30

Jump Start # 2685

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2685

Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good ways is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.”

Some things and some people are just hard to figure out. Here in our passage, God is pleading with the wayward nation of Judah to get back to following Him. Idolatry has torn their hearts away from God. The “no other gods before Me,” of the Ten Commandments had been long forgotten and tossed out the window for these people. They were bent on doing what they wanted to do.

And, it’s like that today. We can show, preach, plead with some to do what is right and they will just go the other direction. We care more for their souls than they do themselves. And, here in our passage the Lord shows the upside to following Him. It is the good way. You will find rest. Now, the opposite is what they were inviting into their lives by not following the Lord. Instead of good, it would be bad. Instead of rest, they would have turmoil. God is telling them what they ought to do. Their response was, “we will not walk in it.” Their minds were made up. Concrete had been poured and dried. They were not interested.

One has to wonder if God ever thought about revoking our free will. The blessing of free will is choice. God doesn’t make us, nor force us. He wants us to follow Him because we want to. But the nation was acting like a three-year-old. Walk this way, is what God said. They said, “Nope. We aren’t going to do that.” God didn’t send the nation to their room, although that might have been a good idea. No, in time, God allowed their choices to take them as far from God as they could get. Because of His promises, which He always keeps, He allowed the nation to be in captivity for more than a generation. Longer than the wilderness journey, Judah was in Babylonian captivity. Many were killed by the Babylonian invasion. Others would die in Babylon. A few were allowed to return.

Stubborn, full of pride, not caring about the eternal, Judah was Hell-bent on doing what they wanted. And, they did. And, what they got was not rest, but captivity. What they got was not good ways, but Babylonian ways.

And, here is what this looks like today:

  • The preacher has a lesson in mind for a couple of specific people. They are making wrong choices and they are headed away from the Lord. The preacher preaches his heart out. The ones that he had in mind never paid attention. They came in with a mind made up that they were going to leave just as they came. Unchanged. Unmoved. Indifferent.
  • A parent does all that he can to be a great example and role model for his son. But his son’s heart is already in the far country. He has lied to his parents. He has snuck out several times. He continues to hang out with those who will sink him lower and lower into wrong choices. The dad is beside himself. He’s tried talking, lecturing, counseling, mentoring—everything. This wayward heart doesn’t want to listen nor turn.
  • A wife does all that she knows how to keep the marriage above water. Her husband is no longer interested in the marriage, her or staying. He’s found someone else. His choices are wrecking the family. She pleads, but he doesn’t listen. She begs, but his heart is gone. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone about this. He is not interested in counseling. He doesn’t want to save the marriage. He wants out.

Wrong choices. Bad influences. Walking away from the Lord. There are times when we wish free will wasn’t so free and so easy. The heartache that the righteous go through and the tears that are shed could fill a river. Why does God allow this? Why doesn’t God change something? We wonder. We plead. We cry.

Free-will comes with a price. The blessing of choice also involves choosing the wrong fruit. So, what can we do when those that we love choose to do wrong?

First, loading guilt upon yourself doesn’t help matters. In some cases, maybe the guilt is deserved. Maybe we dropped the ball and didn’t do as we should. There has been those who were treated roughly and the scars have remained fresh for decades. All you can do is apologize, learn and try to do better. But our passage reminds us that some walked away from the Lord. God wasn’t to blame. God didn’t fail. God didn’t mess up. Even with the best, some choose to go the other way.

Second, we must never give up. As long as life is in the body, we continue to pray, set examples and try to get those we love back to the Lord. What doesn’t work in one method, causes us to try a different method. But we never, ever give up. Sometimes our efforts are casting pearls before the swine, but because of our love for these people, we will cast.

Third, freewill is enjoyed by those who respect it and use it wisely. I like having the freedom of choosing what I am going to preach about and what classes I am going to teach. I wouldn’t like that to be decided for me. I like the freedom to live where I want. I like the choice of eating what I like. Freewill can have wonderful benefits. However, freewill comes with consequences. Every choice leads somewhere. Every decision has ramifications. We can be as strong spiritually as we want to be. We can serve as closely as we want to. And, those right choices bring joy, love and assurance.

Finally, one day freewill will end. It ends in eternity. There will be no temptation in eternity. There will be no fear of failure, messing up or being kicked out of Heaven. That won’t happen. Satan won’t be there. There will be no bad influences. There will be no sin. We will be where we want to be. We will be doing what we want to do. We will enjoy the presence of God forever.

Won’t it be wonderful there.

Roger

29

Jump Start # 2684

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2684

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Here is a thought, and think about it deeply and carefully. What have been the blessings of 2020? Are you kidding? This year has been a mess. Covid. Social unrest. Political turmoil. Masks. Social distancing. Worship at home. School at home. Work at home. Stores closing for good. Economy crushed. No sports. Then, sports with hardly any fans. No place to vacation. Hurricanes. Fires out West. Funeral with only ten people allowed. Could a year be any worse? How ugly, messed up, inside out this year has been.

A few Saturdays ago, the shepherds and the preachers of our congregation met for three hours to map out the plans for next year. It’s an annual event. Lots of ideas, themes, classes, who we want to invite to come preach, what we want to emphasize. It’s always a great, great meeting. Many of the things we had planned this year had to be cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. We have limped along like many congregations and are starting to get a rhythm of connecting again. What will the new normal look like?

But as our session began, before we jumped into ideas, plans and themes, one of the leaders asked us to spend some time talking about what the blessings have been for this year. What a great thought! What a great beginning for our meeting. The challenges are apparent. The disappointments, concerns, troubles are in our eyes. But, what have been the blessings!

Let me share a few with you:

  • This year has taught us the true meaning of what worship is. For months were were worshipping in our homes with just our families. We learned that worship is not confined to a building but comes from the heart. Singing, praying and praising to God continues. Those early disciples long ago first taught us that. Many huddled in Roman catacombs, which is nothing more than an underground cemetery, to worship in.
  • We found how precious our fellowship and connections are. We can take those things for granted, but when we had that disrupted, it reminded us of how important every person is.
  • We learned that what we thought was “normal” may not have been good enough to get some to Heaven. And, as things start returning, a new normal may be what we truly need.
  • It gave us new ways to teach, especially through videos which opens the door for developing classes that may be more on line than in person. The generational model of being in the same location at the same hour for a class may not be the most effective method today.
  • It showed us the value of clear and concise communication, especially from the shepherds to the flock. Hearing and seeing the shepherds on a regular basis and having a voice that kept us in the Scriptures and encouraged us through the foggy darkness that we traveled through was so important.
  • The blessings of technology were wonderful. Having a team that could help us put information and quality material before the church, and even the world, on almost a daily basis kept us close to the Lord.
  • This period of turmoil has deepened the relationship among the shepherds and the preachers. We have had weekly conference calls and have had to navigate through some first time decisions. Together we have been together, in spirit, attitude and hope for the congregation. We are a tighter, stronger and better leadership than ever before.
  • There has been growth, even within this storm. New members. Conversions. Fresh faces that are willing to jump in and help out. The storms have blown through, but they haven’t stopped growth.
  • The challenges at home has been an opportunity to pull together as a family. We’ve spent more time together with our family and this has helped those relationships
  • The assurance that God is seeing us through these troublesome times and the trust and faith that we have in Him has helped us so much. We have never been alone. We have never been without God’s word. Our faith, conviction and hope has grown deeper and richer through this period of turmoil.

We talked about challenges. But for nearly an hour we reflected upon the blessings. The blessings found in a year of trouble. While so many, especially on social media are wanting to hurry past this season and flip the calendar and move on, it is good to see the blessings in the storm. While the world, and so many brethren, are comparing this year to an the worst things ever, some are seeing the rainbows in the storm clouds.

I would encourage all of you to take an hour and talk about the blessings of this year. It would be good for shepherds to get together and do this as they look at the congregation. One thing this will do is to show you that God has not abandoned us. He’s not waiting for us in 2021. He’s here. He’s blessing us. There are good things that can come from all of this and one of them may be a change in attitude and heart.

I am so thankful that we have the amazing shepherds that we do. Thoughtful. Careful. And, true spiritual leaders and giants. And, one of my greatest blessings this year has been to see them in action. They have gone down roads they have never traveled before. But with care, love and respect for the Scriptures, they have guided us safely. And, now that we begin to see the sun shinning through the clouds, we count our blessings and for me it’s been these men who have never taken their eyes off of Jesus.

Blessings in a storm…

Roger

28

Jump Start # 2683

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2683

Mark 3:2 “And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him.

Here was a group of people watching Jesus. They expected Jesus to heal the man with the withered hand. They just knew He would. So, they were watching. They were not watching with joy. They were not watching with hope. They had the critical eye. They had their radar guns pointed at Jesus. They were ready to pounce the moment He made a mistake. And, in their book, healing on the Sabbath was a big mistake.

Other times in the Gospels, we find a similar thought. In Luke 14, Jesus was in the home of a Pharisee. Again, it was the Sabbath. The text says, “they were watching Him closely.” You can just see them sitting on the edge of their seats. Every move Jesus made, they’d notice. Some would whisper to each other.

Do you remember the times you were watched closely? Remember taking your driver’s test for the first time. So many things to remember and you hoped that you wouldn’t mess up. If you have been in the military, you understand someone watching you closely. Standing at attention and a drill sergeant looks at you from head to toe. Maybe you had to recite some lines before a class or play a recital before a piano instructor. All eyes were upon you. Scared. Nervous. Trying to remember everything perfectly. Those were not fun times in our lives.

In some ways the world is watching us. Some are just waiting for you to slip up, say the wrong word, show a bad attitude, crack under stress and that’s all they need to loudly declare that you are a fake and a hypocrite. It’s hard to recover from those times.

Our families watch us and without realizing it we set before them the right or the wrong examples in life. Little ones will get a better impression of God from mom and dad at home than a month of sermons down at the church house.

And, you and I can be guilty of watching each other very closely. We look for mistakes. Then we tell everyone about them. We talk just loud enough that others can hear and agree with us. “We sang that hymn last week,” we say. “There’s a typo in the bulletin.” And, as we are doing this, our worship to God has gone out the window. We become more concerned what each other are doing that what our heart ought to be doing. Watching closely is a profession for some. Some have spent a life time doing this. They can tell you every mistake someone made from years gone by. Watching closely…it sure makes the rest of us nervous.

But there are some things we learn from this:

First, I only have to please God. I don’t have to please you. You may not like the way I dress, the sound of my voice, the type of car I drive, how my home is decorated, how well I take care of the yard, and ten thousand other things. Most of which do not matter at all. The one I’m aiming to please is the Lord. Sometimes folks get the idea that they are Heaven’s designated police force. Things must pass their inspection first, before it is approved by God. Nonsense. Focus upon God, do your best, put a smile on your face and walk right past those who are looking closely at you.

Second, it seems that while these Pharisees, and even us today, are busy looking closely at others, they are not seeing themselves. They are looking in the wrong direction. Had they looked closely at their attitudes, heart, walk, and words, things might have turned out better for them. The same goes for us. We allow others to bother us, while we don’t bother looking at our own walk in life. This is where the self-righteous and judgmental spirits are born. Those two have a nasty way of running people off and hurting feelings. Look closely at yourself would do us all a lot of good.

Third, don’t ever forget that God sees you. You can’t hide things from Him. He looks and wants you to do better He looks and loves what He sees. He looks and wants to help you. God is not looking to catch you messing up. He takes no joy in that. He wants you to do well and He wants you to do right.

What a shame that those Pharisees were so close to Jesus, yet they never really saw Him. And, I wonder how many are dong the same today. Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus!

Roger

25

Jump Start # 2682

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2682

Exodus 2:24 “God heard their cry of grief, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (CEB)

It was one of those phone calls that is hard to deal with. The other day the phone rang. The person on the other end was crying. She was crying hard. This happens when there is bad news about a death. But no one had died. She was crying because of her children. Grown, married and own their own, they have chosen to abandoned God. They no longer believe in God. And, to make matters worse, they have threatened to keep their children from seeing their grandma if she keeps talking about God. The tears flowed. I wasn’t much help. What this good heart released is the coming train wreck for her children spiritually. Living without God leads to an eternity without God. She knew. She’s prayed. She’s talked. She’s preached to them. But on this day, her heart was broken and she needed someone to talk to. I’m glad she called.

There are many, many, in fact, too many families like this. I have done so many funerals for a dear brother or sister in the Lord and at the funeral are all of these kids and grandkids show up. Never seen them before. They live in the area. They never worshipped with the one who was departed. At the funeral they come out of the woodwork. You meet them, say some kind things to them, but as soon as the funeral is over, you never see them again. So tragic.

Our verse shows the heart break and pain that Israel felt under the heavy oppression of Egypt. They cried. They wanted relief. They needed help. God raised up Moses to deliver His people. Life can be hard. Tears can be more common than smiles. Sometimes it’s hard to sit in worship and see generations of families, all close, loving and worshipping together. You see that and realize that your family is not like that. Your family may never be like that. And, with that the guilt starts. You wonder what you did wrong. You wonder if you were too harsh with them. You wander what these other families did that you didn’t do. And, the tears flow.

Let’s look at some lessons:

First, God sees our tears. Sometimes the preacher doesn’t know what to say. Sometimes no one knows what to say. You want things better, but the people you love so much do not care. They are not moving and you can’t change them. All you can do is cry, especially at night.

The Psalmist said, “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (56:8). Putting tears in a bottle—it’s as if God was saving them. Those tears were keepsakes for God. A broken heart that wants the best for others, God takes notice. This helps us to understand that you are not alone in how you feel. Not only are you not alone, but you have the greatest help anyone could have, God. God can put people in place that you cannot. God can do things that no one else can. God sees your tears. And, God has been there. Israel is described through the prophets both as a child and a wife to God. The child was rebellious. The wife was unfaithful. God pleaded for His people. They would not listen.

Second, sometimes prodigals do not come home. The Luke 15 story ends happily with the prodigal home with his father. Some prodigals would rather stay with pigs and they do. Some never come to their senses. Some would rather die than come home and many do. The Lord’s parable is not about a run-a-way boy, but a forgiving Father. We can pray, plead, cry, hope, promise, threaten, but that still won’t move some.

Third, we must remain true to God. Moving half way to the pig pen isn’t a good solution. Selling out what you believe so that some would come is buying their commitment. That doesn’t work. Promising a prodigal that if he comes back to the Lord, you’ll stop attending Wednesday nights will only weaken you and shows how little commitment you have. We must love the Lord above our family. God must always be first.

Fourth, some do not want to talk or reason about these things. The caller told me that her son does not believe in the Bible. “Great, I said. Where did it come from? Man? If man, how come there are things written in the Bible long before anyone knew them? How about prophecy being fulfilled? If from man, why can’t man write another book even close to this? Where’s the proof that man wrote this book?” Fair questions, if one wants to intellectually discuss these things as adults. But most don’t. Most don’t act like adults. They say, “I don’t believe,” without any reason, proof or evidence. They don’t want to, so they don’t.

The Bible does not apply only to those who want to believe. Deny it. Attack it. Try to destroy it. Criticize it. But in the end, you still are accountable to what it says. In the end, you’ll face the God that you say doesn’t exist. In the end, you’ll see that the Bible was true all along. Having a friendly conversation is a starting point. Let them throw fast balls. Give me the best reason why you don’t believe. Let’s look at that. But, most don’t want to talk about it, think about it, or spend any time on it. Just leave me alone, because I do not believe.

Finally, what can be said to a tearful parent who feels all alone because her family wants nothing to do with her faith? Understand, you are not alone. The Lord is with you. Your church family loves you and will support and encourage you. Pray. Continue to pray. Always pray. Continue to set the right example before their eyes. Say the name of the Lord in a thankful and honorable way. For instance, rather than saying, “It sure is a nice day,” say, “This is a nice day that the Lord has given us.” You are sprinkling the Lord in your conversation. Some will need a little pushing. Others, that’s all it takes and they will cut you off forever. Read your family and know how to approach them. Find little things to share, such as our “Quick quotes” on our website. Always be kind, compassionate, humble and helpful. Don’t be mean. Don’t get ugly. And, don’t give up!

The tears of our hearts are hard to deal with. Thankfully, we don’t carry these things on our own.

Roger

24

Jump Start # 2681

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2681

Hebrews 2:15 “and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

The fear of death—boy, that’s powerful, real and crippling for many folks. People don’t like to talk about death. People don’t want to talk about funeral plans, where to be buried and such things. Nope. Bring this topic up at a party, and you’ll clear the house and most won’t come back again. We avoid this topic until it’s forced upon us. But all around us, every day, we are reminded of death. The news. Social media. And those dreaded late night phone calls, telling us of someone’s passing.

I know of three families right now who are awaiting the death angel to come to a loved one. It’s just a matter of time, and it won’t be long.

Why is it that we are afraid of death? Here are some thoughts.

First, death is so final. It’s going through a door, but that door only swings one way. No one comes back. Every funeral that we have been to, that person has remained dead. No one can really tell us what it’s like. It is not like being at an amusement park and waiting in line, you see folks who just got off a ride. You look at the expressions on their faces. You hear them describe what they went through. That prepares you for what you are about to experience. Death isn’t like that. We are not meeting people who just went through it. It’s a one way road and that is scary. What’s on the other side? Will it hurt? What if I’m not ready? Lots and lots of questions that lead to fear and uneasiness.

Second, to our passage, until Jesus, death seemed to be the greatest victory Satan had. Jesus was the first to conquer death. He overcame death. He was resurrected never to die again. All others before that were resurrected, died again. Lazarus, the Lord’s friend, died again. The widow’s son, raised by Jesus, died again. Jairus’ little daughter, raised from the dead, died again. They all died again, until Jesus. And, because of Jesus, we too will be raised one day never to die again. That is our hope. That is our belief. We will be raised to live eternally with the Lord. In Heaven there is no death. Death and hades are thrown into the lake of fire.

Third, until Jesus, forgiveness wasn’t really possible. The O.T. way was a system of perfection and obedience. And, with death always in the air, what if I haven’t been right? What if I haven’t done enough? What if I haven’t been good enough? And the answer to all of those is simple, you haven’t. You are not walking up to Heaven on your own. If you were, you have no hope and no chance. It’s the grace of God that will save you. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. That changed everything. That made it possible for us to be righteous, holy and justified. Death was so fearful because after death stood Hell. There was no escaping that. But now, through Jesus, and because of Jesus, we can be forgiven. The concept of death now changes for the believer. Death is seen simply as a doorway, much like birth. Birth took us from the womb into here. Death takes us from here to there. And, there is where God is. So, death is merely a door. It’s a door that swings one way, but it’s just a door. Don’t get so fixated on the door. Don’t think about the door. It’s what’s on the other side that truly matters. Death gets us from here to there and there is where we want to be. On the other side, all the troubles of this life won’t find a place. There, on the other side, we will be with the righteous and our Lord. Jesus makes all of this possible.

Finally, what’s it like to die? Medically, we can learn about the shutting down of the organs until the heart stops. But, that’s not the answer we are looking for. What’s it like to die? Jesus told of angels gathering Lazarus and taking him to Abraham’s bosom. I believe that still happens. Does a person see the angels before they go? I don’t know.

I heard long ago a story of a boy who was dying from cancer. He asked his mother what was going to happen. She said, “Do you remember when you will little, and you’d fall asleep in front of the TV. Your father came and carried you up to your bed. When you woke up you wondered how you got there. You’ll close your eyes here and open them on the other side. Your Father in Heaven will send His angels and they will carry you to the other side. You’ll open your eyes and everything will be fine.”

When Jesus bent down and touched the hand of Jairus’ daughter who had died, He told her to arise. She opened her eyes. I expect the first person she saw was Jesus looking at her. I like to think when we close our eyes here, we will open them and see the face of Jesus.

I can’t tell you what it is like to die. But I can tell you, God will take care of you. He always does and He always has. It will be ok. Don’t dread, worry nor be fearful of this. Keep walking until it’s time for God to carry you home.

Roger