21

Jump Start # 3475

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3475

Psalms 56:8 “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?”

The holidays are upon us. Last minute shopping and baking cookies are making households busy. Christmas shows are being watched. The Elf on the shelf has moved about the house each night. The children are excited and the parents are exhausted. For many, the next few days will be time away from work and hours spent with family making memories. We have made the rounds to three of the four sets of kids and grandchildren and one more still to come.

But in all of this exciting times, for others, this season is really hard. There is someone missing this year because of a death. The holidays are just not the same. For other families, there has been an emotional death. Strained relationships. Grown children who do not want to visit their parents. The tension is thick. It’s just not a happy time. And, all the images of family smiles and hugs only deepens the pain that some feel.

In our verse today, written by David when the Philistines captured him, reminds us of the sorrow and tears that some feel. For David, it wasn’t missing someone at Christmas, it was being God’s anointed yet having to flee for his life and hide among the enemy.

In a poetic fashion, David writes that God has put his tears in a bottle. Jim Croce sang about putting time in a bottle. Some have placed notes in a bottle and thrown the bottle into the sea. I have a bottle of coins sitting on my shelf. I’ve seen old marbles in a bottle. But for David, it was tears. It was his tears. It is as if God was saving those tears.

We understand literally this cannot be done. The tears would evaporate after time and God doesn’t have a real shelf of bottles up in Heaven. We know that, but the image is clear and helpful. Now, why would God put our tears in a bottle? Why would God save those tears? We tend to wipe the tears away. We want to move past the tears and find joy and laughter in our lives.

Here are just some ideas:

First, maybe God saves those tears to show us later on, that things weren’t as bad as we thought they were. Oh, at the time, those events brought tears to our eyes and sorrow to our hearts, but later on, we’ve realized that the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought. Aside, from the big tragedies in our lives, such as the death of a close family member, most of us don’t remember the tears from a  couple of years ago, let alone, a decade ago. Life moves on. We’ve gotten through whatever crisis was before us.

Second, maybe those tears are reminders of how God helped us. As we cried, we prayed. As we shed those tears, hopeless and helpless, God somehow took care of us. He did that for David. The Philistines didn’t kill David. Fear and not knowing what the next turn will bring to us, makes us anxious, sad and a mess emotionally. But God strengthened us. Prayers were answered. Brethren helped us. Doors were opened. And, those many tears remind us that God never left us. God was there to help us. We have gotten through those tears because of the help of God.

Third, maybe those tears also remind us of God’s wonderful grace. Some tears are shed because of our mistakes and sins. We have let others down. We have hurt others. Guilt and shame came with those tears. But God wasn’t through with us. Family and brethren might have written us off, but God didn’t. His love and grace gave us more than another chance. Redeemed, God found a useful place for us in His kingdom. Those tears remind us of our great God who loves us so much.

The Revelation picture of Heaven is that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. In Heaven there is no crying, mourning or pain. Tears in a bottle will remind us that Heaven is not earth and how thankful we are to be there.

For some, God may have several bottles of tears. That’s ok. The tears will end and the joy of being in His presence will make us realize that what happened before doesn’t matter any longer, nor do the problems and pain last .

Tears in a bottle. What a wonderful reminder for us. And, for those that are hurting his holiday season, your tears and your sorrow are not forgotten by the Lord. Tomorrow, we will add a few more thoughts to this line of thinking.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 3474

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3474

Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.”

Our verse today is commonly called the Lord’s invitation. His invitation is wrapped around two actions on our part. First, is the taking of the Lord’s yoke. The verse before this says, “Come unto Me…” That’s a call for us to move. We must move close to the Lord. So many want the Lord to come out to them. Forgiveness was extended to the prodigal, but he first, came home.

The other action call is for us to learn. The learning is specific. We learn from Jesus. And, what we are to learn is to be gentle and humble. We learn that as we see Jesus. Gentle and humble were His nature. And, we need to learn that. Many have been hurt by the cruel and insensitive things people, yes, even disciples, have said to others. It makes one wonder if some believe in Jesus, but they have never learned to be gentle and humble.

Consider the quality of the Lord’s humbleness. He was God on earth, yet He was humble. In a culture that is all about self, self-pity and being the victim, Jesus was humble.

You don’t see Jesus bragging. You don’t read about Him going into a village and saying, “You won’t believe what I did in the last place. It was amazing. You should have been there. There is nothing I cannot do. I’m the greatest.” His works pointed to who He was, but He allowed those miracles to speak for themselves.

It is the insecure and the proud who must always tell others what they have done. They are seeking praise and approval. Not knowing what the right hand and the left hand are doing, as Jesus said, is something that  doesn’t fit well in our times. Why do it, if you are not going to get a shout out from the pulpit or a pat on the back. You won’t find Jesus doing that.

You don’t see Jesus playing the victim. Oh, He could have and He would have done it well, but He didn’t. Imagine Jesus sighing heavily and saying, ‘I can’t believe I have to do all this for you guys. You don’t do anything for Me.’ Or, ‘Can you imagine that I have to go to the Cross. And for what reason? Not Me, but because of you. I’m doing all of this for you.’ And, with an attitude like that, the loads of guilt would have been more than the apostles could have handled.

Jesus was humble. It’s important for leaders to be humble. A true leader will share the victories and the praise with everyone and take the responsibilities and the blame for the failures. That’s a true leader. What we see many times is just the opposite. Those in charge want the credit for what is working and they look to throw someone under the bus for the failures.

Learning from Jesus. Learning to be gentle. Learning to be humble. Those things do not come automatically. They are not in our DNA. We must learn these things and we learn them from Jesus.

The humble leader will realize that he doesn’t have all the right ideas. He’ll listen to others. He’ll learn from others. One doesn’t have to have a title to bring forth a good idea. Humble leaders create an atmosphere where ideas are welcomed and wanted. And, when an idea is pursued, the humble leader, like a scholar footnoting a reference in a research paper, will give credit for where the idea came from.

The humble leader realizes that he will make mistakes. He wants to do his best but he realizes that he will sometimes fumble the ball. Seeing this in himself will help the leader as he works with others. We tend to expect perfection in everyone but ourselves. The humble servant recognizes his shortcomings. He learns. He tries to do better. When others criticize him for not being perfect, he takes it quietly. He knows.

Our culture pushes us away from gentleness and humbleness. Who is the best. Who is number one. That’s the talk of our culture. We must realize that we need each other and we learn from each other.

Come, learn from Jesus. It will make you a better you if you do.

Roger

19

Jump Start # 3473

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3473

Malachi 2:17 “You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied Him?’  In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them, “ or, ‘Where is the God of justice?’”

It is in our spirit that we want to believe the best in others. We want to believe down deep in every heart lies a good person. And, our concept of God’s love has colored the way some see life. This was the problem in Malachi’s day.

The second chapter of this final O.T. prophet revealed two major problems. First, they were profaning the sanctuary of God. Rather than leading people to God, the corrupt priests were causing many to stumble. The second problem was that they were divorcing the wife of their youth. God hates divorce, is what the prophet uttered.

The chapter ends with our verse today. Instead of leading wicked people to the Lord, they were saying the evil one is good in the sight of God. If that were true, the evil person would not need to change. Stay the course and keep doing what you are doing. God loves you. God thinks you are awesome. You are good. Such false statements keeps a person from ever changing. While it may make the person feel good, it really doesn’t do them any good.

Now, some lessons for us:

First, there comes a time when we need to speak plainly about things. Nathan the prophet told David, “You are the man.” How courageous that was. When our main goal is to make people feel good, then there will be no room for the call of repentance and change. The Lord declared that all men everywhere ought to repent.

Second, only the Lord can determine what is good and what is right. Not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings may keep them a close friend, but you are not speaking in behalf of the Lord when you sugar coat something that is wrong. Preachers must face this challenge. We all like to be liked. But there comes a time to speak the truth of God’s word. When the Lord declared that Laodicea was lukewarm, that likely didn’t set well with the people there. It’s easier to change preachers than to change our ways. God’s word, not what you say, or I say, is what makes a person right.

Third, our culture is so afraid of offending someone that the only one who is offended is the Lord. Don’t hurt my feelings and don’t make me cry, has led to accepting things that should never have even been put on the table. Public figures have lost their jobs because they spoke their minds and often times, the truth. Jesus offended people. Many walked away from Jesus. He didn’t run after them. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t promise to change His message. They walked and He let them go. And, where were they going? Back to Satan. Back to being lost. Back to a world of hopelessness and despair.

There will be some who leave church services and never come back. They didn’t like the message. They weren’t catered to and made special. They wanted to be the center and they are not. The message of truth is narrow, restrictive and exclusive. That doesn’t work in our times for most people. They want to live without rules. They want to do what they want and be what they want and still believe that God declares that they are good. That weak message fills church buildings but it doesn’t build faith and it certainly doesn’t please the Lord.

This message, Malachi wrote, “wearied the Lord.” God was tired of it. You can say, “I’m right with the Lord,” but that doesn’t mean you are. It’s time to stop wearing God out and begin to please Him by holy and righteous lives.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 3472

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3472

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.”

Pleasing the Lord—that is at the heart of every disciple. Paul told the Corinthians that he made it his ambition to please the Lord. To please the Lord, means the Lord approves of what you are doing. You are doing something right. You put a smile on the face of God.

Every human seeks four things.

  • We want attention. This is why little ones will show off. This is why teens do crazy things. This is why a wife craves for conversation from her husband.
  • We want acceptance. We want to be included, invited and liked.
  • We want affection. We like some praise spread our way.
  • We want approval. We want to know that we are doing a good job.

Now, it is in our DNA to crave these things. And, when we cannot find them in the proper channels, we’ll find them in illegal and immoral ways. This is why some join a gang. They are looking for attention, acceptance, affection and approval. This is why some teens engage in sexual activity. They are looking for attention, acceptance, affection  and approval.

The disciple is looking for approval from God. The five talent man heard, “Well done, good and faithful slave.” Timothy was told to “present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed.”

Let’s think about this idea of pleasing God.

First, some have the idea that God is never pleased. Like the coach who tells his players to run faster and faster, that’s how they view God. You can never do enough. You can never be good enough. God is never satisfied with what we have done.

This thinking leads to frustration and failure. You try and try, but you can’t get away from the guilt. I’m not doing enough. God is not pleased. Tired, weary, exhausted and filled with shame because we know we didn’t do enough, we hold our heads down in fear, failure and guilt. We want to go to Heaven, but we doubt it deep inside.

This is not the spirit of the N.T. This thinking is wrapped around perfection and a system of works. “Well done,” is what the master told the five talent man. He did it well. Revelation 22 states that we shall “see His face.” Paul said there was a crown awaiting those who have loved His appearing.

Second, a life that walks with the Lord pleases God. That life will be Bible based. That’s how we know the Lord. The warning in Matthew 7 is directed towards those wo did not do the will of the Father. One cannot please the Lord while He is ignoring what God said.

Third, a life that serves as God served pleases the Lord. In the judgment scene of Matthew 25, it’s not what one knew, but what they did that mattered. Food, drink, clothing was provided to those who did not have any. It wasn’t being able to answer questions correctly. It was having a heart of service like Jesus did.

Fourth, a life of holiness pleases God. Be holy, as He is holy, Peter wrote. Being able to say “no,” to the things of the world is essential in our walk with God. One can say that they love God, but if their footprints lead to the world, something is not right. Sanctified or set apart, different, are the concepts of holiness.

You can be approved to God. You can please the Lord. It’s not doing the impossible. That’s not possible. It’s doing what you can where you are. Use your talents to honor the Lord. Use your time for the Lord. Do things God’s way.

Well done, what rich, powerful and hopeful words they are.

Roger

15

Jump Start # 3471

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3471

Luke 10:35 “And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’”

Our verse today comes from the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to illustrate and define the concept of a neighbor. The winding, twisting road that descends from Jerusalem to Jericho, was the perfect place for dangerous marauders to rob lone travelers. The victim in this story was more than robbed, he was beaten and left “half dead,” the text tells us. We are not told if the man was Jewish, but his hero and savior that day was not. He was a foreigner. He was Samaritan.

The likely ones to help, a priest and a Levite, did not. In fact, they did nothing. They pass on the other side and nothing more is said about them. Did they tell anyone once they were safely in town? Did they reach out to the first century 911?

The Samaritan did more than just help the man up. He bandaged him, and it seems that he stayed the night watching him. As he left the next day, he paid the inn keeper and left him with a promise that he would cover any additional expenses. He didn’t have to do that. He wasn’t responsible. He had a heart and that heart was generous.

Now, tucked in our verse today is a thought that we need to think about today. The Samaritan had the funds to help out the injured man. This was something he hadn’t planned. This wasn’t in his budget. The average credit card debt in America is $7,900. At least 47% of Americans could not come up with $500 if there was an emergency. That translates to having to go deeper into debt to cover the emergency.

Times are tough and things are costing a lot these days. However, a modern Samaritan could not help the injured man because he wouldn’t have any money. Likely, he whip out his credit card and just go deeper and deeper into debt.

So, here are some end of the year thoughts for us about finances:

First, average in America isn’t the standard to go by. Most face retirement with great financial fears. There is a great concern that they will run out of money some day. And, if we just keep up with everyone else, we are not really keeping up.

Second, we need to get to a place where we can help others out. Paul’s words to Timothy places the responsibility of helping parents first and foremost on grown children. However, from the stats today, that won’t happen. So, we need to understand that simply contributing on Sunday doesn’t fulfill my responsibilities to helping others. There are things that ought to come out of my pocket and not from the church. To be able to do that, one must be able.

Third, it’s not advanced math to understand that you cannot spend more than you make. Congress does this, but we are not Congress. A detailed budget will keep you in your proper lane. The holidays can wreck you if you don’t have a budget. About 22% are still paying for last year’s Christmas. That’s nearly 1 in 4 people. Here we are at this year’s Christmas and last year’s hasn’t been paid for. Now throw in a vacation or two and you see the mess people get into. Vacations are so much sweeter when they are paid for before you ever leave your house.

Budgeting is the key. Stick to it like Scriptures. When you have a little left over at the end of the month, toss that into savings to build up your emergency fund. Don’t touch it unless it is truly an emergency. Going out to eat is not an emergency. If your work provides a matching 401, that’s free money. Invest to the max that they will let you. And, don’t ever touch it. Learning to get by on less and being content will help you write that budget each month.

Throughout the year there are always occasions to help others. Some have large medical bills. Some are raising money to adopt a child. There are needs overseas among our brethren. The Samaritan had the funds to help the injured man.

Sure is something for us to think about in this season of giving. Generous is our God and generous ought to be His people. Make some financial goals for the new year. Sit down together and work on a budget. Spontaneous shopping and unexpected expenses crush our financial goals. Be wise with your money. Be more than a steward, but a GREAT STEWARD.

Who would have thought back then, the heart of a Samaritan was more like God than that of the heartless Pharisees. Wonder what kind of heart we have? Sure is something to think about and make adjustments.

Roger