Jump Start # 2965

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.’”

Solomon’s age-old advice still rings true for us today. Putting God first in your life at an early age can keep the soul and your life from decades of heartache and trouble. Religion isn’t just for old people. All of us need God.  And, this wonderful passage has several things built in that we need to notice.

First, in order to “remember” your Creator, you must first know something about Him. You can’t remember if there is nothing to remember. This implies some early instruction, especially in the home. That was a part of the Jewish fabric of life and it ought to be a part of our fabric as well. In the home, in the church, be talking, explaining, showing and teaching God.

Second, evil days come. Solomon may be driving at temptation and the influence of friends. When a child is young, the immediate family is his social world. But as the child grows, there are kids at school, kids on the team, kids at camp—and that circle of influence widens and it is here that a child can be introduced to evil. Evil days are coming, is what Solomon warned. You can’t keep that from happening. But what you can do is ‘remember your Creator’ and that will keep the evil at bay.

Third, Solomon says the ‘years draw near.’ We call that age. There are many days I think I am still in my 40’s, but then I look in the mirror and reality reminds me that the years are here. Many adventures. Many memories. Many blessings. Many faces. Many places. And, without God in you to guide you, you end up as a selfish grump who no one wants to be around.

Now, from this, here are five lessons that teens need to hear. It’s best that they hear it from home.

First, all young people struggle with choices and temptations. You did. I did. They do. The challenge to fit in. The challenge to be accepted. Sometimes there is a cost that comes with those challenges. Sometimes that cost isn’t worth paying. You sell your soul just to be liked by people who will use you and forget you is not worth what you think you will get our of that. It’s hard swimming upstream in a world that is floating downstream. It’s hard to do what is right, when all around you is wrong. Parents remember to be helpful, kind and let your teen know that they are not the first to face tough things.

Second, the habits you start now may be with you the rest of your life. This is true both of good habits and bad habits. A young person who starts smoking in middle school, may well be smoking in his 30’s and if he lives long enough, even in his 60’s. People in their 60’s don’t take up smoking, they are trying to quit. The habit of lying can start early and it can follow you all of your life. Eventually, one starts lying to themselves. But good habits, such as starting the day with prayer, being punctual, being honest, being a servant, those too, can grow and define you the rest of your life. Find the good things and get after them. Make them habits in your life.

Third, what you believe will be challenged by friends and adults. This happens at school. This happens in the work place. This even happens in the family. Those that do not like Jesus, or think that you are taking things way to seriously, will throw hard questions at you. Some will try to trick you and get things scrambled up in your mind. Your faith, what you know, will get you through those moments. The critics tested Jesus often. They twisted His words. They tried to put Him in a corner. The same may happen to you.

Fourth, teens die. We know this, but sometimes it just doesn’t sink in. I knew kids in my school who never graduated. They died. My children had kids in their school who died. Some were foolish. Some took their own lives. Some were in car accidents. Some had cancer. Don’t keep kicking the can down the road of what you ought to be doing. You may not have a ‘down the road.’ Make a difference where you are now. Be a person of Christ and influence right now.

Fifth, God loves you and is always there for you. You will experience in life people who disappoint you, let you down and leave you. God won’t do that. You’ll have people making poor choices that hurt you. God won’t do that. And, to know, where ever you go the Lord is with you. You are never truly alone. Daniel in the lion’s den—God was there. Noah in the ark—God was there. Peter in prison—God was there. Your life may not be easy. You may have some really tough mountains to climb, but you never climb them alone when you have God.

All of this begins with, Remember your Creator…

Roger

Jump Start # 1250

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no delight in them.’”

  It seems that part of the Ecclesiastes message is addressed to a younger audience. Here, in our verse today, Solomon refers to “the days of your youth.” In the previous chapter he said, “Rejoice, young man” (11:9) and “put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting” (11:10). There are some messages that we need to get early in life. The course that we set, the choices that we make often take us on a journey that can lead us a long way off from God. Getting back can be very hard.

Not only is serving God at a young age the best advantage any one can have, Solomon also recognized difficult times that were coming. Our verse talks about “evil days coming.” Earlier Solomon spoke of “the days of darkness” (11:8). Job said, “Man born of woman is short lived and full of trouble” (14:1).

Evil days…days of darkness…full of trouble –those are not the comforting messages that we seek to find in the Bible. We don’t need to be reminded of darkness, trouble and evil. Just turn on the nightly news. Just talk to co-workers. It’s everywhere. Even at holiday times, evil and darkness find a way of surfacing and messing up good things. What is a person to do? The natural thought is to lock the doors, stay in bed and pull the covers over your head. But you can’t. There are things to do. We must go to work and school. The other common thought is to panic, be scared and live with a cloud of doom over us. “Woe are we,” becomes a common theme when we do not approach these things carefully.

Solomon had some solid answers. He told the young people to:

Rejoice. It’s not a time to hide in bed. It’s not a time to give up as lost. There are blessings to be enjoyed and to be thankful for. Solomon says to put away grief and anger from your heart. The evil prey upon the innocent. Victims feel abused. They get angry. Put that way, Solomon says. Don’t let it eat you up. Rejoice. You have life, opportunity, plans—live them. Walk with a smile in your heart, because of God.

Remember also your Creator. I particularly like the expression, “your Creator.” God made you. Just as David would say, “The Lord is MY shepherd…” Or, Jesus would tell His disciples to pray, “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” Your Creator. My Shepherd. Our Father. He is our God. Remember Him. Remember that He loves you. Remember that He is on the throne and will always be there. Remember that it is His will that will be accomplished. Remember that He is good. Remember that He has been there for you. Remember that He longs to forgive you, bless you and wants you to follow Him. What gets one through the dark and evil days? Remembering God. When we forget, we feel abandoned and isolated. Alone is a terrible place to be. Remembering keeps that from happening. I am never alone when I have God.

The New Testament would add to all of this, building our foundation upon the rock, which is Christ. Storms come. Winds blow. Rains and floods beat against our house. But it stands because of Christ. The foundation is sure. Foundation stones of truth. Foundation stones of Scriptures can withstand anything the world throws at us. It may be severe, but it will not crush us. That’s the promise of God.

How wonderful it would be to learn how to avoid dark days and evil times. There is no place you can travel to that is “trouble free.” Every village, every community, every city, every nation has moments of darkness and trouble. Satan is strong and evil people do not care. We read constantly of shootings, here and in far away lands. Politicians do not know what to do. Banning guns will not stop evil. If evil can’t get guns, they will throw iron skillets. Evil is evil. It can’t be driven out by force, laws or pressure. The only thing that stops evil is Christ. When wicked is converted, evil stops. As long as the world ignores Christ, evil will continue.

For the righteous, our choice is to rejoice in each day, remember our Creator and build our foundation upon Christ. We know that someday dark days will be over. Evil will be gone. Trouble will be no more. This happens as the doors of Heaven are opened. The land of endless bliss. No tears, no sorrow, no pain and no mourning—the first things have passed away.

Those early Christians that Rome thought they were beating down and destroying were triumphant in Christ. They stood in white robes around the throne of God rejoicing. Evil will not win. Dark days are not destined forever. The faithful of God have a promise and a hope. Nothing can take that away.

So, rejoice today. Remember today. Build that foundation today. Tomorrow may be a tough day, but with Christ, you can overcome.

Live as if one foot is already in Heaven.

Roger

Jump Start # 1041

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.’”

  We’ve been talking about raising children this week in our Jump Starts. Lessons on the family are so needed and important. I do not believe that we can have too many lessons on the home. There is a shift taking place in society. The “new Norm,” isn’t very normal to many of us. Same-sex marriages, legalizing drugs, blasphemous shows, sexting, Hollywood stars flaunting immoral lifestyles—this isn’t our grandma’s world anymore. Our passage talks about the evil days. The Ephesians were told to make the most of their time because the days are evil. Peter talked about those who had escaped the pollution of the world. The world is broken. It’s time we realized that. It’s time for moms and dads to get serious about their own faith and then the faith of their children.

Someone said, “If raising children was so easy, the whole process wouldn’t have started with the word ‘labor.’” For most parents, the teen years are the hardest. This is where so many issues and battles are fought. There are huge things that take place during the teen years. The child is transitioning to an adult. He learns to drive. He begins dating. The hormones are screaming in high gear. The issues of fitting in and belonging are felt the most in high school. Trying to figure out the next phase after high school is hard. Many get their first job during the teen years. There is so much going on. They often begin habits that will stay with them the rest of their lives. Some of these habits are terrible, such as smoking, lying, being lazy. Other habits can be incredible such as, walking every day with God, praying, having the heart of a servant.

There are four tough lessons teens learn.

• Not everyone will like you. Some will not like you. Period. It doesn’t matter how nice you are, what you do for them, or if you go out of your way for them, they simply have made up their minds that they will not like you. Some are not nice. Some are mean. Some are prejudiced. That’s hard for young people to understand. It’s hard for adults to understand, as well. You can’t let that stop you or define you.

• You can change. No one has poured concrete around you. Your attitude, outlook, way of life can all change. It’s up to you. You can be lazy or driven. You can dress neat or like a slob. You can work hard and get good grades or you can goof off and barely pass. You can embarrass your parents or make them proud of you. You choose. You can always change, especially for the better. If you didn’t do well in one class, then get after it the next semester. If your boss is on you for being late, change and get there early. You can change.

• Worthwhile things do not come easy. It’s hard to make varsity, first chair or honor roll. It’s easy to bomb out. It’s easy to get in trouble. It’s easy to get fired. It’s easy to flunk out. The things of value take effort. If you want to learn an instrument, you have to devote time to it. If you want to do well in sports, you must work at it. The easy way is not always the best way. Put time into worthwhile things. Don’t quit because something is hard.

• Saying ‘I’m sorry,’ doesn’t fix some things. You need to be apologetic when you are wrong. You need to be the first to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” You need to mend bridges and make things right. However, there are consequences to your choices. Some are very serious. I’ve seen the eyes of a young man, full of tears, hands behind his back in handcuffs as he was led out of a courtroom to prison. He looked over his shoulder and told his parents, “I’m sorry.” I’ve seen the demolished car of a teen that was driving way to fast. A passenger in the car was seriously injured. He told the other family that he was sorry. I’m sorry. That doesn’t fix the drugs hiding in the locker. That doesn’t take away the sex and possible pregnancy that happened. I’m sorry doesn’t open the doors to a school that expelled you. I’m sorry doesn’t get you back on the team after the coach said you violated the rules. I’m sorry doesn’t let you take the test over after you were caught cheating. I’m sorry are great words and we ought to mean it. However, I’m sorry doesn’t fix some things. You need to think about what you are doing. There are consequences to all choices.

There are three lessons that parents need to share with their teens.

1. God’s people are not perfect, but Jesus is. God’s people for the most part are trying. God’s people are amazing people. They go out of their way. They will be there to support, defend and help you. You can always count on God’s people. Sure they have flaws, but they are miles ahead of the world. God’s people are the best people on the face of the earth. They follow Jesus, who is perfect, all the time.

2. The Bible is real. It will stand the challenges of scientific evolutionists. It will stand the mockery of moderns who think that they know better ways. The Bible is helpful. The Bible is good. Keep it near you. Include it with you when you travel. Get the Bible apps on your phone and tablets. Know the book. Dig deep, lower your nets. Ask questions. There are great and powerful lessons that are life changing in the Bible. It will mold you into the best person that you can be. It will show you how to forgive and extend grace. It will build character and shape your thinking. It will take you to Heaven if you follow it.

3. Worship is good. God is pleased with worship. All of it is important. You need it. Worship will help you. Worship has a way of reminding us about God. We can forget. Worship has a way of getting our order in order. Worship reminds us that we are not alone. Worship reminds us that God is counting upon you.  Worship often. Get to know other worshippers. Don’t come sleepy or late. Don’t come with a chip on your shoulder, looking for something wrong. Don’t come to be thrilled or charmed. Don’t enter bored and bothered. You’ll leave that way. Come to worship God. Come before God.

Parents, hang in there. Especially those with teens. Those years do not have to be disasters. Communication, love, and staying on top of things is the key. Go out of your way to be there for them. Know who their friends are. Know what they are chatting and texting about. They’ll fuss at you. They may not like you. They want more freedom that you are comfortable giving them. You don’t want your child to be like all the other kids. You want your child to have a heart set upon God. Stay at it. Pray daily. We are all with you!

Roger

Jump Start # 1030

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and they years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.’”

  Let me share a few things I read yesterday.

• Teenagers are some of the most religiously active Americans.
• American twentysomethings are the least religiously active.

The report went on to say, “Eighteen to twenty-nine year-olds are the black hole of church attendance; this age segment is ‘missing in action’ from most congregations…Overall there is a 43% drop-off between the teen and early adult years in terms of church attendance.” Then further, “A majority (57%) say they are less active in church today compared to when they were age fifteen.” One other conclusion, “Most young Christians are struggling less with their faith in Christ than with their experience of church.” They are not rejecting Christianity, only the church.

These studies were conducted by the Bara Institute and are reflective of Catholic and Protestant faiths in America. Some specific groups were doing better than others.

One does not have to be a church growth researcher to see what is happening. There is a segment, mostly, young singles and young couples with little children, that are disconnecting from organized church. They are dissatisfied enough to stop attending. They don’t feel that the church helps them nor is it necessary. These stats are alarming. If the trend continues, and those that drop out do not return, we witnesses the modern church being filled with senior citizens and crippled to what can be done.

Now, I cannot speak for all of Christendom, nor for all faiths and fellowships. But there are some things that this report and our passage today reminds us.

First, Preachers and shepherds ought to be aware of this. It is easy not to know what is happening in other places, but to ignore what is happening at home is without excuse. There ought to be some reasons this segment is dropping out. Those answers ought to be found. Just why is it some no longer feel the need nor the desire to come? Are the lessons, classes not practical for living today? Is there a failure to take what is on  the pages of the Bible and put them in our lives? This is something that needs to be looked into and given thought.

Second, the solution some churches have sought is to turn worship toward an entertainment style with lights, laughter, and fun. There are some serious Biblical problems with this, among them is ignoring how God wants to be worshipped. But stats are now showing that those that modified things to hold a crowd, are still losing people. Even this gets old. There is no competing with Disney or Hollywood. Churches do not have the budgets, talent or time to keep up with what the movie industry is doing. If that is the answer, it’s the wrong answer.

Third, while I do believe the church has a responsibility to be helpful and practical, much of this issue falls within the heart and faith of each person. I cannot, nor should I expect, the church to maintain and keep my faith going. That’s not the role of the church. My faith must be personal and real. It must be fed daily. There are struggles and temptations that only faith can battle victoriously. If I can’t keep myself interested in Jesus, I have a problem, not the church. For far too long, we’ve blamed the church for not keeping teens interested. Maybe the finger pointing belonged at home and more so, to the teens themselves. They are smart, talented and capable of having an amazing faith. I wonder who told young David, alone with the sheep, to praise God? His parents weren’t there. That was his decision. Folks will walk away from the services complaining that it’s boring or I get nothing out of it, and at home, at work, on their own, there is nothing that is moving the needle spiritually. They are dead and uninterested when they walk into the building and they are dead and uninterested when they leave the building. Church’s fault? I don’t think so. It’s time some folks took ownership of their faith. The other day I parked my car beside another guy’s car. My car was filthy from all the salt, sand, snow and stuff on our roads. It was hard to tell what color my car was. The car beside mine, was spotless. You could see your reflection in the hubcaps. That guy drove on the same roads I did. Why was mine such a mess and his so pristine? He took care of it. He put that as a priority. It’s the same with our faith. It wasn’t the fault of the weather or the highway that my car looked the way it did. I simply didn’t wash it. Your interest in Christ and His kingdom is personal. Your faith should not be a reflection of what happens down at the church building. The church can have trouble but your faith doesn’t have to. The church could be lukewarm, but you do not have to be. The church could be dead, but you do not have to be. You make your faith, as you do you your marriage, your finances, your happiness, what you want it to be. Dropping out isn’t the solution.

Fourth, we must realize that the church is connected to Christ. I cannot fly solo with the Lord. God wants me to be a part of a congregation and I need that. There are valuable things such as encouragement, accountability, responsibility and if nothing else, thinking and being involved with others that you miss when you are alone. There is comfort in numbers. The Lord’s Supper was to be taken when you come together. For this study to reveal that this group is not struggling with Christ, is not true. To struggle with the church is to struggle with Christ. The two are connected. You cannot disconnect Christ from the Bible, nor Christ from His body, the church. They both, go together. Strong in Christ means strong in all that Christ is.

There comes a time when a person may have to switch congregations. I’ve done that. Sometimes things just aren’t working. You’ve tried. You see it affecting your faith. At that moment a person has to make a decision. It is not worth staying if your faith dies. It’s not worth quitting altogether. Finding a congregation that is serious about Christ and the Bible can be hard. Sometimes, faith means doing the hard thing.

What are you doing to keep your faith growing? Are you putting all your hopes in what others do? Don’t wait for them, you take charge and fed your faith, exercise your faith, and walk  by faith. Are you stronger today than you were five years ago? Why not?

Roger

Jump Start # 867

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”

Our passage today is one of the famous verses from Ecclesiastes. The last chapter ended with some thoughts about youth. There Solomon said to “Rejoice” during your childhood and to “remove” grief and anger from your heart. Our passage begins with the third “R” – Rejoice, Remove and now, Remember.

Two thoughts here.

First, before one can remember, there must be something to remember. Remember your Creator. The plea is to recognize as a young person the work of God. He is the Creator. Remembering God will help a young person. It will help form and build the character that is responsible, serving and godly. Remembering God will help in making wise choices. Remembering God will help keep a young person from trouble.

I am teaching a class about the life of Joseph. He was a young man who had a “God-awareness” about him. When tempted sexually, Joseph thought of God. When asked to interpret dreams, he knew that only God could do that. When his pitiful brothers showed up needing grain, he was in the position to even the score, but he didn’t. He recognized that God had put him there to save his family. It seems every step of the way he was aware of God. That awareness kept him pure. That awareness kept bitterness and hatred from dominating his life.

It helps a young person to remember God when everyone else in the house is remembering God, as well. Remembering God on your drive to work and at your office today will help you. It will lead you to saying several quick prayers throughout the day. It will help you fight lust and greed. It will help you be a person of principle and integrity. Remembering God at home is important. No trash talking the members. No gossip. No bad words. No bad shows. A prayer at the table. Helpful. Insightful. Forgiving. Love. Those principles are found in families that walk with God.

Second, Solomon says “evil days come.” I’m not sure what Solomon has in mind, unless he is generalizing the ugly experiences of life that many of us witness. Childhood seems sweet and innocent. Days are spent with playing and naps and Disney shows and smiles and singing and laughter. Children laugh a lot more than adults do. Children do not grasp terrorism, murder, prejudice and meanness. There comes a point in life when you recognize this. We live with this and possibly this is why we don’t laugh much any more. The world isn’t so sweet and funny. It’s sick and broken. There is a lot of pain in families and in hearts. Evil days come. Evil days affect us. We can’t run from evil days. We can’t hide from evil days.

Our verse ends with this solemn statement, “I have no delight in them.” No delight in days. No delight in life. No delight in God. These are the words of a sour person. Life has slapped them and they are bitter and angry. They spend the day being grumpy and complaining. They see no blessings to count. They see no God to thank. They are waiting for life to end. There is nothing to look forward to. They have “no delight in them.”

Do you know anyone like this? It’s hard being around them. They are like spilled milk. They are a mess. Nothing is good. Everything and everybody is against them.

It seems that Solomon has a connection between the first part and the last part of this verse. The “remembering your Creator in the days of your youth” has a bearing upon “having no delight in them.” The bridge is God. The connection to enjoying life is through God. God has been good to us. He has blessed us, watched over us, opened doors for us, brought people into our lives, offered forgiveness and guided us. Seeing that. Following Him. Thanking Him. Obeying Him. That all changes life. It changes how we view life. It helps us with the evil that comes. God is a reason to live and participate in life.

The person who has followed God for a long time delights in each day. Each day is a gift. Each day is special. There may be more Wednesdays, but no other Wednesdays just like today. It is special. Delight that you can enjoy it. Delight that you can share God with others.

I have said for a long time, the way you start the day often determines how you end the day.  The way you start life often determines how you end life. A young person who doesn’t care about God, will fill his life with things that are not good. He may end the journey with no delight. It’s sad to see someone in their 80’s or 90’s who has no awareness of God. That has shaped their outlook, thinking and attitude. They have lived a lifetime of nothing. They have lived only for self. Now, at the end of the journey, they sit alone with nothing.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Remember is the key. Remember now. Remember who God is. Remember what He stands for . Remember what He has done. Remember BEFORE…Remember before it’s too late!

Roger