15

Jump Start # 3225

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3225

Matthew 9:4 “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, ‘Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?’”

Communication is the key to all growing and healthy relationships. This is true within a marriage. This is true in parenting. This is true in business. It’s true in the church. It’s true in our walk with Christ. And, one of the key reasons for troubled and failing relationships is communication issues.

In our verse today, Jesus has just forgiven a cripple of his sins. The scribes were fuming. They were thinking that Jesus blasphemed. They rightly understood that no one can forgive sins but God. What they missed was that Jesus was God. Their minds were swirling at the boldness and audacity of Jesus. How dare he claim to be God! This is where our verse comes in. Jesus knew their thoughts. No words had to be spoken. Jesus knew. And, to prove He could do these things, Jesus told the crippled to take up his bed and walk. And, immediately he did just that.

We don’t have this power and insight as Jesus did. We cannot know the thoughts of others. Our interaction is based upon what people tell us. Communication. And, here in, lies many problems. Parents can’t read the minds of their children. We may see them rolling their eyes, sighing and from that the conclusion is made that the kids do not agree. But when asked how school went today and the answer given is, “ok,” the parent doesn’t know about their child being made fun of, or bullied or being rejected by others. Parents can’t know the thoughts. The same is true in a marriage. Sometimes the tension is obvious. Wives are wonderful at saying, “We need to talk.” Immediately, the husband feels like he is headed to the principal’s office. Something is not right and it’s probably his fault. Communication. In the church, shepherds want to help the sheep. Some are drifting and beginning to fall to pieces spiritually. But smiles on Sunday morning hide all of that. The shepherds cannot know the thoughts of the sheep.

Here are some things to consider:

First, I cannot expect others to help or to understand if I put up barriers all around my feelings and thoughts. Some are critical of others because no one offered to help, however, no one else knew. We easily tell others what we think they want to hear so we keep up this game that everything is fine when it is not. We continue to wear masks hiding our true thoughts.

This is done often times out of fear. We don’t want others to think less of us. We don’t want to admit that we need help. We don’t want to appear less than perfect. So an image is created. It’s not the true picture. Our feelings are stuffed deep inside us and no one is allowed in.

We need to get beyond this. Friendships and fellowship involves risks. There is no shame in admitting that you need help. There is nothing wrong with asking someone to pray for you. As new people come in, it is hard for them to live up to this image that has been created. No one has troubles. No one needs help. No one has problems. Everything is always great. Before long, that hypocrisy cracks and the reality of troubled people comes to the surface.

Second, it’s hard for me to expect you to be honest if I am not honest in return. When I never admit having a bad day, making wrong choices, having thoughts I shouldn’t have, needing an attitude adjustment, I raise the bar so high that even my family cannot reach it. There are times when the Scriptures ought to bother us. There are times when a sermon ought to sting us. There are times when it’s hard to fellowship some. Honesty will lead to proper solutions and better relationships. Hiding these things only keeps the game going that I like you, when I don’t.

Third, telling a person what they want to hear can be destructive and even harmful to their soul. Paul was straightforward with Peter when Peter was breaking fellowship with the Gentiles. Peter needed to hear that. Peter needed to change. Correction involves telling a person what is right and that is often not what they want to hear. They want to continue on the course that they are following. They want to know that everything is fine. Most of us would still be in our sins had the Lord not be honest with us through the Scriptures. We were lost. We were sinners. We were hopeless and helpless. We needed salvation through Jesus.

Now, there is a way and a time to have these crucial and difficult conversations. Being kind, yet honest and truthful, will lead to better behavior. This is important in parenting. Screaming  and shouting and making unrealistic threats is not the proper steps in parenting or marriage. However, sitting face to face, talking and explaining will build relationships and improve matters.

The shepherds are not mind readers. Something not right, talk to them. Don’t get upset because “they are supposed to know.” They are not Jesus. They cannot read your mind. Talk to them, in kindness. They will help you, if you invite them into your heart. The same is true in a marriage. Don’t play the guessing game of “you know what’s wrong,” when most likely, the other person doesn’t have a clue. The same works in parenting. Teens complain about how clueless their parents are and how they don’t care, but much, much too often, the teens are not leaving any clues. They keep their thoughts close to the vest and parents are left playing a guessing game as to what is going on.

Communication is about two people. Open. Honest. Listening. Sure, it’s risky. Certainly, you can’t do this with everyone. But, where it’s needed, it can be so much better. In the corporate world, it’s a dog fight. People have their own agendas that often include getting to the top and doing as little as possible. It’s all about self preservation and getting the most for self. Communication in those settings are hard because people do not play fair nor by the same rules. But in the home, in the church, and with God, we can and must do better at communicating.

In some ways, it is a blessing that we cannot know what others are thinking. It would probably scare us and disappoint us to know what others really thought. We need to leave those things to the Lord and just work on developing better communication skills.

Roger

14

Jump Start # 3224

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump  Start # 3224

Mark 4:41 “And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”

Our verse today comes from the powerful story of Jesus calming the storm. Jesus had told the disciples to cross over the sea to the others side. A mighty storm came. The waves were above the boat. The boat was filling with water. Mark uses the expression, “a fierce gale of wind” arose. Within those words are where we see the expressions of an earthquake. This wasn’t a gentle spring shower. This was violent. The boat was shaken. The disciples were drenched. I expect they were bailing water, pulling ropes and doing all that they could.

They awakened the sleeping Jesus with the plea, “We are perishing.” We are going to die. You understand the sudden shock and the rapid heart beat when a car pulls out in front of you and you nearly or you do have a crash. Fear is racing through their hearts. I expect Matthew, who had a desk job, was most fearful. When all hope seemed to be gone, they awaken Jesus. The Lord spoke and the sea became calm. Now, the Lord had to calm the disciples. Our verse ends this, with “they became very much afraid.” The storm was over, but not their fears.

In all of this, there are some important lessons for us to see:

First, storms come. They always do. For Israel, leaving Egypt, it was Pharoah’s advancing army after them. For the three young Jewish men in Babylon, it was a fiery furnace. For the prodigal, it was a famine. For us, it’s the phone call in the middle of the night telling us that a loved one has passed away. It comes as the doctor looking over our latest tests has a serious frown upon his face. What he is about to say is not what we want to hear. It comes when one of our grown kids tells us that he is getting a divorce.

There are always storms. It’s hard to predict and know when they will come, but they always do. And, unlike airplanes approaching an airport, storms in our lives do not wait one at a time. They often come from all directions at one time. And, these storms make us scared. They steal our sleep at night. They make us worried and stressed.

Second, those close to Jesus get scared. That’s what we see in our passage. Their faith wasn’t as strong as it should have been, but these are the ones who have seen Jesus do the impossible over and over. Sometimes the shepherds get scared. Sometimes the preacher gets scared. Storms will do that to us.

Third, faith makes all the difference. That’s the point Jesus was trying to get the disciples to see. Had they only believed deeply, they would have not been so shaken. Their faith wouldn’t stop the storm, but it would have clamed their hearts. We cannot control what happens around us, but we can keep the storms from coming within us. In the midst of a crisis, one often doesn’t think things out. Did they believe that Jesus came from Heaven and hand picked each of them so they would all drown in the sea? Is that how this story was supposed to end?

We need to realize that our faith won’t make the storms pass, nor will it immediately bring sunshine to dark nights. But our faith will put a perspective, a hope and a promise before us. Our faith will remind us that God is bigger than any problem we face. Our faith will help us to see that God continues to reign from Heaven. He has not left His post, not for a moment.

Fourth, in time storms pass. They do physically and they do spiritually and emotionally. There are days when one wonders if he will ever smile again, but he will. Will I ever move past the tears, the pain and the fear? The answer is yes. Time heals. God heals faster. And, the hope we know is that none of these storms will pass through to Heaven. There won’t be any storms in Heaven. Troubles and trials will all stay on this slide of life. So, looking at this in the big picture, tells us that storms are temporary. Heaven is eternal. Storms are for the moment. Heaven is forever. We just need to hold on, look upward, and keep on with the Lord.

Through this powerful story we see the mighty hand of God. We see the compassion of Jesus. We come to understand that God is greater than anything we face. There are lots of things bigger than we are. But nothing is bigger than God. And, as long as we are with God, we’ll get through this.

I can only imagine these disciples telling others about how large the waves were and how intense the wind was. And, Jesus spoke and everything stopped. They understood that the storm didn’t just pass by. They knew that Jesus stopped the storm. It was the hand of God that changed things.

And, if Jesus can stop a storm on the sea, don’t you believe that he can stop a storm in your marriage? If Jesus can change the weather, don’t you think that Jesus can change a person?

Storms are bad…but they are no match for our God.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 3223

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3223

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God?

Recently, I walked through this passage in a Sunday evening sermon. The “judgment” Peter refers to is not the final judgment, the standing before God and the books are opened. We often can have one definition and one definition only of certain words and that causes us to miss what a passage is truly saying. The word ‘kingdom’ is like that. Some see the church and only the church and always the church when that word appears. So, when Jesus said, “seek ye first the kingdom of God…” they interpret that as put the church first. The problem is, when one does that, where does Jesus fall in, second? Third? The word kingdom has many definitions and the context helps one to understand the proper meaning.

So, in our passage today, the context is all about suffering. In fact, the chapter ends with, “Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (19). Peter is walking through the subject of suffering, and particularly, persecution. The “judgment” from our verse is this suffering. It is viewed as judgment from God. The suffering would make us stronger and more trusting. For some, that’s all it would take to destroy their faith. Rather than being stronger, they use suffering as a reason to quit. Peter reminds the brethren through this section about their attitude towards suffering. They were to “rejoice” (13). They were “blessed” if they suffered (14). They were to glorify God in their suffering (16).

The judgment was to begin first with the people of God. But others would suffer. Those who did not obey the Gospel, what would happen to them, Peter asks. Persecution is something that we study about, talk about, wonder about, but for most of us, we have never really tasted it. For Peter’s audience, it was different. The suffering would start first with them. They would know first hand what suffering was like.

In my sermon, I asked, “What good is faith, if we never use it?” If we always have sunny days, faith isn’t something that we “walk” with. If there are no dark valleys, do we need faith? If there is no trouble because of our convictions, can we put faith in a box and stick it up on a shelf?

The judgment that Peter’s readers were about to experience would require them to trust God. It would make them pray more fervently. It would make hope and promises much more real. Good times are wonderful to experience, but they can ruin us spiritually. Good times can make us fat and lazy in our faith. Shallow prayers, empty worship, stale sermons, living day to day in this world, for this world and by this world, and we lose the taste of Heaven.

Some thoughts for us:

First, our hymn, “I need Thee every hour,” is not just a nice line in a song, it is a truism. We need God. We need God as much in the sunshine as we do the darkness of the valley. We need God to keep us pure and righteous. We need God to keep us focused and centered. We need God to help us be a blessing to others. There is never a time, never a moment, never a day when we do not need God. There is never a place where prayer does not fit.

Second, if we are not walking by faith, our faith quickly becomes a spare tire that is only used when there is an emergency. Without God ever present in our heart, we live worldly. Our conversations become saturated with materialism. We rush through worship as quickly as we can so we can get about doing what we want to do.

And, then, when we are thrust into those dark valleys, we are unsure, unsteady and unaware of what to do. Death comes to the family, and we fall apart. We grieve as those who have no hope. Trouble comes and we start questioning whether God loves us or not. How different all of this is from the disciple who is using his faith daily. Every day he is praying. Every day he is worshipping. Every day he is seeking to follow the Lord. And, when the dark clouds roll in, nothing changes. He knows God is still there. He knows that he can trust God.

Third, it is easy to lose your faith when you are not using it very much. It is easy to become saturated with the here and now and forget the eternal. It is easy to become a person of the world and not even think about the Lord and Heaven. However, the more one relies upon his faith and the more one uses his faith, the stronger and stronger in the Lord he becomes. He knows. He has that blessed assurance. He worries less. He fears not. And, as he himself approaches that doorway of death, he is ready. He longs to be in the presence of the Lord.

What’s the difference between someone who has strong faith and someone who is very weak spiritually? It’s not that one can list the books of the Bible in order. It’s about their daily walk with the Lord. Daily talking to God. Daily trusting the Lord. Daily knowing the Lord.

The fire of judgment was about to begin. It would start first with the people of God. They’d be ok, because they knew the Lord. But what about those who didn’t?

Roger

12

Jump Start # 3222

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3222

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

Our verse today comes from the powerful resurrection chapter of Corinthians. Paul shows multiple reasons to believe that Jesus rose from the grave. The Scriptures teach this. The witnesses confirm this. Preaching is built upon this. The faith of thousands embraces this.

As Paul lists the witnesses who saw the resurrected Christ, he says, “and last of all…He appeared to me.” He then refers to himself as “the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Our verse follows. The verse begins and ends with grace. Three times the word grace is used in this one sentence.

That one statement, “but I labored even more than all of them,” referring to the other apostles, seems arrogant. It seems that Paul is bragging, “I did more than the rest of them combined.” But, I do not think that’s the right take on that expression. It’s not in Paul’s nature to brag. Even when he had to defend himself against attacks, it bothered him to talk about himself.

It’s hard to imagine that Paul knew what the other apostles were doing. There was no central headquarters where they submitted reports and others kept track of what they were doing. Did Paul know where Thomas was? Did he know what John was up to? He couldn’t send them an email or a text. He could write them a letter, but how would he know where they were? Inspiration of the Spirit delivered the word. It didn’t reveal everything about everyone. So, without such knowledge of where and what the other apostles were doing, how would he know if he were doing more than the rest of them?

Instead, I believe Paul is saying he worked harder because of when he came in and what he had done. He didn’t travel with Jesus for three years as Peter did. He did not see the walking on water, the raising of Jairus’ little girl. He didn’t hear the sermon on the mount. He had to work hard to know what the others knew. He had to work hard to understand what the others had seen. In Matthew’s section of parables, Jesus often explained the parables in detail to the apostles. Paul wasn’t there. When John tells us at the end of his Gospel that there were many other things which Jesus did, which if were written in detail, the world could not contain the books. The apostles knew of those things. The apostles saw those things. Paul didn’t.

We’ve seen similar things in school. Some students just seem to know things. They rarely take notes. They don’t study hard and they get great grades. Others are having to do all that they can to produce the same results. In sports, some are gifted and don’t have to work so hard. Others are giving it their all to make the team.

Now, some lessons for us:

First, a similar thing is apparent in every congregation. Many of us are multi generations in the Lord’s kingdom. We grew up knowing preachers and attending Bible classes. From a young age, we were taught the great stories of the Bible. We’ve know the books of the Bible before we entered elementary school.

But for others, it has not been this way. They have had to work very hard to learn what others have known all of their lives. They struggle finding books of the Bible. They get stumped knowing how to answer some questions. What is so obvious to some, is not to others. What some know, others don’t.

Second, the same can be said about serving in the kingdom. I have a son who preaches. He is amazing. He has grown up watching me preach. He has a library that is very impressive. He’s connected with so many preachers that guide him and help him. It wasn’t that way for me. I was the first in my family to do something like this. I had to learn about books. I had to learn, often by trial and error, and a whole lot of error, how to teach, how to preach, how to make class outlines.

The same could be said of shepherds. Some have seen their dads serve in that way. They have understood what the nature of the work is. Others are the first in their families to serve as shepherds. They work hard to do a great job. It’s hard for them, because they haven’t seen the example.

Third, Paul’s hard work paid off. He is the most read of all the apostles. His life illustrates Jesus. He had such a terrible past to overcome and he wanted to show God that he truly believed and he was so thankful for the grace of God. He was beaten. He was homeless. He was poor. He was roughly treated. But he never complained. He understood that he tried to destroy the church. He was so thankful for a second chance. He would do anything and go anywhere for the Lord.

We must be careful that we do not compare God’s servants today. Who is the best preacher? Don’t go there. Who has the most followers or the most readers of podcasts and blogs. Don’t go there. It is not a competition nor a contest. The greatest is the servant, is what Jesus said. When we start saying things like, “Brother ________, is the best preacher around,” we only invite trouble, envy and jealousy. We want hard working preachers everywhere. Each talented in different ways. Each making a difference in the kingdom. Now, that’s what matters.

I labored more than all of them…not a statement of arrogance, but rather, a statement of appreciation.

Roger

02

Jump Start UPDATE

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start Update

  Our Jump Starts are taking a break the week of Dec 5-9. We hope to be back on Dec 12th. You can always find a large archive of our Jump Starts at Jumpstartsdaily.com

Roger