Jump Start # 700

Ecclesiastes 12:12 “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”

Our Jump Start today hits another milestone for us—# 700. We continue to gain more readers and we are thankful for that. Each time we have hit a milestone, we have paused, reflected, and made a few comments. Originally we started this for the folks at the congregation where I preach. Through many of those incredible people, our readership grew and grew. Today, nearly 1,000 people are reading these. That amazes me! So many of you have sent  kind words to continue writing these Jump Starts. These Jump Starts have been used in church bulletins, sermons and classes. They have been sent to people who are struggling and having hard times. They have crossed the ocean and are read in other countries. For all of that, I am thankful.

What’s next for our Jump Starts? I plan to continue writing, at least for now. I hope to do more mini-themes with these. I appreciate so much hearing from you. Many have sent in suggestions for me to write about and those have been helpful. For our new readers, our Jump Starts are not intended to be an exhaustive textual study. You won’t find many quotes or references to scholarly writings. This is just a quick, easy and reflective read to help us start our day. I am a firm believer that how the day begins often sets the tone for that day. If I start it running behind, in a bad mood and grumpy, by the end of the day, I just need to be put out with the trash. However, if I can start with a verse, and reflect upon that in a personal and positive way, then that will help me. Throughout the day, I may go back to that verse that I began the day with. As I dwell upon it, chew on it, meditate upon it, it has a way of working on my heart.

Our verse today, from Solomon, reminds us that the excess devotion to books is weary. There are too many things to read. We can spend all of our day reading and still not touch all that we want to read. A walk through a major bookstore can be expensive and overwhelming. But there is one book that draws our attention above all others, and that is the Bible. Nothing replaces the Bible.

Reading the Bible connects us to God and it opens our eyes to His will for us. The words that God chose, the way in which He states things is amazing. I especially like seeing how Jesus interacted with various people in the Gospels. He was brilliant. He knew just what to say and just how to say it. Look at those things. Reflect. In time and in a limited manner, you too, start interacting that way. The Bible has that affect upon us. After a while, it molds and shapes us and we find that we think differently, we react differently and that we are a different people than what we were just a few years ago. That’s the living word working in a good and honest heart. We can spend so much time reading things about the Bible, including these Jump Starts, that we fail to read the Bible itself. Don’t fall into that trap. Read His word. Know His word. Before long, you’ll be able to quote some verses. That is amazing! Before long, you will know exactly where things are found. Becoming so familiar with the word that it is like spending time with a dear friend. You never grow weary of the time you are together, and so it is with God’s word.

We are living in times when too many folks simply do not know God’s word. That is shaping our country. Attitudes, definitions of life, choices people make all reflect an ignorance of God’s word. It is hurting our country. We must continue on, staying on course. That is the only hope. God’s word is what is right. Become a people of the book!

Roger

Jump Start # 486 

Ecclesiastes 12:12 “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” 

  Books—if only Solomon could have seen ahead to our world I wonder what he would have thought. Books are found on every subject and in every size. There are old books and every year a crop of brand new books. It seems every politician has a book about his life and every famous singer and every athlete has a book about how they became famous. Books, books, books. They now come audio so you can listen to them, they come electronically so you can read them on the go.

  Our verse follows Solomon’s thoughts about the words of wise men. They had been collected and read and studied. There must have been many of those books. The costs of ancient books was very expensive, being hand made, and a luxury only the affluent could afford. We remember in the N.T., that the Ethiopian treasurer had a private copy of Isaiah that he was reading when Philip met him and preached Jesus to him. How rare it must have been to have your own copy. I doubt that Philip had his own copy. Books back then were scrolls. Large, tedious and cumbersome to handle. Books of the Bible did not come with chapter numbers or verse numbers which we have known all of our lives.

  There will always be books. There will always be books to read. My dad has a lot of books. His coffee table looks like a doctor’s office with all the magazines he takes. I grew up in a home where reading and knowledge and information was welcomed. I have come to love books. I now have grown children who have their own private collection of books which is very impressive. The presence of books begs someone to pick them up and read them. This is the focus of Solomon’s thoughts in our verse. There is so much to read. There are so many books.

  Everyday we have so much to read, including these Jump Starts, the daily newspaper, work related items, emails, text messages, and we haven’t even gotten to the “BOOKS” yet. Some read for pleasure. Some read to be informed. Some read to learn. Some read to improve. Many reasons to read and many choices to fill those needs.

  There are many books on the market about marriage, communication, parenting, leadership, character development, church—most of which are very helpful and good. There are many, many books about the Bible. So many, it is easy for a person to spend his days reading about the Bible, instead of actually reading THE Bible. Commentaries, word studies, histories, all have a place in learning more about God’s word.

  Here’s what I’ve found after a lifetime of reading. Books written by men are good. I have read enough about certain subjects that I find factual mistakes in some books. These are not just typos, but wrong people named at the wrong places. Someone didn’t do their homework. I have found that some books are good for the moment, but another comes along and it seems to be better than the last one. If you read books about marriage and relationships that were written in the 1950’s and you read current books on the same topic, you’d be amazed at the differences. Wow!

  Nothing beats the Bible. Nothing. First, it’s from God. Everything else is from man. Everything man writes must be taken with a grain of salt. It may be right and it may not. God’s book, the Bible is enduring. It has always been right. Nothing helps like the Bible.

  Some find the Bible hard to read. It’s not a novel that is written to grab your emotions and take them on a journey. That’s not the intention of the Bible. Read the death of Jesus. Facts. No embellishing. No stringing out of the emotions. God tells us what happened.

  The Bible needs to be read. Take a day in the Life of Jesus. Read a simple event. Notice questions that are asked. Pay attention to the reactions of the crowds. See the difference in how Jesus sees people and how His disciples see the same people. Be impressed with the compassion and power of your Savior. The Romans were told that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Reading the Bible feeds your faith. The Bible has a way of working on your conscience like no other book can. The Hebrews were told that God’s word is living and active and sharper than a two edged sword. A few verses every day makes a difference. Chew on those verses. Let them simmer in your head a while. Ask why? I wonder why Jesus did that? Why did God do that? Think. Connect with other verses. This is how people become strong Christians. It’s not where they sit in the church buildings, it’s God’s word sitting in their hearts. They have become a people of the book. They know the book, and they have come to know the author.

  Do you have a favorite verse? How about a favorite book of the Bible? Have you come to know and feel comfortable with the Bible? After a while, it’s like sitting with an old friend. You have read the pages so many times that you know the story, but somehow each time, you look at it with fresh eyes and you find something new. It amazes you. You become impressed. It affects your thinking and your life. That’s what your Bible can do. No other book can do this.  Living without the Bible is like going through life with your eyes closed. You miss out. You miss big things. You can’t function.

  A couple of old quotes about the Bible:

1. If you carry the Bible when you are young, it will carry you when you are old.

2. The Bible that is worn and falling apart belongs to someone whose life is not.

 Books—don’t forget the greatest book of all, the Bible.

Roger