09

Jump Start # 2894

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2894

Luke 22:61 “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before a cock crows today, you will deny Me three times.’”

The setting of our passage takes place at Caiaphas’ home, the high priest. When we were in Israel this year, we visited this location. It was in the morning. As we were walking, looking and taking it all in, a rooster crowed. He crowed again. Four times that rooster crowed. We all noticed. It was so obvious.

Peter was told what was going to happen. And, it played out exactly as the Lord said. Peter denied and the rooster crowed. There are some things that we need to see here:

First, Peter remembered too late. That’s the problem we have. We know, but too often, the thrill of wrong pushes that knowledge to the back. We know, but knowing too late only adds to the guilt we feel. Why can’t we remember ahead of time? Why is it after the fact, after the denial that we remember? If I asked you who your third grade teacher was, many of your could tell me. If I asked what was your first car, you’d remember. Where was your wedding? You remember. But to pull that out of your memory, you had to stop, think a bit, and focus upon that intently. I expect most of us do not think about our third grade teacher unless there was a reason to. The memory is there, it’s just way in the back of our minds with lots of other things piled high on top.

So, to remember the Lord’s words, one has to put some effort into that. One has to be thinking that way. Could that be one reason the Jews were told to “bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” With the word visibly around them, they would likely remember. Having passages on decorative things in our homes reminds us. Having verses visible helps us remember. Peter remembered. He just remembered too late.

Second, what made Peter remember was a look. It wasn’t seeing the passage written out on a sign. It wasn’t a quote he saw on a piece of paper. Jesus looked. Jesus looked at Peter and that’s all it took. It brought that memory racing to the front. And, that might be the thing it takes for us. Parents understand this. Get a group of people together and as the adults are talking, the kids are playing. And, when things begin to get out of hand, one parent looks at his child. Their eyes connect. No words are necessary. It’s understood. Behavior changes in an instant. And, could this be one of the blessings of our fellowship. Together we see each other. No words have to be said. There is an understood sense of goodness and right about the things we are doing. There is a positive peer pressure. And, the more we have godly people in our lives, the more we may just be reminded of what we need to be doing. Jesus looked and Peter remembered.

Third, we know what happens after this. Peter is crushed. He has let the Lord down. The Lord could not count on Peter. The text tells us that Peter wept bitterly. He lost it. He did what he said he would never do. The Lord who he as been with for three years, was denied by Peter. He looked out for his own safety. He took care of self, it that meant turning his back on the Lord.

The guilt of sin is greater than any pleasure sin gives. The fun lasts very shortly. The guilt can stay with us the rest of our lives. Broken promises. Hurt people. Ruined lives. We can say we are sorry, but that doesn’t stop the damage that has been caused. The tears, pain and broken heart and the remorse for doing what should never have been done crushes us when we sin. Peter showed that the Lord could not count on him. Peter illustrated that he had little faith and no courage. The voice of servant girls made Peter a coward, when just moments before, in the garden, Peter was thrashing a sword around. So brave there and such a coward now.

Tears are good. Guilt serves a purpose. The real problem comes when one denies the Lord and feels nothing. No shame. No tears. No guilt. When sin is practiced and there is no second thoughts. Such a person is losing their heart and they do not even realize it.

Fourth, as the text flows, the Lord isn’t through with Peter. Jesus would die. He would be buried and raised. The first two men to the tomb were Peter and John. Go tell Peter, was the divine message to the women. It was the Lord who later told Peter to feed my sheep. The Lord verbally told Peter that He loved him. It was Peter who preached that first sermon in Acts 2. It was Peter who first went to the Gentiles with the Gospel message. Beaten, chased and in prison, Peter would later write, that to suffer as a Christian was an honor.

Sometimes when we have let the Lord down, we feel like just going home, for good. We quit. We’ve failed and we don’t count any longer. But that’s not the case. God’s not finished with you yet. The Lord who loves, forgives. The Lord who teaches, offers a second chance. The Lord hasn’t given up on you. Broken, the Lord can mend you. Beat up, the Lord can heal you. Guilty, the Lord can forgive you.

Jesus looked…Peter remembered.

Roger

06

Jump Start # 2893

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2893

Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master, then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect? says the Lord of hosts to you, o priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”

Malachi—the last book of the Old Testament. It isn’t a happy ending to the first section of the Bible. In fact, the final word in the book, the last word of the Old Testament, is “curse.” There was a curse in the front part of the Bible. And, now, at the close of the Old Testament comes yet again, “curse.”

Our verse today magnifies one of the many, many problems running through those times. The nation had already been in captivity. Lessons learned, one would think. But not so. The temple had been rebuilt and the people were given a second chance by God. But their hearts were weary and they were busy playing “church.” Empty, shallow and vain was their worship. And, now, through the words of Malachi, God is calling them out for their sins.

God was wanting honor and respect. But he was not receiving any. Masters and fathers would get more than what God was receiving. In all of this, we see some lessons.

First, God has expectations. He expected Israel to honor and respect Him. He expected heartfelt worship. He expected obedience. Far too many believe that God doesn’t care. God has no expectations. So whatever we do in worship is fine, because God is not looking for anything. And, that spirit is so opposite what we find in the Bible, even the Old Testament. Magnify the Lord, is what the Psalmist said. God has expectations. He did then and He does today. A casual, flippant attitude makes it seem as if God is so desperate for our attention, that he’ll take anything. He didn’t like what was going on in Malachi’s day. He didn’t accept the change in worship that Nadab and Abhiu promoted. He didn’t accept Cain’s offering.

The bar is raised high. We must come to God in excellence, doing our best. Years ago, we had what we called, “church clothes.” We only wore those clothes to church, weddings or funerals. As soon as we got home, mom told us to take off our church clothes and put on our play clothes. Many of your remember those days. The casual atmosphere of today has folks wearing “play clothes” to church because they are likely to “play” as they are to worship. Song leaders, stop walking to the front, thumbing through the song book, trying to find what song to lead. Get those songs ready early in the week. Practice them over and over. Be ready. You are coming before the king. The same could be said of class teachers, as well as those who lead the Lord’s Supper thoughts. Give God your best. He deserves excellence.

Second, the church also has expectations. When one becomes a member of a congregation, there are some responsibilities and commitments on his part. We are not bargaining over the price of a car. “I’ll be a member here, but I’ll come when I feel like it.” Excuse me? Did you not make a commitment to the Lord? Get yourself down to the church building and worship and fellowship as you ought to. We need to give, as the Bible teaches, as we have prospered. None of this pitiful giving because I’d rather keep it for myself. And, Bible classes, where are you? Maybe if some of us picked up what is expected of us, we’d grow and the church would grow.

Third, there are expectations in the home as well. If you’re married, stop acting like you are single. Get home. Tell people where you are and when you plan to be back. Stop doing just what you want to do and learn to give as well as take. When you said your vows, you “I do” to honoring, respecting and loving. And, when those things are missing, the foundation begins to crumble.

Your kids expect you to be a parent. They have friends. They have buddies. You need to parent. You need to set the rules. You need to show the example. You need to lay the law down when necessary. And, when you stop being a parent, the home suffers.

It’s amazing that we expect God to do things for us. We expect God to forgive us, every time we ask. He doesn’t owe us forgiveness. Just because we ask, He isn’t forced to forgive. It is a gift, a blessing from God. We expect God to hear our prayers. No matter how infrequent we may pray, when we do, we expect that prayer to go through and reach the Lord. We expect blessings such as another day, good health, nice weather. Those are so common that we forget that they are from God.

We wouldn’t be very happy with God if He did not live up to our expectations. Yet, how is it when those roles are reversed? God expects you. What happens when we do not live up to those expectations?

Where’s the respect? Where’s the honor? Fair questions asked by the Lord.

Roger

05

Jump Start # 2892a

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2892

Matthew 26:11 “For the poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me.”

Our verse rather surprises us. It’s not what we would expect Jesus to say. We would think that Jesus was a defender of the poor. The poor in spirit is what leads off the beatitudes. The poor have the gospel preached to them. Jesus seemed to be a friend to those who were troubled and down on their luck, as some express it. A woman with, as Matthew states it, “an alabaster vial of costly perfume,” pours it upon the head of Jesus. Mark tells us that this perfume could have been sold for three hundred denarii. One denarii was a days wage  for a common laborer. So, we are looking at perfume that cost nearly a whole years’ income. What do you make in a year? Fifty thousand? Seventy-five thousand? A hundred thousand? Imagine having one bottle of perfume that costs that much.

This wasn’t common everyday stuff. This was saved and used for one of two purposes: either a bride for her wedding, or for a funeral. If sold that would have bought several meals for poor people. It could have helped many, many people. The disciples were ugly towards this woman for her wastefulness. But Jesus saw it differently. Our verse sets the tone: the poor are always here, I’m not.

Some lessons for us:

First, Jesus never tried to rid the world of poverty. Some seem to think that was His purpose. Improving life here came secondarily to improving our relationship with the Lord. It seems that some politicians have in their thinking that if more was done then we could rid this country or even the world of poverty. Give away money. Provide all that they are lacking. Ideas, programs and legislation all aimed at removing the plague of poverty. If enough was done, it is thought, our country would be rid of this once and for all. Jesus said the poor are always with us. Always. Some do not know how to manage money. The more money given to them, the more they would waste it. Others could be helped and life changes could be set in place. But still the words of Jesus ring true, “the poor you have with you always.”

Second, many today would really be bothered by Jesus’ words. They’d expect Jesus to side with the disciples and rebuke this woman for wasting valuable perfume. Rather than hoarding it, sell it. Give the money to the poor. Help your fellow man. But that wasn’t the direction the Lord went. He praised this woman. He said what she did was good. And, this is a good reminder that we can’t always anticipate what the Lord would say. Let the Lord speak for Himself. He understood that this woman recognized what was about to happen. She was anointing the Lord before His awful beatings, scourging, being spit upon, carrying a heavy cross and finally, being nailed to that cross. He would die. She grasped that.

This tells us that when someone says, “I think God would like this,” they might just be wrong. We might say, “Sell and help the poor.” Jesus didn’t say that. Don’t guess what God would say. Look and see. Unless revealed, we simply do not know.

Third, John reveals that it was Judas who demanded that the perfume be sold and the poor helped. John adds that Judas didn’t care about the poor. He was wanting to steal the money. He was dishonest and a thief. He hid his intentions behind a noble cause of helping the poor. The same happens today. People will use the name of Jesus to promote their own agendas or themselves. The idea of Judas was ruined by his wicked heart.

Fourth, selling the perfume would have helped some poor, but it would not have eliminated poverty. It was a band-aid for a much deeper and more serious problem. And, this reminds us that Jesus didn’t come to fix all the woes of society. He left this planet with poor people here. There are still poor people here. Jesus didn’t solve crime. Jesus didn’t solve pollution. Jesus didn’t fix corruption in politics. He didn’t wipe out diseases. He didn’t end racism. He didn’t even tell us how to deal with weeds in the garden, that has been around since the days of Adam. In some ways, a person could say, “It looks like Jesus didn’t do anything worthwhile or lasting.” “The world was a mess then, and it is still a mess today.” However, that wasn’t the intention nor the purpose of the Lord’s coming. He came to seek and to save what was lost. He came to give abundant life—and that wasn’t by changing the weather patterns, or ending corruption. What Jesus did had an eternal factor to it. It was the salvation of our souls. It wasn’t His job to end poverty. It wasn’t His job to end diseases. His role was spiritual and His death brought about salvation.

I saw recently that one politician was advocating giving everyone $1,200 a month. Not for a month—but forever. Where will that money come from and who will pay for it was not in the article. And, in a pipe dream, some believe that would end poverty. It wouldn’t. Double that amount and poverty will still be a part of our times. Jesus said, the poor are always with you.

Wasting perfume or honoring the Lord? Wasting time or praising the Lord? Better use of things or the best use of things?

Sure makes us think for a moment…

Roger

04

Jump Start # 2891

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2891

Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

We have had several funerals this year. After the funeral homes, cemeteries, and the grief lifts a bit, there is the going through things. A house has to be dealt with. Clothes. Paperwork. And, from our passage, inheritance. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children—we call that grandchildren.

Here are a few thoughts I have learned:

First, it’s a blessing when a person has put some thought into this. There is still meetings, paperwork and lots of things to be done, but it sure is a whole lot easier when things are spelled out, and simplified this way. Some don’t want to think about death. Some must have the idea that they are going to take another exit ramp and avoid death. It’s not going to happen. And, one can leave things in such a mess, where no one knows where important papers are, which bank holds the lock box, and the layers of burdens can be frustrating. Don’t do that to your family. Get your house in order is what Hezekiah was told. That begins spiritually, but includes financially and letting others know where things are.

Second, inheritance can be a blessing or it can be a curse. We see the downside of it through the children of Hollywood’s stars. No responsibility, too much money, no plans and that’s all it takes for drugs, disaster and heartache. I know of at least four or five congregations that received money from estates this year. Again, that can be a blessing or a curse. People can go through money, just like eating M & M’s and there is nothing left to show for it. An inheritance can change the future for some. Paying off debt, investing, building a college fund, learning to be generous as others have been to you are some of the upsides to an inheritance.

Third, a greater blessing to our grandchildren is our legacy and walk with the Lord. A lifetime of faithfulness, a journey of trust, a period of helping others, serving the Lord, are memories and lessons that can help our grandchildren for a long time to come. As your grandchildren get older, let them see your Bible. Let them flip through and see the worn pages, the words underlined and the comments left in the column. Your old Bible has helped you and shaped you. It’s a treasure chest of your faith and heart that loves the Lord. What a blessing to pass that old Bible on to someone who will honor and treasure it.

Fourth, the memories you build now with your grandchildren will be something that will live on long after you are on the other side. I still have fond memories of my grandparents. I can hear my grandma sort of whistling as she swept the kitchen floor. She was cheerful, sweet and a blessing. When she passed, there was little that I received. But since my dad passed, I now have her diaries, pictures and lots of things I treasure dearly. Are they worth anything? Nope. But they belonged to someone I loved. More important than leaving money is leaving you in their hearts. Without a relationship, in many ways all you are doing is giving money to a stranger who happens to be in the family tree. It takes time to build those relationships, but do it the best you can.

Finally, in order for a good man to leave an inheritance to his grandchildren, he must be planning, thinking and working that way. Spending it all on self and living paycheck to paycheck will not leave anything, other than debt and a mess for someone else to clean up. I suppose the passage calls this person “good” because he’s put thought into others and not just himself. He wants to help others. The word “good” is not used very often in the Bible. Very few people are called “good.” And, here, as we often use it, it is because of what he is doing. He is a good man because he is helping others. He is making a difference.

I believe one of the greatest torches that we can pass on to the next generation is that of generosity. Kind words. A joyful spirit. A faithful life. A generous heart. Those are blessings to both the present and future generations.

A good man does more than recognize those things—he has become those and is using them to help others. This is a breath of fresh air in the stale, selfish times that we live in.

Roger

03

Jump Start # 2890

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2890

Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time.”

From our verse we learn that the temptations were finished, but the devil wasn’t. He hadn’t given up yet. There was no white flag being waved. He’d be back. He’d come in the form of Peter, who rebuked Jesus. He’d come in the form of Pharisees, who tested, twisted and turned everything Jesus said, upside down and inside out. He’d come in the form of shouts from the crowd at the Calvary who dared Him to come off the cross. The devil tried. He tried hard. Jesus was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

There are some things we ought to see from this:

First, the devil isn’t finished with you, either. As long as there is breath in your body and you are walking on the Lord’s side of things, the devil is after you. Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts.” Light years ago, I was invited to speak at a church. They told me to bring a lesson that I liked. I did. It was a sermon on “fleeing youthful lusts.” The youngest guy in the congregation was in his mid 60s. But there are also middle age lusts. And, there are lusts for senior citizens. The type and nature of the lusts may change, but what doesn’t change is that the devil is still after you. He has chased us all of our lives. There have been days when it seems that he won, but there are many more days when we know that he hasn’t.

All of this tells us that there is no coasting along as Christians. We must keep our guard up and be alert. We must put on that full armor of God. The arrows of Satan fly across the skyway, but with the help of God we will make it safely through.

Second, somethings in life seem to repeat and come back around. It’s looking more and more like this pandemic is firing up again. The first time around, most churches were caught off guard. We hurriedly put things together, cancelled things and limped along as best as we could. Now, we know. Now, if the storm clouds darken again, we ought to be better prepared. Shame on us if we get caught off guard again. Be talking. Be planning. Be stock piling. Be ready. Let’s do things better this time, if there is a second wave. Better communication among the shepherds. Better communication between the shepherds and the flock. Better use of social media. Better ways to stay connected and better ways to teach.

Third, Satan is looking for an “opportune time.” Phillips states this as: “the next opportunity.” Just when is a good time for Satan? Have you thought about that? Have you heard a sermon on that? Anger, Paul told the Ephesians, gives the devil an opportunity. When we are mad, we typically don’t think. We let our emotions get the best of us. We say things that we shouldn’t. We make decisions that are not thought out well. Opportunity. Opportunity for us to sin. Opportunity for us to put our light of influence out. Opportunity to join the devil in doing wrong.

When did Satan first tempt Jesus? In the wilderness, when Jesus was alone, tried and hungry. Opportunity. The devil knows when you are alone. The devil knows when you are stressed. The devil knows when you are tired. Those times are golden moments for Satan. Away from your church family—an opportunity. Out of town– an opportunity.

If we can learn about opportunities, then we can go a long way in protecting ourselves from Satan. Learn to step up your game when you are in those moments. I hate snakes. I hate snakes with a passion. And, I know, some well tell me that snakes kill mice and that they are good. So will a cat. While I was out of town recently, my wife was pulling weeds at the back of our place near the woods. She saw a snake. A big one. A copperhead. She found a neighbor and he took care of it. It didn’t go to Heaven, either. Now, when I’m back there, I’m looking very carefully. My mind is attentive to the area. We must be the same when we are in those moments of Satan’s opportunities.

Fourth, Satan left Jesus for a period. That is good to know. There are moments when Satan won’t be hounding you. There are times he leaves, especially if you resist. James promises that Satan will flee. Not for good. Not forever. But for a moment. And, it is then that you catch your breath. It is then that you take spiritual inventory. It is then that you rest, pray and get ready for the next round. Not every waking moment of every day is an attack from Satan. It’s not that way. I especially find comfort during worship. Worship can seem like a spiritual oasis. We need that.

You and I also have opportune times. Times to invite. Times to have a conversation. Times to do good. Those opportunities often do not come at a good time for us. But we can make adjustments. We can work things out.

The devil left…but he was certainly coming back.

Roger