31

Jump Start # 2027

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2027

Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish you were cold or hot.”

Temperature is a funny thing. In the summer, it’s too hot and in the winter, it’s too cold. Leave a Coke and a pizza sitting out on the counter over night. The next morning, both of them are room temperature, but we say the Coke is warm and the pizza is cold.

In this passage, Jesus is not talking about air temperature, nor the temp of food. He’s talking about the condition of hearts. Laodicea had a lukewarm heart. Just enough life to keep them from being dead, but not enough life to make a difference. It strikes us strange that Jesus would wish for anyone to be cold. He really doesn’t. He wishes for all to be saved. But the state of cold, is so much better than lukewarm. The cold knows he is not right. He knows that he doesn’t worship. He knows that he hasn’t touched the Bible in a long time. And, his life shows that. His choices, his language, who he hangs with, all reflects the absence of God in his life. However, the lukewarm has just enough temperature in him to fool him. He worships God, occasionally. It’s not very often and it’s never consistent. No one knows when they might show up. They pray once in a while, usually when there are great needs and at Thanksgiving. The lukewarm knows just the basics about Jesus. But the lukewarm still keeps one foot in the world. He struggles with sin often. He does the minimum and no more. Had he been cold, he just might realize that he needs God. As he is, he has fooled himself into thinking that he is doing right, but he really isn’t. His faith, as we find later in this section, sickens the Lord. He is inconsistent, often hypocritical, and adds nothing to the kingdom. His faith is convenient. When it’s not convenient, he won’t rely on it.

Now, what many are struggling with today is the wide swings between hot and cold. There are times that they are intense, attentive and engaged with the Lord. They are at worship. They are thinking spiritually. They seem to be hitting on all cylinders. But in just a short while, things swing the other direction. They are in the dumps, they have stopped reading the Bible, their worship is more hit and miss, and they feel miserable. I know folks like this. Back and forth. Several times within a year, their faith swings back and forth. Busy work schedules make it convenient to skip services and the temperature starts to drop. They get confused about sections in the Bible and find it hard to keep reading regularly, so the temperature drops. They hang around friends from work more than they do the families from church and the temperature drops. They feel it dropping. They don’t like it. For some, they are ashamed and embarrassed. For some, this is all they need to just give up. They tell themselves, “I can’t ever do what the others are doing.” Or, “I’ll never be a good Christian.”

Someone pays them some attention. A home Bible study. A meal in a Christian’s home. And the temperature starts rising. A guest speaker visits the church. He is really good. The temperature starts to soar. But time passes, and back we go again. And the temperature falls and once again their faith is cold.

Back and forth, up and down, excited and not interested. This seems to be the faith cycle of many. This makes kingdom work difficult. If you can catch some when they are in the up swing of faith, they may teach, help out, and be engaged. But if you find them when they are bottoming out, you can’t count on them. Up and down. In and out. If there is a class that interests them, they might be there. If there isn’t, they probably won’t.

Preachers and shepherds discuss what can be done. How do you keep faith hot in some? How do you keep it going? Preachers preach about it. Elders talk about it. Classes are built around having a strong faith. Opportunities are presented throughout the week to feed one’s faith and to be connected with one another. But, even with that, some continue to be up and down.

Here are some thoughts:

First, for folks who are strong spiritually, it is hard to understand those who are not. The answers seem so simple. Get to church and worship. Open your Bible and read. That’s obvious, because that’s the regular habits of strong Christians. They don’t think any other way. When out of town, they find a place to worship. When on the road, they have their Bibles with them. Never a day passes that they are not thinking about the Lord. That’s the strong. That’s the hot faith. Lukewarm and cold do not think that way. If told, they would probably do it, but on their own, they just don’t think that way. They are so into this world that they forget about the other world. So, patience and baby steps are essential. Giving someone a big chewing out, may make you feel like you have done your duty, but it won’t accomplish anything worthwhile.

Second, there isn’t just one thing that needs to change. It’s not a matter of just coming to church services. There’s more to it than that. The overall thinking needs to be adjusted. The house needs to be re-wired. Discipleship isn’t about what we want, how we feel, what we like. It’s about Jesus. Denying self. It’s like teaching a kid how to ride a bike. Pedal forward. Keep the wheel straight. Look up. Many, many little steps. And, most of us learned to ride that bike by ourselves because someone was running beside us with their hands on the seat and the handlebar. Finally, they let go and we may have crashed a few feet later, but the praise was poured upon us. Get up and do it again. And, we did. This time, we rode a bit farther. Then again. Before long, we didn’t need help at all. Is it any differently spiritually? More than just telling them, “come to worship,” have them sit with you. Let them see what you do in worship. Lead them, like that kid trying to ride the bike. It doesn’t do much good to tell the kid what to do unless you are willing to run along side of him. Come sit with me, and then let’s go out to eat. Praise. Encourage. Build up. Let’s do this again next week. Let’s do this again the following week. That’s a start.

Third, one-on-one discussions would be good to talk about losing temperature in their faith. What causes that? Do you recognize that? He’s some things that might help. Some TLC throughout the week. Some suggestions on what to read, then follow up.

Fourth, it finally comes down to personal responsibility. We own our faith. We make it strong or we make it weak. Fingers can be pointed to the church, the preaching, the classes, but Biblically, that doesn’t cut it. King David strengthened himself when he returned and found his family kidnapped. His own men were so discouraged that they wanted to stone David. He had no one. He strengthened himself. The church at Sardis, in Revelation, is classified as being dead. Yet, there were some who had not soiled their garments, and were walking in white. Don’t blame the church. Don’t point fingers to others. You own your faith. It will be what you make it. How you feed it. How you use it. How you care for it, will determine whether or not your faith becomes hot or cold. We can stand around the spiritual bus stop, waiting for someone to come along to pick us up and carry us, or we can just get serious about where we want to be in life and eternity. A cold or lukewarm faith is of no value. It won’t hold us up during the storms of life. It won’t carry us when we must walk through the dark valleys of life. It won’t get us through those moments of sadness and fear. Worry, doubt and discouragement accompany a lukewarm and cold faith. Misery follows. Guilt comes next.

You don’t have to live this way. You can make strides, even today, to be different. It’s a matter of choices. Mindless TV that puts my mind in the gutter or spiritual conversation with a godly couple? Reading trashy novels or reading God’s word? Laying in bed thinking about work, work, work or, laying in bed thanking God? Choices. Listening to the announcements at church and paying no attention as you gather things up to leave, or, jotting some notes so you can remember to send a few cards out this week? Choices.

Why are some so strong in the church? It’s not their background. Some have come from homes of drunks. Some have come from homes where the family never went to worship. Yet, today, they are so strong. How? Choices. They didn’t put their faith into the hands of someone else. They took ownership and cared for that faith. They chose to walk by faith. They chose to live by Christ’s words. They found joy in the spiritual side of things.

Hot and cold. Up and down. Strong and weak. On fire and indifferent. This is no way to live. You can do better and you can do what is right. It’s a matter of choices. There are people who will help, but you must pedal and steer yourself.

Isn’t it time…

Roger

30

Jump Start # 2026

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2026

Luke 15:28 “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.”

Our verse today comes from the end of the powerful prodigal son parable. A wonderful day, because the prodigal finally came home, turns sour because the elder brother refused to accept and forgive his brother. The elder brother represents the Pharisees and the scribes who were grumbling at the beginning of this chapter because Jesus ate with sinners. They stood with the elder brother.

 

Among all the great lessons layered in this parable we find one of having a hard conversation with someone. The father went out to the elder brother. He left the celebration to convince the elder brother to join them. It is in the shoes of the father, having those hard conversations, that we want to look at today.

 

There are many forms of these difficult conversations and they happen all throughout our lives:

 

  • Parents must have them with their children. It’s more than the grades, it’s their behavior, attitude and the choices that they are making. It’s who they are hanging out with. It’s the time they are spending on social media. Often these conversations become a test of the wills and too many times leads to a battle.

 

  • The spiritual, according to Galatians, was to restore one caught in a trespass (6:10).

 

  • The Lord said that if someone sinned against us that we were to go to that person and show him his fault (Mt 18:15).

 

  • A factious man was to be warned, not only once, but twice. If he continued his course, he was to be rejected (Titus 3:10).

 

  • In a marriage, one’s behavior may be hurting the other. They may not realize it. A conversation must take place.

 

  • There is a time when grown children must have a conversation with a parent about moving into assisted living. The parent doesn’t want to go and the parent doesn’t feel that it’s needed.

 

  • An employee has to have a conversation with his boss about unethical practices at the company. No one else seems to be bothered by what is going on. He doesn’t want to be seen as a whistle blower, but he can not continue to participate in things he feels are wrong.

 

  • A friend is making wrong choices. They are flirting with someone that they are not married to. You seem to be the only one who sees red flags. You feel compelled to say something.

 

  • As a member in a congregation, you see the leadership making choices that are not wise and more than that, they are not Biblical. They are in violation of Scripture. Everyone else seems to go along with it, but you. Something has to be said. It seems to fall to you to speak to them.

 

All of these situations involve having a tough conversation. It’s not easy. These things keep us up at night. We think about what and how to say things. We imagine the conversations in our minds. We are scared because we know things may not be taken well. In some of these situations, a friendship may end, a job may be lost, you may be asked to leave a congregation, you may the bad guy in the family. We often want someone else to have this conversation, but there is no one. No one in the church steps up. No one in the family steps up. No one. Why me, you wonder. Why do I have to be the one to have this conversation?

 

It is easy to talk about these things to others, rather than going to the person we truly need to talk to. We sometimes drag our feet with these things. We hope that someone else will do it for us. But sooner or later, we recognize that if we don’t say something, nothing will change. Most of us have had many of these conversations. Each time, it’s hard. You’d think after a while, it gets easier, it really doesn’t. Here are some things to keep in mind.

 

First, your love for the Lord, and what is right and that person is what compels you to say something. It often can seem like you are on their case, but you are driven by love. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t say anything. You care, and for that reason, you can’t remain silent. It is good to remember that and to express that. We are saying what we are saying, because we want the best for you.

 

Second, find the right time and place for this discussion. Turn the TV off. Get a setting that will allow you time. This isn’t a drive-by conversation. The person you are talking to will most likely reject what you say at first. They will dig their heels in and defend themselves. They may even counter attack you. They need to time to hear what you are saying. Speak clearly. Speak kindly. Repeat. Be specific. Give evidence. Don’t threaten. Don’t go in with guns blazing. Your attempt is to make things better. Your goal is to save and help someone.

 

Third, pray. Pray before you go. Pray as you speak. Pray as they speak back. Pray for right words, open hearts and God’s help. Pray that you do not come across as arrogant or a know-it-all. The person may turn the subject on you. They may try to dodge the issue and switch subjects. Don’t chase rabbits in the conversation. Stick to the issue at hand. Don’t destroy the person and don’t attach the person. Deal with what is wrong and present ways to make things better. Your tone and your spirit has much to do with this. Going in angry, will produce the same response in return. No one likes to be attacked. No one likes to feel that they are being ganged up on. Keep before you the golden rule. How would you want someone to come to you?

 

Fourth, be careful in making demands. If we have been hurt, we may demand an apology. You probably won’t get a genuine one that way. We can demand a change of action. That may not happen. Walk them through what can make things better. Help them come to the conclusion that you have. Don’t make this all about you. Put the Lord, His word, what is right, in your lineup of reasons why one needs to change. In a you vs. me situation, we often will lose. However, when the battle is between what is best or right vs. them, the discussion takes on a higher level.

 

Fifth, be patient. We’d love for things to turn after one conversation. Sometimes they do. Many times they don’t. A person has to let what you said stir around in their head and heart. They have to see that you care about them. It may take a while to see results. Keep praying. Keep caring. There may be follow up discussions.

 

The father went out to his son and began pleading for him to come in. Did the elder son listen? Did he go in? Was the father convincing? The parable ends. The parallel to the Pharisees and the life of Jesus didn’t go so well. Many of them were not convinced. Many would not follow. Many turned to crucify Jesus. But there were some. Paul was one who believed. He listened and was convinced.

 

Many of us are stubborn. It’s hard to move us. It’s hard to convince us and change us. You realize the difficulties that are faced when having those hard conversations with others.

 

I hope these thoughts help. As we journey on, there will be more and more difficult conversations, and “come to Jesus” talks, as we commonly express those things. Shepherds of God’s people must be able to do this. It’s part of what they do. They care and that’s why they try to get some of us away from dangers in life.

 

Love, courage and faith is what drives us to go out and plead with others to come in.

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start # 2025

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2025

Daniel 2:21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.”

Our verse today reminds us of not only the activity of God, but what lies behind the curtain that the human eye often doesn’t see. The book of Daniel is a great place to verify this point. The Babylonians were used by God to punish Judah. God moved them to that position. After a period of time, God allowed the Persians to overthrow Babylon. This opened the door to end the captivity of God’s people. From the standpoint of world history, this was nothing more than wars and one county seizing the opportunity to take over another weakening empire. Babylon and Persia probably didn’t see their roles in Biblical prophecy or history.

But this isn’t just seen on the world scale. Consider, the story of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16. Lazarus died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. God doesn’t use fanciful ideas that are not true. This wasn’t a make believe story. The events line up to be factual and true. Are the righteous today carried by angels when they die? We can’t see angels because they are spirits. We can’t see the soul leaving the body. There is nothing that would make me conclude that this doesn’t happen.

Yet, another way we know that God is active on the personal level is in the answer to our prayers. We pray. Doors open for opportunity. The sick get better. Things happen. God is thanked for the good that He has done.

So, on both the national and international level, and even on the personal level, God is active and busy. We may not be aware of all that God is doing. We may not appreciate all that God is doing. We may never know on this side of things, just how many times God has been there for us. We may never know all the good that God has done for us.

It’s easy to think that God’s work is done and He is simply watching us from Heaven. Or, some may envision a giant stadium. God’s on one side in the stands, and Satan is on the other side in the stands. We’re on the field, journeying toward the goal. While God may cheer us on, folks in the stands do not change the outcome of the game.

Not realizing the activity of God can make one wrongly conclude that God isn’t doing much today. Habakkuk wondered that. God responded by declaring, “You would not believe, if I told you.” The Psalmist wondered why God didn’t hear him. He did.

All of this reminds us of a few simple thoughts:

First, God doesn’t have to explain Himself to us. He does things that are righteous, good and according to His will. We may not understand. We may question, “Why?” Don’t expect an answer. We are accountable to God and not the other way around. Faith and trust in Him will make us realize that He is holy and good.

Second, God does things that we do not see. Not everything is visible to us. Our examples above, the changing of kings, the carrying of souls to paradise, are things that happen all around us but we don’t see God’s thumbprint on that. There are prayers others have prayed and God answered and we benefit from that. The righteous farmer prays for rain and God sends rain. It rains out on the farms and it rains in the city. The folks in the city may complain about the rain, but they never understand that God is answering the prayer of the righteous farmer. We often do not see all that God is doing.

Third, God uses people and places people in certain positions to fulfill His will. Nebuchadnezzar is a good example of this. God continued to send that king divine dreams. God was using that pagan to accomplish His will. Babylon was an instrument of God. I doubt most in Babylon ever got that. They never saw past their idolatrous gods. Even King Nebuchadnezzar, who received divine dreams, struggled with all of this. God doesn’t work only through righteous people. What world leaders, what people of importance, is God working through today? They may never know it. We may never know it. But God has a plan and a will and nothing can derail that.

Fourth, God is greater than all of us. God was greater than Babylon. As large, fierce and powerful as Babylon was, God used them as a pawn on a chess board to accomplish His plans. The suffering Christians at the end of the Bible, felt the heavy hand of Rome. There was little that they could do. The Christians didn’t have armies. They didn’t have the man power, the provisions, nor the knowledge to overcome a crushing empire like Rome. But God did. In time, that nation fell apart. Historically, it was jealous and poor leadership that caused Rome to crumble. Biblically, it was the hand of God.

Fifth, God’s plan is greater than the individual righteous person. We, who walk with God, help fulfill His plan. Yet, we are not the plan itself. So, David died. James was murdered. Stephen was crushed with rocks. John was beheaded. Antipas was killed. Yet, the kingdom of God rolled on. It grew. It became mighty. It lived beyond all of the apostles. It continues today and it is greater than any of us. Preachers come and go. Preachers begin their careers and preachers end their careers. On my office wall, I have two old, old prints of preachers. Dozens and dozens of preachers are in those prints. A few many would recognize. Most are not know by this generation. Most have left little evidence of their godly work here. They lived, preached their hearts out. Established congregations. Held debates. Printed books. Traveled everywhere. Preached and preached and preached. Then their time here was finished. Time moved on. Generations later, they are a picture in a collection of preachers. Yet, the kingdom grows. It survived the great names. It will survive us. Now, some congregations die. Some congregations cease to exist. Some merge with other congregations. Yet, the overall kingdom of God thrives. It is that large tree that grew from the mustard seed. Our absence may be felt in the local congregation, but in the overall kingdom, it will survive without us. Our work is for today. If there are generations from now, we may be nothing more than another picture among hundreds of others. Our names may not be recognized in the future. What we have done will be remembered by Heaven. And, the kingdom will thrive.

Finally, we grasp how active, how complete and how thorough our God is. That little kingdom that was prophesied back in Daniel 2, crushed all the others and today it is world wide and strong. All through history, and all through our lives, God has been there. He has helped us. He has forgiven us. He has blessed us. He was protected us. He has used us to be His feet, hands and eyes today.

Our God is amazing. It’s incredible that we can be part of this eternal picture and plan of His. It’s remarkable that He trusts us enough to put His kingdom into our hands. What an honor it is to teach and preach the Gospel of this kingdom. How special it is to be adopted into God’s family.

When you are lonely, when you are discouraged, when you think things are not going well, when you get the thoughts of giving up, consider what we have shared today. You are part of something amazing, powerful and eternal. So large, that kings come and go at the will of God. So vast, that it crosses into every nation and is known in every language. It’s not going away. It’s not going to fail. History shows us this.

God is good. He is good to us.

Roger

26

Jump Start # 2024

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2024

Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

 

It’s a sad story that is repeated too many times in American homes today. A teenager has been cutting himself. It’s not cutting the wrists, as in a suicide attempt, but arms and legs and the reason is because the kid is anxious.

 

I was told about this, and my first reaction was, why are kids anxious? They don’t have mortgages to pay, bosses to please, keeping up the house, figuring how to pay for braces and afford a vacation. But then I thought about my youth. There were times when I’d be nervous. Having to face Potter in little league. Everyone feared batting against Potter. He was fast. I did get a double off him once, but most times I struck out. Tests days brought a lot of uneasiness. You hoped that you had studied enough. Calling a girl and asking her out on a date was scary. What if her dad answered the phone? What if she said “no?”

 

But, kids today, face so many more things. Kids can be cruel towards one another. The pressures of being taunted, bullied and made fun of are huge. The pressure to fit in, especially with other kids who have no morals, limitations or accountability is hard. Sexting, threats, and being made fun of because you go to church are a culture that most of us adults do not understand.

 

There’s more. Today’s climate is social media. Things are shared that shouldn’t be. A person can be destroyed by the gossip on social media. Then, at home, it’s TV and everyone is on their phone. Conversations are few and mostly parents barking out orders and getting on the kids for something they didn’t do right. Except for one or two friends, most kids feel alone. Alone at school. Alone at home. Alone at church. They have all kinds of thoughts swirling around in their heads and those anxious feelings leads some to harm themselves.

 

Our verse today is not about teenagers dealing with life at the local high school. It’s written to Christians. Be anxious for nothing, shows that some may have been. The culture of the first century wasn’t kind to Christians. There were the Romans. There were the Jews. Pressures. Persecutions. They didn’t live with discrimination laws. You could lose your job because you were a Christian. You could be charged double at the market place because you were a Christian. Then those lovely internal battles we all have. Guilt and shame because the world still tugs on us and feelings that we are not a very good Christian. Much to be anxious about.

 

Paul’s words, similar to what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, when He often said, “Do not be anxious,” places trust and faith as the core foundation blocks to prevent being worried. He didn’t just say, “Don’t worry.” That’s an easy thing we say to others. We don’t walk in their shoes. We don’t understand what they go through. Dump the worry, but replace it with prayer. Pray, supplications, thanksgiving—all words linked to trusting God and talking to God, is how we deal with being anxious. No one listens. God will. No one understands. God does. No one cares. God does. No one can do anything about my situation. God can.

 

Notice the contrast in our passage. Be anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERYTHING by prayer…” Nothing and everything. That’s the key. Don’t let anything get to you. How? You give it to the Lord in prayer. Casting all your anxiety upon Him, is what Peter said. People bugging you. Pray about that. Work killing you. Pray about that. Traffic stressful, give that to the Lord in prayer. Worried about aging parents, pray.

 

This is hard. We tend to only give God the big stuff, the things we can’t handle. The other things we keep close to our vest and we let it keep us up at night. We fret about things because we don’t want to bother God with them. God has North Korea to deal with. God has to deal with natural disasters and people in life and death situations. My worries aren’t on that scale, so we keep them. We keep them and they bother us. We keep them and we violate this passage. We are anxious for things. Will we get a tax return this year? Will we be audited? Will we get to go on vacation this year? NOTHING. If it bothers you, then bother Heaven! If it’s too little to bother Heaven with, then do not let it bother you. That’s the key.

 

With these words, Paul adds too thoughts, supplications and thanksgivings. Supplications are requests. We are bothered, anxious and worried. Talk to God about that. He may not remove the problem. He may want you to develop patience and character through all of this. He may not do things on your time table or in the way you think He should. He’s God. He’s good and He sees things that we cannot. But the thanksgiving part reminds us of past victories. God got us through yesterday’s worries. God has given us new hope and new opportunities. It’s time to be thankful for that. In counting your blessings, there is hope. We look back and see that God got us through those dark valleys a while back, so, we trust He will help us now.

 

Running all through these words of Paul is faith. Faith is the key.

 

Now, teenagers and cutting themselves. What can be done?

 

First, this is serious. Do not ignore it. Hollering at them to stop that won’t help. Parents ought to get some professional help. You don’t want pills, you want to tackle the anxiety.

 

Second, your child needs faith. It’s more than just taking them to church. Build faith at home. Talk to them about things. Help them see and hear in you a faith that you use. Bring God into your home and in your conversations.

 

Third, talk to your child. It’s gotta be more than, “How’s school?” and the answer, “Fine.” Have meals with no phones, tablets or TV. Everyone talks. Everyone shares. Let them hear that you have bad days but let them see that you don’t go overboard with things. How you handle stress and bad days will be guidelines for them. Talk. Not just at the table, but in the car. No phones. No videos. Just talking. We can text a thousand people, but we can’t sit across the table and hold a conversation. We are afraid to reveal how we feel and what’s really going on. Be on your child’s side and remove those barriers.

 

Fourth, create a culture of healthy and productive feelings. Make a big deal about good grades. Don’t destroy them when they don’t have good grades. Walk them through things and help them to figure things out. Home ought to be a haven and a refuge from the world. For too many, it’s the closed door to a bedroom where they find this. Alone with dark thoughts and anxious feelings isn’t a good setting.

 

Fifth, be engaged and connected with your kids. Know who they are texting and who their friends are. Make your home such that your kids want to have their friends over. You can keep an eye on what is going on. You can hear what they are talking about. They need you to guide them and help them. They don’t feel that way, nor would they ever admit that, but it’s the truth. They need you. They need your attention. They need you to make a big deal about them. They need boundaries. They need accountability.

 

It’s sad that kids are so anxious. It’s worse that they feel there is no one they can talk to. And, worst of all, that God isn’t in the picture for them. That is something that we must work better on. God is our friend. God wants us to follow Him and trust Him.

 

Maybe this very Jump Start, can begin conversations tonight around the kitchen table. It starts with you, Dad and Mom. Put the phones up. Turn the TV off. Tell something funny that happened today. Laugh at yourself. Let your child know that you love him. Hug him. Be interested in his world. Make a difference.

 

Roger

 

 

25

Jump Start # 2023

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2023

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Our verse today begins what is commonly called the great invitation of Jesus Christ. There are several remarkable thoughts that we do well to just look at carefully and thoughtfully.

First, it is remarkable that Jesus wants us. His call is for us to come to Him. He, alone, is the answer that the world needs. He, alone, is the answer that you and I need. This invitation of Jesus, is found illustrated in the manner Christ walked upon this earth. He wasn’t secluded. He wasn’t unapproachable, hard to find, or kept away from the crowds. It was just the opposite. Friend and foe found easy access to Jesus. They begged Christ to come to their home to heal family members. They interrupted Him while He was teaching. Martha did that. The man who wanted Jesus to settle a family inheritance did that. Come to Me, is the call of Jesus. He didn’t have body guards. He didn’t have front men screening people.

Second, this invitation, or call, goes to those who are weary and heavy laden. Jesus is inviting people who are tired. Not tired because they have been up all night. Not tired because they have been on a long journey. But those who are tired of life. They are tired of being beat up by life. They are tired of failing. They are tired of guilt. They are tired of sin. The “heavy laden,” is what life does to it. The demands. The guilt. The burdens. The failures we make because we haven’t followed Christ. We are worn out, beat up, and defeated.

This is who Jesus is calling. It’s not the best. It’s not those who have their act all together. It’s not those who are spotless and near perfect. No, it’s the other end of the line. It’s those who are tired, dirty, dragging their feet. They have chased the dollar and didn’t find anything worthwhile. They have lived without God and that got them no where. They have bowed to idols and those idols provided no help. They are tired of being alone. They are tired of being scared. What a group of people. The spiritual homeless. The spiritual lost. The spiritual failures. Our names would be right among them. Many do not recognize that they are weary and heavy laden. They are sinking lower and lower in sin and doing more and more wrong things, but that’s all they know. Another day is but another day without God. For so many that will be today. No prayers to start the day. No Scriptures to help mold their thoughts and character today. No desire to be a servant to others. No shame in having a foul and offensive mouth. But for some, this is getting old, very old. They are miserable, tired and wondering what happens at the end.

Third, Jesus calls them to Him to find rest. Come to Me, is the invitation. Many have misread this. They say, “Come to Me,” but what they mean is “Go to church.” We need to gather with the church family to worship. That is Biblical, expected and helpful. But the rest doesn’t come from the church. We are the church. Just as “the people” are the government, the “saved” are the church. We are former weary and heavy laden people. We are people who have found rest. The help didn’t come from within us. It’s not us who can help others. It’s Jesus. Come to Me, is what Jesus says. Thousands flock to church buildings every week. They love the singing, the feeling and the atmosphere, but deep down, that weariness lingers. The church doesn’t solve the problems. The church can’t. It’s Jesus. We can preach the church so much that a person might get the impression that we do not need Jesus. How mistaken that is.

Fourth, Jesus tells the weary to come to Him. “Come to Me,” are the words. That takes some action on our part. That involves getting up and getting out of that chair. We want God to come to us. We want to sit in our chair, watching TV and then God comes and fixes our problems. We say a simple prayer and we want all things to be made right, hopefully by the morning. God fix my finances. God fix my mate. God fix my kids. God fix my boss. We want to sit back and have God do all the work. The call here is for us to come to Him. Jesus didn’t say, “I’m coming to you,” but rather, you come to Me. That takes some doing on our part. That means we must have some drive about us. The guy with the lazy bones, won’t come. He’ll wait and wait for God to come to him, but that’s not the reading of this passage.

Fifth, what follows is what we do when we come to Jesus. Two action words, Take and Learn. Take my yoke—that means direction. Yokes were put around oxen to pull carts. We can carry these burdens because we now have a yoke that allows us to do that. Then, Learn from Me. Learn. What do we see in Jesus? We see righteousness. We see obedience. We see faithfulness to the word. We see compassion. We see a servant. We see someone busy spiritually. We see goodness. We see that. Do we learn that?

Now, where is it that you and I will see these things and learn these things? Obviously, in the Scriptures. We open the N.T. and we see, learn, believe and become. It doesn’t take too many pages in the N.T. to get the idea that we often have too much of us in us. Selfishness blinds us. Selfishness feeds greed and jealousy. Selfishness resists changing and admitting wrong. Come take. Come learn. This is where you’ll find rest. The rest offered by Jesus doesn’t fall from Heaven like manna. There are actions on our part. Could it be that I’ve never taken the yoke of Christ? Could it be that I’ve never learned from Christ? “Well, I go to church,” someone says. Great. But are you putting on the yoke of Jesus and learning from Jesus?

I often fear two things come out of that learning part.

First, some never learn. They come and sit. They come and stare. They never build a bridge from the preached word of God to their own lives. They come year after year, but they remain the same. They have never learned.

Second, some have learned facts, but they never learned to become. They could name the rivers, find the cities on a Bible map. They could tell you the names of the judges, the apostles and the books of the Bible in order. They know a bunch of stuff about the Bible but they have not learned to become like Jesus. They are not changed. And in all of this, they still lack that rest that Jesus offers.

The rest is forgiveness from sins. The rest is hope in a world that is lost. The rest is peace of mind. The rest is pleasing your God. The rest is confidence and assurance that is wrapped in the grace of God. Death is no longer a fear, not when one is in Christ. The thoughts of the day are about glorying God. Opportunities to serve are sought out every day. You find that you have changed. You are more interested in Him than you are yourself.

Come to Me and Find rest for your souls. It’s there. Do you have it today?

Roger