31

Jump Start # 3156

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3156

1 Samuel 3:1 “Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.”

Our verse today is the background story to when God called Samuel. For a long, long time, Samuel would serve as God’s faithful prophet, anointing the first kings of Israel. But this is how the story began. And, in this passage, we are told that the word of the Lord was rare in those days.

Truth be told, the words from Heaven were often rare. I tend to believe that so many have the idea that God spoke nearly everyday and to everyone in Bible times. The concept some have is that God was chatty and talked and talked and talked. But have you noticed that many “heroes” of the Bible never heard directly from God. Caleb, Esther, Mordecai, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, there is no indication that God spoke directly to them.

Now, contrast that fact with examples such as the 2012 Passion Conference in Atlanta, which was attended by 40,000 people. The who’s who of modern preachers, such as John Piper, Beth Moore and Francis Chan highlighted the conference. The audience was asked “How many of you heard the voice of God speak specifically, clearly, directly and personally to you? I’d like you to share it. Can you put up a hand for a minute? Just look around; that’s people saying, ‘God Almighty, the Maker of Heaven—He spoke to me. He spoke to me. God spoke to me.” And, hundreds and hundreds held their hands high in the air. And, as shocking as that is, many among our own brethren are now saying similar things. There has been a gentle shift away from faith and towards feelings. And, with that shift, a movement away from the written word of God to what a person thinks God tells them. A divine nudge and a trusting in what one feels more than what one knows. Where this leads to is a person saying, “I know what the Bible says, yet I feel God wants me to do this.” And, with that, feelings top faith and my inner self tops what the Bible says. “I feel that God wants me to be happy,” so someone who feels trapped in a marriage, looks for the exit door. They do this believing that God approves of their decision and actions. They couldn’t put a verse on what they are doing, but they sure could put a mountain of feelings.

Some thoughts about this:

First, this ought to alarm us. Those that lead God’s people need to be watching for these things. Shifting away from the written word is a step away from God. Our faith is not based upon feelings but upon the word of God. The Bereans didn’t just know what Paul said was true, they searched the Scriptures to see. Listen to what is being said in Bible classes. See what people are posting on Facebook. The religious culture around us is influencing many, many disciples. What are people reading? Do you know? A steady diet of Beth Moore, Francis Chan and the like is nothing more than spiritual junk food.

Second, there is a place for feelings in our walk and worship with the Lord. Some have gone so far the other way that they sit like a zombie during worship. No emotions and no feelings is not the answer here. A child one day was standing in the pew smiling and waving at the people behind her. The child’s mother pulled her down, and slapped her leg. The child started to cry and the mother said, “that’s more like it.” No, it’s not. We ought to be happy, smiling and enjoying our fellowship with the Lord and His people. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing after he was baptized. Some would frown on that. Some would declare, “there’s no rejoicing in this place.”  And, that sour spirit and expressionless look upon our faces is why some young people run to the other extreme. How can we sing, “I’m happy today, I’m happy today,” without a smile on your face?

Third, God never uses feelings as the determination of what is right or wrong or His acceptance of us. Many a person has said, “I feel saved.” The Bible was written to establish the fact that Jesus died for our sins. The death of Jesus is told as a matter of fact. If man were writing that, we’d have pages and pages of emotions, tears and feelings. John wrote in his letter, “when you read these things” you’ll know you are saved. That’s the way God does things.

Feelings can be misleading. How many times have we driven somewhere, thinking we knew where we were, only we didn’t. A wife can watch a Hallmark Christmas movie and tear up. Her husband is so bored, he’s checking his phone. We can stand in front of a modern piece of art and the guide can tell us about the pain the artist was feeling and how this portrait shows the drama between the working class and the political power structure. You and I looking at that same painting think the artist sneezed in his paint bucket. We don’t see any of that. We don’t feel the artist pain. We think a three-year-old can draw better than that. Feelings are misleading. Feelings are not the same. Feelings can change.

God chose to communicate through words. Words have definite meaning. Words can be explained. Words can be copied. Words can be translated. Words can be understood. Words stand the test of time. God chose words.

And, when words collide with our feelings, it is the words of God that are correct. We may not feel like going to worship, but we know we should. We may not feel like forgiving someone, but we know we should. We may not feel like helping someone out, but we know we should.

  • Paul told the Ephesians, when you read what I wrote, you will not my insight into the mystery of Christ (3:4).
  • John said, “I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

God told His servants to preach the word.

Roger

30

Jump Start # 3155

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3155

Psalms 127:3 “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

The signs of fall are all around us. The days are getting cooler. The night is getting longer. And, in the mornings, yellow school buses pass our homes. The stores are lined with “back to school” supplies. College kids have gone off to the universities and another school year has begun.

Three things are happening right before the eyes of parents. You may not want to admit these, but it’s true.

First, you child is changing. That cute little chubby baby has stretched out. He may now be taller than his parents. Every year, back to school means new clothes and new shoes because your child has outgrown last year’s. But it’s more than just the outside that is changing. They are changing on the inside.

  • They are thinking for themselves, forming their own opinions and shaping their own ideas. When a child is small he naturally likes the things the parents do. Same sports. Same teams. Same music. But as they grow, they start finding their own tastes and their own likes.
  • The scope of influence in your child’s life is increasing rapidly. When your child is small, he lives a pretty sheltered life. You decide what shows he’ll watch and who his friends will be. But as he grows, that influence grows. Teachers. Fellow students. Social media. Professors. Friends. Parents realize that the little sheltered bubble is no longer around their child anymore. They will hear about things that we never talked about at home. They’ll hear words that were never said at home.

The faith and conviction of your child will determine whether or not your child will be swayed by these influences.

Second, as a parent you begin to lose your status and importance in your child’s life. That’s hard on parents. We’ve been everything to our children. We’ve been their security, their friend and their hero. But, now they are growing up. There will be times when they’d rather be with friends than you. And, as time passes, your child will meet someone and fall in love and your level of importance will drop even more. Then the day comes when you child moves out on their own. Your role now shifts to advisor and often your advise isn’t asked. Sometimes they don’t want to hear your advice. There was a time when you picked out their outfits, knew where they were every minute and even told them when to go to bed. But as they have matured and moved out on their own, you no longer have that impact. Days may pass and you don’t hear from them.

Some parents do ok with this. Others have a hard time. Some interfere too much in the lives of their adult children. This often causes troubles with son–in-laws and daughter-in-laws. Leaving father and mother and clinging to your wife is not about location but the beginning of a new family. They may do things that you don’t. They may do things that you do not like. As long as it is not sinful, parents need to step back and allow their children to spread their wings. Their choices and their decisions may be much different than the way you raised them. That’s hard on us parents.

Third, the Lord remains the same. When Joshua took over after the death of Moses, the nation didn’t throw up their arms  and declare that everything is now different. God was still there. The God of Moses was the God of Joshua. God will be there.

Remember, that God has plans for your child and can use your child for good. God will be there when you cannot. God will be there when you are no longer on this side of life. These principles will help your child. These principles ought to guide your child.

My suggestion would be to make the most of your time while you still are the greatest influence in their lives. Turn the TV off and spend time playing, talking, sharing and teaching. Tell them about your family history. Tell them your story of how you came to Christ. The day is coming when they will be too busy to listen. Get those lessons in them early.

Teach your child to think for himself. That is lacking in these days. They will hear things and to be as the Bereans, to search the Scriptures daily to see if those things are true is most remarkable gift you can give them. There are so many opinions, ideas and philosophies floating around these days. Don’t follow fads. Don’t just follow the crowd. Think and think things out.

Always be there for your child. Let your child know that you will always love him. I had a dream the other night. The kids were fussing and I had to settle a dispute. I woke up and realized that there are no kids in my house any longer. I wished I could turn the clock back and have them back, but that can’t happen.

Back to school is a powerful reminder of what a great opportunity, wonderful gift and challenging task that God has put in our hands. Our children. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full.

Roger

29

Jump Start # 3154

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3154

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

Our verse today is so familiar to us. We’ve heard it all of our lives. We’ve seen “John 3:16” on a sign at a ballgame. We’ve seen it spray painted on posts. The passage defines what the Bible is all about. The passage explains what the mission of Jesus was. So simple. So familiar. And, so easy to take for granted and to not put much thought to it.

 

  In his letters, John would later tell us that “God is love,” and, that “He first loved us.” Good students of the Bible understand that this love is not an emotional feeling. It’s not that are so adorable and cute. It’s not that God couldn’t live without us. That thinking distorts the truth and makes us think more of ourselves than we ought to. God’s love is a choice. God’s love is demonstrated in actions.

 

  Here are five reminders about the incredible love of God.

 

  First, God loves you even when you do not think about Him. The love between God and us is not like a power cord. Unplug the cord and the power ceases. If you are vacuuming a room and you stretch the cord to far and it becomes unplugged, your sweeper stops. Without the power cord it doesn’t work. God’s love is not like that. We may go hours, or sadly even days, without thinking about God. He still loves you.

 

  Second, God still loves you when you disobey Him. This does not mean that God approves of your rebellion. It does not mean that God looks the other way and ignores your sins. He sees them. He knows. Yet, He still loves. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Did you catch the “while we were yet sinners”? It wasn’t after we were sinners. Nor, when we promised never to do wrong again. Nor, after we repented. No, while we were sinners, Christ came. The best came at the worst possible time. We weren’t showing our best. We weren’t doing our best. God loves you. He loves you even when you break His heart.

 

  Third, God loves you even though He knows everything about you. No one knows you better than God does. Sometimes we are good at hiding secrets and telling people just certain things. We always keep the curtain partially closed on things in our lives that we do not want anyone to know. If you really knew me, many think, you probably wouldn’t like me. This has led some to be very selective in what they tell others. It makes transparency difficult. And, for some, this translates to their feelings with God. They are not as open as they ought to be, fearing that God may no longer like them. God knows. You can never surprise God. God will never think, “Wow. I didn’t know you did that.” He knows. He knows your motives, your attitudes, your thoughts, the little things we say under our breath that we think no one else hears. God knows. He knows and He still loves you. Remarkable. Amazing.

 

  Fourth, God has never stopped loving you. Since the day you came, God has loved you. Now, the same can’t be said of us. There has been times when we haven’t liked other people, even our own family. Many a teen has said hateful things to their parents. And, there was a season or longer for all of us when we were out in the far country of sin. We didn’t give God much thought. Some even fought God, denied God and mocked God. God still loved us, even then. Yes, there has been moments in our lives when we haven’t loved God, but there has never been a time when God has not loved you. We might wonder and even question that. Why were my prayers not answered “yes,” if He loves me. Why did bad things happen to me if He loves me? Why has my life been so difficult if He loves me? Job suffered, yet God loved Him. The heroes in Hebrews 11 all suffered and God loved them. The presence of difficulties in your life is not an indication of how much God loves you. Those who have the best life are loved the most and those who have struggled a lifetime, God barely loves. Not true. Not at all. God uses trials and temptations as His classroom to teach us and mold us into the character that is strong, spiritual and helpful. God has never stopped loving you.

 

  Fifth, you cannot do anything to make God love you more. This is hard for us to grasp. We tend to think if I go to worship services, read my Bible and make right choices, God will love me more. He won’t. He can’t. He already loves you all that He can. 100%. That’s just not the way we think. You buy me a present and I’ll like you. You get me some Dodgers tickets and I’ll really like you. That’s not the way God operates.

 

  Then, why go to worship? Why try? Why read the Bible? If God can’t love me any more than He already does, why am I doing those things? And, maybe it’s time we asked that question. Is that the reason you go to worship? Are you trying to impress God or win Him over to your side? Do you feel that doing those things makes you a better person than those who do not do those things? Maybe the reason and the motive behind what we have been doing is wrong.

 

  In our congregation we have a bunch of young engaged couples. The world of a young engaged girl turns upside down once she says “yes,” to “Will you marry me?” From that time on, it’s all about the wedding. Wedding magazines and wedding websites fill her day. It’s about the right place, the right dress, the right music, the right food, the right colors, the right decorations. I know, I’ve seen this. Details down to the right forks and even the napkins are sought after and decided. Why? Does the girl do this so her beloved will love her? He has already asked her to marry him. She doesn’t do this to get him to like  her, she does this BECAUSE he likes her. She wants everything to be perfect.

 

  It’s that way with us and the Lord. Why do I go to worship so often? Not to get God to like me. He already does. I do that BECAUSE He likes me. Why read the Bible? Because God loves me and I want to know everything about God. Why make the right choices? So, God will love me? No, He already does. I want to please God and making the right choices does just that.

 

  God loves you. For God so loved the world…

 

  Amazing!

 

  Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 3153

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3153

Genesis 37:3 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.”

Joseph and his coat of many colors—this is something that many of us have heard from early days in children’s Bible classes. What we were not told then was how broken, dysfunctional and destructive that family was. Our passage begins with the text telling us that Israel love Joseph more than all his sons. Today, we call that favoritism.

We all have favorite foods, movies, vacation spots, songs, and even verses in the Bible. But when it comes to family, favoritism breeds jealousy, hatred and destruction, as it did in that home years ago. There is something that seems to be overlooked in this story. Israel made a coat of many colors and it appears that Joseph wore it. He is not five years old. Wearing that colorful coat just flaunted his position with his father before the eyes of his brothers. They didn’t get a coat of many colors, only Joseph. He’s old enough to make decisions. Maybe he should have turned down the coat. Maybe he should have suggested that all the brothers get one. He’s special and the others knew that and they hated him for that.

Now some lessons that we ought to see here:

First, feelings in the home are fragile. Everyone wants to be on top and everyone is fighting for attention. Dinner time can be loud as everyone wants to be heard. Parents have to walk a careful line here. It’s easy for Dads to favor sons and moms to favor daughters. Children will pick up on that quickly. Watch how much time you give to each of your children. Try to be balanced and find what interests they have and pursue that with them.

Second, we can be guilty of making things more difficult. The day that Joseph was taken and put in the pit, he was wearing the coat of many colors. One wonders if he wore that every day. Pushing buttons will eventually lead to a blow up. It did in Israel’s home. The plan was to kill Joseph. Imagine that. Then it shifted to getting rid of him by selling him. Lies were concocted to cover up their wicked plans. Deceit. Evil. Hatred. One must wonder what would have happened had Joseph not worn that coat. Now, is he to blame for this? Not necessarily. Israel is the failure. He created an environment of favoritism. Those who are in, win. Those who are out, lose. The first child. The only daughter. The last child. And, then there are people like me, stuck in the middle. Middle child syndrome only exists if the parents create such an atmosphere. I wonder what would have happened if Joseph allowed each brother to wear the colorful coat. Would that have changed their hearts and their plans?

Third, even within our fellowship favoritism can exist and it can harm our fellowship. Favorite elder. Favorite member. Favorite preacher. We preachers can get jealous. Some can feel left out and before long they’ll leave because of that. So don’t always go to the same shepherd each time you need to talk. Don’t always go to one preacher to talk to. Don’t always have the same family over for dinner. Balance things out. Share with others. Broaden your fellowship. Some can feel out because they are never invited in.

Fourth, even out of troubled homes good can happen. Look at the life story of Joseph. His character is kind, faithful and forgiving. He didn’t hold grudges. He didn’t believe in payback. He spent more time in Egypt than in his homeland. He could have forgotten about his family and his past. But he never did.

So, maybe you grew up knowing that you weren’t the favorite. Are you going to use that the rest of your life as an excuse and are you going to continually refer to that the rest of your life? Maybe you and your siblings did not get along well growing up. And, even as adults, there isn’t much in common these days. You can dismiss all of this as the way you brought up, or you can try to build bridges and make things better today.

Because Israel had a favorite doesn’t mean that the kids had to have favorites. Some have a hard time moving forward from the way they were raised. That seems to have marked them and crippled them for life. Then there are those like Joseph who seem to do so well. It’s a matter of choices. It’s a matter of faith. It’s a matter of realizing that God loves us all and God doesn’t have favorites.

That colorful coat sure caused a lot of trouble. Today, it may be a car, cell phone, a tablet or special outing. It doesn’t take much, but it can sure turn a family upside down.

Do you think you would have worn that colorful coat? Sure is something to consider.

Roger

25

Jump Start # 3152

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3152

Matthew 22:16 “ And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.”

The character of Jesus not only shines forth in this passage but it reminds us that others recognized it. Jesus, the truthful teacher. Jesus, accurate with God’s word. Jesus, not partial to any. They came to this conclusion from watching Jesus and in their dealings with Jesus. The suspicious eyes were always on Jesus. Any slip up, any mistake, any misspoken word and the wolves would have pounced on Him. The radar gun was always pointed at Jesus. Always.

I want to look at the end expression, “not partial to any.” Here’s how others word it:

NIV: you pay no attention to who they are

KJV: for thou regardest not the person of men

ESV: you are not swayed by appearances

CEB: you don’t show favoritism

Jesus was the same to all. He was the Savior to all. This is something that the Pharisee mind could not understand. They didn’t operate that way. They shunned those they felt were “outside.” They wouldn’t be caught dead going to a tax collector’s home. Not Jesus. He did that. And, Samaritans, the Pharisees wouldn’t even put their big toe in that area. Not Jesus. He went there and had a conversation with a woman at the well.

This verse ought to be a great reminder to us:

First, others are watching us and they are drawing conclusions about your character. Right or wrong, they make these conclusions from what they see and what they hear. With Jesus, they knew He was truthful. How about with you? Do co-workers see you as a hard worker? How about neighbors? Are you friendly? Impressions are made from the evidence that we provide. It’s hard to assume someone is descent and kind when all they see is the opposite. Jesus is truthful. They knew that.

Second, they understood that Jesus was the same with all people. He did not have a double standard. He was not partial, swayed or showed any favoritism. He was hardest upon that inner circle of disciples. Jesus went to the home of a very rich Zacchaeus. Jesus was also in the home of Mary and Martha. We don’t find Jesus name dropping or being impressed with the size of the homes, or how they were furnished. But we sure do. However, when we start bending rules and looking the other way because of who it is, then we are no longer faithful and truthful with God’s word. The children of preachers and elders should not be held to any higher standard than what is expected of all children. Too often the preacher’s kids are grilled over and over while the kids of others get away with murder. Jesus wasn’t like that. He showed no favoritism. People pick up quickly on double standards and bending the rules for some. That inconsistent “good ole’ buddy system,” doesn’t fly well in the eyes of the Lord. And, in many congregations it’s that sort of things that ruins it with the kids. They see the double standards. They understand how unfair it is. And, when we do things like this, we only hurt ourselves. God doesn’t play favorites.

Third, our evangelism is often hurt by attitudes that are swayed by appearances. When we try to only teach people who are “like us,” then we close the door and our hearts on a world of people that Jesus loves. Samaritans were a lot different than Pharisees. They worshipped differently. They believed differently. Even among the Jews, there were major doctrinal differences between Pharisees and Sadducees. A church adopts a country club mentality when we only accept others who are “like us.” White, black, Asian, white collar, blue collar, unemployed, tattooed, pierced, blue jeans, flip flops, uncombed hair, spent time in jail, expelled from school, broke, divorced, had an abortion—the world is broken and messy. Finding, “nice people” is not what evangelism is about. It’s bringing the lost and the broken to Jesus. It’s not about filling our church buildings. It’s not about us. It’s about connecting people, all people, any people, to Jesus.

Jesus made people comfortable around Him. We ought to do the same. Drop the stares. Stop the whispers. Slide over in your pew and allow someone, anyone to sit beside you. Put a smile on your face and welcome into your heart the world that is broken and needs Jesus.

Our passage states, “Teacher, we know…” They knew Jesus was truthful. They knew Jesus was fair. They knew that Jesus didn’t play favorites. How about those in your world. Do they know that about you?

Roger