Jump Start # 1755

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.”

NOTE: There will not be a Jump Start on Monday due to the Holiday.

NOTE # 2: Starting Monday, not part of Jump Starts, but another feature being presented by our congregation, is “Quick Quote.” It is a daily quote with a Bible reference. You can find these on our website, Facebook page and other applications (www.charlestownroadchurchofchrist.com).

Well, we’ve come to the end of another year. There is just one day left and 2016 will go into the books. The media is stunned by the large number of celebrities and famous people that have passed away this year. The large number is unusual. As the books close on this year, has it been a good year for you? Was it a hard year? Was it just another year, with nothing very special or note worthy?

Our verse today, found in that long context of contrasts, reminds us that the end is better than the beginning. Of all the contrasts made in this chapter, this one is the easiest to see and agree with. It’s hard to believe that the day of one’s death is better than the day of birth. That’s what Solomon tells us. It’s hard believing that going to a funeral home is better than going to a party. But it is. The funeral home forces us to think about things that we don’t like to think about. It can lead to change and a better life, especially with the Lord.

But the end being better than the beginning, that’s one that most can see. The day of graduation is better than the first day of the first semester. The day you walk into your new home is better than when you stood in a field and imagined what the house would look like. The day of retirement is better than the first day of work. The end is better than the beginning.

How do you measure or determine whether a year has been good or not? Often, we look at what happened around us and to us as that determination. For our readers this year has:

• Brought new babies into the world
• Some said, “I do” to a marriage proposal, or in their vows
• Some moved into a new house
• Some finally got that great job that they always dreamed about
• Some got their driver’s license
• Some became grandparents for the first time
• Some were baptized into Christ
• Some led a song for the first time in church services
• Some finally paid off the mortgage of their house

Good things. Good year.

But for others, the year has brought tears:

• A mate or a parent passed away
• A job was lost
• Injuries from a car wreck took months to recover from
• Some heard that dreaded word, “Cancer”
• Some had a family member that was withdrawn from
• Some realized that they could not retire
• Some went through the holidays alone
• Some saw their marriage come to an end

Tough things. A long year. A hard year.

Most years are like this. For some, it’s been great. For others, it’s been devastating. But here we are, still standing and at the end of the year. Whether it’s been a great year or a terrible year, you are still here. There is hope. There is God. The year brings thankfulness to our lips and a great reminder that we need God so much.

The year is just about over. Now, we start a new one. What will it be like? How will it affect me, change me, impact me? Will it be a good year or a long and terrible year? Will I make it to the end of the year? The end is better than the beginning.

There are some things you can do to help you in the coming year. Set aside some time for the Lord every day. Pray more and pray deeper. Pray beyond the basics. Pray about people. Pray for changes.

Spend some time in God’s word. We seem to be so busy these days. For some, the only time the Bible is opened is when they are in the church building. Download a Bible app on your phone or tablet. Find something interesting to read and set your course in that direction. I have decided to read three chapters of Exodus a day. Why? I recently was in a Bible class taught by my son on Exodus. I realized that it had been a while since I read it all the way through. So, that became my motivation and goal. What book of the Bible have you not read in a while? Get to it.

Spend more time with quality books and quality people. These are the things that will shape you to be a better person. You need good people in your life. You need people of God in your life. Know them. Make them your friends. Invite them into your home. Before the new year is over, you may need to lean upon them. They may need to lean upon you. Quality books—not murder mysteries, but books about leadership, family, the Bible. Books that put me back into the classroom, so I can learn. Make a list. Start reading. Watch less TV this year. So much is bland and meaningless and a waste of time.

Spend time doing more this year. As each year passes, we not only get older, but we move closer and closer to finishing our journey here. Will you have made any difference? Will you have left footprints for others? Will you have touched the lives of others? Maybe this is the year that you get off the sidelines and really pick up the sword and get into the battle for God’s kingdom. Stop hiding behind, “I’m so busy.” Some day you won’t be and by then it may be too late. Allow the church to appoint you as an elder. It’s time. Teach a class. It’s time. Ask the elders or the preacher if you can do something for them to lighten their load. It’s time. Other than coming to worship, how have you helped the kingdom? It’s time.

We close the books on one year and set sail on the new one. We plan vacations. We plan for weddings and babies. It is good to plan spiritually.

Let me say, personally, thank you to each of our readers. Jump Starts is at it’s all time high with readership and subscriptions. Much of that is because of you. More and more are finding ways to return to the Jump Starts to use in other applications. Some of these Jump Starts have ended up in church bulletins. Some are being read in a radio program every week. Some find their ways into sermons and Wednesday evening invitations. Some of the Jump Start books have been used as the basis of classes. And dozens and dozens of people have been introduced to Jump Starts because readers like you shared them with someone else. From the bottom of my heart, I say to you, “Thank you.” It has always been my intention that someone, somewhere would be helped through these words. You have shown me that over and over again.

Roger

Jump Start # 1259

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.”

NOTE TO OUR READERS: With the holiday, there will be no Jump Starts tomorrow or Friday. Also, this is day two of a free five day period to download our Jump Start book from Kindle. The book is entitled, “Depression and the Bible.”

  We’ve come to the end of another year. In the morning it will be time to get the new calendars out and start getting used to writing a new year on our checks. A year brings all kinds of experiences, emotions and situations for us. For some, this year was the year they got married. That happened to our son. For others, it was the year a baby was born. That happened to our daughter. Some lost jobs this year. The new year will begin with the search for who is hiring. Many said goodbye to a loved one this year. It’s hard to decide whether it was a good year or not. I’m not completely sure if that is something that we ought to decide. There are so many things that happen within a year, both good and bad. A year has ups and downs. There are good moments and happy occasions that we will store in our memories. There are many every day common days, when not much happened. Went to school. Went to work. Nothing really thrilling. Then there are those days that really tug on our hearts and we wonder if we will ever get through them. We do. All years are good in the sense that we are here and we are engaged in life.

Our verse, from Solomon’s Ecclesiastes, is found in a section of contrasts. One thing is better than another. What is called better, is not what we’d generally pick. Death doesn’t seem better than birth. Mourning doesn’t seem better than feasting. And in our verse today, the end doesn’t seem better than the beginning.

The beginning has hope and anticipation. The moment before the gifts are opened. The moment before the game starts. The moment before the baby is delivered. The beginning of a new book. The beginning of a movie. On the surface, the end can seem anticlimactic and even sad. You finish a book and you wished there were more pages. You finish a movie and you wish it didn’t end. You scape the bottom of the dessert bowl, not as exciting as when they put that piece of cheesecake topped with whipped cream in front of you.

Solomon has in mind God. Ecclesiastes is about God. Nearly every page mentions God. The end, the completion, keeping God in the picture is better than the beginning. Solomon is not talking about books and movies and cheesecake. He’s referring to life. A life completed is better than a life started. This fits with the theme of the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. The beginning of life is exciting but filled with uncertainty and concern. What kind of person will this one become? Will they walk with God or ignore God? Will they bless others or be a curse to others? What influences will shape this person? At the end of the journey, when one has completed it with God, it is better. The funeral for a Christian is a reminder and a hope for all of us who are on that journey. The end is better than the beginning. The end has been right, good and helpful. The end means Heaven. The end pleases God. The best is yet to come.

Solomon’s words are not intended to be an end of the year reminder. The end Solomon is talking about is life, not a year. Finish strong. Finish well. Finish with God. That’s the idea. In that way, the end is better than the beginning. Many start with God, but something happens. Along the way they get sidetracked, discouraged and drop off. They don’t finish with God. There’s been too many funerals where it is known that the person once worshipped God, a long time ago, but it wasn’t that way at the end. They didn’t finish. Staying with God is as important to a family and a church, as starting with God. We want folks to come in the front door. But that doesn’t do much good if in time they walk out the back door and never come back. Finish with God. The end is better than the beginning.

That very statement tells us that between the beginning and the end, something happened. Something good happened. They got better and better. They became stronger and stronger. They got more and more busy in Kingdom work. Their faith grew. It started like that little mustard seed, but it didn’t stay that way. It grew and took over. That faith changed them and changed how they did things. Their outlook changed. Their attitude changed. They became more compassionate and engaged with others. They made a difference.

I believe as one gets older, the thought of making a difference becomes important. I know for me, there was a time when I didn’t think much about that. I think I had too much of me in me. Today, that thought drives me all the time. It’s not about leaving a name, a legacy or anything like that. It’s not trying to be the best or the one on top. It’s about helping people. It’s about making a real difference in their lives. It’s helping them see God and reach for Heaven. It’s about pulling marriages out of the ditch. It’s about seeing people beat addictions. It’s about families welcoming home prodigals. It’s about making churches stronger and better. It’s about helping leaders shepherd God’s people. It’s opening our eyes to see that today it is possible to make a difference globally. Making a difference.

Our passage also reminds us of a truth that some just do not want to admit and that is the end is coming. Following a beginning is an end. The end is better than the beginning. A time is coming when our walk here will end. We will move on to the next part of God’s house. For the faithful, it will only get better. What God has in store for us is amazing. There is nothing like it any where on this planet. Until then, we must keep going. We must keep trying to make a difference. The end is better than the beginning.

I want to thank all of our Jump Start readers for sticking with this little devotional. You have encouraged me more than you will ever realize. Our readership is at an all time high. More and more people are being touched, encouraged and having oxygen put back into their souls because you are sharing these. Thank you. I thank the Lord that we have been able to build relationships with one another through these daily writings. I do hope that you have found something in these writings that convinced you to hang in there and stay on the journey with the Lord.

Finish strong. The end is better than the beginning.

Roger

Jump Start # 505 

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better haughtiness of spirit.”

  We are about to wrap up another year. Hard to believe. Just about everyone says, “where did the year go?” Or, “It seems to just fly by these days.” We know in reality that the length of a year is the same in 2011 as it was in 1963 or 1934, or even in 1844. What makes it seem to go so fast is that we are so busy. Each day is stuffed like a suitcase on vacation. We have more gadgets and technology that allows us to do things better and faster, but that has allowed us to just stack more and more into a day. The day starts with the alarm clock screaming at us—”Get up! Get at it.” The day ends when we shuffle back to bed exhausted. What’s missing in a lot of this is time to reflect and time to connect. At the whirlwind speed we go through a day, who has time for sunrises, sunsets, rainbows, sitting on porches—I know I don’t, but I wish I did.

  This way of life that most of us are on, hurts us spiritually as well. There isn’t the time to count blessings, which leads to thankfulness. We are thankful, but we are busy. Could all of this be a reason why God established the Sabbath for Israel? The Sabbath had two functions.  First, it was a day of worship. Second, it was a day of rest. No cooking. No gathering sticks. No travel. The day was spent with the family. The day was spent with God.

  The Sabbath rules and regulation went out with the Old Law. The New Testament doesn’t have a built in Sabbath—one that prohibits work, traveling or activities. Sunday is not “the Christian Sabbath,” as some want to call it. I wonder if God thought we’d get the idea from the O.T. and be wiser with our day of worship? I don’t know. Under the Old Testament, God gave Israel one day a week to slow down, reflect and connect. There is so much good in that. Our bodies need rest. Our minds need to think beyond the present to the eternal. Our hearts need to connect with family and God.

  This week, our Jump Starts are going to look at the theme of a new year. It’s upon us. Will the new year be any different for us? Will we do just the same things again? Someone made the comment that you and I will be the same in five years except for the books we read and the people we hang out with. That’s talking about the influences in our lives. Maybe less TV and more books—and not just books, better books. Maybe finding time to connect with meaningful people who have insight, depth and spirituality with them. Maybe a Bible study with one of the shepherds or preachers of the church. Maybe a family Bible study.

  Solomon, in our passage, saw that the end is better than the beginning. This chapter of Ecclesiastes contrasts one thing with another and Solomon tells us which one is better. The end, is the fulfillment, the completion. Standing in a field and trying to see a house that will be built there is not better than actually standing in that completed house. Finishing a project is more fulfilling than starting a project. The end of recital is more fulfilling than the beginning of it. The end of surgery is better than the beginning. Even the end of life is better than the beginning because of the things completed and accomplished.

  We’ve come to the end of a year. What kind of year was it for you? If you are reading this, you are still with us, that is a blessing. There may have been trips to the hospital for your family this year, there may have been a trip to the funeral home for some, there may have been some heart ache, but there may have also been many blessings. Some in your family may have obeyed the Lord this year. Maybe you’ve grown this year. Maybe you made a difference in someone’s life this year. The end is better than the beginning.

  As we end this year, will you do anything differently this coming year? Same routines? Same schedules? Same habits? Same financial picture? Same spiritual picture? Same type of books read? Same friends to hang out with? Or, will you put a stake in the ground and determine that this coming year will be different? More spirituality? More involvement with my church family? More reaching out? More faith? More time for family? Better saving financially? Better spiritual habits? Better care of your body? A better year?

  We often call such things, “resolutions” meaning we have “resolved” to do things. But often, our first of the year resolutions last about a month and they are gone. Back to the old ways, old habits and old thoughts. Eventually these add up to a lifetime and that defines our life.

  I have found that the best diet in the world is the mirror. When a person is tired of the way they look, they will do something. The best financial plans is your bank statement. When you are tire of living paycheck to paycheck, you will do something. The best spiritual plan is Sunday—when you are tired of giving lip service to the God that loves you so much, you’ll start making changes. The motivation is I want to do better. I want to be better.

  The end is better than the beginning…Let’s make it so, by living for Jesus every day.

Roger