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Jump Start # 3339

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3339

Joshua 2:11 “When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in Heaven above and on earth beneath.”

Our verse comes from the lips of Rahab. She and the people of Jericho had heard what Israel had done to other cities. Jericho was next in line. The text tells us that their “hearts melted,” and their courage was gone. Three times in Joshua, the expression, “hearts melted is found.”

We don’t use that form of speech. We like melted cheese on our pizzas. We watch youngsters trying to deal with ice cream that is melting on a hot summer day. If you leave a candle in your car in the summer, it may melt. But melted hearts is something we don’t talk about much. In the N.T., the expression is “lose heart.”

Let’s think about melted hearts. What causes a heart to melt? And, when we talk that way, we are not referring to the organ in our chest, but the faith in our soul. The Joshua passages that list melted hearts helps us to understand the meaning. In our passage today, it means having no courage. In Joshua 5:11 we are told that there was no spirit in them any longer.

First, hearts melt when the trouble seems greater than we are. That’s the way Jericho felt. Nation after nation was being defeated by Israel’s God including the greatest nation at that time, Egypt. If the Egyptian army was wiped out, what hope did these small city kingdoms have? Bad news. Tough times. Problems without solutions. A divorce in the family. Bills a mile high and little money. Losing a job. Being evicted. Facing a lawsuit. Facing a prison sentence. Out of hope. Out of luck. Out of options.

For the young prodigal, it was being so hungry that we wanted to eat what he was feeding the pigs. That made him come to his senses. His heart must have melted. How low he sunk. The magical children’s stories always end with everyone living happily ever after. But life isn’t a fairy tale.

Second, faithlessness leads quickly to melted hearts. The people of Jericho didn’t know Jehovah. They weren’t followers of the Lord. And, when trouble comes, their make believe and made up gods become useless and worthless. It is the same in our times with the cotton candy theology of happiness. It fills church buildings on a Sunday but it doesn’t fill hearts with true faith in the Lord. When the winds of adversity blow in, that shallow faith doesn’t hold up. Just like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. The wind and the rain came and that house didn’t make it.

Our passage today is drawn from the one person of Jericho who believed, Rahab. She is named among the heroes of Hebrews 11 as one who had faith. “By faith, Rahab did not perish,” we are told.

Over and over, we try to find ways to keep troubles and trials at bay. We look for that smooth, simply and carefree life that will not push us or trouble us. But such cannot be found. The world is broken. Bad news, hardships, troubles are a part of this life. Rather than looking for the way around troubles, we ought to be fortifying our faith so we can endure the troubles. Strengthen the heart so it will not melt. Faith in God brings courage, confidence and assurance. One never stands alone who has God on his side.

Third, our hearts also melt when we try to take on the troubles of others. We cannot fix everyone. In fact, we cannot fix anyone, other than ourselves. We can teach. We can encourage. We can influence. But many stand in a mud puddle and refuse to get out. Our hearts hurt when we see such things. We want to jump in and pull folks out, but they really do not want to get out. As hard as it is to believe, some like sin. Some enjoy the lifestyle that they are in. Some want to remain as they are. They do not see, or want to see, that things could be so much better. For the moment, they believe they are in happiness, even though misery and more problems are just on the horizon. For the people of God, our hearts melt to see that. This is magnified when what we see are our family members living this way. Some have gone through so many marriages that it’s hard to keep up with the names. Some have embraced homosexuality and are having the time of their lives. Some are alcoholics without realizing it. Some are abusive. We see this and we worry about the little ones in these homes. We want to rescue them and keep them from seeing so much wrong. But we can’t. Our hearts just melt thinking about our loved ones living so far away from the Lord.

The context of our passage reminds us that Rahab’s heart didn’t melt. She believed. Unlike the other citizens of Jericho, she held on to hope. Her faith was in the Lord. And, that difference, made all the difference. She took a chance. She hid the spies. She sent the posse on a wild goose chase, as she protected the spies. If caught, her life would have ended. But God was with her as He was with the spies.

There is enough bad news each day to melt hearts. Troublesome times indeed are here. They are filling men’s hearts with fear. Yet, our hearts do not melt. Our God is upon the throne. Our God will be victorious. Faith in the Lord is what keeps hearts strong.

Roger

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Jump Start # 3338

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3338

1 Corinthians 7:32-34 “But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord: but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world how she may please her husband.”

Our passage is long today, but it is an important one. Contextually, as Paul instructs, answers questions and guides us through the proper understanding of marriage, sexuality and where all of these things fall in line within the heart of a disciple, he makes the claim that it is better to be single than married. Several times in this chapter, he wishes that the disciples could be as he was, that is, single. He makes it clear that to be married is not a sin, but within our verses today, he focuses upon the object of concern. Five times, our verses today uses the word concern. The unmarried is only concerned about the Lord. The married is concerned about pleasing their mate.

Some thoughts for us:

First, our culture, even within the fellowship, can push marriage pretty hard on a young person. They can be made to feel that they have not fulfilled something required, because they have not married. Marriage is great. God created it. Hebrews tells us that it is to be held in honor. But a person has not done wrong if they decide not to marry. I’d much rather see someone stay single rather than be in a miserable relationship that is filled with turmoil, heartache and ends in divorce. No one wishes that upon anyone. There is not a more personal relationship than what is in marriage. Marrying someone who does not see what I see in the Lord, or is not interested in the Lord, will have major obstacles to deal with in that relationship.

Second, if everyone followed Paul’s example and remained single, where would shepherds in the church come from? The best field of evangelism is the home. Raising those little ones to walk with Jesus is an incredible task that parents are busy with every day. I love hearing babies crying in worship and seeing little ones asking me for some M & Ms out of my office. A church with no children’s classes, no VBS is not a pretty picture.

Third, the impression can be left that if one is married, then he naturally is distracted away from the Lord. The distracted driver is a danger to the road. The distracted tourist is an easy target for pickpockets. The distracted disciple gets his priorities out of order and Jesus gets pushed to second or even third spot in our hearts. But marriage isn’t the only thing that distracts us. Work can do that. Having a house can do that. Family can do that. Politics and sports can do that. I guess if we wanted to remove all distractions, we’d sit in an empty room, like a monk and just meditate all day. Is it the things or is it the way we allow them to take over that becomes distractions? We use the excuse, “Too busy,” too much. It’s an escape hatch to avoid teaching a Bible class. “I’m too busy.” How about serving as a shepherd? “Can’t. I’m too busy.” And, in that way, those things may be keeping us from what is most important. It’s not the yard. It’s not the job. It’s not the house. It’s the business of the kingdom that needs to come first.

In the opposite of what Paul says, often our spouse can help us from getting distracted. My wife is good at that. She’s always inviting someone over for dinner. Always eager to drag me out of the house to go see someone. She reminds me to drop some cookies off at a house before I get to the office. Be sure and mail that card, that she has written to someone. Many times, our wonderful, spiritual wives, keep us going when we’d rather stay home and watch a ball game.

Praying together. Worshipping together. Serving together. The husband-wife team can be a great help in our walk with the Lord. A Prisca and Aquila didn’t seem distracted. The church worshipped in their home. They are called out as Paul’s fellow workers in Romans.

The distractions are the greatest when one in the marriage is selfish and wants all the attention upon them and when that person is not a Christian, that combination makes for a real heartache for the child of God.

Distractions—they are out there. They can interrupt our worship as we focus more on who is late, who is sitting where and who forgot to turn off their phone. They can slow down our walk with the Lord. We can pour much, too much attention into things that won’t last a decade, let alone eternity. Be aware of them. Work on them.

Stay focused…

Roger