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Jump Start # 225

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 225

Philippians 1:3-4 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.”

  This week is Thanksgiving week. It’s a time for food, football, family and shopping. But more than that, it’s a time to be “thankful.” This week our Jump Starts will focus upon passages that emphasize “thanks.”

  Our verse today combines two central thoughts found in being thankful: remembering and expressing it. Paul was mindful and thankful for the brethren at Philippi. The church had been good to Paul. In the fourth chapter he reminded them that there was a time when no church was helping him financially, except the Philippians. More than once they sent money so Paul could survive. Paul remembered. Paul thanked God because of them. What is interesting to me is to see Paul thanking God because of the Philippians. He didn’t thank God for money but the church.

  It’s easy for us to be so excited about a gift or some help that we fail to see God’s hand working through the giver and fail to thank God for the people who were there. Stop and think about this for a moment. Some of us had parents who put us through college. When we finished we not only had a degree, but we had no student loans. Some had their folks help them get their first place, maybe even giving them a down payment. Others have had their folks help them purchase a car, interest free or as a gift. We are so happy when that happens. We can even say, “I’m so thankful that I didn’t have student loans…” but like Paul, are we thankful to God for the giver! There is a difference.

  Through the years as we REMEMBER (that is how we become thankful) we realize that there have been people who have helped us—especially spiritually. May there was a low period of your life and that one Christian pulled you up and helped you. Maybe it was a Bible Class teacher who finally made everything connect in your mind or that one sermon that changed your life. Today, we stand a better and stronger people because of those things. Thinking about those things makes us thankful. Where we would be without those things is a scary thought. Some may have quit on the Lord. Some may have drifted out to “la-la-land.” But here we are, rock solid in Jesus. These thoughts make us appreciative, joyous, and thankful.

  The poet John Dunne wrote, “No man is an island…” The thought being, no one is so isolated that we don’t connect, help  and encourage each other. The Mechanic needs the eye doctor and the eye doctor needs the mechanic. And everyone needs Jesus.

  Thankful for people. That’s a constant theme in Paul’s writings. Even at the end of his life, when he is calling for books, and writing material, the apostle is thankful for people. Paul doesn’t thank God much for stuff—it’s people, churches that his heart is touched by.

  Today, reach into you past, and remember someone who helped you. For some, it will be Mom and Dad. But give it some thought. And thank the Lord, not for what you got, but for the people who believed in you, didn’t give up on you, who stood with you and who helped you become who you are today. Some of those people may have passed away. Still, thank God for them, for their hearts that cared and for the goodness that they shared.

  One other thing, being thankful for others, has a way of making us generous ourselves. It’s hard to be a receiver and not turn around and be a giver ourselves.

Roger

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Jump Start # 224

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 224

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”

Visibility…influence…being seen and being noticed is the heart of our verse today. This is taken from the sermon on the Mount. Jesus had just told the disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (13) and “You are the light of the world” (14). Did you notice the “You are”? Not, you need to become, nor you ought to be, but rather, you are.

  Let your light shine. I get up early to write these Jump Starts. I look out the window and it’s dark. I can see what neighbors are up because the lights are on  inside their house. This passage is made up of several short phrases. Each of them help us to understand the meaning.

  Let your light shine: is action on our part. Light is visible and noticeable. Ever try walking to bed when all the lights are out? Not good. Jesus wants you to be seen. He wants you to be noticed. Now, there are various ways this can be done. Some dress really odd. You see this in the stands of football games, especially Oakland Raiders fans. They are noticed. Others dye their hair with bright colors. People notice. Some are covered with tattoos. When I was a teenager, just past the hippie days, it was long hair. There are a lot of ways to draw attention. Not all of it is good. Some are rebellious. Some are “in-your-face” attitudes. Some are scary, especially to the older generation. Jesus defines what His disciples are noticed for. It’s the next  expression.

  That they may see your good works: This is what the light is. It’s engaging in doing good for others. It’s not long stringy hair, it’s not bright hair, or unusual outfits…it’s helping others. People notice. They notice kindness and generosity. They notice people going out of their way.  The way Jesus wants us to shine light is by being helpful and making a difference. This is a positive and not a negative. Consider a typical neighborhood in America: you might have a family that goes to one church, another family that goes to another church, a family that believes in God but they don’t really go to worship, and a family that does not believe in God. They all live on the same street. They all recognize kindness when it happens to them. They appreciate the neighbor who helps shovel snow out of the their driveway, or brings some food because the wife has been ill, or is struggling to start the car and you loan them your car for a day. Those are wow factors. It’s going out of your way. It’s not doing it to receive something back, especially money. It’s being kind because that’s the right thing to do. Before folks will listen to what you believe, they want to see that you are genuine and really care.

  They may glorify your Father who is in Heaven: There is a “they” and a “your” here. They, are the people you have done good works to. They don’t know your Father. But they glorify God because of YOU. This is what Jesus wants. The glory doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to God.

  Now, here’s the main thought: how does a person doing good deeds to someone else get them to glorify God? Somehow God’s name has to come up. Some where God’s goodness is mentioned. Without God being brought into the picture, the natural thing is to praise the person. That’s not what Jesus wants. He wants God to be glorified. We are simply the instruments and tools that point to that.

  So, in helping others, the name of God should flow naturally and smoothly. “Glad God can use me to help you today…” “I’m glad God has blessed me so I can bless you.” “God sure is good to us, isn’t He?” “God treats all of us better than we deserve.”

  Get busy doing good. That’s what Jesus’ people do. Often we spend too much time in the huddle, discussing the play and worrying about the opposition instead of executing what we ought to be doing. Get out of the huddle and get busy. It’s a dark, dark world. Shine your light.

Roger

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Jump Start # 223

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 223

Deuternomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

  Secrets…that concept takes us back to middle school and some getting in trouble for telling “secrets.” The military has secrets that some try to discover and sell to our enemies. It seems every election season one party tries to find all the dirty secrets of the other party so they can reveal them and sway voters their way. But here, God has secrets. This is not implying anything bad, but rather, the non-revealed things. God didn’t reveal everything. There are some reasons for that.

  First, the Bible isn’t a tell-all or how-it-happened book on everything in history and our universe. The purpose of the Bible is to get us right with God and to show the life and relationship He wants from us. That life will take us to Heaven.

 Second, even if God were to tell us all the “secrets” I doubt we’d get it. For instance, just how did He make light out of nothing. What factors did God have to do to bring this about? It took Edison a long time to make the light bulb and that was after many failed experiments. God simply said the word. But in saying it, many things had to happen.  Another secret, just what is Hades like? God uses language in Luke 16 to help us grasp it, but it’s figurative. When the rich man was in torment he begged for Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off his tongue. Sounds ok with us until we realize that Lazarus’ finger is on his body in the cemetery and the rich man’s soul really doesn’t have a tongue. Those are simply images to help us grasp the depth of what is going on. Without those images we couldn’t get it. God does.

  Thirdly, God’s secrets are His and not ours. We are fascinated about the “secret things.” We want to talk about them. We want to know what others think about the secret things. We want to make a list of God’s secrets. The “why’s,” the “how come’s” of life make up much of the secret things. It seems that some folks spend their time trying to break through the secrets. They want to be the first to know what was not known before. But the fact remains, they are secrets. They will always be secrets because God has not revealed them. There’s no finding out what God doesn’t want us to know. And because they simply cannot be known, many guess. That’s dangerous. Some preach their assumptions instead of the facts of the Bible. Some make their guesses as factual as God’s revelation. You can’t do that, mostly because you don’t know. There is nothing to support your guesses. I’ve heard folks say, “I just know God likes this…” Do you? Years ago, I had a discussion with a man who was telling me that he was certain that God enjoyed the music in his church. I showed him in the New Testament the church sang. Nothing is said about instruments and the church. He just knew God liked it. I asked him, “Which does God like better, Coke or Pepsi?” His response, “How should I know?” That’s it exactly! What God has revealed is what we know. The “secret” or unrevealed things belong to God. We don’t know.

  There are those who think that every question and every thought imaginable is answered in the Bible. Not true. The Bible isn’t the world’s biggest answer book. It is a book of life that shows us the way back to God.

  God has told us what He wants us to know. God’s revelation is sufficient to get us to Heaven. Our attention ought to be upon the revelation of God. We need to know the will of God. We need to read the Bible, follow the Bible, teach the Bible and live by the Bible. The other stuff falls into the “secret” category that belongs to God. Don’t need to worry about those things.

Roger

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Jump Start # 222

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 222

Luke 10:30 “Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.”

  This verse begins the parable of the good Samaritan. That expression, ‘Good Samaritan’, has become a common term used to describe the generosity of one person toward someone else, usually a stranger, and usually someone who is in some form of a crisis. In some cities, you will find hospitals that are named, “Good Samaritan.”

  Jesus told this parable to answer a question. Right before this a man stood up and asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Great question. Jesus asked him what does the Law teach? His response: Love God and love your neighbor. This guy was sharp. On another occasion when Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus would give the same answer. Do that, Jesus said, and you will have eternal life. The man then asked, “Who is my neighbor?” The good Samaritan story is the answer to that question.

  The story is not necessarily a nice story. It involves violence, theft, neglect and indifference. There are several key characters in this story.

  • The victim: he is just minding his business, most likely going home to Jericho from Jerusalem. Had he been there to worship? Possibly. The route descends from the mountains around Jerusalem to the flatlands of Jericho. It is twisty, narrow road and known to be an easy place for desperados to attack innocent travelers.

 

  • The thieves: they didn’t just rob this man, they beat him, stripped him and left him for dead. They took his possessions, his health, his dignity and his hope. Life meant nothing to these thugs. Their kind are still around today.

 

  • The priest: likely having finished work in the temple, was traveling home to Jericho. Many priest lived nearby in Jericho. He saw the man. It wasn’t that he didn’t know. He knew. He passed on the other side. Touching a dead body would make a person unclean by the law. But he didn’t know the man was dead or alive. I’m not getting involved. Could it be a trick and the thieves would jump out and rob him as well? It’s not my problem. I’ve got things to do. Whatever the reason, he passed by. He did nothing.

 

  • The Levite: This was a Jew from the tribe of Levi. This is the priestly tribe. All priests came from the tribe of Levi. This man, most likely was not a priest, but he may have served in the temple and helped the priest. He too, passed the injured man. Did nothing. Has he no heart? No conscience? Is anything more important than helping a person?

 

  • The Samaritan: he is the hero of the story. Using a Samaritan was a slap to the smug Jewish face. The Jews despised Samaritans so much that they refused to travel through that region. Samaritan’s had a Jewish heritage but had married outside the nation. They were not accepted by Jewish people. The Samaritan sees the same thing that the priest and Levite saw. But he stops. He tends to the wounds of the injured man. He puts him on his donkey and took him to an inn and left money for his care. He promised to pay for more care if it was necessary. A foreigner saved this victim.

  Why did the Samaritan do that? It costs him. It took of his time. It was inconvenient. He most likely did not know the victim. Had the roles been reversed, the victim, a Jew, would not have helped a Samaritan. He would have thought, ‘he got what he deserved.’ He did this because he showed mercy and love. No matter what the reason, the excuse or justification, the priest and the Levite added further injury to the wounded man.

  Who is my neighbor? Any one I can help. The Samaritan wasn’t the government. He wasn’t the church. He wasn’t the Red Cross, the Salvation Army or some massive organization. He was one person, simply doing what he could do. That is the point of this story. We want others to do what we are supposed to do. Why doesn’t the church do something we cry? Isn’t that why we pay taxes we say? Jesus wants you to do what you can and should do. Without the Samaritan the victim would have died.

  There are opportunities all around us to show mercy and love. Those chances are often lost because we spin our wheels wanting to organize something huge, or we waste time complaining because no one else is doing anything, and the victim lies bleeding.

  Open your heart…open your wallet…open your schedule…open your eyes…this is what Jesus wants us to do! This is Christianity in action. It is a heart based faith that moves us!

Roger

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Jump Start # 221

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 221

Luke 14:16-17 “But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’”

  Our verse today begins the parable of the dinner guests. It’s a fascinating story. A wealthy man plans a large party. We know the man was wealthy for several reasons. First, he had slaves and is later called, ‘Master.’ Second, he gave a big dinner—that costs! Thirdly, he invited many. Those that have planned a wedding on a tight budget understand the need to ‘keep the number’ of guests down. Not this man, he’s invited many.

  What happened in the first century social circles is so different than the way we do things. Today, we’d plan a get together, tell our friends to come on Friday night at 7:00 pm and all would be set. It didn’t work that way in the days of Jesus. It was hard to know exactly when the food would be ready. Without electric ovens, microwaves and all that we have, the precise hour a banquet began could not be stated. So the host would invite guests for a specific day. They would accept. The day of the party, servants would cook and cook and get things ready. When it was getting close, word would be sent that all things were ready and the guests could come.

  In this story, the guests, have had a change of heart. They have already accepted the invitation. They know the day of the party. But when word is sent that it is time, they back out and they give excuses. The reasons they give are weak.

  The first man said he bought some land and must go see it. First, who buys land sight unseen? Second, the banquets were generally in the evenings and night. He would not be able to see the land.

  The next man, claimed he bought some oxen and must try them. Again, this would not happen. A person would test the oxen first, and then buy them. The oxen could be diseased, weak or broken down. A person would test them first, and then buy.

  The third man stated that he had married a wife and cannot come. This is most troubling to me. Did he get married that day? He knew of the party, he had already accepted. If he was married before this, bring your wife.

  Three excuses. They involve wealth, work and family. All three failed to show up at the banquet. The master was angry. He sent his servants to invite the most unlikely people—the lame, the blind and the poor. These folks would never expect to find themselves at a banquet like this master was offering. These people are often neglected, overlooked and struggle just to survive. Fine food, nice music and good times is something foreign to this crowd. The poor, lame and blind beg. Back then, there was  no disability funds coming in. There was no government help. They lived by the generosity of others. A few coins here and a few scraps of food there. But to get a meal and at the Master’s house is something they never dreamed of.  Those that failed to show up had wealth about them. They bought land and oxen. But they missed out. They missed because they didn’t come. Sometimes that happens at church, doesn’t it? A feast of encouragement and lessons are missed by those who don’t show up. This parable is not about church, but salvation. It is offered to all, including those many of us would not have anything to do with. God loves all. When some refuse, God finds those who will accept.

   These three who failed to come had lame excuses. Sometimes we can do the same. The real reason they didn’t come to the feast was not land, oxen and marriage, they just didn’t want to. When a person doesn’t want something, any excuse is good enough. It sure makes us look in the mirror doesn’t it? We’ve offered lame excuses for not doing what we ought to, and generally it is because we just don’t feel like it.

  God has prepared a feast for you. It’s out of this world. It’s better than you have ever had before. It’s salvation from your sins. It is a future with him. It is living with a purpose right now. How important is this to you? Will you accept? To accept is to commit. Some say yes, and then find an excuse not to stick with it. The master didn’t force these three with excuses to come. It was their loss. Jesus knocks, we must open. He offers to forgive, we must be baptized. He wants you in Heaven, but you must walk with Him and in the direction He goes.

  This passage also tells us why some won’t be saved. Generally, it’s not some big and detailed issue. No, it’s much more simplistic. It comes down to land, oxen and marriage. It comes down to not really wanting what the Master offers.

  He’s invited you to His banquet. Are you going? I am.

Roger