Jump Start # 600

Psalms 86:12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.

Today marks another milestone for our Jump Starts—# 600. Six hundred is a bunch—no matter what you are counting. Our Jump Start community continues to grow and grow. What started as an experiment to get folks back to the Bible has swelled to something much larger than I ever expected. I never thought I’d still be writing these every morning after a month, let alone a year later.

A few thanks and then on to our verse. Thanks to those who read these. I hear from so many and often I don’t know where they live but some how something that they read helped them. The folks at home where I preach have read nearly every one of these. They continue to pass these on to friends and the circle of readers continues to grow. Thank you. These writings were never intended to explain nor answer the deep questions of our faith. Instead, they were to be simple encouragements, like a daily vitamin, that adds some basic nourishment for our souls.

Our verse today reminds us that God is good to us. God has not removed Himself from us. He has sent His word into our world and is working around us and through us, if we allow that. God’s name is wonderful. It stands for what is right and good. It stands for something beyond us. It is holy.

To glorify God’s name is to glorify God himself. He is deserving of that.

We glorify God’s name through worship. We must remind ourselves that church services are not about us. When someone says, “I don’t get anything out of it,” maybe they ought to be asking, “Am I putting anything into it?” Worship is about honoring God. It is recognizing His “worth.” When we sing, we ought to sing out. God is good. When we pray, we ought to bow the head and open the heart. God is good. God’s word needs to be studied, taught and followed. It’s a powerful word. It’s an amazing story. It’s for us. God is good.

We glorify God’s name by respecting His name. Have you ever noticed how many times folks say the name “God” ? It comes up in nearly every sentence. When they hear something unbelievable, they’ll say God’s name. When something exciting happen, out comes God’s name. When something shocking happens, God’s name. This is so common that there is an abbreviation that many use in texting—OMG. The problem with most of this is that they are not thinking about God, honoring God, nor praising God. They simply don’t know what to say, so they say, God. I love hearing people saying God’s name, if they mean it. When they say it because they have a shallow vocabulary or are using it in a blasphemous way, shame on them. God is bigger, better and holier than that. He deserves better. We glorify God’s name by including God in our conversation. Instead of saying, “It’s a nice day,” try, “Hasn’t God given us a wonderful day.” When asked, “how are you doing?” respond, “God has been good to me.” These ways glorify God. They include God and remind you that God is in your life.

We glorify God by standing for Him, defending Him, and sharing His message. God is big. He can take the hits that the world throws Him, but it’s good for us to decide which side we are going to be on. God’s message is a gospel—good news. It’s a message of hope, faith and promise. It belongs to the world. It is intended for the world. Tell others of Jesus. Tell others of the God of the Bible. Doing this glorifies God.

In some ways, that is what our Jump Starts have tried to accomplish. These have been a medium to connect, reflect, and remind us of God and how good He is to us.

One of the best ways we glorify God is by living for Him every day. Making the godly choice, not the easy one. Doing the things that builds faith and helps you stay on course for Heaven glorifies God. When God is removed from our conscience man resorts to being an animal, living on impulses that have no regard for others. Nearly every community has these sad reminders. When I was growing up it was the infield of the Indy 500. It was a gathering of people for the sole purpose of seeing how immoral and debased they could become. It had nothing to do with racing. Those involved called it “partying.” It was a drunken opportunity to see how stupid people could become. Rock concerts are often just like that. Remove God. Turn off the conscience. This is what happens. It doesn’t bring out the best of a person. It doesn’t help mankind. It is a journey of waste, stupidity, and shame. Glorifying God is done each day by making wise choices. Living righteously. A person can go to a concert and not take their clothes off or leave drunk or high. Living righteously— everywhere. At home. At work. On vacation. Making choices that glorify God.

God is good. He is good to each of us. Someday this journey will end. Someday we will be in His presence. Those who have chosen to glorify Him and walk with Him will find Heaven. The best is yet to come. God has been good to us. Glorify His name!

Roger