10

Jump Start # 2158

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2158

Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Our verse today shows the eternal outcome and where the journey ends. The cemetery isn’t it. Eternal life or eternal punishment is it. Now, from this passage, a few thoughts.

First, Heaven and Hell are linked together. Everyone wants Heaven and no one wants to talk about Hell. The word “Hell” has disappeared from the modern pulpit. Preachers today don’t mention it and you know the expression, “out of sight and out of mind.” We need to put it back into people’s minds. Theological pied pipers, like N.T. Wright, spreads the poison of annihilation and denies in the eternal existence of Hell. Jesus believed in Hell. He connected Heaven and Hell together in the same sentence. If there is an eternal Heaven, then there will be an eternal Hell. No Hell, no Heaven.

 

Second, our verse speaks of going away to punishment and eternal life. It’s not here. It’s not a better earth or a worse earth. It’s going somewhere else. In John 14 Jesus promised to prepare a place for His disciples. He was leaving to do that. He added, “Where I am, there you may be.”

 

Third, eternal punishment and eternal life are based upon our choices, not God’s. God has not determined that you will be in one or the other and no matter what you do, it’s set. That’s not the case. Our verse today follows a section of taking care of others. Some were naked, hungry, thirsty, sick and in prison. Some took care of those and others did not. That was the basis of this judgment. What are you doing with the Gospel message? How are you using your opportunities?

 

Fourth, the nature of this life and this punishment is eternal. It’s not for a short while and then there is a reprieve or a reevaluation of the situation. The door swings one way. This is forever. Forever never ends.

 

Fifth, for the righteous who follow Christ, this life is the worst that they will ever experience. This is as bad as it gets. But even with the pain, the discouragement, the disappointments and the heartache, it’s bearable. We have Christ. We have His word. We have His family to help us. There is prayer. There is hope. There are promises. There is the understanding that whatever bothers us now, will one day end. Our problems do not go into eternity. There won’t be cancer in Heaven. There won’t be sadness, sorrow, or pain in Heaven. This is as bad as it gets. That is comforting to know. We can handle this. It won’t be long, and all of this will be over. Unlike the eternal Hell, God is with us here.

 

Sixth, for the unrighteous, this is as good as it will ever be. Life here is the only “Heaven” that they will ever experience. And, it’s not like the eternal Heaven. There is sorrow here. There is pain here. There is stress, disappointments, heartache, temptation and troubles here. For the wicked, this is it. This is as good as it will ever be for them. What’s ahead, is horrifically worse. It’s a terror they have never understood. It’s eternal. It’s without hope. It’s without God. It’s without comfort. It’s without something to look forward to. The picture of Hell is extreme. It ought to scare us. It ought to make us turn to Christ. It doesn’t have to be, but it will be for those who have turned their backs on Christ. Hell was initially made for Satan. Man wasn’t supposed to go there. But he will and it will not be nice.

 

And, all of this makes us wonder. We see so many rushing through life, worried, without purpose, without aim, and to think, this is as good as it will ever be for most of them. And, it’s not very good, at that. Blind to what is around the curve. Clueless to what really matters in life. Caught up in the trivial things of vanity and materialism, they have filled their hearts and their days with matters that really do not matter. No time for Christ. No desire to be with Christ. No wanting to sit and talk about the eternal, this is as good as it will ever be for them.

 

And to think, if so many feel that their lives are miserable now, what’s coming will be so much worse. It’s not the cars, the cash, the accomplishments, the labels, the who you know, but what you have done with Jesus. That’s what matters. Have you allowed Jesus to dwell in your heart? Have you allowed the Lord to change you, mold you and shape you into a godly, righteous person?

 

Years ago, there was a beer commercial on TV. Two guys sitting in the hot sun in a boat fishing. One says, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” And, with what we have said today, without Christ, it probably doesn’t get any better than that. But for the child of God, there is so much more still to come. The best hasn’t even started yet. There is something to live for. There is a reason to get up and get after the spiritual side of things today. God’s promised something good, really good. This life isn’t it.

 

Satan tries to get us to take our eyes off of Heaven. He wants us to see all the pretty things we are missing around us. He’ll entice you with forbidden fruit that is a delight to the eyes. Lust, greed, materialism, vain success, power, position, popularity, prominence, and money, are all dangled before our eyes. This is “Heaven” to a lost world. How could anyone turn their backs on this, the world believes. This is where it’s at, never seeing that so much of this is corrupt, empty, bought by selling out our souls, worthless in eternity and destined to be burned up with the rest of the world at the Lord’s coming.

 

The best now, really isn’t so good. There are moments. They are some nice things, but Satan always has a way of ruining things. This isn’t Heaven. It never will be. There is pain. There is sorrow. There is disappointment. People ruin good things. Satan ruins everything he touches.

 

It can get much worse and it will for those who don’t want Christ in their lives. But, there is something so much better for the righteous. Out of here and into the home of God. Away from all the things that are wrong. Away from those who do not care. Away from Satan. With God forever.

The best is truly yet to come!

 

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 2157

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2157

Proverbs 4:5 “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”

It’s back to school time. As I write, a yellow school bus drives down the street picking up kids and heading for a day of school. A big chuck of a young life is spent in school. It is there that we learn, make friends, interact and often face some of our earliest challenges. Most issues with bullies take place the first month of school. Each school year there are new faces, new teachers, new schedules and for many a different building to attend.

Our verse is a good one for this time of year. The words come from a dad to his son. The first several chapters of Proverbs are fashioned that way. Get wisdom and get understanding and do not forget what I’ve told you. Good advice. Heavenly advice. Works not only in the classroom, but the corporate room as well.

Wisdom and understanding are not about mathematics, the sciences and history. It’s about life. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. The knowing comes first and the using it and doing part follows. The wisdom and understanding that is talked about throughout Proverbs is godly. This has nothing to do with backpacks, yellow school busses, but listening and learning the will of God. This wisdom and understanding would come from parents, prophets, and later on rabbis. For us, it comes from the word of God. We read to know and we read to become. God’s word doesn’t lie dormant within our hearts. God’s word is alive and active. It works on and with our conscience. It leads us to make changes. It catches us before we say things we shouldn’t. It motivates us, challenges us, encourages us and comforts us.

In our verse today, dear ole’ dad says, “do not forget the words of my mouth.” Don’t forget. That’s good for all of us. We tend to forget. We get running so fast, and there are so many things to do that we often forget. How many times are we out the door, ready to leave and suddenly remember something that we have forgotten and back into the house we go, looking for it. But here, in this verse, it’s not forgetting to put the bills in the mailbox or forgetting to let the dog out, or forgetting lunch money, it’s forgetting the words of wisdom from dad.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” is said much too often. I forgot to pray. I forgot to stay away from evil influences. I forgot, and gossiped. I forgot and got caught up listening to someone tell something that I should have walked away from. I forgot.

We can forget the good that comes from attending worship services. Some of us have been going to services most of our lives and it’s just something that we do. Others have not been so fortunate. One can forget the warmth, the love, the encouragement, the closeness to God, the great things learned that comes from worshipping God. We can allow our schedules to dictate whether or not we worship God. We can allow our tired bodies to determine whether or not we will go. In the back of our minds our verse calls out, “Don’t forget.”

We fall into trouble when we forget God’s word. Satan tempts and God provides a way of escape. Often the key to the door out is remembering a verse. Jesus used verses to turn the tide on Satan’s temptation to Him. We can forget to be kind to others. Forgetting this, we come across aggressive, rude, harsh and mean. And, much too often, that’s the way we are even before we leave the house. We can forget to let our lights shine. Before us every day is opportunities to show the world Christ. We forget. We get busy doing what we do at work and we forget about the spiritual status of our co-workers. We take a few phone calls and we are bothered, in a bad mood, grumpy and not very Christ-like. It hits us later. We forgot. We forgot about that rock that our house is supposed to be built upon. We forgot that we can do all things through Christ. We forgot to be thankful, even for tough days. And, at the end of the day, we feel like a wrung out wash cloth. Tired, messy and coming home to a dozen more things to be done. The sunshine has gone out of our spirit and realizing that tomorrow it starts all over again. It doesn’t have to be that way. There has been sermons that taught us how to get through tough days. There have been classes on Elijah, hiding in his cave. We’ve learned about prayer. We been taught how to handle discouragement. We know the story of the fiery furnace and the lion’s den. We know how to be brave. We know the good that comes from following Christ. We know, but we forgot. The day got the most of us. The stress and the hectic pace pushed all those things we knew to the background. And, here is our verse, “Do not forget the words of my mouth.”

So, it’s easy to see that we often forget. Had the Lord not instituted the memorial supper on the first day of the week, we wonder how many weeks would pass before we thought of that wonderful sacrifice on Calvary. We forget. Now, how can we remember.

Try some little things, baby steps to help you remember.

Put a post-it note on your steering wheel with one word, “Pray.” As you drive down the road today, pray.
Put in your schedule, on your phone, “Read Bible.” Take a few minutes and just read some of the Proverbs today.
Instead of stuffing your faith into the background of your mind and day, pull it to the front. Reminders on your tablet, computer, phone can help you from forgetting.

You are a Christian. What an honor that is. It has changed your life for the better. What a mess you would be today, had it not been for Christ. You belong to the amazing Kingdom of God, the greatest kingdom in the world. Don’t put up with sore attitudes, blasphemous out bursts, and those critical of your Jesus. Most are not interested in engaging in a real discussion, they just want to trash what you believe. Walk away from that.

Count your blessings that you have today. Life. Health. Family. A God that loves you. The opportunity to glorify God. A difference you can make in someone’s life. Because someone is having a melt down doesn’t mean that you have to join them. Comfort others. Show hope and optimism. Smile more. Be thoughtful.

Remembering, will make you thankful. It will pull you closer to God. It will keep you where you need to be. Remember my words… good for school kids and good for us big kids as well.

Roger

08

Jump Start # 2156

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2156

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”

Why do churches split and divide? It happens. It happens all too often. I saw a list a long time ago of more than 25 splits within our fellowship. Why? Let’s begin by understanding what we are referring to. If a congregation is getting too large for their facility or they want to begin a work in a new area and this is the common agreement and everyone is on board, this is not a split. Although technically, the church divided, it was planned, designed and a welcoming thing to plant a congregation where there isn’t one.

 

What we are looking at today is not a happy occasion. Folks are upset. Fingers are pointed. A few leave and begin another work, often very close to the place they left. The two groups have nothing to do with each other. Bad blood and ill feelings remain for a long time, often generations.

 

The recipe for division and splits sure existed within the N.T.

 

  • In Acts 6, the neglected Hellenistic Jews could have easily split the Jerusalem church and started a church of their own.
  • In Romans 14, the meat eating brethren could have divided from those who refused to eat meats. A meat eating church and a veggie church could have started.
  • In 1 Corinthians the elements of division existed on many pages. They did everything except physically divide. It could have been done.
  • Our Galatian passage shows that the churches in that region could have divided over Jewish leanings and Gentile leanings.
  • In Revelation 3, the faithful few in Sardis could have left the dead church and started their own.

 

All the elements were there for division, however they didn’t divide. They were often divided in heart and the apostles had to unite them and remind them about who they were.

 

Why do churches split? There is no one specific answer. There are many reasons. Some times it no reason at all, other than hurt feelings and personalities that can’t work together. Misunderstandings, lacking patience, being too quick to condemn, all contribute to a spirit of wanting to pull out and start a new work.

 

If someone is teaching error and causing a person to violate their conscience in order to worship, it is time for some discussion. Maybe the teacher/preacher doesn’t full understand. Maybe you can help them to see things that they haven’t thought about. But if that door is closed and they continue to introduce things that you feel are wrong, then you have to make the decision to leave.

 

Some folks leave much too soon and much too often. They leave over things that they shouldn’t. They are not invited to a baby shower. Feelings hurt, they leave. New carpet is installed and they can’t stand the color. Upset, they leave. They don’t like who is invited to come and preach. So, they leave. Some, it seems live out of a suitcase because they are always leaving. Their history is one of leaving. In a large city, it is not uncommon to have a family or two that has been a part of just about every congregation in town. They leave one place upset, unhappy only to find a new place. They are so happy with the new place. But within a few months, something happens and all of that changes. Off they go to yet another congregation. With them are the sad stories of how terrible the last place was. Around and around the city they travel. This congregation, then that one. Their poor children never feel connected and grow up with a selfish and sour taste in their mouth from all the church hopping that has gone on.

 

Yet, for others, they stay too long. They are part of a dying church. It is their hopes to turn things around. But all the work and all the efforts are met with deaf ears and hearts that are content to be dead. The stale, lifeless worship drains all the passion out of the family. They hang on. They stay and stay until one by one all of their children fall away from the Lord and mom and dad become indifferent, critical, judgmental and dead. They have stayed too long. The words of Joshua, “As for me and my house,” didn’t sink in with this family. Their noble efforts of trying to turn a dead church resulted in their own spiritual death. There comes a time when one must pull the stakes and leave for your own salvation. If you are dying and do nothing, death is certain. It’s time for action and if it isn’t going to happen where you are, then it may be time to look elsewhere.

 

Now, for some, because of distance, there are no other options. They don’t live in a large city where there are a dozen congregations to drive to. For them, remaining is about the only option, other than trying to start another congregation. This often becomes two struggling small congregations in a town that can barely support one. All across this country we find this picture. Little towns with a couple of congregations that will have nothing to do with each other. Both have to have a building and a preacher and neither can afford it.

 

Why do churches split? The answer is because we often have a hard time getting along with each other. The number one reason why people switch jobs is not because of money or advancement, it’s because they can’t stand their co-workers. Toxic environments exist. Every year parents pull their kids out of one school for another because of the environment. Folks move, not because they need to but because they can’t stand their neighbors. Is it any wonder that some of this spills into the church. Too much of self and not enough of the team spirit causes one to be overly sensitive, touchy and ready to jump at the first moment.

 

I have preached at places where another church building was nearly in sight of where I was. No one from the other place would show up. They would as soon die as to do that. Yet both congregations were trying to reach the community and tell the world about Jesus. The world wonders why there are two of the same so close to each other. I knew a funeral director that got mad at another funeral director. So a new funeral home was built right beside the other one. They stand today, side by side, competing against each other. The community knows of the feud. If you use one funeral home it’s a statement against the other. Childish. Not necessary. Silly. And, exactly what the world sees and thinks when they see two congregations trying to compete against each other in the same area.

 

Are all divisions wrong? No. Sometimes it is necessary for the perseveration of the truth and to continue following God’s pattern. The call to come out from among them, and choose you this day who you will serve rings loud and true in this day of foggy teaching and prompting the ideas of false teachers rather than standing with the Lord and His apostles. Too many young preachers are being swayed by the academic superstars of today who deny common plain Biblical teachings. Their blogs are consumed and found filtering into Sunday’s sermons. Without thinking things out and thinking things through, they are following the pied pipers who are leading them away from Christ. I see what books others are recommending. I see what they suggest others read. I see what they are drawn to. Dark clouds are forming in the skies and they are blinded by their rapturous fascination with these religious super stars. Duds they are in my book. They are selling poison and killing faith. This current path that many are on will lead to more and more divisions. The blogs of error will rip the church as unsuspecting minds try to present ideas and ways that are not true to God’s book.

 

The study of church history, reformation and restoration, shows that some splits and divisions led folks to leaving error and finding the true pattern that is found in the Bible. In this, division was good for those who followed the word of God.

 

Will divisions and splits ever end? Yes, when Jesus comes. Until then, they are a part of our culture and a part of our make up. Many could be avoided. Many surround nothing more than personalities and the inability to get along and forgive. Others, are doctrinally based.

 

Understand the difference between personal conviction and collective action. There are some things that I do that I would not say others have to do. I don’t preach without a tie. That’s me. Does every preacher have to wear a tie? No. Do I frown upon those who don’t? Never. It’s me. There are some songs in the song book that I do not like. There’s nothing wrong with them except I don’t like the tune and I don’t like the words. Do I sing them? Yes. Sometimes our troubles come from trying to make my personal convictions your personal convictions. I force my ways upon you. I believe that my way is the only way. This is why eating meats or not eating meats was such a big deal in Rome. We all have zillions of things like that. If a husband and wife both work, can they use one check to contribute or must they each put in their own separate contribution? I know folks who fuss over that. The list is long of things that we feel ought to be a certain way, even though the Bible doesn’t specifically say. When we start demanding this of others, trouble brews. This is why “work out your own salvation,” rings so true.

 

We are converted to Christ, not a congregation. Our loyalty is to the Lord. We need to influence, encourage, teach and show the N.T. way. As long as we can do that, we need to work, help and be committed to a group that has that same spirit. If the time comes that we must make the choice of remaining and violating our conscience, or leave, the decision will be obvious. We must leave. Work for unity. Be diligent to preserve it. Hide yourself behind the cross. Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Christ.

 

Division is ugly. Splits hurt. Do what you can to work through things without violating your conscience or dying on the vine.

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 2155

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2155

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice”

Our verse today is filled with six destructive attitudes that can ruin us. They are choices and responses to someone who has hurt us. There are reasons a person is bitter. Most do not go to bed in a great mood and wake up bitter. They are bitter because of something that has happened. They have been hurt. Something unfair has happened to them.

What is interesting about these six evil spirits is that they are connected to each other. Bitterness is how we feel on the inside. It leads to anger which spills over into wrath, clamor, slander and malice. Those are outward expressions of bitterness and anger. We often see the wrath, clamor, slander and malice. We wonder why people are acting that way. The answer is within our verse. They are angry and they are bitter. It is extremely rare to have one without a combination of these other six following. You don’t find someone that is bitter and that’s all. They may be bitter, but anger, wrath and slander are near by.

What is even more interesting is that the apostle tells the Christians to put these six spirits away from them. This tells us, that some of them may have felt this way. They were Christians, yet they were bitter. Bitter is not a place where people long to be. A person doesn’t say as they leave the house, “I sure hope to come home bitter today.” Something had happened to these Christians. They weren’t happy. Just before this Paul said:
Laying aside falsehood, speak truth (25)
Be angry and yet do not let the sun go down on your anger (26)
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth (29)
Our verse, put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice

All of these verses together sure makes one think that they were upset with someone or each other. Our fellowship is very similar to our physical family. Sometimes no house is large enough for fighting kids. We can bump each other, tease too much, hurt feelings and sometimes not even realize it. We can say things that hurts others, but we don’t mean to. We can exclude others without meaning to. This can lead to being bitter, saying things and being upset.

It’s hard to be around someone that you feel bitter about. You just as soon go to your room and close the door. They have hurt you and they ought to come and apologize. But they don’t. Some won’t because they just don’t apologize. Some do not understand that you were hurt by what they said. While we are feeling left out, hurt and wounded, they seem to go on their way acting as if nothing has ever happened. That can make us even more bitter. The more we think about it and the more we dwell upon it, the worse we feel.

Among brethren, what happens is that one quits going. He doesn’t feel like going because he is upset with others. He is waiting for some to make it right, but they are not. His bitterness has fueled his anger and now he has moved into retaliation. He talks negatively about others. He is slandering and he doesn’t even realize it. We don’t use the word clamor much in our daily conversation. The idea is like a child with pots and pans. You know what will happen. The child starts banging them together. He’s making a lot of noise. That’s clamor. It’s stirring things up. It’s making a lot of noise. It’s trying to get others to be upset as well. Bitterness has a way of collecting on others. Put one bitter person in a room and by the end of class, or worship, you may have a dozen bitter people.

The upset person rehearses in his mind over and over and over what should have been done and what should have been said. And, it’s not being done. So worse and worse he feels. His anger is giving the devil an open invitation into his heart. Unwholesome words follow. He is spiraling downward and unless he pulls up quickly, there is going to be a mighty crash.

But in the midst of all these unhealthy spirits is found God’s solution. It begins in this verse and carries over to the next verse. Here it says, let them all “be put away from you.” Stop being bitter. Stop the banging around with clamor. Stop the slander. Stop being angry. Stop it. You are in the driver’s seat of your attitude, spirit and heart. Don’t allow others to put you in a place that’s sinful and destructive. “But, you don’t know what they did?” It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t allow you to feel nor act this way. Remember what they did to Jesus.

Then, so unnatural, yet so spiritual, Paul ends the chapter by adding, “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Let it go! A person cannot be bitter and kind at the same time towards the same person. Why forgive? They hurt me. They were in the wrong. They need to make it right. Forgive, because we have hurt God. Forgive because if we don’t, we will be hurting God right now by remaining bitter.

Every time I write, or preach on this, there is always one person who will ask, “I don’t have to forgive unless they say they are sorry first. If they don’t repent, then I don’t have to forgive.” You don’t find that in these verses. The way a person says it seems like they really hope a person doesn’t apologize. They want to remain bitter, angry and full of wrath towards them. They feel they are justified because the person never said they were sorry. And, the way some present it, it’s a sad day when the person finally apologizes because now they can no longer be bitter towards them. You won’t find that thought in these verses. Paul didn’t say remove bitterness and these other ugly sisters that tag along with bitterness ONLY if a person first apologizes. No apology then you have a green light and Heaven’s permission to be bitter, angry and clamorous. Not here. Not anywhere in the Bible.

No. The apostle tells us to put them away. Put them all away. You are moving to do this to yourself. What has happened has put you into dangerous waters. These attitudes are going to sink you. Sin is happening and you do not even see it. Put them away and then be kind, tender and forgiving to the very people that hurt you. This is the steps of Jesus.

Nothing is more Christ-like than forgiveness. Anyone can be generous. Anyone can open a door for someone. But to forgive when you are hurting takes grace and a mountain of faith in Jesus. We need this, because we tend to hurt one another. We need this because without this we are destined to splinter, split and divide. We need this because this is being like Jesus. Sitting in a pew on a Sunday is easy. Forgiving someone who has hurt us is where our faith truly shines.

Bless be the tie that binds us…

Roger

06

Jump Start # 2154

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2154

Exodus 33:11 “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to a friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”

 

This interesting verse is layered with great lessons. There is so much to see and learn here.

 

First, the way God treated Moses. He spoke to him face to face. He spoke as someone who is a friend. This speaks of love, trust and relationship. God didn’t speak to Moses as a child. God didn’t speak to Moses as a beast. Moses was playing a very important role and God needed him to understand and stay true. Moses was a leader and God needed him to help the nation. Now, the down side of this is that we can turn this upside down and speak too casually to God. He is God. He is always God. He is holy, righteous and just. We must remember that as we speak to Him.

 

Second, young Joshua was learning from Moses. At this point in history he probably never thought that he would be filling Moses’ shoes some day. Before them was the wilderness for a generation. Before them was a faithless generation that would all die before they reached the promise land. But there is young Joshua, watching, learning, helping Moses. It would be Joshua, not Moses that leads the nation into that new land. It would be Joshua, not Moses that leads the battles against Jericho and other fortified cities. Young Joshua couldn’t do it at this point. He had a lot of learning and growing to do. Where we find him is at the tent of Moses. He would not depart from the tent. He stayed to help. And, while he was helping Moses he was growing, changing and learning. God was molding Joshua.

 

He would not depart from the tent. That’s a great expression. It speaks of influence, love and friendship. In many ways you and I need to visit the tents of spiritual giants. We need to learn from others. We need to hang around others. Herein is a great problem. Too often we are not in the right tent.

 

Some stay in their own tent and are not influenced by anyone. They just do whatever they feel like, never learning, never improving, just maintaining the same spiritual level most of their life. All around them are the tents of others that they could visit and get better, but they never see it.

 

Some go to the wrong tent. Instead of going to the tent of Moses, they go to the tent of temptation, the tent of worldly friends, the tent of wicked family members. They do not depart from these tents. And, because of that, it shapes their character and changes their attitudes. They become more worldly in their thinking. They take their foot off the spiritual accelerator, and find ways to start compromising to do things that temptation and their worldly friends want. Less time for worship, because they spend too much time in the wrong tent. Less time to be around quality people, because they are stuck in the wrong tent. Less time to please and obey the Lord because they won’t depart these tents.

 

Thirdly, if we are living righteously as we ought to be, there will be those who wish to visit our tent. They recognize spiritual strength. They have questions that need to be answered. They have situations in which they need advice. They like hanging around, because good people are a delight to be with. Their language isn’t spiked with offensive words. Their choices don’t border on wrong things. They are encouraging, complimentary, helpful, and a benefit to others. You may have a young Joshua in your life that just wants to hang out with you. He may want to come and spend a few hours with the preacher, just asking questions and learning. He may want to have lunch with one of the elders. No particular problems, just wanting to spend some time with a godly person. You need to be open to the Joshuas in your life. We don’t know what the future holds and who knows what God has in store for those young Joshuas. Your time spent with them can make all the difference. Mentoring others and encouraging others is some of the greatest things that we can do. Often the young Joshuas won’t find that help at home. They need you to be there for them.

 

Joshua would not leave the tent of Moses. What a great thought. It makes a person really think about who has been in our life, who has really helped us and it makes us think about who we are currently helping.

 

Roger