10

Jump Start # 3242

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3242

2 Kings 5:11 “But Naaman was furious and went away and said, ‘Behold, I thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.”

Oh Naaman was upset. He was so angry and frustrated that he left. The great Syrian captain who had defeated so many enemies could not win this battle. Naaman was fighting two new battles. One was with his health. He had leprosy and he was going to lose that battle. Leprosy was not curable. The other battle was with Elisha, the prophet from Israel.

Most know this story so well. The hero of the story is God. It’s always God. But playing a significant secondary role was an unnamed servant girl from Israel. Away from home, a captive, she offers help to Naaman. A prophet in her home land can cure him. Connections are made. Naaman travels to meet Elisha. The prophet doesn’t even come out to see Naaman. Instead, a servant comes with an odd message, ‘go dip seven times in the Jordan River.’ Not the words he wanted to hear. This is where our verse comes in. Angry, mad, fuming, the captain leaves. Things didn’t turn out like he thought they would. At least Elisha should have shown himself. Why dip in a river? Why that river? Why seven times? What’s wrong with Elisha?

And, all of this takes us to the valuable lesson about when people frustrate and disappoint us. It happens at home. The conversation does not go like you thought it should. It happens at work. It happens in politics. And, it even happens among brethren.

A great idea is put on the table. Even before you can fully explain it, the idea is shoot down and crashes in flames. Sometimes the reasoning given is unreasonable. Sometimes the answer is “No,” even before you are heard. And, like our Naaman, we get upset. Sometimes we just want to walk out of the meeting. We leave thinking how wrong, unreasonable, and unfair the others are. And, there we stand with Naaman, furious, wanting to leave and never come back. When people do not listen, it accelerates your anger. I know. Been there, and I know what that emotion feels like.

What would God have us to do? You can’t change people.

First, like Naaman had to learn, our ideas, way of thinking and how we expect things should be often are not. At the end of the day what Naaman wanted was to be cured. He was. It didn’t happen the way he thought it would be, but he was still cured. There was no grand show. The prophet didn’t wave his arms. No great crowd saw this. Yet, Naaman was cured.  Our perspective may miss something. Wisdom, experience can bring a consideration that we haven’t thought of.

Second, some people shut things down because it was not their idea. Some do not listen. Some have their minds made up and nothing will change that. That makes all of this extremely difficult. Pray before you begin the meeting. Stand up for what you believe. Ask for proof, evidence. Bring facts. Remain calm. But in the end, those in charge will make the decision and it may not be what you think is right.

How you handle rejection and defeat says a lot about your character. There may be situations that are a matter of right and wrong, legal and unlawful, Biblical and unbiblical. And, when the lines of your conscience have been crossed, you may have to leave. You may have to find another job. You may have to look for another congregation to worship with. If that becomes your conclusion, do not leave slamming doors, making threats, or trying to get others to follow you. Don’t become the central point of the disagreement. Make the issue, the issue, nor you.

Third, your pride has a lot to do with how you handle things. Some are great at telling others what to do, but they do not handle the same coming to them. Listen carefully. You may be wrong. If, so, make things right. If not, stand for what you believe in.

On my desk is a statue of Martin Luther. It’s there to remind me to stand for what you believe in. There may come a time to nail things to the door, as Luther literally did. Understand, with Luther, and likely with you, there will be consequences that follow.  Luther’s life was threatened. He was pushed out of a system he once believed in. Lines were drawn and conclusions made. You may not win every skirmish in life, likely you won’t. But winning the battle is something that you must do. The battle is not the budget, starting services on time or a number of other things that can get us upset. The battle is the salvation of our souls. Lose that, and you’ve lost everything. Losing your cool. Saying things that damage your influence, letting anger get the best of you, might win a small skirmish, but you’ll quickly lose the war acting that way.

Fourth, remember when the tables are turned and someone comes to you, don’t shut them down before they have a chance to speak. What they say may not be correct, but correct with gentleness as the Scriptures teach us. When people are upset, they often bring up things from the past that has nothing to do with the current conversation. They often generalize and want to point their finger to other wrongs. Stay on the topic at hand. Stay Biblical.

Remember, not to assume that the Lord treats us like a few brethren have. God has never let you down. God has never closed the door to you. Be an example because others are watching.

Furious Naaman. Calm down. Breathe. Listen. Help is there if you will but carefully do what was offered. Words that ought to help us as well.

Roger

09

Jump Start # 3241

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3241

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

  The football nation watched in horror last week when Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin collapsed with what seemed to be a routine tackle. Players dropped to their knees as on the field CPR was administered for minutes. An ambulance carried away the stricken player, as coaches, fans and fellow players cried in disbelief. Hamlin’s heart had stopped. He was taken to a local hospital and was placed in ICU. Messages flowed in. Announcers collectively stated the same thing, “Our prayers are for Damar.” Others said, “In a divided world, we are united in praying for Damar.” The game was postponed. Everyone was asked to pray.

And in an instant, without anyone realizing it, one of the greatest evidences and needs for God was demonstrated in that Cincinnati football stadium. People came for a game. A fun night of football, food and friends. I expect as people were arriving, getting settled into their seats, that the thought of God was not on very many minds. The players, the staff, the stadium employees all had jobs to do and very likely God wasn’t on their radar. But that night, as people left, tears in their eyes, prayers were being lifted upward. Watching the game on TV, I prayed.

It’s easy for the elite, the arrogant intellectual, the man of the world to declare that there is no God. It’s easy for them to scoff at the writings of the Bible and to boldly deny the existence of God. They can fill the minds of young college students with all kinds of unproven theories and mock religion as repressive and controlling. But when a player falls to the ground and his heart has stopped beating, help beyond ourselves is sought. God was needed. Prayers were requested. Theories are tossed out the window. We are helpless and hopeless without the divine power of God. And, in one collective moment, in all places, a football stadium, thousands recognized that God is greater than we are. God can do things that we cannot. The secular worldview was tossed out in an instant. Without God, we are on our own. Without God we are helpless. Without God, there is nothing.

And, this is what we find throughout the Gospels. A synagogue official lays aside all his prejudice about Jesus and falls at the Lord’s feet before others, begging Him to save his dying daughter. It was a similar scene as football players on both sides were on their knees, heads bowed, begging the Lord to help.

It’s like the Canaanite woman who cried out to Jesus to save her demon possessed daughter. Or, the ten lepers who begged Jesus to have mercy upon them.

On sunny days, when life is going well, many have no place, or time for God. But in a crisis, in a moment of desperation, the call is to pray. Even the President of the United States said, “we are praying.” I expect those announcers would likely lose their jobs had they asked the audience to pray if nothing tragic was taking place. Just a regular game, nothing unusual happening, “let’s pray.” The networks would pull the plugs and their careers would be over. But in a moment of hopelessness and helplessness, the call to pray was fitting.

Life is precious and much more important than a football game. In just an instant, life can end.

Our verse today reminds us that:

First, prayer is as normal to us as breathing. We don’t need someone to tell us to pray. We pray in the sunshine as well as in the darkness of life. We pray when our hearts are happy and when our hearts are hurting. We love to pray. The fact that the God of Heaven listens to us is amazing. We are thankful. We praise Him and we seek His will in our lives.

Second, the “without ceasing” part of our verse is hard for some to get. Not every moment is a prayer. Not even in worship is everything prayer. Singing has a place. Preaching has a place. Encouragement has a place. We couldn’t do those things if we are praying and only praying. I liken the “without ceasing” to an on going conversation. My wife leaves for work in the morning. She heads one way and I head the other way. When we connect at the end of the day and ask how the day went, it’s as if the conversation has never ended. Talking often. Talking about all kinds of things. That’s praying without ceasing.

Third, as time rolls on, one wonders what impact that football night had upon that audience? Would they pray more? Would they take a step closer to the Lord? Or, once, things seem to be ok, would they return to their old ways once again?

It is interesting that Mark gives us the name Jairus, the synagogue official whose little girl was dying. The first readers of that Gospel knew his name. In many ways, this is like God’s footnote in a reference paper. People could go to that village and look up that person. And, don’t you just think, when that little girl had her next birthday, that Jairus looked Heavenward and thanked the Lord. A request answered. A life restored. And, a heart changed.

Prayers at a football game—a simply reminder that we need Thee every hour.

Roger

06

Jump Start # 3240

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3240

Ecclesiastes 4:3 “But better off than both of them is the one who never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”

Poor Solomon, he seems disillusioned, disgusted, disappointed and depressed. Ecclesiastes is a journey. It starts dark and ends wonderfully in the light. But on this journey, life appears to be monotonous, joyless and without direction or purpose. The fourth chapter begins this way. Solomon sees oppression. Those hurt have no one to comfort them. There seems to be no justice. And, this brings him to our verse today, a rash statement from the preacher who is looking for answers. Better, he preaches, is the one who never existed.

Those words seem very similar to Job’s sad lament where he wished he never saw the light of day. Solomon, is an observer. Living as a king in the palace, with dozens of servants and staff on hand, I doubt he ever tasted the bitterness of being oppressed. As a king, his father handed over to him the most peaceful, rich and thriving kingdom in the history of Israel. Solomon’s battles with the enemy were few. His greatest struggles were internal, personal and of faith.

But let’s look at Solomon’s words from our verse. Is it true that one is better off who never existed? He is one who never saw the sunshine, a rainbow or the falling snow. He is one who never heard a song bird or ever got to sit in an assembly of God’s people. While it is true that he never saw evil, as Solomon’s words express, he also never saw grace, hope or became an instrument to change evil.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, life can punch the wind out of us. Remember those days as a kid, maybe you were playing dodgeball or little league baseball, and you got hit in the stomach and the wind, as they say, was knocked out of you. It hurt. It was hard to breathe. We had to sit out a while until we could breathe again. Evil can do that. I don’t know if there is more evil today, but we certainly hear about it all the time. Internationally, nationally, and locally, crime, oppression and evil fill the nightly newscasts. A majority of large cities are experiencing rise in crime. There may be some political factors driving that, but there are certainly a lack of spiritual values that lead to that.

Hebrew babies were killed in Egypt during Pharaoh’s days. Herod’s thugs killed young boys in Bethlehem during the first century. Evil is nothing new. The days of Noah were so corrupt that the text tells us that the people were thinking about evil constantly. We can hide inside. We can wish we were never born. We can live in fear. Or, we can realize that God is upon the throne and someday evil will stand before the Almighty.

Second, our eyes sometimes can only see one thing. For Solomon it was oppression. Yet, Solomon was the son of one of the greatest men of God, David. It was his father who sought the heart of God. It was his father who wrote those powerful Psalms. It was his father that extended grace to Saul’s grandson, even inviting him to sit at the table with David. Solomon didn’t have to look far to see goodness.

And, the same is for us as well. We can watch the nightly news and get our ears filled with shootings, murders, and evil. Or, we can look around and see the mighty things the people of God are doing. Daily God’s word is being taught worldwide. Daily people are coming to Christ with changed hearts and lives. Daily disciples are praying and honoring the Lord by extending grace, offering forgiveness and being servants with generous hearts. Like Elijah, when Jezebel was seeking to kill him, we can hide in a cave and believe we are the only ones who care. We are the only ones doing right. We are the only ones. Or, as in his story, thousands were standing for God and he never realized that.

Third, while there may be some security in never having known evil, God’s way is for us to thrive spiritually and go into all the world with the saving message of Christ. The world is evil. The world is broken. And the hope, is not in our exiting this place, but by making things brighter by shinning the light of Jesus Christ. Light is the brightest in the darkest places. A burning match is barely noticed in a bright office with dozens of lights on. But light that match in a cave and it seems to be so bright. Rather than hiding or running, God wants us to make the world brighter.

Never seeing evil may be seem safer and the best option, Solomon thought so, but it’s not God’s way. And, for Solomon, that’s not a choice we can make. It is the Lord who decides if and when we are born. It is the Lord who gives us our parents. It is the Lord who equips us, fills us with talents and puts opportunities before us. We can waste away the days dreaming what life would be like if we lived in a palace in England or had billionaire parents, but all of that is not productive. We’ve been placed in this generation with a job to do.

Thankfully, as the book of Ecclesiastes progresses, Solomon finds the purpose of life and this sad, distorted view goes away.

God has made you. God has placed you here. Like David in Acts 13, we are to serve the purpose of God in our generation. God’s counting upon us.

Roger

05

Jump Start # 3239

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3239

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

The word of the cross—what a great phrase that is. And, that is exactly what the apostles took into the world. The message was Jesus crucified, risen and reigning. And, to the world back then, such a message was foolish.

Today, we see images of crosses everywhere. It’s jewelry. They are found on signs. They are found in church buildings. And, I expect if someone from the first century could travel in time to our days, they’d be shocked and disturbed to see so many crosses. For us, it’s about Jesus. But for the person of the first century, it’s about death. They’d probably wonder if we put electric chairs, gas chambers and injection needles around our necks. The cross was repulsive. The cross was shameful. The cross was Rome’s heavy hand upon those who rebelled.

There is a message from the cross. The word of the cross teaches us things:

First, it teaches us about the price God had to pay to redeem us. The cross of Jesus was a sacrifice. He gave, no one took. He offered, no one stole. Without that pure, perfect sacrifice, we’d be in our sins to this day. Without that divine offering we’d not be justified, redeemed, or even able to talk to God. Sin separates. Sin kills. The cross is the cure.

Second, it teaches that Satan doesn’t have the last word. The darkness of Calvary sure seemed like he did. Jesus died. No angels came to His rescue. No soldiers rallied to His aid. No help from Heaven. He died. He was buried and from the depths of Hell, it sure looked like Satan won. But up from the grave He arose. And, He didn’t just come out of that grave, He ascended to the right hand of God where He reigns today. The cross bruised Jesus and the resurrection crushed Satan. So, we know the outcome. We know how the story will end. We know that God wins.

Third, it teaches us that sin doesn’t have to ruin us. We are washed in the blood of Jesus. We cleansed by Christ. Our scarlet sins have become whiter than the snow. God has blotted out those mistakes. As far as the east is from the west, He has removed the sins from our lives. Sin can control us. Sin can dominate us. Sin can destroy everything good in our lives. And, sin can ruin us. But the cross, His cross, changes all of that. For the first time, there is real hope. For the first time, salvation is possible. For the first time, we can truly be Heaven bound.

Fourth, it teaches us that there is a better way. The way of the cross, we sing, leads home. Had we followed God’s way all along we would not have been in the messes that we got ourselves into. Following the crowd isn’t the direction that leads to freedom. Doing the norm, or what is average, only leads to being in a mass of people that are doomed and without hope. God’s way works. God’s way brings peace. God’s way results in us trusting Him and worrying less. God’s way drives away fear and doubt. Confidence soars when we walk with God. Examples throughout the Scriptures teach us and encourage us.

The cross speaks. It speaks very loudly. It speaks today. And, the message is salvation in Jesus Christ.

The word of the cross—who would have thought long ago, that those old rough wooden beams that formed the cross could speak. Who would have thought that long after those wooden timbers rotted away and were forgotten, that Heaven never forgot. Who would have thought that among the three deaths that day, one of them would change the world. Who would have thought that hundreds of years before you and I were born, that His death on that cross, would change future lives.

The word of the cross…powerful, plain, profound. Have you heard what the cross says?

Roger

04

Jump Start # 3238

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3238

Deuteronomy 31:14 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.’”

I have begun a new study on the life of Joshua. What a fascinating and powerful character he is. A leader. A warrior. Faithful to God. He had the tough assignment of filling the shoes of Moses. Jericho walls falling. Jordan River parting. The sun standing still. He was one of the optimistic spies. Great, great lessons found through Joshua and so many times, by Moses and by the Lord, Joshua is told to “be courageous.”

Our verse today begins the transition from Moses to Joshua. Navigating through changes isn’t easy. Some don’t do well with change. Joshua handles it well. Moses was staying and Joshua was moving on. Moses was the past and Joshua as the future. Moses had been and now Joshua will be.

To accomplish this, Moses and Joshua were to both be at the tent of meeting. There God would put Joshua in charge. But within our verse is this very interesting expression, “the time for you to die is near.” The CEB states this, “It’s almost time for you to die.”

This is worded like a parent telling a child, “It’s bed time.” Or, the five o’clock whistle blows at the factory and someone says, “It’s time to go home.” It’s time to die. Paul said centuries later, “The time of my departure has come.” Paul wasn’t talking about catching a flight. He was referring to his death. It’s time to die.

Some thoughts:

First, God is the one who decides when that time will be. Sometimes declining health leads loved ones with the strong idea that death is near. They are not shocked when it happens. It is not up to us to decide when that time is. Life and death are in the hands of the Lord and we need to leave them there.

Second, some will never be ready. Give them another complete lifetime and they still wouldn’t be ready. Never thinking of the eternal, never reading God’s holy word, never stepping inside a church building for worship, these out of sight—out of mind folks try to squeeze every drop out of life. Someday, it will be the time to die. God knows that. Do we? God told Hezekiah to “set his house in order,” because he was going to die. It sure seems that there is a lot of lives “out of order” these days.

Third, the value of life is not measured in how long you have lived, but what have you done, or simply, how you have lived those years. Most remember from childhood Bible classes that Methuselah was the oldest man in the Bible. He lived to e 969 year old. He lived. He lived a long time. But what we don’t see are any good deeds, people helped or lives touched for the better. Simply living a long time isn’t saying much. It’s those who have poured purpose and direction into those years that makes all the difference.

Fourth, it’s time to die, is a statement that will be received well by some. Some are ready. Some are tired. Some have done about all that they could do. But for others, they’d like to have a little more time. Still things that they’d like to get done. Still things that they want to accomplish. Some will be glad and others will be sad, when that declaration is made.

Moses seems to have taken well the statement from God. He shows up at the tent with Joshua. He hasn’t run the other way. He hasn’t found the local bar and tried to drink himself into unconsciousness. He doesn’t seem to be angry with the Lord. God has been with him for a long, long time. Incredible things have taken place through him because of God. And, now, it’s time.

I wonder how you and I would handle hearing a statement like this from the Lord? “It’s time for you to die,” can not be mistaken. It’s clear. It’s absolute. And coming from the Lord, there is no higher power to appeal to. There’s no, “going to the top,” with your objection. God is the top.

These words to Moses reminds me of Solomon’s picture of life in Ecclesiastes three. There is a time to be born and a time to die. Every grave has two dates, a birth and a death date. Both are declared and determined by God. We don’t have a say as to when we want to be born, and when it’s time to die, it will be God who determines that. But between those two dates is a dash. That dash is our life. It’s the choices, attitudes and direction that we took our lives. God gives the birth date. God gives the death date. The dash is given to us. What do we do with that time?

So as we launch into a new year, let us be mindful of the days God gives us. Let us use each day for the glory of the Lord and the benefit of others. Let us realize, the time to die is approaching. That can scare us. That can make us fight it. Or, we can use this time to be ready.

I wonder what Moses thought when he heard those words? I wonder what I will think when it’s my time? It’s time to die…

Roger