16

Jump Start # 2349

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2349

Philippians 4:9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Saturday night, it was off to the symphony for us. Beethoven’s ninth was the premiere piece that was played. It was amazing! I noticed something. It was not unique to that night’s performance. In fact, they have done it every time I have been there. But it clicked with me this time.

 

All the orchestra is seated before the performance begins. All, except for one. He’s the first chair violin, the concert maestro. He enters on his own. He stands before the orchestra. He points to an oboe player. One note is played. The maestro plays that same note on his violin. The entire orchestra then plays that one note. They are all on the same note. They are all in tune. They are all together. The conductor then comes out and the concert begins.

 

But it’s that moment of everyone being on the same note that impressed me. Together. Blended together. The N.T. uses expressions such as one mind, one body, one voice to define the unity that is to be among us. But even before unity can take place, there is that need and that moment of each of us to be matching what is played by the maestro.

 

Our verse today is reflection of that concept. Notice the words: learned, received, heard and seen—it is a matter of following the leader. It’s a matter of each of us playing that same note as the concert maestro. Paul was only following what the Lord had first given to him. There are some great lessons for us:

 

First, within our faith, forget the idea of being original, different, a trend setter, a pioneer, a maverick, or in the words of the old Star Trek, “going beyond where no man has gone before.” That spirit isn’t following Christ. That spirit wants to be alone, different and unique. That spirit wants to go in a direction that no one else is going. That may sound great in music, or fashion, but it doesn’t work Biblically. We have a maestro to follow. We have a Lord to follow. I can only imagine what would have happened at our concert if one guy decided to play a different note than everyone else. Heads would have turned and then, his head probably would have rolled.

 

This is something we preachers must keep before us. We want to be fresh. We want to teach things that stick. But to be looking for something that no one else has ever found, or to teach something that generations of great preachers have never seen before is not only dangerous, but it invites error. Rather than digging and digging for hours to find some rare concept that will bring new light to one of the Lord’s teachings, why not just teach it the way He gave it? Why not teach the way He wanted it taught? Why try to be different? Why try to be so special? Is it the page of the Bible that you are pointing to, or your superior intellect that you want people to notice?

 

Second, it’s easy to catch something that doesn’t sound right once you have learned how things ought to sound. Hours and hours of studying error is not as valuable as is hours studying truth. Learn how things are supposed to be. Learn how things ought to sound. Then, when you hear something different, you’ll recognize it. It will stand out. It will cause you to take note and investigate. The Bereans were searching the Scriptures to find out if what they were hearing was so. When a person doesn’t know what something is supposed to sound like, then they won’t know a true sound from a strange sound.

 

Third, it is God who identifies what is proper and pleasing to Him. It is not up to us to determine what we like, but rather, to follow what God likes. Among us, we may have all different kinds of likes. We have different places that we like to go out to eat. We have different tastes in movies, music and sports. Some like antiques. Some like things modern. Some like slow. Some like fast. We are not in the position to determine what that first note ought to be. What I like may not be what you like. And, worse, what I like may not be good, right or even helpful. God determines.

 

Paul’s thoughts from our passage is to imitate him. If Paul did it, then we ought to. If he didn’t, then we shouldn’t. Nothing original here. Nothing cutting edge, progressive, or new. No one of a kind, with this stuff.

 

Fourth, what that leads to is a uniformity without influence. In our house, my wife is the music. I love music, but I cannot understand it, nor read it, nor carry a tune. Not me. But I can find middle C on our piano. There is a trick to that. I know that trick. Middle C on our piano will sound the same as middle C on your piano (assuming everything is in tune). Middle C in America, is the same as middle C for Beethoven in Vienna more than one hundred years ago. Middle C is middle C. It’s the same for mathematics. It’s the same for the principles of science. So a group of Christians meeting in Africa on a Sunday morning, will in essence look like a group of believers in America on a Sunday morning. They may have never heard of each other, but there is a similarity. They may dress differently, speak different languages, but they will sing hymns on that Sunday. They will pray on that Sunday. They will share the Lord’s Supper on that Sunday. They will preach God’s word that Sunday. How is it, that they will be doing the same things? It’s like that middle C on a piano. If each is strictly following the Bible, then worship will be patterned the same. There is a sameness to what they are doing, even though they never meet nor know of each other. They are following the Bible, and that Bible will lead them the same way.

 

Years ago we got to hear a Mozart concert in Vienna. It started the same as the concert the other night in Louisville. The maestro played the oboe note and everyone else played the same note. Following the Bible today, ought to make us look like the original Christians in the book of Acts. There is nothing magically about this. When each follows what Jesus did, then we will be the same. Our differences come not from following Jesus, but from not following Jesus. We start playing different notes and before long chaos abounds and that’s what the religious community looks like today. Is it possible for all of us to be the same? Certainly. The question arises, who will play that first note which we all will follow? If not Jesus, then who? You? Me? Someone else? Trouble begins when we fail to allow Jesus to be the certain figure in all that we do.

 

We can call all of this Biblical authority, or follow the leader, or sticking to a pattern, or simply allowing Jesus to be the head of the church. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me ’Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” Good question Jesus. Why do you call someone the maestro and not play the opening note that he’s playing?

 

Free spirits and rebels don’t do well in an orchestra. They also do not do well in the kingdom.

 

It’s amazing what great spiritual lessons one can pick up at a concert.

 

Roger

 

15

Jump Start # 2348

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2348

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our verse today contains a series of contrasts. First, there is death and there is life. Sin brings death and God brings life. Another contrast is wages and free gift. Wages is what you earn. Wages are owed to you. Free gift is another matter. A contest takes place and you happen to hold the lucky number and you win a prize. It’s free. There is another contrast. Christ Jesus is the one who offers life. Behind sin is always the devil. Jesus and Satan, such opposites.

 

There are some powerful lessons to pull from these thoughts.

 

First, no one gets away with sin. Sin comes with a price tag. You did it and now you’ll get it, that’s the nature of sin. Satan never shows the price tag. He shows you how exciting the pleasure is. He shows you how easy it is to get away with it. He reminds you that you deserve it. He convinces you that you’ll never be happy until you give in to it. Satan presents the opportunity and even the crowd for sin. But as the verse tells us, there is a cost. There is a wage. It’s terribly high. It costs you all that you are. It costs you your soul. What comes with sin is death. Contextually, the death here is spiritual. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and what came with that was being banished from the garden of Eden. That was the cost of sin. They lost their fellowship with God.

 

Now, there are a variety of levels of getting caught and the consequences of sin. But eventually, they all lead to God. You may hide your sins for years or even forever. It could be that no one knows. You have hidden those dark secrets deep within a closet. You are careful to leave no tracks so others will discover. But, God knows. He already knows. The consequences may not be a divorce, getting fired from a job, being kicked out of school, or being arrested. However, while a person may believe that he has gotten away with things, he’ll find out, much too late, that the greatest consequence comes from being banished from Heaven. God knows. There is no getting away with sin.

 

Second, once one has sinned, he doesn’t have to stay that way. There is a free gift that God offers. That gift is forgiveness. God is allowing us back into the garden. He’s offering you a second chance. This is huge. So many give up because they have messed up. They throw the towel in and just quit. They no longer try to do what is right. They dive into sin even deeper and deeper. Ashamed and convinced that they can never do things right is all it takes for some to walk away from God when He is standing with His arms opened up for them. What is powerful about these contrasts is that we don’t deserve the free gift. The gift is given to those who have sinned, not to those who are excelling well. It’s not the healthy person, but the sick person who is in need of doctors and medicine. God’s gift is grace. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not right nor fair. It’s not something that ought to be expected. God doesn’t owe us forgiveness. God doesn’t have to forgive us. It’s His gift. It is His choice.

 

Third, God’s gift is based upon our faith and walking with Him. Otherwise, all would be saved, even those who didn’t want to be saved. There are those who like laying in the mud with pigs. There are those who given the opportunity to live better, wouldn’t. There are those who like sin and want to stay in sin. The gift is there for them, but they have to leave the pigs and come home. We can’t live like a sinner and die like a saint. That doesn’t work. The holiness and justice of God demands that His free gift be qualified, otherwise it’s meaningless and without any real value. God loves us. God made us to live a better way. But if we are content to stay with the pigs, He’ll allow that. Some get used to the smell of pigs. Some don’t mind the filth. Some don’t even recognize how dirty they are. But for those who have a conscience, and a heart that is good, they know better. They know the road of alcohol isn’t the direction that they ought to be on. They know that dishonesty and cheating isn’t the path that builds relationships. The wages of sin will kill you. You must leave it before payday. The wages is death. There is a payday coming. Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins, is what Jesus said. God wants you to come home and stay home. God wants you to walk in righteousness and walk by faith. Obey God is a message throughout the entire Bible.

 

Fourth, God is doing all that He can to get us to Heaven. God cares more for our souls than we do. Too often we go from one pig pen to the next. We don’t think much beyond today. We don’t think about God. We don’t realize how many people all over the place are praying for us. We don’t see the good that comes from worship or the value of fellowship with God’s people. Just like the garden of Eden, the problem of sin was caused by us, not God. We made the wrong choices. We forgot about God. And, just like the garden, the serpent left and it was up to God to clean up the mess that Adam and Eve made. Likewise, as with our verse, we have chosen sin and it was God would offers the free gift of salvation. God cleans up the mess we made. There are not many uses for broken things. I expect none of us hang on to burned out light bulbs. There’s not many uses for them. A broken hanger—you won’t get much for that on Ebay. There are some things that are just beyond fixing. We are broken, but God can fix us. He hasn’t given up on us. He hasn’t thrown us away. We have shown that our way didn’t work. That’s why there is sin and death following us. Our ideas are wrong. Our choices, bad. Our thoughts, not the best. But God has a way. God knows how to live as we ought to. God knows how our marriages ought to look. God knows how we ought to parent. God knows how we ought to be during the storms of life. His way works. His way is always the best. His way heals broken relationships. His way, though not always the easiest, is always the best.

 

Wages and free gift. Death and life. Satan and Christ. Contrasts. But more than literary contrasts, life’s choices. Your choices. My choices. Why dine with pigs, when we can sit down at a banquet table and feast with God? Why face the fear of death and hell, when you can have life and Heaven? Why follow losers when you can follow Christ? Why quit on yourself when God hasn’t?

 

Interesting contrasts…interesting questions. And, the way we live, answers those questions.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 2347

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2347

Nehemiah 8:4 “Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hikiah, and Masseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishel, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand.”

 

Ezra stood at a wooden podium. Other translations use the word pulpit. Ezra stood at the pulpit. What follows is that he opened the book of God read from it and then explained it so that everyone understood. Today, we’d say, ‘Ezra preached.’

 

I have stood behind several pulpits recently. Most were wooden. One was metal. Some were old, one was new. Some were big and some were small. Some I liked and some I didn’t. When I was in India, one place had a pulpit made of marble. In my office, I have a very old pulpit, probably over 100 years old. Preachers aren’t the only ones that use podiums. The president does when he gives a speech. Many important events, even high school and college graduation ceremonies will have a podium for someone to stand behind.

 

Have you ever wondered why church buildings have pulpits? The main purpose is to have a place to sit the Bible and any notes that the preacher may use. Most places have the pulpit elevated above the floor, this is so everyone can see. Some pulpits look really nice and add to the décor of a building. Others are more functional than pretty. One place I was at had a flat monitor screen on the surface where one would put his Bible. It was a bit awkward for me getting comfortable with that. My Bible covered the screen and I couldn’t read it, so I had to hold the Bible in my hands most of the time.

 

I have spent most of my life standing behind pulpits. Youngsters have asked me, “what do you see when you are up there?” I always tell them, “I see everything!” There are some lessons we can gather from the pulpit.

 

First, the man behind the pulpit is not better than the audience on the other side of the pulpit. In fact, the man behind the pulpit needs the message, needs Jesus and needs to heed the Bible, just as much as the folks on the other side. Long ago, behind the pulpit represented the clergy. They wore robes and seemed to walk as if they were one of the apostles. They were not. Both sides of the pulpit must make choices about attitudes, sin and how closely they will walk with the Lord. One side of the pulpit is not better than the other.

 

Second, I have learned that behind the pulpit does not indicate that you know more about the Bible than those on the other side. That impression is often left there. Behind the pulpit is not infallible. Behind the pulpit does not have every question figured out and everything running just as it should be in his life. Knowledge of God’s word isn’t based upon which side of the pulpit you are on. It’s based upon how much effort, energy and time one has put into studying God’s word. Many a preacher has made the mistake of thinking that he knew more Bible than anyone else in the building. Many learned the hard way, that wasn’t the case.

 

Third, Ezra is a great reminder of what is to be done with the pulpit. He read God’s word and explained it to the people. Sometimes we mistake our opinions for God’s word. We push our thoughts, our agendas, and our wishes rather than sticking with God’s word. There is no place for politics in the pulpit. We don’t want Washington preaching to us and Washington doesn’t want the church campaigning for it’s favorite candidates. Advice can come across rather “preachy” sometimes.

 

Fourth, the power of the pulpit lies within the word of God and not the charm or the abilities of the preacher. Some preachers are just natural public speakers. They are smooth, good and know how to connect with an audience. For others, it’s a work. The sermon on paper sometimes is lost in the delivery. Other times, there is not much to the sermon, but the smooth talking preacher can sure make it seem like he’s got a lot there. The temptation for the gifted speaker is to be careless and cut corners and not do his homework that is necessary in developing a sermon. He can ‘talk his way through anything,’ can actually be a curse rather than a blessing. Error can slip in through one who is not using the Bible very much. Preaching is more than just reading verses. It’s explaining and making sense so the people will understand, as our Nehemiah context tells us. This necessitates that the preacher first understands the concepts and passages and makes sense of them in his mind and heart before he teaches others. He can’t really teach what he doesn’t know. Jesus described it as the blind leading the blind. Preachers can make us laugh. They can make us cry. They can make us feel good. They can tell amazing stories. But in the end, they are supposed to be preaching and teaching the word of God. They are not stand up comics. They are not leading a pep rally. They are not motivational speakers. They are preachers of God’s word. Paul told Timothy to “preach the word.” Now, each of us must use our personalities, abilities and know-how to do that the best that we can. The power of persuasion lies within the powerful word of God. It is the power to save. It can drive away fear and worry. It can answer questions and establish faith. We rally around the word of God, not the preacher. Preachers come and go. Some preachers are really good. Some are so-so. But it’s not the ability of the preacher, but the word of God that matters. Paul wasn’t a favorite in Corinth. Some didn’t think too much of his preaching. But that’s ok. What he spoke was the word of God and it was that word that mattered.

 

There is an old saying in prayers that we don’t hear much any more. Someone would pray that the preacher would hide himself behind the cross. The thought was that at the end of the sermon, the audience thought more of the cross than they did the preacher. In fact, in great sermons, the preacher is forgotten. He’s just a tool, like a pencil, a keyboard, or a piece of paper. What the focus is upon is the words of God. Egos, self esteem issues, pride and things like that can occasionally cause that preacher to come out from behind that cross and stand in the way. When that happens it’s more about the preacher than the message.

 

Ezra stood behind a pulpit. Wish I had a picture of that old pulpit. I look at that old one in my office and wonder who all stood behind there and the wonderful good that came from those old sermons long ago. It’s not the pulpit, nor the messenger, but the message that builds faith and develops strong families and churches.

 

The question is not which side of the pulpit are you on, but rather, which side of Christ are you on? Now, that’s a question to ponder.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 2346

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2346

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

A young Christian father asked me one evening if we could talk. He was very open, frank and got right to what was on his heart. It was sin. He was addicted to porn. He admitted it. He talked and I listened. He has told no one about this, especially his wife. No one in the congregation he attended knew about this. He was active, teaching Bible class and on the radar down the road to be one of the shepherds leading the people of God. But there was this problem.

 

He knows it’s wrong. He knows what Jesus said in the great sermon about lusting. He knows all the verses that I would share with him. He doesn’t like where he is at spiritually. He feels like a yo-yo. Up and then down. He knows that if he doesn’t stop, sooner or later, he’ll get caught. He fears that his wife would leave him. He knows that it is just a step from watching porn to engaging in real sexual activity. He doesn’t want his kids growing up and having to deal with these demons.

 

I’ve talked with far too many who have this sin in their lives. This guy was the sharpest. No apologies. No justifying. No blaming others. No trying to convince him that it’s wrong. He’s there. He knows. There are times that he is just weak and he succumbs too easily to temptation. We talked about prayer. We talked about what movies he watches. We talked about what he does to unwind. We talked about what he does when he’s on the road and traveling. He understands grace, forgiveness and the love of God. He wants to put this sin out of his life for good.

 

The more he talked, the more I thought he could help others because he understands the nature of this sin and he knows what to do. For him, it was a matter of doing it. “How do I do what is right and I know what is right, but temptation seems so strong?” That was the dilemma for him. His mind knew, but his heart wasn’t there. His emotions and feelings were driving his life. He at times was on top of the world. Then there were moments when he felt like the worst of all sinners. If you caught him in a good moment, you’d never know about this. Upbeat. Positive. Full of energy. But on the downside, he could be withdrawn, quiet and miserable on the inside. His friends never knew of this issue.

 

He asked me to write a Jump Start about this. He asked me to use his story. He felt like it might help others and he knew reading about himself in print would help him to see clearly where he was.

 

Here are some of my thoughts:

 

First, when someone pours their heart out to you like this, don’t be the first to go and tell others about this. Confidence is shattered when that happens and often things turn worse rather than better. I’ve known of situations when that happened. Someone seeking help pours their heart out. That person runs and tells the elders, who in their haste to get rid of a problem, immediately withdrew from the person. He gave up because he felt others gave up on him. Today, that guy never darkens a church door. Solomon tells us that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Recognize those times.

 

Second, addictions are easy to fall into and very hard to get out of. This is true of all addictions. Gambling, drugs, alcohol, porn, compulsive spending, eating disorders—there are some common themes that run through all of them. The instant pleasure and gratification are substitutes for a weak faith and the need for approval, success and personal satisfaction. That’s at the heart of all addictions.

 

Those who have not experienced addictions have a hard time understanding why a person would even start. And, worse, from the outside perspective, the solution seems so simple, just stop. Many, like the young man who talked to me, would love to, but he just doesn’t know how. Sometimes a lack of patience and seeing someone fail time and time again, makes families and brethren want to wash their hands of the whole matter and be done with that person. Come back, when you are straightened out. The addict hurts more than just himself. He hurts all those around him. He often pulls those around him into co-dependency or silently supporting the addiction.

 

For some addicts, professional help is a must. Be careful who you see. Check their credentials and understand their philosophy about treatment and addictions. But don’t look to counselors as your Savior. They are just one of many tools to help. The greatest help must come from your faith and your Lord. Those early Corinthians were homosexuals and drunks and going to temple prostitutes. Yet they changed. They did this without A.A., exit counseling and other things. Faith in Jesus must be powerful.

 

Third, to break the cycle, changes have to be made. When Jesus said, if your eye offends you, pluck it out, He was defining radical change. Keep Satan at bay. Keep him outside of your heart. Go to bed early. Read some good literature. Be around others. Pray often. Changing the environment, not only eliminates the opportunity to be tempted, but it puts days, and then weeks and then months between you and the sin. You look and realize that you can get by without sinning. You can defeat these things.

 

Fourth, study up on your sin. There are all kinds of powerful books written from the Biblical perspective about these addictions. Find them. Read them. Understand the nature of temptation. Weed out the problems in your heart.

 

Fifth, get strong in the Lord. That’s the word of Ephesians. Put on that full armor. With what God supplies you can resist ALL the flaming missiles of Satan. You can stand firm. You can conquer. On your own, probably not. But with God, all things are possible. I saw a guy the other day, his arms were as big as my waste. I didn’t have to ask him if he worked out, it was obvious. I knew he was strong physically. He put in the time. The same happens spiritually. You must put in the time. You must make the choices. You make the sacrifices. And, then something special happens. People notice. People come to you for advice and help. Why? Because they see in you what they wish was in them.

 

There is no magical verse that makes all of this go away. It is a fight. It is a struggle. There are many good days and then there are some days that we don’t like. Onward we must keep going. Stronger and stronger, and farther and farther away from this world we must pull ourselves.

 

Paul said we make it our ambition to please the Lord. Ambition. If you wanted to make the honor roll and that was your ambition, guess what? You’d go to classes. You’d go to classes when everyone else seems to be skipping. Why? Because you have an ambition. If your ambition was to retire with money, then you will not live paycheck to paycheck. Why? Because you have a goal and an ambition. And, if your ambition is to please the Lord, then you’ll not do what everyone else is doing. You’ll put in safe guards and be transparent about your ways. Why? Because you want the Lord to be smiling down upon you. You want to please Him.

 

We finished our talk. We hugged. I promised him that I would write this and that I would check in on him. He promised me that his ambition was to please God. One day at a time. Don’t live your entire life now. Just get through today. Get through it well. Get through it with prayer, hope and the Lord. Take on tomorrow, tomorrow. When you fail, beg for God’s mercy. He is good. Pick yourself up. Look and see what tripped you and why? Determine to watch for that and keep your eyes open.

 

Addictions are ruining this country. Porn is killing the church. It’s time leaders understood this and dealt with this in real, practical and helpful manners. It’s time to be honest. It’s time, like my new friend, to seek someone to talk to who will help. These things will not go away immediately. Most wars take time. Most wars have a heavy cost attached to them. Most wars are intense. But this war, with God’s help, you must win.

 

Share this with others that you feel could use some help.

 

Roger

 

10

Jump Start # 2345

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2345

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

The month of May begins with a famous horse race in Louisville and ends with a famous car race in Indianapolis. And, in between there are graduations. There are high school graduations and college graduations. These are milestone events in our lives and we will always remember the date that we graduated. Lots of studying, taking tests, sitting in classrooms have led to the completion of school.

 

Our verse today, is a wonderful reminder. The end is better than the beginning. Finishing well is more important than starting well. For the past four years of high school or college, there have been many people that have come into your life. You have friends that will remain friends the rest of your life. There are some that you may never seen again once you leave school. There have been great moments and there has been disappointing moments. And, with graduation comes changes in your life. The next step. For the high school student it often means going on to college. More school. Spreading out from your friends. Diving deeply into specific studies. For the college grad it means finding a job, that’s more than entry level or a summer job.

 

With graduation comes some changing steps within us as well. Here are some thoughts:

 

First, as a young Christian it’s time to take on the responsibilities of being a child of God. It’s time you turned your knowledge and talents to the kingdom of God. You’re not just a kid sitting in a children’s Bible class anymore. You are a young adult. It’s time to turn that light on and spread some salt for Jesus. Get active in a congregation. Get teaching. Have people over. Have a Bible study with people your age. Start carrying your weight and adding to the value of a congregation.

 

Second, it’s time to start thinking of others. Paul said in Corinthians, ‘when I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child”. Those days are over. You’ve graduated. It’s time to put on the big boy pants and stop being selfish. Children think of self. When they don’t get their way, they cry, pout and have a fit. Some adults do the same. You are a child of God. It’s time to act as Jesus would want you to. It’s time to put on the heart of a servant. Look around and see what you can do. See how you can make a difference in the lives of others. See what value you can add to others. Remember, servants do things without getting praise or anything in return. Servants serve because it’s the right thing to do. A selfish young person in time becomes a selfish old person.

 

Third, never stop learning. It’s amazing to walk through a dorm on the day students are moving out. The hallways are littered with old textbooks. Tossed. Finished. And, according to current stats, most college grads will never open another book again the rest of their lives. They are finished. How sad that is. It’s different for the child of God. He’s always learning and growing, first in God’s word, but then in other things. Young men ought to read and study leadership books. Some day they will be leading their families and maybe leading the people of God. Everyone ought to read some books about finances. That’s the number one cause of divorce today. People don’t understand core concepts and a book or two could help them with. Books on communication, marriage and parenting will help out so much down the road. If a person learns to become a life long reader, and not of novels and sci-fi books, but books of practical and useful help, they will be so far ahead of most people and have the equivalent of multiple degrees in knowledge and know how. It is said that a person will be exactly the way they are in five years except for the people he surrounds himself with and the books he reads. Don’t succumb to the video age. Read. It’s good for you.

 

Fourth, as one graduates he begins to pull away from doing things just because the family does and he begins to develop his own identity and his own beliefs. Years of college can crush faith if it is not strong. The influences of wrong can be so powerful that many leave school worse morally and spiritually than when they began. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s time for you to decide for yourself about Jesus. Is He real? Is the Bible message true? And, very importantly, what are you going to do with Jesus? Will you follow Him? Will you do what He says? Will you watch Him from a distance? Will you allow others to change what you believe? Will you walk away from what the Bible says? Mom and dad, back home, will always be praying for you, but now it’s up to you. Will you get up on Sunday mornings to get to worship, or will you just be coming to bed on Sunday mornings? Will you keep your Bible near by or will it be stuffed in a box, up in some closet somewhere? Will the people at the nearby church know you well or will you be so infrequent that they don’t know if you are coming or going? These are going to be your choices now. Will alcohol become a regular part of your life? Will you spend more time in bars than church buildings? Will you date people that have no knowledge or concern about Jesus? Will you make choices to fit in with people at work that you know are not decent nor right? Will you sell your soul just to keep a job or will integrity, ethics and God be the standard of all that you do and who you are?

 

On your own is exciting. It is freedom. But it comes with responsibility and opportunities. These next steps can lead you to a life long walk with the Lord or they can be the exit door of your faith. You have the lessons from mom and dad. You have the lessons from church. Now, you must decide what kind of person do you want to be. The easy choice is to just be like everyone else. But average in America is overweight, broke and going no where. Is that what you want from your life? God has gifted you, been there for you and has helped you. Now, with all of that what will you do?

 

The end of a matter is better than the beginning.

 

We have a Jump Start book written a few years ago directed towards the graduate. If you would like one of these, they are free, email me at: Rogshouse@aol.com. Be sure and include your mailing address.

 

Roger