Jump Start # 200

Nehemiah 8:8 “They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.”

  Today makes another milestone for our Jump Starts—number 200! That’s amazing. So many of you have read every one of these and many have shared them with others. I would never have dreamed that this little idea would have such a huge impact as it has.

  Our goal from day one with our Jump Starts, was to give you a verse and a few comments by me that would help you get the day going. Often with our busy schedules we put reading the Bible on the back burner. Most understand the importance of reading the Bible, but life happens and our good intentions get interrupted by sick kids, overcrowded schedules and starting the day running late. Through the medium of email, our Jump Starts have never intended to replace your private study of God’s word, but rather to give something to think about and consider as the day begins. Our thoughts have dealt with our walk with God and our personal relationship with him.

  The verse for today, taken from Nehemiah, shows the importance of teaching. Nehemiah had rallied the nation to rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. They worked together and worked hard in accomplishing that. One thing remained that needed to be rebuilt—and that was their faith in God. Nehemiah set to light the fire within their hearts once again. To do that, he had Ezra and the priests read from the Law of God. They made sense of what was read so that the people would understand. It is through the Bible that we are encouraged, we are warned and we learn. The Bible builds our faith and answers our questions. Doubts seem to disappear as we learn more and more of God’s will. Spending time with the Bible is one of the best things you can do. It is life changing. Our Jump Start exercise has shown that the Bible is full of verses that are fascinating to read and intriguing to understand. There seems to be no end to such a study.

  We see why God’s word is called “living and active…” and why the person is considered blessed who spends time in the word. Confidence seems to soar the more we spend with our Bibles and we find ourselves being busy doing things for others. What a wonderful impact this book can have upon us.

  For now our plans are to continue on with the daily Jump Starts. If down the road we stop this exercise we hope it has taught you how to look at just a verse or two and give it some serious thought, reflection and application to your life. You can always start the day with a verse.

  Thank you for reading these and sharing them with others. I hope somewhere within these past 200 Jump Starts that something has been said that has helped you. I know they have helped me. Whenever a good and honest heart meets the word of God, good things will happen. That’s just the way those things work.

  Read—understand– apply. That makes all the difference in the world. Paul told the Ephesians “not to be unwise, but to understand the will of the Lord” (5:17). Knowledge empowers. Knowledge strengthens. Knowledge of God’s word is the best of all, it is life changing!

Roger