17

Jump Start # 414

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 414 

2 Corinthians 7:2 “Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.”

  Paul in this section of second Corinthians is having to defend himself and his role as an apostle against some false charges and accusations. His credibility was at stake. If they questioned his role, they were certainly not going to listen to his message.

  I like the opening expression of this passage, “Make room for us in your hearts.” Sometimes a person can act as if there is just no more love that they can give—there is no more room. New members of a church can feel isolated, not accepted and as if there isn’t any more room for them in the hearts of the people.

  God made our hearts expandable. Ask any mother. How is it that she can love all her children and love them equally—that’s just the way our hearts our. God made our hearts to be modeled after His—and He has room to love the whole world.

  It may be that the Corinthians didn’t want to love Paul because they felt he wasn’t deserving. This is why we find the expressions, “we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.” They didn’t have a reason not to love.

  Sometimes we can act like girls in middle school (my apologies to middle school girls) – they seem to be into cliques, and who likes who, and who is my best friend this week and those who aren’t included in the inner circle are ignored, made to eat at another lunch table and so forth. Some of you remember that. Some of you are dealing with middle school girls now and you know what it is like. The same can happen among adults, in the church. It’s ugly. Feelings get hurt and often a family leaves over such things.

  Make room for us in your heart. That’s the answer. Make room for us as you invite people over. Make room for us as you talk with others after services. Make room for us. And the reason is because we are related through Jesus, we belong to the same spiritual family, we are after the same thing and believe it or not, we need each other.

  Making room for each other will keep us from talking about each other—that kills gossip. Making room for each other will help us realize that everyone is needed—that kills the superiority image and an arrogant attitude. Making room for everyone is the way of Christ. Jesus was with the Pharisees, but He was also with tax collectors, and lepers and the “unclean.” The Pharisees didn’t have room for “those kinds of people” in their hearts. Jesus did. When we start remembering these things, it will occur to you that Jesus made room in His heart for US. Look at us! We’re not varsity material. We not the best—He makes us the best, but that’s because He made room for US in His heart.

  One of our kids moved back home the other day—he has one year of college left and it made the best sense to do that. He’s been living in apartments for nearly 4 years. He has a lot of stuff. We had to make room. I’m glad he’s here. I like having him around. And that’s what happens when you make room in your heart for someone else—it may take some work at first to find a way to fit the person in, but once you’ve made the room, it’s great.

  Look about your world—is there someone at work no one talks to unless they have to? Can you make room for that person in your heart? How about someone in the neighborhood. Maybe there’s that one neighbor no one really likes—got any room for him in your heart? And especially, in the church. Everyone has room for the preacher, but how about the teenager? How about the person who is lacking social skills? Or the person that seems a bit odd to everyone else? Got any room for that person?

  There was slogan a while back that said, “Got Milk?” That’s been used for many things and it even works here—Got ROOM? Give it a try. You’ll find you have more room than you think and it will make all the world to the person you’ve invited into your heart.

Roger

16

Jump Start # 413

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump  Start # 413 

2 Timothy 1:5 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

  It’s back to school time already. Many families are getting back into the routine of getting the kids to bed early and getting them up at the crack of dawn to be ready for a day of school. I have two in school, but it’s college. So the days of waiting for the school buses is past for us, but we have fond memories—practicing spelling words, going over facts of history, playing four square in the driveway as we waited for the bus. School days are hectic but they can also be times of talking, sharing and building faith.

  Our verse today reminds us of that. Timothy wasn’t waiting for a yellow school bus, but he was taught about God and His wonderful word.

  Several things to notice about this simple verse.

  • First, Paul knows Timothy’s family. He names his mother and grandmother. Paul first meets Timothy in Acts 16. He is a believer and well spoken of by the brethren in Lystra. Paul not only knows the family names, he knows of their faith. He calls it a “sincere” faith—or an honest faith, or a true faith. Sincere as opposed to being fake or hypocritical or just going through the motions. They believed. It was obvious. 

 

  • These women, grandma, and mom, taught Timothy. Often the lessons at home are more beneficial, more practical and more helpful than what one gets in Bible class. I get the impression that the lessons from the Bible never ended. Timothy grew up knowing, learning and accepting. When moms and dads are actively engaged in teaching and sharing God’s word with their children, they will learn faster and younger than what the parents did. There are many incredible young men preaching today, much of that credit goes to the homes they came from.

 

  • Did you notice that nothing is said about grandpa nor dad? We know that Timothy’s dad was Greek, but that’s all we know. Their names are not given, nor is anything said about their faith. This is the scene in too many congregations today. The women believe and the men are too tired, too busy, too something to attend gospel meetings, worship services or to be engaged in the spiritual development of their kids. They’ll take the boys hunting but they won’t take them to Bible class. How sad! The church is hurting for strong male leadership today. Men are needed to step up. It begins in the home. Take the lead in saying prayers, teaching the kids the books of the Bible, of connecting life to the word of God.

 

  • Timothy plays a dominate role in the N.T. He follows Paul in many places. He preaches in Ephesus, and at the end of Paul’s life, it is Timothy that Paul is counting on to come and help him. Sometimes moms don’t feel like they do much for the kingdom. If all you can do is raise a Timothy, and then let him go—you are doing well. When Paul came to their area, he wanted Timothy to go with him. Mama let her son go. Often, young men may go across the country to preach or even overseas, we need to let them go. They are doing the work of God, and we can’t let our feelings for them keep them from going. Grandmas and moms, get busy with your Timothys. They may never preach and that’s fine, but if you can develop that sincere faith in them, what a powerful and wonderful thing you have done.

 

  • Teaching your kids takes time and patience and innovation. Sometimes you ask them things and they don’t even realize that you are building their faith, making them think and making them see through the choices of life to consequences, influence and matters like that. In the old Law, ancient Israel was to instruct their children when they went to bed and when they rose in the morning. God is a part of the family. His word is the foundation upon which the family stands. Those are solid truths that are evidenced each day.

  School time—what a great reminder to all of us parents, that we need to be busy teaching the kids the most important lessons of all, and that is to honor, obey, and love the Lord. Timothy could not have been Timothy without that wonderful start in his faith by grandma and mom. Paul saw that. God saw that. We see it today in many families. Keep it up! When dad’s aren’t involved, keep doing what must be done. It will make a difference.

Roger

15

Jump Start # 412

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 412 

Psalm 72:1 “My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; my voice rises to God, and He will hear me.”

  There is an old hymn that is called “Sweet hour of prayer.” Prayer is a wonderful privilege for the people of God. God wants us to seek Him and to talk to Him. Jesus said to “go into the closet” to pray.

  Our passage today, a Psalm from Asaph, is a cry to God when things seem the darkest. He would say later in this chapter, “I am so troubled that I cannot speak” (4). The writer is dealing with the silence of God. He prays for God’s actions but wonders why things remain. He even asks, “Has His promise come to an end forever? (8)

  Most of us can experience what was going through the mind and heart of Asaph. These are the prayers offered in the hospital late at night. We pray and must wait. God is good and will answer, but it is always “in His time.”

  The subject of prayer is a powerful and great study. There are many prayers recorded in our Bible. Our passage today, is just one example. Some pray only when there is trouble. Some pray only when they need something. Some pray very shallow thoughts, saying about the same thing every time. I know that because that has been me. Prayer is more than all of those things. It is conversation with God.

  Do you remember that scene from the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and her three companions finally make it to the Emerald City and they approach the “great and mighty Oz.” Fire and smoke come from him and the fall in fear of the image. That’s not prayer. That’s not what God wants. That’s not the image we should have of God. Yes, He is powerful. Yes, He is mighty. But through Jesus, and because of Jesus, He is our Father.

  Prayer is talking with God. It is putting your day before Him. Just you and God talking. He’s interested in your life. He knows your heart. He knows your struggles. He wants you to open up to Him, to be honest, to be transparent. There is nothing you can say that will surprise Him. There’s nothing about you He doesn’t already know. All relationships need conversation. The more we pray, the closer we become to God.

  Here is a few things to think about:

  • Pray for open doors to talk to others about Jesus, especially as you meet people.
  • Pray for the spiritual wellbeing of your children
  • As the preacher begins his sermon, pray that it may help you and better you
  • As you read the newspaper, and you read of turmoil or tragedies, say a pray for those families. The same works with watching the news.

  My voice rises to God—what a great statement and theme of life.

Roger

12

Jump Start # 411

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 411 

Genesis 1:24-31 “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

  Day six—this happened on a Friday. This was the final day of God’s activity. It was a busy day and it was the peak of all that He did—He made man in His image. The sixth day produced land animals, again keeping the order as He began with plants on the third day, of “after their kind.” A lion, cheetah, tiger, and kitten all belong to the cat family. They are different, but they are cats. They are not elephants. After their kind—defines the classes of animals.

  Many powerful thoughts found in these verses. Consider:

  • Man is not a part of the animal world. He is made different, and he has a different role. We were not told that in biology class.
  • Man’s position is over the animals. He is to rule over them. This authority and right was given to man from God.
  • Dinosaurs were made the same day man was. They did not die out millions of years before man came on the scene—not if Genesis 1 is true.
  • Originally, all animals and all mankind was vegetarians. As God made life in the garden of Eden, paradise, death did not happen. Death was introduced as a consequence of man’s sin. Before the sin, nothing died, including animals. Today, these natures changed. Man and many animals eat meat today. Not so originally.
  • Man is made in the image of God. He alone has a soul and that soul will not die. Man has a conscience and man reasons. He is not driven by instincts. He cannot say  “ I unable to help myself.” Yes, he can. He is a spiritual being, an intellectual being, an emotional being and one that is responsible to God.
  • At the conclusion of this day, God said it was VERY good. God had made someone that he could communicate with, fellowship with and have a relationship with. All of creation was for man, God’s peak of all that He made.
  • God said that He made man in “OUR image.” Our is plural. This is the first insight into the trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  God made you. God made you to look the way you do. God made you with the eye color you have. God made you the sex that you are. God wired you the way you are—some of us are shy, others out going. Some of us are fixers, others dreamers. Some are very practical, some are theory oriented. Some work best with hands, others their minds. We are made by God, that label is on our hearts. And God wants you to want Him. Just as a parent longs for their child to want to do things with them, so does God. He made you not to live like an animal, only concerned about food and sleep, living for the moment. God wants you to bring the spiritual side of you out. To live with a vision of Heaven and to seek His ways.

  Made by God—what a great concept!

  Roger

11

Jump Start # 410

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 410 

Genesis 1:20-23 “Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.  God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.”

  Day five, the fifth day of creation happened on a Thursday. Up to this point God has made the world, the solar system, land, sea, atmosphere. On day three, God started filling the earth. He started with vegetation and trees. On day four, God filled the skies with the sun, moon and stars.

  Now on day five, God fills the water and the sky with animals—birds and fish. I like the translation here that says, “swarms of living creatures.” Not just a few, here and there, but “swarms.” 

  Like Day Three, with the plants and trees, we find here the expression, “after it’s kind.” Fowls and aquatic life originated at the same time, on the same day. That flies in the face of evolutionary thinking. These living beings were told by God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. God being the Creator, can command His creation and it will obey Him.

  Our text includes the “great sea monsters.” What’s that? Many theories abound. Some think whales, others, some form of sea dinosaur that is now extinct. Remember, Moses is writing Genesis through inspiration. He wasn’t there to witness these things. He is writing many, many years after the fact. A world flood has taken place between the creation and the writing of Genesis. Yet the way this reads, Moses’ audience, Israel, would have some understanding of the “giant sea monsters.”

 There is a common thread in these final days of creation: God said, God blessed and God saw that it was good. We are see the power, the creativity, and the goodness of God.

  Birds—there are all kinds of birds, and every size of birds. I’ve seen eagles in Alaska. Out my window I see a hawk nearly every day. His scream is unique and I often hear it before I see him. Have you noticed how different and colorful birds are? Have you also noticed that each kind of bird makes a unique sound. Early in the morning, often just at dawn, the birds start singing. They can be very loud. That used to annoy me because it would wake me up before I wanted to. I started listening to them. They seemed so happy and cheerful. Glad to be alive. I didn’t always wake up singing…some days I am grumpy and not in a good mood. They start the day singing. It’s God’s choir singing to the world. I listen for the birds now. Instead of letting it bother me, I see it as God’s music, awakening a new day.

  God’s creation is complex, diverse and functional. Like an orchestra piece, God is building and building until His final and last creation, mankind—who alone is made in God’s image. Only God witnessed the creation. Only God knows how He did it. Only God understands it.

  Roger