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Jump Start # 3598

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3598

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

I saw him at a funeral. I’ve known him for decades but haven’t spent much time with him in recent years. I asked if I could sit beside him during the service. What a delight that was for me. Decades ago I preformed the wedding for his son. Now, high in his 80s, this aged saint of God, talked and talked. He talked about recent health issues he had. He talked his children and grandchildren. He told me that he was still preaching out in small country congregations. He was feeble, hard of hearing and needed a cane, but that ole’ sparkle in his eyes was still there. How he loved the Lord and his people. He told me about preaching two lessons about angels. I asked him about the history of some churches in the area.

As the funeral ended, I helped him up and as we got to the door, I waved a pleasant good-bye to him. On the way back home, I kept thinking about him. Outside a small circle in Southern Indiana, most have never heard of him. But the good he has done is amazing and lasting. And, what really caught my attention was his cheerful manner and spirit about him. I’ve known many, many aged saints, and so few are like this one. Many see the current state of the church as a wreck and all they long for are the old days, when things were different. Others only complain. Their aches and pains have ruined their attitude and it seems that their goal in life is to rain upon everyone else and to make all feel miserable.

I thought, I sure hope I can be like that if I make it to that age. I don’t want people to see me coming and walk away because of a negative and grumpy spirit. Some seem to think that with age comes the right to complain. I haven’t found that memo or passage that states that.

Why is it that some are so pleasant and a joy in life and others are going to leave this world miserable and grumpy?

Here’s what I found:

First, it’s not what has happened to a person in life. You live long enough and all of us have horror stories, scary nights and the scars of long ago wounds. People have disappointed us. Brethren have let us down. There have been long nights sitting in hospitals and as we were together the other day, gatherings at the funeral home. Few, if any, have escaped those things. So, being joyful or being a grump isn’t based upon what has happened to you. We all walk a similar path through life.

Second, one’s faith in the Lord makes all the difference. The brother I sat beside during the funeral had a great faith. The majority of our conversation was about preaching, churches and how blessed we are in the Lord. He smiled often. He loved preaching. And, it’s that faith that puts a smile on your face and upon your heart. Being joyful or being a pill is a matter of choice. One isn’t that way just because. They are that way because they chose to be that way.

I’ve seen that choice before. I recognize it. Decades ago, while living in another city, I often when to visit one of the older members. Her medical charts must have been as thick as an old phone book. She had everything wrong with her. I wondered what even worked anymore. But to visit her, she was so cheerful, kind and thankful. Years later, I have wondered if I went for her good or my good.

You can choose to be cheerful or you can choose to be miserable.

Third, you can be the reason someone smiles. That’s the way our fellowship ought to be. Walking into the church building ought not be the same experience and emotions as walking into a surgery center. Love. Acceptance. Joy. Smiles. These ought to be the norm. I expect one of the great reasons why some walk away from a congregation is not because of the way the Lord treated them. No. Much too often, it’s the way the dysfunctional family of Christ treated them. Ignored. Judged. Whispers. Blame. Bullied. It doesn’t take much of that and a person is done. They leave and will never come back. But, what a contrast it is to walk in on Sunday morning and eyes light up and big smiles spread across faces. The warmth, trust and acceptance is beyond description. There is a bond that ties our hearts together.

An old Christian at a funeral home. He was likely the oldest person in that room. He’s rounding third base and is almost home, but you’d never know it from the way he smiled, talked and the twinkle in his eyes. The preacher conducting the funeral gave us a great lesson. But, for me, the best lesson was sitting right beside me.

Enjoy the life the Lord has taken you on. Be a blessing. Be the reason someone smiles.

Roger

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Jump Start # 3597

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3597

Ephesians 4:16 “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

As the apostle defines the functioning of God’s church, we come to this massive verse. It’s wordy in the English language. And, it brings the idea of a parts department. Dotting our cities are auto parts stores. A homespun mechanic can walk up to the counter and order a part that he needs to keep his car running. We recently had a hiccup with our air conditioner at home. A service tech came and bandaided it to keep it running. He said a part needed to be ordered.

In our passage, the apostle doesn’t have a car in mind. He is using the image of a body, a human body. There are joints, ligaments, bones, muscles and tendons that are tied together that enables us to hop out of bed in the morning and get moving. And, as one ages, those joints sometimes hurt. There comes a time for some when one of those joints has to be replaced. Sometimes in archaeological digs, the remains of a skeleton are found. The bones are there, but they are no longer held together.

What we are seeing in this passage is what keeps us together. What holds us together. Some, are held superficially by things that are nothing more than a house of cards. Tradition, the church building, familiarity are what holds some congregations together. Those are weak bonds and it doesn’t take much for it to splinter apart.

Notice from our passage:

First, there is an individual effort that keeps the whole together. The words are simple and plain. He says, every joint and each individual part. Every joint is suppling and each individual part is working properly. That’s the key. Much, much too often the majority of the work is being done by the minority of the people. What’s everyone else doing? They are not suppling. They aren’t working properly.

The parts don’t do the same things. As in your body, as in your computer, as in your car engine, there are different parts and they all play different roles. But combined they make things run smoothly. And, that’s the key. We don’t all need to stand behind the pulpit. We cannot all be shepherds. Some are great at knowing just the right thing to say at the right time. Others, fumble and mess that up. Yet, others see things that some couldn’t see if they stared at it all day. Different gifts. Different functions. Different roles.

Now, stop trying to decide which one is most important. You need them all. Stop complaining because one part isn’t doing what another part is doing. As long as each is supplying and working properly, things will run smoothly.

Second, we are not told here what was being supplied. The apostle is not thinking about tendons and muscles and bones. He is focused upon the church. What do we supply? We supply faith, courage, hope, support, strength and encouragement. What keeps us going? Christ. What holds us together? Christ. What motivates us? Christ. It’s all about Christ.

Third, the result is a mature body that loves. That’s what we often call, “growing up.” That cute little kitten grows up to be a cat. That puppy becomes a dog. That little boy becomes a man. Maturity spiritually is accomplished when we stand together with the Lord. And, the ribbon tying all of this together is LOVE. Love for the Lord. Love for one another. Love for the kingdom.

Working parts. Working together. The devil wants us to stop working. He wants us to work against each other. And, one of the best way to keep the devil at a distance is when the church is firing on all cylinders. You have a role. You have a part. Find it. Do it.

Roger

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Jump Start # 3596

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3596

Psalms 28:6 “Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications.”

There is an interesting break in the text of Psalms 28. And, this break makes us wonder about the writing of some passages. The chapter begins with David, the writer through inspiration, calling upon the Lord to hear him (1). He begs God to hear the voice of his supplications (2). He seeks safety and wants the Lord to keep him from being taken away with the wicked (3). Then we come to our verse today. David praises God because has heard him. The Lord becomes his strength and shield (7). He has been helped (7). David sings the song of thankfulness (7).

Did you catch the break? The Psalm begins with David asking God to hear him. Then, he thanks the Lord FOR hearing him and answering his prayer. Now, unless David is looking back and seeing how everything unfolded, it seems that between verses five and six, God answered David. Between verse five and six, God rescued David. So, it is likely, that David didn’t write this in one setting. David started this prayer. And, however long, God answered that prayer. David then writes a praise of gratitude from a thankful heart. How much time passed between verse five and six, we do not know. Was it hours? Days? Months?

For us, it is important to see:

First, we often live between verse five and six. We have prayed. We have prayed and prayed. And, now we wait. “In His time,” is more than a hymn, it’s the thought of a faithful heart. We wait for the sick to get well. We wait for the door to open. We wait for the prodigal to come home. We have prayed. That’s living in verse five. And, before we can praise God for answering us, verse six, we wait.

It’s that period of waiting that can cause some to conclude that God is not doing anything. We’ve prayed but we continue to wait. And, waiting is hard. Waiting often leads to doubting.

Second, we must not forget to thank the Lord when we move into verse six of our lives. We’ve prayed, that’s verse five. We’ve waited. Now, the Lord has blessed us. Prayers answered. Problems solved. Hope and promises again fills the air. But, let’s not forget to thank the Lord because of verse six. God was not silent. God was not deaf.

Third, the problems of verse five do not seem so big once we are in verse six. In verse five, the world is falling apart. We are scared. Answers are few. God seems distant. We pray long and hard and often when we are in verse five. The night never seems to end when you are in verse five. But, the sun comes out again in verse six, and everything seems much better. God has rescued once more. God is faithful. He has not forgotten, nor has He forsaken.

It’s the troubles of verse five that helps us to seek the Lord and pray the best. We’ve all heard sermons about prayer. We’ve sat through classes about prayer. We’ve been given little projects about prayer. But, nothing beats living in a verse five world to make you pray. We like peace, affluence, joy and good times. But, those may be the very things that keeps us from praying very much. We can start thinking that we’ve got everything under control and everything is going just the right direction for us. It’s the verse fives that drop us to our knees and humbles our hearts. We are not in control. There are things bigger than us. We need the Lord.

How interesting, tucked within the short Psalm, a break in the flow and a lesson for us. You will find a break in Psalms 23, the shepherd Psalm. The first three verses describe God and His activity. He leads. He guides. He is a shepherd. But in verse 4, the Psalmist no longer talks about God. He now talks TO God. Verse four switches to a prayer.

I expect there have been breaks in our life’s story. Times when we were in the wilderness. Times when God wasn’t even a thought in our minds. But then, we changed. God is foremost to us. God has saved us and rescued us.

Breaks—there are a lot of lessons there if you look for them

Roger

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Jump Start # 3595

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3595

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had our daughter and her family visiting for a few days. She and her husband have three daughters. The oldest two, nine and seven, are busy. They swim in our popup pool, ride scooters, walk in the woods, go to the playground, and play zoo with all the stuffed animals. And, of course, I’m always right in the middle of those activities with them. We got the games out. I somehow come in last in Uno and Pass the Pigs every time. I introduced them to an old game called, “LIFE.” My daughter and son-in-law had never played this game. The game I have was the actual one I grew up with. It’s old. It looks old. It dated from the 60s and when we were cleaning out dad’s house, I took it. You’d think this was the best game ever. They laughed and played and played that game. It had been so long for me that we had to look at the instructions on the inside of the box lid to know what to do.

But what a fitting name for that game, LIFE. Choices. Go to college or go the trade route? Buy insurance or skip it? Play the stock market and take a gamble or be conservative and safe? Choices, choices, choices. The right spin on the spinner can bring great rewards. The wrong spin will cost you.

And, what is true in the game of LIFE, is true in real life. Life is made up of many choices. Consider:

First, it is hard for an eighteen-year-old to know what he wants to be after high school. Some do. Most don’t. So, they dabble in this college major and then switch to another one. This is why talking to others, and listening to  the experience of parents can help make the right choices.

Second, there are choices that can color our lives for a long, long time. Some choice become habits. And, some of those habits not only have serious consequences that follow them, they can be very hard to get out of. Surrounding yourself with people who are going the same direction you are is so helpful and beneficial. Believing one thing and being influenced in the opposite direction is going to cause an internal battle within your mind.

Third, the ultimate goal of the game LIFE is to end up in the Millionaire’s estate and not the poor house. Very similar to the game Monopoly, the one with the most wins. The materialistic drive behind these games is that more money means more happiness. It is thought by so many that winning in life or LIFE, is based upon how much you have. And, it seems many are playing this game in real life. Jesus warned what does it profit if a man gains the whole world and forfeits his soul. In the game LIFE, there is a church building. Everyone must stop there and get married. It’s the only time in the game LIFE that one goes to church. And, like that game, so it is for many today. Go when you are hatched, matched and dispatched, is an ole’ saying.

So, in the game LIFE, the choices are money driven. What will get me the most money? The game and our times see little value in being anything but rich. But there isn’t a price tag one can put on faith, peace, joy and walking with the Lord. There isn’t a price one can put on family times, smiles, laughter and good, clean fun. The thirst for getting rich can make one selfish and close his eyes to the needs around him. What if the good Samaritan walked by the injured man, thinking, “I don’t want to spend my money on a stranger. It’s not my problem.” But he didn’t. He had the heart of generosity and serving.

It is important to help our young people see that life is more than what you can hold in your hand or order from Amazon. Being content is a lesson that parents need to and ought to show their children. They won’t learn this from school. They won’t learn it from their friends. And, if it doesn’t come from you, where will they ever learn it?

Unlike the game LIFE, in real life one can adjust and change their choices. Those of us that walk with the Lord, have. We made changes. And, all along the way, as we grow, learn and get closer to the Lord, we modify our attitudes and make better choices. And, what we find is that winning life is not about how much money one has, but our love for the Lord and our choice to walk in righteousness.

I’ve known many believers who our culture would consider poor. But they found something that our culture just can’t find. They found joy, peace, contentment and hope. They found those things in Jesus. Some of the best people I’ve known have been just plain ordinary Christians who were the backbone of congregations. Their faith served them well. They brought up families that became godly servants. They lived, loved and showed others the kindness of our Lord.

At the end of the day, we put LIFE back in its old box and put it up on a shelf in a closet. And, there it will sit until the next time we pull it out to play. But the real life is lived every single day. Good days. Bad days. Ordinary days. Special days. Each day is a gift from the Lord and each day is to be lived doing all we can for the kingdom.

It is simply, Life.

Roger

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Jump Start # 3594

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3594

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

We were at an outdoor music festival recently. Groups from around the world were playing Beatles music. Some original singers from the 1960s were there. One singer, before he broke into the song, “Here comes the sun,” mentioned that every time they have preformed that song outdoors, it rained. Thankfully, it didn’t this time. But as the song was being sung, I looked skyward and the clouds and sun were playing hide and seek. It was a beautiful sight.

A thought came to my mind:

  • How many prayers had the Lord answered that day? Prayers from around the globe. Prayers offered in different languages. Prayers because a sick family member was in the hospital. Prayers because a prodigal had not come home. Prayers for strength. Prayers for safety. Far away places where war is tearing apart lives. Places in this country, where people are hungry and in fear. Prayers of the righteous. Prayers of those who are seeking. I think we would be astonished at how many prayers the Lord answers in day.
  • How many blessings have come down from Heaven, just that day? The fact that the day came was a blessing. Food on the table. Babies born. Health. Freedom. Hope. Doors opened. So many little things that God is busy doing for us.
  • Did God send any angels that day? Did angels come to carry a righteous soul to the Lord? Were angels sent to help God’s people? Were angels among us and we didn’t realize it? On this one day, how many angels departed Heaven to help the people of God? We’d be amazed if we knew.

It is amazing what all our God can do, even in one day. And, just today, our Lord is busy doing things. Never taking a day off. Never observing a holiday. Worldwide, in places we will never see with our eyes, our Lord is doing things, because mankind is made in His image and He loves us.

We might conclude that God is only involved with us, our congregation and our country. Don’t limit God like that. Don’t put God in a box like that. Our God is so big, the children sing in VBS. Believe that. Don’t think that we are God’s favorites. He loves all.

Just today…what all our Lord has done for us. It is amazing. Now, we need to ask, what all have we done for the Lord today? Did we share His word with anyone? Did we live righteously for Him? Did we honor Him with our hearts? Have we made righteous choices?

Just today…

What a thought that is!

Roger