24

Jump Start # 3497

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3497

Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Our verse today, coming from the Lord’s grand sermon on the mount, ends a section about worry. Five times the Lord tells His followers not to worry. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything positive. Worry gets our heart and feelings all tied up in knots. We lose sleep and can’t eat, because we are worried. Worry stops progress and freezes us in our tracks. ‘Worried to death,’ while likely not a technical medical condition, is certainly something very real.

In our verse, Jesus identifies one of the great causes of worry, the unknown. That’s what tomorrow is. It is unknown. What will happen tomorrow? What kind of day will tomorrow bring? And, while we are waiting for the unknown, our minds play tricks on us. We tend to think the worse. A school test, the results could determine if you qualify for a scholarship, get on the honor roll or can be accepted into a program. A lot lies on that test. We study. We do our best. And, then we must wait. And, wait. And, wait. And, while we are waiting, our minds become worried.

Or, for others, it’s a medical test. Positive or negative. Will I have to have surgery or not? Do I have cancer or not? The blood tests were taken. Scans were made. And, now one waits. And, they wait. And, they wait. And, while you are waiting, your mind becomes worried.

Or, you have applied for a new job. You have filled out the forms. You’ve had an interview. More applicants are going to be looked at. A promise, ‘We’ll back with you,’ is given. And, you wait. And, wait. And, wait. And, while waiting, you mind becomes worried.

We want the answers today. But, we must wait until tomorrow. Wait and wait and wait. And, while we wait, we worry. What if the answers are not good? What if it’s the worst possible news? And, with each negative thought, the worry builds in our minds.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, while worrying about tomorrow, we mess up today. We lose power, progress and even focus. We become so concerned about tomorrow that we don’t see today. We miss opportunities. Opportunities to shine our light. Opportunities to encourage. Opportunities to grow. We try to live out tomorrow, but we can’t, because it’s tomorrow.

Second, Jesus reminds us that tomorrow will take care of itself. By tomorrow, things may change. By tomorrow, I may feel and see things differently. By tomorrow, what I was worried about, I didn’t need to worry about.

Tucked in these verses are two thoughts that we know and our expressed throughout the Scriptures. First, is faith. Trust God. Has God ever let you down? Has God ever not been there for you? Why should things be different this time? The greater your faith, the less you will fear and worry. Faith and worry are not good roommates. One will kick the other out. The greater the worry, the less the faith. The greater the faith, the less the worry. Second, although not stated here, but what we know, is pray. Worry is doing nothing. Worry is trying to carry your burdens yourself. Worry looks to the problem and that’s all it sees. Faith leads us to God. Pray about what bothers you. Pray that the Lord will help you. Pray and then let the Lord take it over. Pray that your eyes can see what the Lord wants you to see. Peter says to cast all your anxiety upon God because He cares for you.

Tomorrow will take care of itself, because today you have prayed about it. Today, you have turned it over to the Lord. Today, you are trusting the Lord.

Third, each day has enough to keep us busy. Each day has enough trouble, Jesus says. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a person complain, “There’s just not enough problems today.” Or, “I wish more things would go wrong today.” Nope. Never heard that before. Today’s troubles—weather, traffic, temptation, family, health, finances, co-workers, demands at work, things breaking at home, wars, elections, politics, economy, crime, bills, obligations, commitments, to do lists, tired, bored, angry, busy—and on and on the list grows for today. Today has enough trouble. Today you’ll need all your faith, prayers and energy to get through. Today is where you live. Tomorrow may not happen.

Today and Tomorrow. Keeping those two straight is essential. And, when we do it right, we’ll have less worry in our hearts. Our Lord knew. Now, if we will only know as well.

Roger

23

Jump Start # 3496

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3496

Psalms 11:7 “The Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face.”

Out of the thirteen words in this sentence, three of them are about being right. Righteous, righteousness and the upright. God is that way. God loves that way. There is a benefit to being righteous, one will see the face of God.

There are some lessons we need to learn from this:

First, only God can declare what is right or righteous. What I think is right, may not be. What I want to be right, may not be. The qualities of God are light, righteousness, goodness and generosity. God is not mean. God does not do wicked things. God doesn’t pull the legs off of grasshoppers and watch them struggle. God doesn’t chop worms in half and see what happens next. Nor does God delight in death, disease or destruction. Those are the consequences of a broken world. A world that we helped break by our rebellion to God. Our wrongness is what helped bring the sorrow of this world.

Second, being right doesn’t put you in a position to be arrogant or look down upon others. Self-righteous is not the same as God’s righteousness. Thinking that I am better than someone else because I go to worship on Sunday is to forgot that there was times in my life when I wasn’t right. God has always been right, always. We haven’t. We should want all people to become right with God. The ills of our culture would quickly go away if every person sought to be righteous in the sight of God.

Those snug little, rolling the eyes at some in the church building only reveals that we are still in need of being right. God wouldn’t do that. Jesus never did that. So, why do we? Instead of welcoming prodigals, we want to lecture them and ask them 40 questions. Rather than calling for a celebration as the father did in Luke 15, we want to know the details of all the wrong that they have done. In many ways, if not in all ways, the prodigal was more righteous than his self-righteous brother.

Third, being right is a journey. It’s like driving the car down the road. One doesn’t hold the steering wheel straight and tight. There is a little to the left and a little to the right and a little here and a little there. We make adjustments to keep ourselves going straight. It’s that way with a car and it’s that way in our walk with the Lord. We get our toes stepped on during a sermon. We make an adjustment. We see something in the Scriptures about attitude. Another little adjustment. A little here and a little there. Constantly. Everyday. Every worship. Attitudes. Behaviors. Language. Habits. What we are doing at home. Our work ethic. The way we treat others. How we worship. Adjustments. Staying in the lanes of righteousness.

Like driving, there are times when the weather is great, the road is straight and the traffic is light, that we drive with one hand. It’s pretty easy to keep the car within the lanes. But there are other times, like this morning here in Indiana, snow on the roads, icy, that both hands are necessary. More careful attention is required. Driving on mountain roads is like that.

To be upright is a learning process. You are always striving to please the Lord. You are learning about better and being better. You are growing. You are getting stronger. Some things are obvious. Some things you have to think through and come to learn.

The righteous enjoy being around other righteous ones. They encourage one another. They learn from one another. They support one another.

God is righteous. God loves righteousness. The upright will see His face. One thing is sure. There is no way that wrong is right. There is no way that wrong pleases the Lord. When wrong, I need to get right. I do so by seeking the mercy of the Lord.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 3495

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3495

1 Kings 22:37-38 “So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buied the king in Samaria. They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), according to the word of the Lord which He spoke.”

Our verse ends the life of wicked king Ahab. Ungodly, cruel and unfaithful to God, he was slain in battle against the Syrians. Ahab thought if he disguised himself, no one would recognize that he was the king. A random arrow pierced his armor and he was left bleeding in his chariot. The battle raged on throughout the day. Ahab was propped up in his chariot, likely a sign to encourage and lift the morale of his troops. By evening, the king was dead. Blood filled his chariot, indicating that he probably bled to death. Carried back to the city, he was buried in Samaria.

In an interesting bit of detail, we are told that the blood was washed out of the chariot at the Samarian pool and in a fulfillment to a prophecy, dogs licked up the blood of the king. The pool is where the prostitutes bathed.

Why identify the pool as where the harlots bathe? The King James version omits the harlots and translates this as they washed his armor. Nearly all the other translations include the description of the pool as where the harlots bathe.

Here are some thoughts:

First, what a poke in the eye to think that the king’s blood was licked up by dogs and the chariot washed with unclean water of prostitutes. It’s as if all the glory and glamour the king sought in his life, in his death, God was showing the true picture.

The prostitutes may have been temple prostitutes that were connected with the idolatry that Ahab allowed and encouraged. Impure and defiled, his blood was mingled with the unclean waters of harlots.   The prostitutes may have bathed in that pool, but they remained unclean in their soul. And, for a king who allowed, encouraged and promoted idolatry, his blood was washed with the waters of impure prostitutes.

How often do we hear of someone whose final deeds are dishonest and disgraceful. The rest of his life is forgotten by the wickedness that came at the end. He is only remembered by the final disgraceful thing that he did.

Second, this may have been a warning to the nation that God was aware of what they were doing. Their king wasn’t so great. He wasn’t so powerful. Killed in battle, he’s not given a heroes send off. Dogs lick his blood and his chariot is washed where prostitutes bathe. The list of wrongs committed by Ahab and Jezebel are long. The amount of people they hurt was numerous. But they didn’t have the final word. Dogs ate Jezebel and dogs licked the blood of Ahab. It was time for the nation to turn around and follow the Lord.

Hebrews tells us that Abel, though he is dead, still speaks. In many ways, that’s true of every person that has died. We leave footprints and examples. We show what was important to us. For Abel, it’s faith and obedience to God that matters. For Ahab, it’s shame and disgrace that follow a life of selfishness and rebellion. Dogs and prostitute waters.

Third, God left this record for people to know. After Ahab, the next king was his son, Ahaziah. He was worthless, wicked and evil. He reigned only two years, serving Baal and not Jehovah. Did he use the same chariot as his father, Ahab? This detail, about the dogs and the polluted water, may have been only known by the servants and no one else. But not only did God know, He wanted His people to know. This was recorded. And, did Ahaziah learn any lessons? Apparently not. He followed in the same foolish steps as his father did. And, that cycle continues today. One generation of selfish people, who have no regard for the Lord or His ways, is followed by another generation who walk in those exact same steps. Bloody chariots, dogs and the water prostitutes bathed in didn’t seem to awaken the indifferent heart of Ahaziah. “I’m different, and it won’t happen to me,” is the foolish song of the blind following the blind.

The closing sentences of Ahab’s life is dirty. Street dogs licking his blood, and impure water washing a chariot is in contrast to the holiness and purity surrounding the Lord. God’s priests were to wash and wear special garments as they came into the presence of the temple. The sacrifices were to be unblemished and pure. The entire setting of worship is reverent and pure. But for the leader of the nation, it was dirty dogs and impure water. Ahab never got it. He never understood the Lord. Swayed by his evil wife, Jezebel, Ahab didn’t lead his home nor the nation.

And, maybe that’s one final lesson for us. The impure can come into the worship of God, but they ought to leave better. They ought to see in the holiness and goodness of God, that our selfish, impure ways need to be washed out of our hearts and our minds. The waters that the world offers cannot cleanse us. It’s only God who can truly wash us clean.

Peter declared, be holy as He is holy. We must leave the polluted world of dogs and impurity and come to the holiness of God. Ahab never understood that. We should.

Licking dogs and prostitute waters—such lessons that God leaves us with.

Roger

19

Jump Start # 3494

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3494

1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him a word.”

The story is told of a man who lived long ago. He was deaf. Every Sunday he would worship with God’s people. There was no person to use sign language. He sat there in total silence. He did not know what the preacher said. He did not know where in the song the people were singing. When he saw others bowing their heads, he bowed. He would peek with one eye to see when the prayer was over. Week after week this man attended. A friend wrote on a piece of paper, “Why do you go to church when you cannot hear anything?” With a broad smile, the man said, “I want the Devil to know whose side I’m on.”

There comes a time in our lives when we must get off the fence and declare which side we are on. Our verse today, shows that ancient Israel was on the fence. They hesitated between two opinions. Jehovah or Baal. Which one? They couldn’t or they wouldn’t decide. So, the nation stayed on the fence.

Elijah had enough of that. It was time to kick that fence and get the people off. Make up your mind. Declare yourself. Which side are you on? What follows is the grand contest between the lifeless, useless and worthless Baal and the powerful God of Heaven and earth. Prayers were uttered. Nothing came from Baal. Elijah mocked the prophets. Some would say today that he wasn’t very nice. He was making a point. Baal couldn’t bring rain when there was a drought. Baal couldn’t bring fire when there was a sacrifice. Baal couldn’t do anything. And, God clearly showed that not only did He hear Elijah, but that He was alive, powerful and the one to be followed. The day ended with the death of the prophets of Baal.

What a lesson for us.

First, there comes a time when we must decide whose side we are on. Some would complain, “why must there be sides? Why can’t we all agree?” Have you seen the Co-Exist bumper stickers? Can Jews and Muslims co-exist? If so, why is there a war in Israel right now? Different gods. Different doctrines. Different authorities. How can they co-exist when there is nothing in common. There are sides simply because there are sides. If everyone followed the Bible, there wouldn’t be sides. But that is not the case. Some follow some of the Bible, but not all the Bible. Some allow culture to color what they think the Bible says. Some are not content with the primitive way of God. Some believe things can be improved upon. Some do not think the Bible way is capable of doing what God intended.

Taking sides isn’t mean, judgmental or ugly. It’s just the opposite. It’s unwilling to go along with changes that are not according to the Bible message. It’s not being silent when some are messing with God’s way. Not taking a stand, refusing to draw lines, is often nothing more than cowardice.

A younger generation does not understand why there was a division among brethren in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The big picture is that there was a major division at the end of the 1800’s. While the particulars were different, the issue was the same. Has God shown us what we need to do and has He given us everything to do that work? Or, can we do things that are simply not found in the Bible?

Lines were drawn. People took sides. Congregations and families divided. There comes a time when a person must stop hesitating and draw a line in the sand and declare that crossing that line is wrong. There is no authority for that. There is no example for that. There is nothing in the Bible that allows that. Stand with God or sit on the fence.

Second, people get upset when lines of right and wrong are drawn. Lines of right and wrong is the story of the Bible. Adam and Eve, they crossed a line. We call that sin. The days of Noah, there was a line that defined righteousness. The days of Lot. The days of the kings. History has shown that some would rather have unity than purity of truth. Compromising, meeting half way, that is the suggested idea of many. But when one waters down the truth, just like watered down tea, it’s just not the same any more. And, once that door has been opened, it can never be closed again. You may be able to take one step of compromise from the truth and feel pretty good because you are still really close to the truth. The next person, might be able to take two steps. Then comes someone who can take yet another step from there. Before long, we are so far from the truth that we do not even know what the truth looks like. It’s out of sight because we have moved so far. It’s hard to say that three steps from truth is wrong, when we’ve winked at one step from truth. It’s hard to say that four steps from truth is error, when we have tolerated the first two steps from truth. Either we stay with the Lord or we start walking.

How long, the prophet declared. Make up your mind. Get off the fence.

Third, these things matter or else nothing matters. If it doesn’t matter what a church does with the money, why does it matter how a church worships? If it doesn’t matter whether or not a band can be used in worship, why does it matter that baptism is necessary for salvation? If it doesn’t matter what how a church is lead, why does it matter about what gender someone declares? Why does anything matter?

Why did God declare purple curtains and fifty rings in the tabernacle? What was wrong with 45 rings? Why not a red curtain? Why a lamb? Why not a dog? Why unleavened bread? Why not a cup cake? Why sing? Why not dance? Why contributions? Why not run a business? Why does anything matter?

If we can’t answer that, then some of us need to stop preaching. We need to start in Genesis and see why these things matter. God is God and we are not. God has all authority and we don’t.

The ole’ Texas preacher, J.D. Tant, once ended his articles with, “we are drifting.” I think some of us are content to just sit on the fence and see which way the wind blows. We need bold faith today that declares, “I stand with the Lord.”

Get off the fence, and declare whose side you are on.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 3493

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3493

Genesis 27:42 “Now when the words of the elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, ‘Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.”

One of the sad and disheartening things we find in the Bible are the broken and dysfunctional families that make up the Bible story. Cain killed his brother. Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him but were talked into selling him. Here, angry Esau plans to kill his brother. Throughout the Bible story we read of kings killing off siblings to protect their reign.

Our verse tells us that Esau consoled himself by devising this wicked plan. The ESV uses the word “comfort.” Thinking evil brought comfort to Esau. If Jacob were dead, then the birthright would fall back to Esau. His foolish act of trading his birthright for a common meal was his own shallow and empty choice. Once the deed was done, it could not be reversed. But if Jacob were dead, it would fall back into his hands. Wicked thoughts. Evil plans. Cold hearted. No regard for life. Esau had a plan. These wrong thoughts brought him comfort. He felt good about thinking bad. No love for his brother. Selfish and learning nothing from the story of Cain, he was walking in those same steps.

Rebekah learned of this wickedness. She told Jacob.

There are some powerful lessons for us:

First, some spend most of their time thinking evil and planning wickedness. That is their world. Generosity, kindness, grace and forgiveness are as foreign to them as a foreign language. They have no desire to be nice or to do good. Self is all they ever think about. If their words or actions hurt others, they don’t care. If lying, stealing and cheating gets them what they want, they will do that and it will not bother their conscience in the least.

In the days of Noah, the thoughts and the intents of the people were wicked all the time. In the days of Lot, the citizens of Sodom vexed the soul of the righteous by what was being said and done. Killing babies didn’t bother either Pharoah or Herod.

The Proverbs warns us not to envy the evil doer. Hollywood has glamorized on film the bank robber, the thief and the wicked. Their lives are not good. They leave a trail of destruction and pain.

Second, Esau got comfort from wicked thinking. A diseased heart will do that. Others get comfort from a bottle of alcohol. Some from drugs. Some from stealing. Wrong brings satisfaction to those with a wicked heart. It bothers us that some can do wrong and it not bothers them. Their conscience is seared. It’s broken. They have no heart. Evil terrorists plan to destroy and hurt the lives of the innocent. They get joy in thinking how much harm they can cause.

Until evil comes to their front door, most wicked people do not see what they are doing. Their eyes are blind and they have no desire to do what is noble, right and godly. How hard it is to turn such wicked hearts. A culture of godlessness, evil and selfishness has created such wicked hearts. Homes without God, guidance and goodness will easily lead to such indifference to life and such utter selfishness.

Even among God’s people, there are those who delight in hurting others. They do not make plans to kill anyone, but by their gossipy ways, they ruin reputations, hurt feelings and splinter the unity of a congregation. And, worse, there are those who delight in doing such things. They may attend, and even believe that they are Christians, but they stand with the likes of Cain and Esau. There is no comfort in planning evil against someone—whether in actions or words; whether in person or on social media.

Third, God knows. He always knows. He knows the thoughts and the intents of the heart. God knew that Esau was scheming and devising to kill Jacob. Was it just luck or the workings of God that Rebekah found out and she told Jacob? And when the innocent suffer because of the hands of the wicked, God knows. David was chased about the countryside for more than a decade by King Saul who wanted to kill him. Our Lord had many attempts on His life before He saw the time to lay down His life.

We want God to stop the wickedness right now. Put an end to these evil plans. Don’t allow the plans to come about. But, this isn’t Heaven. Broken lives are often bent on continuing to do wrong. They will not stop until the Lord brings their lives to an end. But that won’t be the end. They must give an account to the Lord for all the evil that they have done. God’s grace ignored, His word violated, His way abused, Heaven will not hold a place for wicked hearts.

Our comfort is in the Lord. Our comfort is in doing good to others. Our comfort is in helping others see Jesus.

Comfort in evil—that’s not the way to live.

Roger