God opens the door to grabbing anything you want, whether it’s a bag of potato chips from a store or a female employee. Office place rules may scare some into behaving decently while at work, but it is only a band-aide to a much greater problem, coveting. How do we keep our eyes, hands and mind off of other people and other things? If it doesn’t belong to us, leave it alone.

 

The last of these Ten Commandments is tied to the very first of the commandments, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Telling people to stop being rude, offensive and abusive won’t work. It won’t last long at work. It will never work in society. All the movies and all the TV shows glorify coveting your neighbor’s wife. That fills the heart and that feeds the coveting desire.

 

No, the only way to keep our eyes, heart and hands where they belong is to have no other god but The God, Jehovah. To love the Lord with all that you are, will lead you to being pure from the inside out. It will lead you to want to please Him. It will open your eyes to how He has blessed you and cared for you. Be content. Be joyous. Be holy. That stops the run-a-way train of coveting.

 

God could say in this last command, Don’t covet, because of what He said in the first command. Getting wicked people to become decent, moral and behaving, will never happen as long as God is not part of the equation. It all starts with God. No other god but THE GOD. That’s been the problem. Too many have acted as if they are god. They have been a law unto themselves. They have done whatever they felt like. They were above all rules and all laws. They were better than everyone else. They collapsed because they were not God.

 

Thou shalt not covet. There is no other god. Link those two together and hearts will begin to change.

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start # 1985

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1985

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Recently I had a discussion with an older Christian. I baptized her more than twenty years ago. She’s scared. She doesn’t say that, but you can tell. It’s not death that she is afraid of. She is afraid of dying with sins. She is worried, literally, because of sins in her life. We talked. I tried to assure her. I tried to comfort her. I don’t know if I was very helpful. I felt that she is putting herself through the ringer. Augustine expressed similar feelings. The reformer Luther also had similar thoughts. I expect that many of us do.

How can I go to Heaven when there is sin in my life? Perfection, although never openly admitted, is what lies behind most of this. We have preached so hard against sin and the need to be like Christ, that we can leave the impression that 100% and only 100% will get any of us into Heaven. Our sins have crippled us and ruined that chance. And for my older friend, it leaves her scared and even unable to sleep at night.

We sin. That’s not a news flash. We know that. John wrote in his first letter that if we deny that fact, we are a liar and the truth is not in us. We sin. How can I stand before a pure and righteous God, in whom there is no darkness, when I have sin in my life? What if I have forgotten to name every sin? What if I did things and I did not even know that they were wrong? What about those secret sins that David talks about in Psalms?

There are times when anger gets the best of us. There are days when we are not where we should be. There are times when we know what we ought to do, but we simply do not feel like it. How can there be any hope when we at our best are not very good? How could Paul be so certain that there was a crown of righteousness awaiting him, and not just for him, but for all those who loved His appearing? How can they know? How can they be so sure?

I wonder if we view coming before God much like Dorothy and her Wizard of Oz friends did the first time they appeared before the Great and Mighty Oz. They were shaking and scared and Oz was loud, demanding and full of fire. They ran when they got the chance. Is that going to be us before God?

The answer I shared with my friend the other day is the same answer and hope for all of us, and that is grace. Without Grace, we best be scared. Without grace, we are sunk. Without grace, there is no hope. We simply cannot be perfect. John’s letter stresses three aspects that are the key here.

First, is to walk in truth. Obey God. Love truth. Know truth. And follow it. We try, you say, but we still mess up. Walk in the light is what John said.

Second, is to practice righteousness. Practice. That word is found often in John’s letter. There is a difference between my wife sitting down and practicing the piano and me walking by the piano and hitting one key. Practice involves intention, purpose. No one accidently practices football. They plan for it. They strive for it. Don’t practice sin. Practice righteousness. Try to be righteous. Make that your goal. Desire that.

Thirdly, love one another. John stresses that often. Love is demonstrated by actions. Love is care and concern. Love is putting others before self.

But with all three of these, we will not be perfect. Our faith and God’s grace is what makes it all possible. We are saved by grace. We are not saved because we are perfect. We are not saved because we scored 100% on the test. We are saved by a loving God who knows us and knows our hearts. He knows how serious we are. He knows how hard we are trying. We knows how much we love Him. Grace is a gift. It’s not earned. It’s not deserved. It’s not expected. It’s not something that God has to do. It’s His choice. Faith and grace—that’s the key.

Now, misunderstanding this leads to abuse and error. If I’m saved by grace, one might think, then it doesn’t matter what I do. Yes, it does matter. Grace is connected to faith. Faith is connected to action. Practice righteousness. Love brethren. Walk in truth. Others wrongly think that only grace is necessary. We don’t have to do a thing. God does it all. It’s like sitting down on a roller coaster. We just enjoy the ride. If that were the case, then everyone ought to be saved. They are not. More are lost than will be saved, is what Jesus said. Grace is connected, once again, to our faith. We are saved by grace through faith.

Now how does any of this give us hope for a people that are slipping and sliding along life’s journey? You will not be perfect. You sin and will sin. That ought to bother you, because it bothers God. However, keep walking with the Lord. Keep believing. Keep practicing. God’s grace is what will save you. Our hope is not in swimming to the rescue boat. Our hope is in being pulled by the life preserver. But if we let go of the preserver, we’ll sink.

Scared, unsure and doubting Christians is not where God wants us to be. We love Him. We love Him for who He is and what He has done. We owe our salvation to Him. His grace compels us to be closer to Him. His grace makes us want to strive harder. His grace makes us realize what a wonderful God we have.

God wants a relationship with you. God wants you in Heaven. On your own, you won’t make it. Ignoring His way, and you won’t make it. Leaving it all up to Him, and you won’t make it. We are saved by grace through faith. His grace, my faith. Without His grace, I’m sunk. Without my faith, I won’t turn to Him.

Our assurance of Heaven is not because we are so good, but rather, because He is so good. Don’t be scared. Love. Believe. Trust. Follow.

We sing, “God will take care of you,” and that He will.

Roger

28

Jump Start # 1984

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1984

Luke 15:18 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in your sight”

 

I was thinking about the prodigal the other day. A person needs to make things right to be right. If a person has stolen something, then he ought to return it. But there are times when all a person can do is to say, “I’m sorry.” There is no fixing things. There is no making things right again.

 

For instance, in this parable, the prodigal was given his share of his father’s estate. It took his father a lifetime to build that estate. The prodigal wasted it all. He came home broke. He had no money to return to his father. Likely, his father would not live long enough to ever recover what he had given the prodigal. It was gone. All the prodigal could do was say, “I’m sorry.”

 

The same is true with the sin of an abortion. A person can realize later on that killing the unborn was not right but it’s too late to undo what has been done. Saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ will not bring the child back to life.

 

The consequences and nature of some sins are such that a person cannot return things to the way they once were. They can repent. They can stop the sin. They can say that they are sorry. However, there are situations in which nothing can be done to restore things. While it is true that you can always go back home to God, it is also true that there are times in which you can never make things the way they once were. The destructive consequences of sin takes a toll upon our hearts and our families. People that are thoughtlessly ruining their lives and hurting others may someday stop but the path of destruction that they have left may never be restored again.

 

From this we ought to see two simple thoughts.

 

First, saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ doesn’t fix things. It needs to be said. It needs to be genuine. It should be demonstrated by a changed life and better choices and righteous living. But “I’m sorry,” isn’t a magical band-aide that heals wounds quickly. Our sins can kill friendships. Our sins can ruin trust. Coming home where we need to be is important, but so often we don’t see the hurt that we have caused. We can feel sorry. We can say, “I’m sorry.” However, the wounds remain. The damage has been done.

 

Second, sometimes saying “I’m sorry,” is all that you can do. You can’t fix everything that you broke. Making it up sometimes can not be done. That leaves the prodigals feeling empty and as if there is something that they still need to do. But nothing can be done. Cry all the tears you want, yet, some things will never be the same again.

 

We can make the prodigals in our lives feel like indentured servants. We can make them feel like they “owe” us. The punishment may never end. The feelings never restored nor forgiven. We feel like we have been robbed, violated and taken advantage of, and all they did was say, “I’m sorry.” Some would say, “that’s not enough.” How do you “undo” rape or sexual abuse? It can’t be done. So, the prodigal says he’s sorry. He can’t repay his father. He can’t undo the wasteful abuse of his father’s gift. All he can say is, “I’m sorry.”

 

For the prodigal, he feels like a heel. He wants to do more, but he can’t. He can’t make things right. For the father, who was taken advantage of, he can hold it over the prodigal the rest of his life. He can make him work until he has repaid what was lost. But we know how the story truly goes. The father rushes out and embraces the sorry prodigal. He calls for the robe, sandals and a ring. A feast is prepared. A celebration takes place. Were things made right? No. It was the father’s choice of forgiveness.

 

It’s one thing if someone took something and lost it or ruined it and they replaced it. Everything is just about back to normal. But in situations like the prodigal, grace and forgiveness is what the father offered. His son back was worth more than the money lost. A relationship repaired. A love shared.

 

It’s hard when someone has hurt you. It’s hard when all they say is, “I’m sorry.” It’s hard when “I’m sorry,” is all that they can do. It’s hard when things will never be the same because money is lost, or property is ruined, or people have been hurt. We, who have been hurt, feel as if something more ought to be done. Some payment ought to be offered. But when all they have to put on the table is an “I’m sorry,” it is up to us to decide whether or not we will offer grace and forgiveness or continue to be hurt and expect something from them.

 

This forgiveness business is hard. It’s hard when in our minds we think, “This is what I would do.” Yet, the person doesn’t do that. It’s hard when we suffer a loss and all we get is, “I’m sorry.” The lack of forgiveness will ruin relationships, leads to us being bitter and can quickly fill our minds with wrath and hatred. That’s not a place to go. Two wrongs, my mom always told me, never makes a right. Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, eventually leads to two blind and toothless men, who are more miserable than before. Getting even or making things right, as we might call it, never seems to work fairly.

 

The prodigal came home. All he had to offer was an apology. The money was gone. It probably was never going to be replaced, at least not in the father’s lifetime. There were open wounds. The father chose to close those wounds by extending grace and forgiveness. That’s where you and I are. We are at the intersection of either closing those wounds up by offering grace and forgiveness or keeping those wounds open by expecting, demanding and hoping for some sort of repayment. Until that repayment is made, those wounds never close. God chose forgiveness. The father in Luke 15 chose forgiveness.

 

What do you choose?

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1983

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1983

1 Corinthians 1:26 “For consider you call, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble”

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was given a box that contained many files and letters and photos of our family history. I have traced a good bit of our family but there was some parts that were missing. So I have been going through and chasing names, dates and who is connected and how. Genealogies are interesting. Family trees can be quiet large. It will take me a while to get through this box, but so far I’ve been reading about names that I never heard of before. And in all of these early ancestors, lots and lots of names, I saw something that is found in most families.

 

Most of us are common people. I’ve met a few who were distantly related to famous people, but most are not. All those names, and no one famous, no one rich, no one that people today would recognize. Such were the first Christians. Oh, there were a few leading women of Thessalonica. We know of the Ethiopian treasurer and Cornelius, a Roman soldier, but a handful of names from the thousands and thousands that became believers in the first chapters of Acts. Hollywood and Nashville Music has had a few connections through the years, but the bulk of the kingdom, is common people. Many of the first Christians were slaves. They were not wealthy. They were owned by someone else.

 

We are who we are by our choices, not our ancestry. Sure, we may get a hair color from somewhere in our family gene pool, or our height may be something common in our family, but we can’t hang our hat, or find excuses for what we’ve become by who we are related to. From simple farmers have come engineers, attorneys and other professional jobs. It’s opportunities, choices and what we do that makes us who we are. The same is true spiritually. We are not a product of our times, our families, our culture, but rather of our choices. Some grew up never seeing a Bible opened in their home. Some never said a prayer before eating. Some never went to worship. Yet, they grew up and they became believers. Others went to churches that were more social than Biblical, yet, they learned God’s way and today are worshipping as God has directed. An angry person may have seen anger in his home, but he is that way today because of his choices. A drunk may have seen alcohol every day in his home, but he is a drunk today because of his choices. Some dads were not affectionate. Some could not apologize. Some never said, ‘I love you.’ However, you do not have to be that way. Some were terrible with money. You do not have to be that way. Some couldn’t speak two words without one of them being a curse word. You don’t have to be that way. Choices. The song, “I have decided to follow Jesus,” is what this is all about.

 

The credibility of our faith lies in the truthfulness of the Bible and not a list of “who’s who” among us. Name dropping famous Christians doesn’t make what we do more right. Paul wasn’t concerned that there were so few noble, mighty and wise among the Corinthian brethren. That didn’t diminish the message that was being preached. That didn’t shoot down the genuineness of Jesus Christ. Our hope lies not in each other, and especially not in the famous among us, but in Jesus. Why are there not many noble in the church? Maybe they don’t have the time to listen or the heart that wants to listen to the message of Jesus. Maybe they are more interested in career than their souls. Is it any different with the common guy who lives next door to you? Why doesn’t he listen? Too busy. Hearts not there. Even in the church today, we can pass over a picture directory of dozens of names and stop at our doctors, lawyers, CEO’s and without meaning to, make a two tier system in the church. We have among us the elite, we brag, while the janitor or the stay at home mom is passed right over and never mentioned. And it may well be that the janitor and the stay at home mom are more of the backbone of the congregation than the elite. God loves all of us. God wants everyone to follow Him. We need to be more impressed with God than we are with each other.

 

It is interesting that the core of the first church was composed of servants. What better people to learn spiritual serving like Jesus, than fellow servants. They understand hard work. They understand taking orders from others. They understand that it’s not about them. They understand that they needed to please their master. Those very principles are what disciples do with God. Could it be that we have messed up leadership in the church today because we like to borrow the model from the military or the business world. There, the commander or the CEO, gives orders and others below them carry them out. Their job is to think the big picture and hire a staff that actually becomes the connections and the go to people. If you work for a major corporation today, it is unlikely that you can just pick up the phone and call the CEO. There are layers of people that you must go through and it’s very likely that you will never talk directly to him. That seems to work in the business world. It stinks in the church. God’s leaders are never called CEO’s. They are shepherds. Shepherds do not spend the day in corporate offices, buying and trading futures on sheep. They are not a sheep conventions. They are found out in the fields with the sheep. Where the sheep are, is where the shepherds will be. They led. They watch. They feed. They know the sheep. The sheep know them. They are serving, as Jesus served. They are aware of what the sheep are going through. The first Christians were servants. Executives often times make poor shepherds because they no longer know how to serve.

 

The names of most of the first Christians are known only to God. We read of a few conversions in Acts, but who made up those 3,000 and then 5,000 that became believers? God knows. The same is true today. We know the folks in our congregation and we may know the names of some in area churches, but nationwide, world wide, we may only hear of a few. God knows. And with that, God knows us. He knows what we have been through. He knows what we are capable of. He knows how hard we are trying.

 

I found in looking though that box of files, ancestors who came from Germany, Prussia, Switzerland. There is some Amish and Mennonite faith mixed in there. But mostly just names and dates, marriages, and children. What were these people like? Would I have liked them if I spent an afternoon with them? How many will be in Heaven? How many chose to believe? Past about three or four generations, all that remains are one or two photos here or there. Beyond that, there are just names and dates. And, someday, if the Lord allows this planet to keep going, I too, will just be a name and a date to one of my descendants. Those early Indiana ancestors lived hard lives compared to what I have. I wouldn’t want to trade places with them. But each generation and each person must decide for himself about Jesus, just as I must. We start out wanting to make a name for ourselves. We want to be famous. That’s youthful thinking. In time, if we have an honest and good heart, we realize what is most important is the eternal. It’s Jesus.

 

Names in a box. Most are forgotten, even by later generations of the same family. Yet, never forgotten by God.

 

Rejoice, Jesus said, that your names are written in Heaven. That’s what is most important!

 

Roger

 

22

Jump Start # 1982

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

Jump Start # 1982

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give things for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”

NOTE: With the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a Jump Start tomorrow or Friday. We wish you a wonderful time with your family and a thankful heart that appreciates all that the Lord has done for us.

Thanksgiving is upon us. The grocery stores are packed. The highways are crowded. College students have made their ways back home and there is an excitement in the air about being with family and loved ones. However, for some, the holidays are painful. They are dreaded. Home for the holidays isn’t a warm expression. Troubles in family, dysfunction, prodigals, unwilling to forgive, unable to forget, and mountains of guilt and shame have turned the holiday season into something to be tolerated if necessary, and avoided if possible. The end of the first Home Alone movie shows a father and his grown son coming together after being apart. Olive branches, love, forgiveness, second chances, are not only what God offers us, but it’s the very tools that we have to overcome bitter feelings, separations, and silence. Be the first to extend that open hand of love.

The holidays are also painful for those who have lost loved ones recently. So many memories flood around the holidays. The songs. The movies. The annual traditions. All of these can bring a flood of tears to hearts that have not healed.

Our verse today reminds us to be thankful. In everything give thanks. There are times when we may not feel very thankful. Rather than feeling blessed, we feel cheated. We look around and see all the families and all the happiness and we sit alone, missing someone who was very close to us. It’s hard to be thankful when one doesn’t feel like it.

Here are a few thoughts:

First, don’t isolate yourself from life. Elijah hid in a cave from Jezebel. The text tells us that he was “dwelling” in that cave. That word implies that he was planning on staying there. It was going to be his home. Put a mailbox out front, and rugs on the floor, because he had no intentions of leaving. God told the prophet to leave the cave. Being around others can be awkward, and even painful at the holiday times.

It’s not only awkward for you, but it’s awkward for others around you. No one knows what to say. “Do we talk about it, or not?” What if they bring up the person who has died? Do we switch the subject? It may be awkward, but it sure beats sitting alone and drinking cup after cup of misery. Get out of the house. Be around others. It’s healthy and it’s healing.

Second, tears are ok. You don’t want to drown the holidays with a real crying session, but it’s ok to shed some tears because of the memories and missing the one that is not there. But likewise, it’s ok to smile and laugh again. It’s not being disrespectful of the dead to enjoy the moments with others.

Third, healing takes time. Don’t rush things. There is no fast track to getting back to normal. In some ways, you’ll never be back to normal, because someone important is missing from your life. You’ll have a new normal. Realize that others are in pain as well. While a husband may be missing, it is also someone’s son, likely someone’s dad, even someone’s grandpa. Everyone deals with sorrow and grief differently. Men and women grieve differently. Some seem to move on quickly. Others seem to have stopped. It takes time. Being together shares a common bond.

Fourth, to our passage, count your blessings and be thankful. Rather than focusing upon what is gone from your life, think about the precious times you had together. God has been good to all of us. Be thankful. Be thankful that lives intersected. Be thankful for precious memories. Be thankful for lessons learned. Be thankful for prayers that were answered. Be thankful for grace and forgiveness. Be thankful for Heaven. We can be angry at life and at God or we can be thankful. Our choice. It will shape our attitude and it will color our moods.

As we gather to worship this Sunday, try to remember those who are hurting. Reach out to those who are in pain. Be an encourager. Don’t dare say cruel things such as, “You ought to be over that by now.” Be kind. Be sweet. Be like Jesus. Your actions can help a person heal and lift their hearts.

Be thankful. In everything be thankful. We need to be thankful even when we don’t feel very thankful.

Roger