14

Jump Start # 3700

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

Jump Start # 3700

Nehemiah 6:15 “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.”

This Jump Start hits yet another milestone, number 3700. That is a lot of writing. That is a lot of pages. If we printed these front and back, like a book, it would number 1850 pages. My preaching Bible is only 1749 pages. The first Harry Potter book was 320 pages. The 11th edition of Webster’s Dictionary is 1623 pages. Romeo and Juliet is only 480 pages.

Our verse today shows the mighty achievement of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem in fifty-two days. That’s amazing. Today, with modern machinery it is unlikely that we could do it in that short of time. In fact, it’d take more than 52 days to get the permits, bids, and paperwork completed to even start the job.

Accomplishments—there’s a lesson or two for us in thinking about that.

First, big accomplishments come about by a series of little achievements. Wars are won that way. Win a battle here, a skirmish there, stay with it, and in time the war is won. Paying off debt is that way. A little extra each month, little by little and before long, the debt is paid. The same is true in getting a college degree. This class. That class. This semester. That semester. One by one, and then you graduate.

Had someone told me years ago to write 3700 pages of a blog I think I would have passed out. No one sets out to do that. Little steps. One by one and staying with it, you accomplish things. Holding that Bible in your hand can be overwhelming. Read a page or a chapter a day. Stay with it. Day after day. And, one day, you’ll flip to Revelation 22, the last page and you will have read the entire Bible, cover to cover.

Second, as with Nehemiah, as with us, there are set back, discouragements and obstacles to overcome. My travel schedule, especially this fall, has put a lot of pressure on getting these written and posted. Nehemiah faced trouble from Sanballat, discouragement from his people, and the enormous task of cleaning up the mess and building again. Such it is in all worthwhile endeavors. You have to stay with it. There are days when you may not feel like getting out in the cold and running. Or, you may not feel like going out on a dark Sunday evening to worship. You push yourself through and keep going. The off ramp always looks inviting. It’s easy to quit. Things come up. Your schedule gets changed. But, with determination you keep going and going.

Third, rejoicing in small victories builds momentum to continue on. As the walls of Jerusalem started getting higher and higher and longer and longer, people could see, this was going to work. This is a good thing. And, those small victories pushes discouragement, pain and troubles to the side. We are doing a good thing and that keeps one going. It has been that way with these Jump Starts. All across the country, people have come up to me and told me that they start their day by reading these. I have a file folder full of letters and emails from you readers. These Jump Starts are being used in prisons. These have made their way across the ocean. Some have used them in classes and for sermons. They have been forwarded to help others who are hurting. This is one of the reasons I keep writing these. I realize they are doing some good.

And, that is the way it is for all of us. Another sermon to preach. Another class to teach. Someone to visit in the hospital. Another card to send. Another family to invite over for dinner. We look back and see that for a moment it did some good. It answered a question. It encouraged a heart. It built someone up. And, you realize that your effort, your time, your work was worth it. And, some day, a soul may come up to you in Heaven and thank you and say, “because of what you did, it helped me to be here.”

What I hear more and more these days are the words, “You can never stop writing.” I appreciate that, but realize one day I will. One day there will be a final Jump Start. One day my work here will be finished.

My hope is that through all of this, it has helped someone to see Jesus. It’s been a journey that I never anticipated taking, but now understand that God has put something special in me and I’m glad that I can use this for His kingdom.

Thank you.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 3699

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

Jump Start # 3699

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

  The second of the beatitudes, the Lord is showing the nature and heart of kingdom citizens. Blessed is much too often defined as happy. That’s not the best word here. Our English concept of happiness is built around what happens. It’s hard to be happy when you have to run out to your car in a downpour and you get drenched. It’s hard to be happy when you are in a hurry and you can’t find your car keys. Those “moments” do not create happiness. Your favorite team loses, you’re not happy. The boyfriend breaks up with the girlfriend, not a happy moment.

  Our friend Mark Roberts, in his new book, “The Sermon on the Mount for everyone,” states that “blessed” means approved by God. I like that. One can feel blessed while running through a downpour. The rain is just for a moment. Approved of God lasts and endures. Even for a non-coffee drinker like me, Mark’s book is good.

  The beatitudes seem to be connected and in a specific order. One, naturally leads to the next. They begin with ‘poor in spirit.’ Bankrupt. Destitute. This has nothing to do with finances and everything to do with hearts. It’s about sin, God and us. Without God, we’ve got nothing. Even though a guy may have a garage full of cars, a pocket full of money and a belly full of food, he’s broke without God. Only God can help him.

  That flows into our verse today, the second beatitude, ‘Blessed are those who mourn.’ This is not about funerals, even though Solomon reminds us that there is value in going to the house of mourning. This is about sin. This ought to be our reaction to sin. It ought to break our hearts because we have broken God’s heart.

  Now, there is something implied within this beatitude. To miss it, is to miss this beatitude. Before one can mourn because of their sin, they must admit that they have sinned. Pointing fingers at others. Blaming others. Hiding behind excuses, will never create that broken and contrite heart that moves the Lord.

  Following the admission that we have done wrong, ought to be the expression, feelings that doing wrong bothers us. There’s many a person who will admit, “I shouldn’t say this…” but they are not bothered by that. They go ahead and say that. Or, “I know I probably shouldn’t do this,” but they go ahead and do it. And, they do not seem to be bothered by that.

  The mourning comes when we feel bad about what we have done. We have convinced ourselves that as long as no one gets hurt, it’s not so bad. As they say in a pick up game of basketball, ‘no blood, no foul.’ With that thinking, we only feel bad if we get caught or we have hurt someone. And, as long as we no longer feel bad, we will continue on that path of sin.

  Our concept of mourning, surrounds grief, tears, and sorrow. The crying widow. The crying parents. Standing with a long face looking at a grave, wishing things could be different. They won’t be. They can’t be. And, it’s that broken heart that causes one to feel terrible about what he has done to God. He has sinned.

  Our verse actually has two aspects to it. One is for us, and the other is for the Lord.

  First, we are blessed when we mourn. That’s our response to sin. Ashamed. Broken. Guilty. No excuse. No reason to justify it.

  Second, Jesus’ part is the comfort. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Jesus does that. He does that not by telling us, “everybody messes up.” Not by saying, “It’s ok.” It’s not ok. He comforts us by bringing salvation. The answer to the emptiness of a bankrupt spirit and a broken heart, is the salvation of the Lord. God forgives. God uses the broken and fixes them. God allows second chances.

 Notice the comfort follows the mourning. Without the mourning, there would be no comfort. We come to the Lord broken and needy. Rather than scolding us or tossing us out, the Lord opens His arms to take us in.

  Our culture has tried to lessen the seriousness of sin by coming up with words that seem acceptable. God doesn’t do that. We need to call adultery, adultery. We need to call lying, lying. Gossip is gossip. Drunkenness is drunkenness. We must speak plainly. We must speak as God does. Switching words only takes the sting out of sin. We don’t feel so bad. Everything is ok, we are told. We are no longer bothered by what we have done. And, there is no mourning.

  Approved of God are those who mourn. Their sadness over what they have done will lead to better choices, better living and better righteousness. Maybe we’d be a bit better off, if once in a while, we had a good cry over our poor choices and sins in our lives.

  It’s ok to mourn…something good will happen if you follow the Lord.

  Roger

12

Jump Start # 3698

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

Jump Start # 3698

Daniel 3:12 “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods, or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Like an old movie that we’ve seen a dozen times, this remarkable story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego is something dear to our hearts. Courage. Conviction. Faith. With an element of fear, death and consequences. Remember, this was not placed in our Bibles so we’d have something to talk about in VBS to the kids. This is a real story. This really happened. It is revealed to show the power of faith and the power of our God.

Away from home, in a foreign and hostile land, these Jewish believers made a difference. Remember, they weren’t foreign exchange students visiting Europe. They were taken against their will. They were kidnapped, as the beloved city of Jerusalem was torched. The temple was robbed and the walls around the city crumbled.

One of the first things that take place was that Babylon tried to brainwash and reprogram these Jewish captives. And, right here, we see the textbook way in which Satan tries to change the culture of believers. They were taught the language and literature of Babylon. They were given foods that Babylonians eat. They were given new names. They were forced to worship Babylonian gods.

The names Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego all had connections to Babylonian deities. Blasphemous. Mocking. Insulting. That’s what those names were intended to do.

Within this, we find powerful lessons for us:

First, our culture tries to change us. Rather than conforming to the Word of God, our culture wants to change the message. It’s easier, some think, to change the word than to change yourself.

The first step is in renaming and rebranding. Harsh reality of sin is softened by acceptable words. Curse words are repeated in so many avenues that few are offended by them. Fearful of judging, the voice of the righteous becomes quiet. And, culture has the first step into our hearts and homes.

The second step is to tame us. Everyone was bowing before the statue except these three Jewish men. It can’t be wrong if so many are doing it, becomes the standard. Look how popular this is. Wrong takes on a different shade. Now, it’s “I wouldn’t do it, but I can’t tell someone else that they shouldn’t.” Choice. Rights. Freedom. Mix all those in a bowl and abortion doesn’t seem so bad. Legalizing drugs, not so bad. I wouldn’t do, but if someone else wants to, that’s their choice. Tamed. Tamed and didn’t even see it coming. Tamed and didn’t even know it.

The third step is that our culture claims us. Rename– tame– claim. One-two-three. Christians that live and act no different than the world. Christians that get into the gutter of sin and think nothing about it. Notice how many young Christians are seeing nothing wrong with social drinking. Twisting Scriptures, finding loop holes, these young hearts do not realize that they have been tamed and claimed by our culture today. Giving up on God’s authority. Justifying divorce for any reason. Renamed. Tamed. Claimed.

So, what’s the answer? The answer is found in Daniel.

First, make up your mind that you will not be changed. Daniel refused to eat the king’s food. Away from home and in a foreign land, Daniel could have found a lot of ways to justify it. He didn’t. His mind was made up. When you haven’t made your mind up, culture will do it for you.

Second, stand. That’s what the three Jewish men did when everyone else was bowing down. They made a decision on whose side they were on. If you haven’t decided and if you are uncommitted, culture will claim you. They were noticed. There were consequences. They made a difference. You may be the only one who stands up at work. You may be the only one who stands up in the congregation. You may be the only one who stands up at home. People will talk about you. They will tell others about you. You might get in trouble. But God also notices. And, God sees that you were not changed by the culture around you.

We live in Babylon. This is not our home. We are often forced by pressure to accept, ago along with and even participate in things that just are not right. For the sake of a job, a reputation, or out of fear, we might bow to the pressures of culture. But, those of faith, have made their minds up. Their minds were shaped by the will of God. And, when told to bow, these believers will stand. When told, you’ll get in trouble, they know God will provide.

The Corinthians were told to be steadfast and unmovable. Our times are trying to move you. Hold fast. Dig in. Stand your ground. Don’t give the devil an inch.

Roger

11

Jump Start # 3697

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

Jump Start # 3697

1 Corinthians 11:23 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread”

 

  Our verse today is about the Lord’s Supper. Paul quotes Jesus. Paul was not in the room when Jesus said those words. Paul was not a disciple when this took place. Built within this passage is the concept of legacy. Handing something down to someone else. One generation passes the baton on to the next generation. We find the words, ‘receive,’ and ‘delivered,’ used here. This carries the idea of a rely race.

 

  Four guys running, one at a time, as fast as they can. The first person carries a baton in his hand. He hands it to the second person, who takes off as if the devil were chasing him. He hands the baton to the third person. He runs as fast as he can and gives the baton to the fourth person. High school track has rely races. That’s where I first ran the rely. Some get to do this in college. A few, very few, go on to the Olympics.

 

  Four runners. One baton. And, that instant when one passes it on to the next person, is the critical part of the race. The runners can literally trip over each other. They can drop the baton. One can take off running and he doesn’t have the baton in his hand. The race can be won or lost in that moment of passing of the baton.

 

 This verse today sounds very much like a rely race. Jesus starts it. He hands not the baton, but the Gospel to Paul. Paul then delivers it to the Corinthians. In time, they were to pass the Gospel message on to others. Across oceans, and here we are today, walking by that old, old Gospel. We stand upon the shoulders of many faithful men and women who gave heart and service to the kingdom.

 

  Legacy is something that isn’t talked about as much as it ought to be. It takes a bit of vision, planning an gumption to develop a legacy plan. Who will be the next shepherds? Any thought given to that? When one looks at the churches in Revelation 2-3, it is easy to see that some batons were dropped. Ephesus, the loveless church, left their first love. No one starts a church like that. They begin because they are passionate about the Lord. But in time, that passion wasn’t carried on. The baton was dropped. Sardis, the lifeless church, declared dead by the Lord. No one begins with death. It takes energy, desire, goals and plans to start a congregation. But the baton was dropped. Sardis died. Laodicea, the lukewarm church. No church begins that way. It takes people who are on the ball, dependable and will sacrifice to get things rolling. Lukewarm simply won’t do that. The baton was dropped.

 

  In a recent podcast at home and in a shepherding class on the road, I talked about the “Principle of the Baton.” There are three steps:

 

  First, before the race begins, there has to be an understanding, practice, training to pass the baton. I remember spending tons of hours, not running around the track, we had that down, but in exchanging the baton. Making it smooth. Understanding how far the runners could run, knowing which hand to put the baton in, and getting out of the way so no one falls down. Practice. Practice. Practice. Spiritually, it’s mentoring, showing, teaching.

 

 No one comes out of the stands and fills in. It looks easy, but it’s not.

 

  Second, there has to be a trust factor among the team. One handing must trust the one who is receiving. The Lord trusted Paul. Paul trusted the Corinthians. Receiving and delivering. Passing the Gospel. Passing the baton. In the high school days, it was worked out which person ran which leg of the rely. Did he start? Was he in the second slot? Third? Was he the one finishing? Once that was figured out, we never changed positions. I knew who was handing it to me and I knew who I was giving it to. We learned how the next person wanted the baton placed in their hands. We worked and worked until we knew each other. There was a trust factor among us. And, in developing the legacy model, the same is necessary. One generation trusts, respects and has compassion for the next generation. If the older generation resents the younger generation, then they won’t pass the baton. They will keep it for as long as they can. If the younger generation doesn’t want anything to do with the older generation, the baton will fall.

 

  Third, one must let go of the baton when it is passed on. The handing of the baton should not be a tug of war between the two runners. Disaster will happen, if that happens. A smooth transition, one giving and one taking. Paul received and Paul delivered.

 

  There are two models that every church is given. One is the Biblical model. That’s what we find in the word of God. That cannot be changed. We worship on Sunday. There are specifics that God expects to be done. Generation upon generation, that Biblical model remains the same. But there is also a generational model. The generational model is how the Biblical model is carried out. We worship on Sunday. What time? How often? Bible classes? Bible class first? Last? Those are generational models that can be tweaked and adjusted for each generation.

 

  There were congregations holding Sunday evening services in the 1800s. Not many, but a few. But with World War II, so many brethren were shift workers in plants and couldn’t get off on Sunday mornings. Congregation made adjustments and held Sunday evening services. That was a generational adjustment to fit a need.

 

  Those passing on the baton must realize that the next generation may do things differently. As long as the Biblical model is in tact, it’s ok. In fact, the next generation may do things better and more efficiently than the previous generation. That can be hard to take, but one generation must let go of the baton so the next generation can run. That’s the way it is in the home. That’s the way it is in business. And, that’s the way it must be in the congregation.

 

  But before that baton is passed on, there are steps, principles that can make the process smooth, good and right.

 

  I received…I delivered…

 

  Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 3696

Posted on November 8, 2024 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3696

Daniel 9:23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.”

There are places in both Job and Psalms where the silence of God is bothersome. Prayers are uttered and nothing. Just silence. The Psalms and Job question whether God is a stranger. We build upon those passages to help us understand that our prayers may not bring an immediate response from Heaven. In His time, we tell each other.

But, how rarely do we consider the other side of that topic. Our verse bears that out. Rather than silence, before the prayer is finished, God has sent an answer. Notice the expressions in our verse today. At the beginning of your supplications…not at the end. At the beginning, as you started praying, the command was issued. God responded immediately.

Another example of a rapid and quick response to prayer is in the example of Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 20, the prophet Isaiah is sent to tell the king to get his house in order because he is going to die. Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays. Before Isaiah left the palace, the Lord told the prophet to turn around and go back and speak to the king again. “I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears; behold I will heal you.” An immediate response to prayer.

Some thoughts for us:

First, the response time to a prayer is up to God. Why did Daniel and Hezekiah get such quick answers from Heaven and at times the Psalmist waited and waited for a response? There are things we simply do not know. I don’t think it is about what was prayed. Some things take a higher priority than other things, that may be how we operate down here, but God is capable of answering all prayers immediately.

Now ought we to think that God favors some or some are in better standing than others. Are we to think that Daniel was more righteous than Job? Both are illustrated in Ezekiel 14 along with Noah as being very righteous. God said that there was no one on the face of the earth like Job. We cannot conclude that the more righteous one is, the faster his prayers are answered.

Second, as a parent teaches a child patience by making them wait, it may well be that the Lord does the same to us. While we wait, we are to trust. While we wait, we look to the Lord and not the problems and trials. God made a promise to Abraham that was not fulfilled for more than two decades.

While we wait for God to answer our prayer, do we become discouraged? Do we get angry with the Lord? Do we stop worshipping? We like an immediate response, but waiting may be better for our character and faith.

Third, in His grand sermon, Jesus reminds us, “your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” So, God doesn’t have to hear all the prayer before He knows what He should do. In fact, God knows before we ask. The question arises, if God knows, then why even pray? He knows. The answer to that is that the Lord wants us to pray. Prayer shows our dependence upon Him. Prayer reminds us that He is in control, not us. Prayer teaches that God is greater than we are and God is greater than any of our troubles.

At the beginning of the prayer, the command was issued. God moved quickly. God sent Gabriel to deliver a message to Daniel. That transition is amazing to us. We send a text or an email and we wait. Texts and email are much faster than writing and mailing a letter. The person receiving may be busy at the moment and not see our message for a while. They may have to think about how they will respond to us.

Daniel prayed. At the start of his prayer, a command was issue and Gabriel was sent. I don’t know where Heaven is at. I cannot even guess, using earth measurements of miles, how far Heaven is from earth. Our words reach Heaven immediately. And, immediately, an angel is sent. Faster than you can drive to a store, fly to another city, Gabriel was there. The next verse reads, “while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel…came to me” (21). The prayer wasn’t finished. Daniel was still praying and Gabriel showed up.

Heaven can be quick.

Something to think about as you pray.

Roger