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Jump Start # 2439

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2439

Ephesians 5:4 “and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Some things just fit and some things don’t. We understand that. You try to fit into a pair of pants that you really like, but find out you’ve put on some weight. You suck in your stomach, hold your breath, and button your pants. But the fit isn’t good. It just won’t work. You see this with little boys who are wearing ties for the first time. It may be at a wedding, and there they are tugging on the collar, with a miserable look on their faces. It’s not a good fit. If you have ever moved, you understand trying to fit a couch around a corner or through a door. I helped a guy move out of an apartment once. Had to tie a rope around the couch and lower it over the balcony. Parallel parking is all about being able to get a car to fit into a small spot.

And, through all of these life experiences we learn that some things fit and some things don’t. In our verse today, Paul illustrates a few things that just doesn’t fit with being a Christian. The very concept of a Christian is the word Christ. Christ who was holy, good, decent, righteous and pure. Now, trying to squeeze the impure into Christ simply won’t fit. There’s no room for it. And, for the followers of Christ, it’s the same. Some things just don’t fit with who we are and where we are going.

In this verse Paul names three things. He begins with filthiness. Not dirt on the hands, but dirt in the mind. Thinking, talking, acting dirty. Immoral. Improper jokes. Shameful TV shows. James said to cleanse your hands. We have been washed in the blood of Jesus. Filthiness won’t fit in with what we are doing. It sends mixed messages. Filthiness around other Christians means you are not acting as you should. To the world, you act like you want to be one of them, but you still have too much goodness in you. And, what generally happens is such a person doesn’t fit anywhere. We belong to Christ. We don’t fit into this world. The world is going downstream and we are swimming upstream.

Paul includes silly talking and coarse jesting—just misusing our tongues and wasting time. It’s not profitable, helpful, nor encouraging. It doesn’t build up. It simply doesn’t fit.

You can take a square peg and try to make it fit in a round hole but it won’t go easily. You’ll have to pound and pound on that square peg and you’ll split and splinter things. When you are done you may say, “Look, it fits,” but it really doesn’t. You ruined it and it wasn’t made for that. Is that any different than trying to fit the world into Christ? Folks want to follow Christ with a bottle of alcohol in their hands. They want to follow Christ but not go to worship. They want to follow Christ but drop the doctrine stuff. They want Christ to save them but they want to keep both feet in the world. They want to live like a sinner and die like a saint.

And, what is interesting in all of this is Paul’s use of “fit.” It was just understood. He didn’t have to explain himself or go into great details. It was just understood. If you are a Christian, some things just don’t fit. Don’t try to force them, they don’t fit. Don’t try to weave it together, it doesn’t fit. Spending time with the Gospels ought to present a picture of what God expects in us. It’s not hard to see. There is such a difference between Christ and the world. It’s like food, some things just do not go together. It’s like paint on the wall, some colors just do not work well together.

So, what this comes down to is a matter of which direction do I want to go? Following Christ puts me on a certain path with certain people. Staying with the world puts me on a different path and with different people. The two do not fit together. We follow Christ and His word or we don’t. We are not of this world or we are. We seek the things above or we don’t.

Now, what this comes down to is the fact that there are certain shows on TV, certain movies, certain concerts, certain places, and even certain people that simply do not fit with being a Christian. Like putting on those tight pants, you’ll be uncomfortable, miserable and trying to make something work that doesn’t work. When clothes don’t fit, either we get on a diet or we toss the clothes. So, it is for us. Either we fit in comfortably with Christ, or we fit in comfortably with the world. One thing people do not like and that is to be uncomfortable. They will do all that they can to make themselves comfortable. So, when the world and Christ do not fit, either I’ll drop the world or I’ll drop Christ. To keep both is be uncomfortable and that’s a place no one wants to be.

There are things that just do not fit in worship. There are things that just do not fit in a marriage. There are things that just do not fit in the heart of one who wants to go to Heaven. It’s time to stop trying to force things to fit and it’s time to simply make up our minds which way we want to go and do some serious throwing away.

God has prepared a place for you in Heaven. That’s one place where you do fit. It’s where you are supposed to be. It’s what God intended. But to get there, you can’t be dragging the world behind you. Some things simply do not fit.

Roger

27

Jump Start # 2438

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2438

2 Peter 1:12 “Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”

 

The other day while I was driving about, I was listening to my favorite daytime talk show on the radio, Dave Ramsey. It’s all about finances. A guy called in. He was in a mess. He was between jobs. He was thinking of pulling out his retirement to pay for his bills. He then said three amazing things: “I know what you are going to say. Go ahead and say it. I need to hear you say it.” I grabbed a pen and wrote that down. That’s an amazing spirit. And, that takes us to our verse today.

 

Peter has something to say. They already knew it. Yet, he was going to say it anyway. And, that takes us to sermons, classes and our conversations with each other. After a person has spent a while in the Bible, he ought to pretty much know what God is going to say. And, when a person has spent decades and decades sitting in Bible classes and sermons, there’s not much he’s going to hear that is new.

Now all of that reminds us of a few important thoughts:

First, sometimes we preachers are always looking for something that no one else has ever discovered. We are not walking in new lands. We are not the first on the scene. After 2,000 years of preaching the Gospels, there isn’t much that hasn’t been preached, written or told. The search for the unique and the different can take us to places we shouldn’t be. Tell me the old, old story ought to ring true with us. We can always look at passages and find truths that we haven’t seen before. Others likely have, but maybe we haven’t. Our work is not to find new things but to preach the salvation that is found in Jesus Christ.

 

Second, each generation must be taught the core principles of the Bible. They need to hear lessons and have classes on authority, inspiration, uniqueness of God’s kingdom, on Jesus Christ, and on our walk with the Lord. These thoughts may be new to a younger generation. Those of us who have been around need to be patient, just as others were with us when we were learning these things. Teaching and teaching is the backbone of faith and stability within a congregation.

 

Third, we need to have the spirit as this Dave Ramsey caller had. Rather than arguing, looking for loopholes and trying to find a way to wiggle out of what we ought to be doing, we need to say, “I know what you are going to say. Go ahead and say it. I need to hear it.” Could you say that? Could you say, “I know what the Bible is going to say. Go ahead and say it. I need to hear it”? There is comfort in a message that doesn’t change. Our times change. Society changes. The weather changes. But God’s word remains the same. Now, there are those who are trying to say God’s word must keep up with culture, but they don’t understand the unchangeable nature of God’s word. Rather than changing the word, we must change our selves. Culture comes and goes. Culture isn’t the same all over the world. So, when folks start pushing for changes not found in the Bible, and they want to stand upon the platform of culture, which culture are they appealing to? The culture of today certainly isn’t the culture of the 1800’s. The culture of America isn’t the same as the culture of Iran. So, cultural changers are left with a Bible that doesn’t mean the same for everyone world wide. They have a Bible that may change in another decade. What’s really behind the cultural platform is the agenda to change the church and a dissatisfaction with what God has said.

As Peter was writing his audience, he said, you already know these things. These truths didn’t change. They remained the same. And, they have remained the same, even for us.

I know what you are going to say. Go ahead and say it. I need to hear it. Sweet words.

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 2437

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2437

Psalms 77:11 “I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.”

 

It was a parent’s worst nightmare. A phone call late at night. There had been a car accident. Their child was in the wreck. The phone call was from the police. There was an urgent plea to come immediately to the hospital. Their child had been injured. As the parents raced to the hospital, dozens of questions were racing through their minds. Prayers were being lifted Heavenward. As the ran into the hospital emergency room, they were told to wait. No information was given. They didn’t know if their child was even alive. They didn’t know the circumstances of the accident. They didn’t know how injured their child was. They waited and waited. They learned that a helicopter was used to bring their child to the hospital. Anxious, fearful, and trying to hold together a breaking heart, the parents were finally allowed to see their child. She was alive. There would be days spent in ICU and multiple tests, followed by many doctor visits after this.

 

I know this story. It’s my story. My wife and I were the parents and our daughter was the one injured in the car accident. This happened 13 years ago. I have thought about this and thanked the Lord dozens and dozens of times since then. My daughter is married and has two wonderful girls. She is extremely active in the congregation and makes me so proud.

 

The other night, for some reason, I thought about that terrible night. I can still see everything so clearly. Our long drive to the hospital. Sitting in that waiting room and no one telling us anything. Finally, being allowed to see her. I remember the tears. I can’t imagine what my world would be like if I had a precious grave in Kansas City that held her body. I know that I have been blessed. I have been with many parents and the news wasn’t good. There was a death.

 

And, all of this brings me to our verse today. There are events in our lives that I believe one will continually be thankful for over and over. Thanking the Lord once just isn’t enough. I believe for the rest of my life, I will continue to thank the Lord for sparing her life. It shouldn’t have to be a car wreck that does this.

 

Here are a few thoughts I have about continual thanksgiving:

 

First, we ought to be thankful, over and over for God’s grace and our salvation. I wonder if we treat our salvation as no big deal. It was a big deal. It was huge! It cost Jesus His life. Just about every public prayer includes asking God to forgive us, but how few times do we thank God for saving us. He didn’t have to. He doesn’t owe us salvation. Where would we be today without Jesus? That’s a scary thought.

 

Second, we ought to be thankful continually for our marriages and our families. Maybe if we were, we’d see it differently and even better than what we do. Maybe if we were more thankful, we’d appreciate them more and we’d step up and be more engaged and loving than what we are. We can complain a lot at home. We can fuss at the kids all the time. We want them to do what is right, but what would your world be without your children?

 

Third, we ought to be thankful for congregations that are really making a difference, following the Lord and have the heart and compassion of the Savior. When we find a congregation like that, it’s such a blessing. They are so helpful, encouraging and supportive. One doesn’t feel like the eyes of judgment are upon them as they enter the building. There are folks who love to go out of their way to be there for you. Such congregations are overseen by shepherds who are servants at heart. Worship services are uplifting, challenging and Biblical. So many places are not like this. Some lack unity, direction and vision. Some seem hopelessly stuck. Some would rather fight themselves than fight the devil. But there are wonderful congregations who are such a breath of fresh air. It’s easy to assume all congregations are like this, but they are not. Thankful. Thankful to have so much help spiritually. Thankful to be part of something special and good.

 

Fourth, thankful for the Lord. How many times has God forgiven you? A hundred? A thousand? He never grows weary of you. He never gives up on you. Look how patient God has been with you. Look how God has blessed you. Look at how the Lord has changed you and molded you. You have a better spirit because of God. You have a better outlook because of God. Your attitude, your thoughts, your words– they are all so much better because of the Lord. And, God is not finished with you yet. The best is yet to come. He has a home, His home, that He is planning on allowing you to come to. His home will be our home. It’s easy to thank the Lord for all the things surrounding Him, but how often are we simply thankful that He is who He is. Can you imagine if you or I were sitting on that throne in Heaven? What a mess we would make. The Lord is amazing! Have you thanked Him for loving you? Have you thanked Him for being there for you? Have you thanked Him for just being who He is?

 

Continual thanksgiving…this will keep the Lord right before our eyes.

 

Roger

 

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Jump Start # 2436

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2436

2 Chronicles 20:12 “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do; but our eyes are on You.”

Our verse today is part of a prayer. It’s how a prayer ended. It comes from the heart of a king. Things were dark. Trouble was coming. He needed God’s help.

 

The background to this is simple. Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah. He was one of the good ones. A coalition of foreign powers, including Moab and Ammon had joined to attack Judah. Judah would not be able to stand against such powerful and numerous enemies. Their only hope was in God. The king lifts up his heart and pleads to God for help. He is honest and he is humble. The prayer was heard and Judah was saved. The enemy turned on themselves and Judah was spared. God, once again, saved His people.

 

I have to believe that there is much more than a historical reason for this being in our Bibles. It’s faith building. We often stand in the shadows of this king. It’s not Moab that we fear, but cancer. It’s not Ammon, but it’s the darkness of the future. And, like this king, we access the situation and come up with two conclusions.

 

First, we are powerless. The problem seems larger than us. It’s something we’ve never had to face before. The treatments, the costs, the sickness, the pain—the changing of our lives. The inconveniences. The appointments. The forms that must be filled out. We wonder, why can’t things just be like they once were. Why do I have to go through all of this. I just want this to go away and leave me alone.

 

Second, the king admitted, “we do not know what to do?” Neither do we. So many decisions. Which one is the right one. Go for treatment or go for surgery? What if the surgery doesn’t work? Or, there are the decisions with aging parents. Keep them in their home and provide in house care or find an assisted living facility? Which is better. What if the money runs out? What if our parents don’t want to leave their home? “We do not know what to do?”

 

I love the honesty of this king. Much too often we try to fake our way through situations. We pretend that we know what to do, when we really don’t. We put on a brave face and charge ahead. But since we really do not know what we are doing, is that the best course of action? What do you say to a prodigal? What do you say to a member who is addicted to porn? What do you say to someone who has been arrested? We do not know what to do.

 

The way some act, you’d think that there is never a situation, nor ever a time when they are caught off guard. They always know what to do. They have an answer for everything and everyone. And, probably reading this passage, they’d have a solution for Judah’s king. All Jehoshaphat could do was pray to God. He knew that God would know what to do. He knew he could trust God. He knew God was good.

 

Our verse ends, as this prayer ends, “Our eyes are on You.” Our hope is in You. I’d like to hear more prayers end that way. We wonder sometimes if we even need God. It seems that we have everything figured out and we know what to do. A little of “Our eyes are on You,” reminds us of our place and His position. It helps us to realize that He knows tomorrow, we don’t. It helps us to understand that He is moving and working in places that we cannot see, nor can we understand.

 

Immediately, Jehoshaphat’s prayer is answered. Assemble before your enemy. Go, but you will not fight. The battle is the Lord’s. Do not be afraid. And, it’s those words that you and I need to hold close to our hearts. Do not be afraid. Sure the enemy is many. Sure the problem is serious and grave. But don’t be afraid. Our eyes are upon the Lord.

 

This ought to be the prayer of parents. We are not sure what to do and the problems before us are serious. However, our eyes are upon You. This ought to be the prayer of the shepherds of a congregation. There are problems before us. We are not sure what to do. Our eyes are upon You. This ought to be how all of us pray. Problems around us. We are not sure what to do. However, our eyes are upon the Lord.

 

God can see what we cannot. God can do what we cannot. When hope seems lost, lift up your eyes. Our eyes are upon You…

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

24

Jump Start # 2435

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2435

Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

Our verse today comes from the parable of the rich farmer. This is not a happy story. It doesn’t have a good ending. Folks don’t live ‘happily ever after’ in this one. Jesus told this story as part of a response to someone who wanted Jesus to settle a family dispute about an inheritance. Throw in the topic of money, and family members, best friends, and work partners can become bitter enemies. Money is something that everyone wants and very few believe that they have enough. The love of money distorts our vision, changes our priorities and invites all kinds of trouble and problems. The thirst for money can be a drug and like drugs, it can consume us and control us and lead us to doing things that we never thought possible.

 

The man who asked Jesus to settle the family squabble about inheritance had a greed problem. In this parable, the rich farmer is the man who asked Jesus the question. He needed to see where he was at.

 

Now, there are some impressive things about this farmer. First, he’s successful. I couldn’t do what he did. Farming isn’t easy. There are so many factors beyond your control, such as weather, soil conditions, and bugs. Too wet in the spring, too dry in the summer, too wet in the fall can be disastrous for a farmer. This guy, the farmer in Jesus’ story, was sharp. He was successful. He was not only very productive, but it had made him rich. Second, he’s forward thinking. He had great plans. The current barns couldn’t hold all his crops. He had plans to expand. Larger barns. Many wouldn’t know what to do. Many would be afraid of the risks. Not this farmer. Full steam ahead. Third, he saw an end point in his future. Stay at it, build those new barns and then take it easy. Taking it easy and being a productive, rich farmer do not fit in the same sentence. He was looking to retire. He was going to slow down. He was going to let the crops in his new barns be his future. On paper, all of this looked great. This wasn’t a pipe dream of some young guy who never worked a day of his life. All the pieces were coming together and this farmer knew what he was doing.

 

Except he made one large mistake. He didn’t know. There were a series of things that he didn’t know. What he didn’t know changed this story. What should have been a picture of success turned into a tragic story of loss.

 

First, he didn’t know what time it was. The pop group Chicago had a song, “Does anyone know what time it is?” We can tell the time by our watches, but that’s not the time the famer needed to know. He was figuring on a future. He was counting on the barns, the crops, and himself. He didn’t know that he was going to be taken out of the equation. He never counted on dying, at least not then. Not now. He thought he would see the completion of the barns. He thought he’d get to enjoy the results of his hard work. He thought he’d finally get to rest. He simply didn’t know what time it was. God didn’t give him a week to get things together. God didn’t even give him another day. The text says, “This very night.” Too late to make secondary plans. Too late to contact someone else. Too late to make adjustments. The farmer went to bed and never work up in this world again. His soul was cast into eternity. Had he known, or had he been mindful of these things, he may have made other plans.

 

Someday will be our last day. For many, they will never know it is their last day. The day may begin as every day begins. Nothing special. No notice. No indications. But by nightfall, they have been ushered through the door of death and will not be coming back. Our farmer was prepared to live but he was unprepared to die.

 

Second, he didn’t know how poor he was. Now on the surface and in the bank, he seemed to be very well off. The text even calls him “rich.” Yet the story ends with these horrific words, “…not rich towards God.” He had a zero balance when it came to God. And, it wasn’t that he was a “Bad” person, as society uses that word. Nothing in the story points to drunkenness, sexual sins, abusing neighbors, theft, mean spirited, unforgiving or cheating—you won’t find that there. By all indications, he was honest as a farmer. But what you do find, by his own words, is a lot of talk about himself and no mention of God. It’s his crops, his barns, his future, his plans. Me. Me. Me. He doesn’t thank God for the favorable weather that allowed him to be productive. He didn’t thank God for his health that allowed him to do what he could. He didn’t indicate that he was glad to have so much so he could share with others and give more to the Lord. Those thoughts don’t cross his mind. It’s all his and it was all going to be used for him. Rich as he may have appeared, he was poor to God. An empty heart that has no purpose, and a life void of God is truly a waste. The steps of this farmer are followed by the masses today. Back in Jesus’ story, neighbors would be impressed with how well this man did. They would have envied having the ability, finances and need for larger barns. Most would be happy with a single barn. This guy had many barns. And today, it’s not barns, but the size of a house. It’s a sports car. It’s the latest and the greatest. I get notices from some online auction sites about up-coming auctions. One caught my attention the other day. It was an estate sale of a “reverend.” I was hoping for books. Nope. High dollar jewelry. Very expensive watches, worth thousands of dollars. Expensive art. High quality antiques. I looked at all the listings and was amazed that this was an estate belonging to a “reverend.” We can get more impressed with stuff than we can faith, conviction and commitment to the Lord. It’s better to be a poor farmer who walks with the Lord, than a rich one who doesn’t know the Lord. Without God, success is defined by what you own. But with God, those are simply things and what really matters is faith, love and trusting the Lord. This world is not our home and someday all these things will be destroyed.

 

The farmer had no idea how poor he really was.

 

Third, he didn’t know who would now take possession of his possessions. That night he died. All his stuff went to someone else. It may have been family. It may have been sold. It may have been neighbors who bought his land. It may have been other farmers who got his equipment. None of that matters. He was in eternity and someone else was enjoying what he never got to. Someone else took over. The stuff stays here. The work stays here. The plans stay here. The barns stay here. The productive fields stay here. The money stays here. It all stays, but the farmer left. He didn’t think about that. That wasn’t in his plans. His plans included him being here.

 

Now, a sharp person will have a will. A wise congregation will be thinking of a legacy. Who will preach when our preacher is no longer around? Who will be the next shepherds, when these are no longer around? The kingdom is bigger than we are and those are thoughts and discussions that wise stewards ought to have.

 

Fourth, this farmer didn’t know that the story could have had a different ending. He could have been rich towards God. He could have been thoughtful and thankful. His problem wasn’t being productive. Being rich isn’t a curse. His problem was that his heart had no room for God. And, it isn’t a matter of squeezing a little space in the back row for God to fit in. It’s about allowing Jesus to live in us. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, is how Paul stated it. With God, he still would have died. With God, however, his death could have touched others and his example could have helped others spiritually. He could have been an example of godliness. He could have made a difference in the lives of others. Rather than being known as the rich farmer, who could have been known as the godly brother. Kindness, joy, spirituality could have been his conversations rather than crops and barns. It didn’t have to end this way, but he didn’t know that.

 

And, as Jesus tells this story, we must look in the mirror ourselves. How will our story end? What is it that we are not aware of? How could our lives have a different ending? We don’t have to follow the steps of this foolish farmer. While there is life in our bodies, we can make changes. Do our plans include God? Does our conversations thank God? Barns, crops, future…but where’s God?

 

Sure makes a person think about himself doesn’t it…

 

Roger