23

Jump Start # 2579

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2579

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment.”

Sunday in worship, and one can be in worship and not in the church building, we were singing, “He leadeth me.” Great hymn. The third line begins, “And when my task on earth is done…” That’s a great line. It connects us to our verse today. There is a divine appointment God has made for us with death. Unless the Lord comes first, you won’t miss that appointment. You won’t be late for that one. You won’t get around that one. You won’t postpone that one. You won’t cancel that one. This is one appointment that we will keep.

This passage is talking about physical death. Biblically, we actually die twice. We died in sin spiritually and then we die physically. Spiritual death and physical death. But, we who believe, are born twice. We are born physically and we are born spiritually. Not everyone is born two times. Some remain dead spiritually.

Back to the hymn, and the line, “And when my task on earth is done.”

First, we are born for a purpose. We are made on purpose for a purpose. We are not just wandering around with nothing to do. There is a task. There is a task that we need to do. We need to be about it. Some never understand this. Some feel that their task in life is to make others miserable. They do a great job at that. Others feel like their task in life is simply to make themselves happy. They will do whatever it takes to get there. In Acts 13, Paul preaching, said, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation…” David got it. He understood his task on earth. His task was to serve the purpose of God in his own generation. David was a national war hero. There were songs about David. He was the king of the nation. Famous. Rich. Powerful. But he understood that his task was the purpose of God.

Generically, we all have the same task. That is to do the purpose of God. But, specifically, that task takes on different shapes and colors. We have those with five talents and those with two and one. The task for some may be encouraging and they do a great job of that. For others, it may be preaching. For some, it may be leading the people of God. Some tasks look grand and others may look rather simple. But they are all important. Raising those little ones at home to love the Lord and respect Him is very important. Sharing God’s word is important. Being a backbone of a congregation that is dependable, supportive, and helpful is very important. There is a task before us. More important than paying off your house, having a nice nest egg for retirement, is the purpose of God. Simple, common first century disciples, many of which never owned a home, were busy with the task of God.

Second, someday our tasks will be done. It will be done because we will be done. We are here for a period of time and that’s it. We have to get busy with the task of God. We spin too much time trying to get through school, get established, get things going, and by the time everything is lined up, we are about done. So, this tells us that the task of God can be worked on and fulfilled as we journey through life. It’s not a matter of waiting until I am finished with college. All around you are opportunities to teach, encourage and shed you light. Get about this task now. Then starting off in your career, there are so many things to learn. So much to do. The task of God is before you. Get about that. A young family, so much to do. Remember the task of God.

Years ago I was walking through a cemetery looking at the headstones, something I still like to do. On one it read, “He did it his way.” That made me think of a Sinatra song. It made me wonder if the guy was selfish and stubborn. All kinds of thoughts come to your mind, but one that wasn’t there was God’s way. It didn’t say, “He did it God’s way.” When our task on earth is done, will people be saying, “He did it his way”? When our task on earth is done, what will we have accomplished? All the stuff we’ve gathered remains for others. What matters is whether we walked by faith and if we were about our Father’s business. Someday our task here will be over. Will it be said that you did it well? Will it be said that you used your time wisely? Will it be said that you made a difference?

Finally, we still have today. We may not have tomorrow. What remains to be done? What tasks have you not tackled? Is there a conversation that you need to have with someone? When are you going to do it? Is there someone you need to apologize to? When are you going to do it? Is there someone that you need to forgive? When? What remains to be done? What’s on the spiritual bucket list?

When our tasks on earth is over, God will judge us. He will not ask us if we changed the oil in our cars every 3,000 miles. He will not care if you cleaned out your garage and have everything nicely organized. He will not care if you edged your yard or not. He will care about what bothered you so much. He will care about how serious you were about your faith. He will care about what tasks you pursued in life. How large was your heart? How much did you care? How often did you take things to God? How much did you read His word and follow it?

When our task on earth is done, we will realize what really mattered. We will know what was really important. We will understand what was important to God. The rich man in Luke 16 was a wealthy business man. He lived behind gates. He wore purple, the color of luxury. He ate well every day. When he died, none of those things mattered. He wanted to send word back to his five brothers. He knew that they were just like he was. The word he wanted to send wasn’t about business, finance or acquiring things. It was about their souls. There were headed to torment just like he did. They were engaged in the wrong tasks. It wasn’t about wealth, self or making a name. The business of life is to be engaged in God’s business. That is the task before us. The rich man missed it. His five brothers were on the path to missing it.

I wonder if we miss it, too. When our task here on earth is over…

Sure is something to think about.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 2578

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2578

Matthew 5:47 “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

Our verse today comes from the amazing sermon on the mount. The greatest sermon preached by the greatest preacher. Jesus is stressing that the Gospel ought to bring out the best in us. We ought to be different because we are not following the crowd, but rather God. How we think and how we treat others is expressed specifically in these passages. The Gentiles would greet each other. But the Gentiles wouldn’t greet a Jew and a Jew certainly would never greet a Gentile. So, with the Gospel in you, how are you any different? You have the greatest message and the best example. You need to be like Jesus. The Jesus who went to Samaria. The Jesus who went to the home of a tax collector. The Jesus who was a friend to all. That’s how God expects us to be.

And, layered nicely in this passage is this wonderful statement, “what do you do more than others?” I want to borrow this idea and talk about all the good that is being done in the midst of all the bad. We must keep our social distance, we are told. We worship at home. Things are not normal. We’ve never seen anything like this. But, do you know what else we’ve never seen before? We are seeing all kinds of wonderful ways to encourage by our fellow preachers. Men who I’d never thought would ever do anything, are. There are Monday morning devotional videos. There are so many wonderful sermons to watch. There are all kinds of Bible classes that one can connect to. These tough times have brought an amazing wealth of ability, opportunity and encouragement. There is no reason for anyone to shrivel up and die. Wonderful, wonderful things are being done. I’m so proud of my fellow preachers. You guys are killing it! I know this is hard. I know it’s not the best way to teach. I know it’s awkward looking into a camera, and for old guys like me, it’s where is the camera so I at least appear to be looking face to face with the audience. Many of us have had to get more equipment. I did. My first video was like a red-neck version. I had a ladder with some books on it and my Ipad sitting on the books. I have purchased a tripod and now a better mic. All of this in an attempt to make things better and better for those who watch and listen.

But it won’t be long and this season of storms will pass. We will be able to assemble. We’ll be back into the church building and we’ll be back into our classrooms. That will be so wonderful. Yet, what will happen to these Monday devotionals, or Friday afternoon messages that have been so helpful and encouraging? Will we drop all of these things and simply return to the way things were? Or, are we seeing an upside benefit to all of these ways to teach and encourage? Could it be that we must “do more than others”?

One of the upsides that I have noticed is the large number of people watching worldwide. The number of people watching the things being put out by congregations is much larger than the congregation itself. Folks are listening and watching Bible class lessons that under normal circumstances never would, or could not. But because these things are made available on Facebook and websites, all over the country, and even the world, people are learning, growing and being encouraged. As we think about getting back together, maybe it’s time to evaluate the wonderful good that has been done. And, as difficult as it has been to produce these videos, maybe it would be a good thing to continue. Should this good stop simply because the storm passes? Or, could the new normal now include some of the wonderful things that we are doing?

Without realizing it, many congregations have witnessed the good that they can do is much farther than the zip code of the church building. States away, people are watching, learning and being helped. This storm has opened our eyes to how we can become global and with technology do more and reach more than we ever had before. So, as we preachers write and prepare sermons, the reach is far more than the faces we see each week in the pews. Someone across the country, or even across the world may now be benefited from the good that is being done.

So, here are a few thoughts:

First, shepherds and preachers need to evaluate whether these wonderful means of teaching ought to continue. There is an expense. Good equipment needs to be purchased so the end product is quality. The good you are doing may be to people who never visit your church building, but they are somewhere in the kingdom. Is that worth continuing? Is this something that you want to be a part of?

Here at Charlestown Road, we’ve been doing this long before the Covid-19 storm arose. Podcasts, Jump Starts, livestreaming are within our DNA. We were recording Bible classes in the building already. But with this, comes questions, emails, texts, needing information, wanting further study worldwide. This adds layers of work and again you may never see these faces in your church building, but that’s not the point. We are not trying to make larger congregations, but save people eternally. The nature of your work shifts a bit to fit in all the help from the world. If this is something you want to do, I’d encourage you to recruit help from those within the congregation. We do a lot of mailing. People wanting copies of our class books we write, Jump Start books, and things like this. This can be overwhelming and eat a lot of time. So, get great help.

Second, what a blessing it is to be living in these times when we can do so much to spread messages worldwide. What we preachers are doing is a bit time consuming, but it’s not hard. It’s what we are supposed to be doing. Many are finding that they are teaching more during a week than they have in the past. And, this is just what we are supposed to do, the work of an evangelist. It brings images of the early disciples teaching daily. We are learning through this storm that we can do this without being face to face. Through technology we can teach, even daily.

Third, there is a great friendship and fellowship that I am seeing among preachers. We are sharing ideas. We are watching each other on videos. We are borrowing lessons and devotionals. We understand that we are all in the same boat and we might as well help one another. And, this is being done. Kindred spirits and love for the Lord are bringing out the best. We are telling others about podcasts and videos that we find to be useful. I know of some families that will watch three or four sermons on Sunday mornings. You couldn’t do that before this storm. What a great time this has brought out for us.

The storm will soon pass. Let us see the great good that has been done and let us give some serious thought as to what ought to continue and how we can help folks, even worldwide.

Thank you, my brothers! Keep up this amazing work! It is helping me!

Roger

21

Jump Start # 2577

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2577

Mark 2:9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your pallet and walk?’”

Our verse today asks a question. It was asked by Jesus. This question came after Jesus forgave the crippled man who was lowered through the roof. It was a packed house. The crowd wouldn’t make way for the four men carrying this crippled man on a pallet. They wanted Jesus to see their friend. They believed Jesus could do something. They believed that Jesus could heal their friend. They couldn’t get through the door, but that didn’t stop them. Up to the rooftop, they lowered their friend before Jesus. Persistent. Focused. Not giving up. Jesus simply calls this faith. Seeing their faith, the context tells us, Jesus forgave the man of his sins. That’s not what they actually came for. They wanted a healing of the body and Jesus healed the soul.

The crowd was shocked. No one can forgive but God. Yet, here is Jesus, forgiving. Did Jesus know this? Was He thinking that He was God? The minds of the audience was filled with what should be done. Had Jesus just blasphemed in front of them? The law was strict about blasphemy. The penalty wasn’t a slap on the wrist. Death usually followed blasphemy. No one was saying this, but they were sure thinking that way. And, Jesus knew their thoughts. That’s the first miracle in this story. Before He healed the crippled man, Jesus knew what others were thinking.

So our question, our verse follows. Which is easier to say, forgiven or get up and walk? Most times we don’t read this question carefully. We assume Jesus is saying, “Which is easier to do, forgive someone or heal someone?” And, we know forgiveness involved the cross, and the cross wasn’t pretty. It was torturous, painful and slow. So, in that way, healing someone would be much easier to do.

But did you notice, Jesus didn’t say, “which is easier to do?” If He did, the answer is heal. That is easier. But what Jesus actually said was, “which is easier to say.” Say, ’you are forgiven,’ or, say, ’you are healed?’ Saying and doing are not the same thing. We understand that. I could say, “I can drive a golf ball 400 yards.” You’d say, “Right. We’ll go to a driving range and you prove that.” I could say, “I have photographic memory.” You’d respond, “Sure, prove it. I’ll give you a page to read, then you quote it back perfectly.” I could say, “I can hold my breath until you could to 400.” You’d say, “Let me see.” By, the way, I can’t do any of those things. I moved to a church where the former preacher had photographic memory. He’d read five books a day and in the middle of a sermon, he could quote long sections, refer to the exact page number. It was impressive. When I first moved there, one of the elders told me nearly every day about this former preacher who had photographic memory. Everyday I heard that. One day, when the elder was going on and on about that, and I had about enough of it, I stated that I, too, had photographic memory. He looked at me and said, “You do?” I said, “Certainly. It’s just at the moment, I’m out of film.”

Saying and doing—not the same thing. Which is easier to say, forgiven or get up and walk. Well, if you say, “get up and walk,” the crowd is going to expect that crippled man to “get up and walk.” Prove it. But if you say, ’you are forgiven,’ how do you prove that? How do you show that? How does the audience know? It is easier to say you are forgiven, because there is no way of knowing. A forgiven person doesn’t change color. They do not suddenly do miraculous feats. They look the same. They may even act the same. Forgiveness is a relationship we have with God. And, these Jews were correct, only God can forgive. Jesus is God. He had that right to do that. You can prove if a crippled man can walk. Let me see you walk. That’s all it takes. But to prove forgiveness, there really isn’t a way to do that. So, which is easier “to say?” Forgiveness is easier to say. It’s not easier to do, but it is simply easier to say.

Now, this leads us to a practical question about ourselves. Many wonder about this. How do I know that I am forgiven? I can do what the Bible says, but how do I know? I feel the same. I look the same. My likes and dislikes haven’t changed. My bank account doesn’t change. I don’t immediately go from being a shy person to being outgoing. I don’t suddenly have new talents. I don’t have a superior knowledge all of a sudden.

This thought bothers many. They just don’t “feel” saved. Some have gone so far as to think that God will never forgive them. These thoughts, fears and worries are the reason some drop out and give up. “I’m just not forgiven,” is what they say. Some look back and believe, “I never was forgiven.” These are troubling thoughts. It’s hard when forgiveness seems to lack any evidence or proof.

Are you forgiven? How do you know? How would you answer that?

Here are a few thoughts that I hope will help:

First, we know we are forgiven by faith. Just as we know anything by faith, we know this. God has promised forgiveness for those who love Him, follow Him, obey Him and trust Him. When Peter told that Pentecost crowd to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, how would they know their sins were truly forgiven? Faith. God promised. It’s not a feeling. It’s not a sign. It’s not taking up a pallet and walking.

How do we know Jesus is coming again? Faith and the Scriptures. How do we know there is a Heaven? Faith and Scriptures. How do we know we are forgiven? Faith and Scriptures. It’s the same thing.

Second, there is a change that takes place. It is in how God sees us. It is in how we see God. Relationship. There is no signed papers. There is no official stamp indicating these things. God says as far as the east is from the west, He has removed our sins. They have gone from crimson to white. We are washed. We are justified. We are saved. There is an emotional side to it. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing after he learned about Jesus and was baptized. The facts led to faith which produced the proper feeling. He did what he was told to do. He did what God wanted him to do. Intellect comes first. The facts come first. Then comes the feelings and the emotions. Get those reversed and a person gets into trouble. He may feel saved when he is not. How would he know? Read the Bible. If one hasn’t done what God said, he may have false feelings. He didn’t put the facts first. He didn’t have the intellect first.

A person can know that they are walking by faith. A person can know they are walking in the light. John told his readers that when they read what he wrote, they would know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). A person can, as Paul said, “know whom I have believed.”

Can you know you are saved? Certainly. Which is easier to say? A great question. A thought that showed Jesus was God on earth.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 2576

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2576

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant.”

I heard a report recently that was very disturbing and sad. More children have gone to the hospital recently because of abuse than because of the Coronavirus. With everyone at home, the walls of the house seem to be closing in. Parents, rather than being at work, are around the kids all day. The children are not in school. We can’t send them to Bible class. They are around us, on top of us, all the time. And, what I’m sensing is that parents are needing a break from their own kids.

This brings us to our verse today. It is found in a setting in which brethren weren’t getting along with each other. The wonderful blessing of spiritual gifts have led to strife, jealousy and pulling apart, rather than coming together. So, in the midst of three chapters addressing spiritual gifts, Paul reminds us of Biblical love. This is not a feeling or an emotion. This is a choice. This is an attitude. This is not based upon how the other person is behaving. This is not reactionary. Love, he begins, is patient and then, love is kind.

We need patience among brethren, and we need patience in the home. Let’s look at the home. Little ones can ask a thousand questions a minute. They don’t even wait for an answer before they are firing off the next series of questions. Patience is something that most little ones do not have. In their world, five minutes is forty hours. And, when they run out of patience, they let everyone everywhere know it. And, my bootstrap psychology leads me to think that this is where a lot of abuse takes place. Parents run out of patience with little ones who have no patience. We get frustrated. We get tired of being interrupted. We’d like a moment alone.

And, when we’ve run out patience, we too often say and do things that are not the best. We plop a child in front of the TV for hours on end, letting the TV parent and mold our child. We shout and scream and somehow try to reason with a child, forgetting that reason isn’t high on a child’s list of virtues. And, in extreme cases, we hit, smack and abuse the child. We lose control.

It’s easy to place the blame on the children. But, they are children. They are going think like a child, reason as a child and do childish things. They know how to push buttons, both on everything electronic and on you personally. They have an attention span that lasts about as long as a commercial on TV. The time and trouble it takes for you to get out a game and set it up, by then they are bored and ready to move on to something else.

The real issue here, as we look into this concept of love, is how do we get patience. You pray for patience. The Lord doesn’t sprinkle it upon you while you sleep, like pixie dust. You develop patience by going through stressful and trying times. So, when you pray for patience, you may find the answer is a tough day ahead of you.

Now, it’s been a while since I had kids in the home. All of my children are in their 30’s and they all have their children now. I never went through a situation like we are having now. None of us have. But let me share some suggestions that I hope will help:

First, live one day at a time. Some days will be better than others. Some days you will be more patient than others. Some days the kids will obey, behave and get along together better than other days. Just focus upon today. I think it would be helpful to contact other young parents in the congregation. Share ideas. Help each other with suggestions and things to do.

Second, keeping up with a schedule gives everyone a sense of structure, order and peace. So, write out a schedule for the week. Put in some activities, school work, Bible classes time, cleaning, and even quiet time. Having that all planned out, and even posted where they can see it will keep everyone focused. During quiet time, have them look at books, color, take a nap. We used to have moments at home when we told the kids we were being Amish for a while. If it turned on, plugged in, or used batteries, they couldn’t use it. They had to use their indignations. They had to read. They had to be quiet. It’s during these quiet times that mom needs to lay down, get some coffee, or just rest her mind for a few moments. This gives you some breaks and a time to chill out.

Third, as the weather gets nicer, take the kids outdoors. Go exploring in your backyard. Look at leaves, bugs, rocks and things like that. Great teaching time. Great time to have them find things. At night, go out and look at the stars and the moon. Talk about the universe God made. You’ll find yourself merging education, exploration, imagination and Bible lessons all together and all at the same time.

Fourth, it’s ok to let the kids have some TV time or video game time. Set time limits. Allow the little ones to take turns picking out a family movie to watch each night. And, yes, you’ll probably watch Frozen 2 a dozen times, but that’s ok. Put a blanket on the floor, get some popcorn, build a tent, make it an adventure.

Fifth, have the little ones make some projects. Have them draw pictures and mail them to special people or even their friends in the congregation. Use your time at home to teach them how to cook, how to sew, how to play an instrument. So many wonderful ideas that you can spend your day doing.

Finally, pray. Pray for strength. Pray that you will be the parent that God wants. Someday we will be back to normal. Back to work and back to school. This will all be a fading memory. But for the little ones, they may always remember that one Spring when everyone was together at home every day. God has blessed you with these sweet children. God has granted you the honor of raising them. You won’t have them long. Use this time for their benefit.

Love is patient…love is kind. Just remember that!

Roger

17

Jump Start # 2575

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2575

John 20:29 “Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’”

Our verse today is about Thomas. We can hardly say his name without sticking the tag, “doubting” on the front end. Doubting Thomas—that’s how we know him. He was absent when the resurrected Jesus first appeared to the apostles. To be fair, all the apostles doubted at first. When the women, who first went to the tomb, rushed back to tell the apostles that the angels said that Jesus was risen, they didn’t believe. When the two on the road Emmaus came and reported that they had seen the resurrected Jesus, the apostles didn’t believe. Jesus appeared to the apostles and they believed. Thomas wasn’t there. He said he wouldn’t believe unless he saw and he touched. A week later, Jesus appeared. Thomas was there. He declared, “My Lord and My God.” This is where our verse today fits. Blessed are those who did not see, yet believed.

How could this be? How could others believe without seeing? It was based upon the testimony of the witnesses. The preached word and the written word would be all the proof that the world would need. All of this seems fairly simply and straight forward to us.

I saw a show recently about religious relics. This is a part of the Catholic faith, and every altar is supposed to contain some important relic from the past. Most times, it’s pieces of bones or fabric of clothing that came from a supposed saint. A long time ago, simple people would make pilgrimages to come and see these relics. The relics were housed in special ornate and expensive containers. The pilgrims would look upon these relics with great hope. Some would pray. Some would kiss the container of these relics. These poor pilgrims gave money which was used to upkeep those beautiful shrines. Sometimes the relics were taken on the road so others could see them. The most sacred relics were connected to the apostles and especially to the Lord. Strands of hair from the apostle John was part of the show I watched. Blond hair, which just doesn’t seem to fit with the looks of most from that region, was revered as the real thing. A thorn from the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. A small splinter of wood from the cross. A tiny piece of cloth that supposedly had the blood of Jesus on it. I’ve seen many relics myself when I have toured ancient cathedrals. Some of these seem a bit creepy. The show I watched included a dried eye that belonged to a saint that was killed during the Reformation uprising in England. It didn’t look much like an eye, but it was definitely creepy.

Today, some may have a picture of Jesus on the wall or wear a tiny cross around their neck. While those things may be important to some, we must ask ourselves, what gets you through the day? What helps when you face that long journey through the valley of death? What keeps both of your feet on the ground during this period of social distancing and coronavirus? The news is bleak. Everyday we given updates about how many have died. Some are getting restless and weary of staying home. How do we stay with it? How do we keep the faith?

The answer is simply faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. We don’t need a relic, nor do we need a church building to keep us going. We don’t need a pulpit or a pew to keep us believing. The point of Jesus’ words in our passage is just that. Blessed are those who have not seen, yet they believe. They believe when word is told to them by credible witnesses. The apostles wouldn’t believe, not at first. Thomas wouldn’t. But we will. Our faith is not in a physical building, or a person, like our preacher or our shepherds. Our faith is in the Lord.

So, how do we keep going?

First, none of the Scriptures have changed. Just as we believed in the sunshine, we believe in the storms. Just as we have believed in good times, we believe in hard times. Just as we believe in a crowd, we believe when we are alone. This is important to grasp. It is easy to live our faith through someone. A preacher leaves or dies and suddenly some give up. Why? Has the Scriptures changed? Their faith was not in the Lord, but in the person who stood behind the pulpit. Now that he is gone, so is their reason to believe. The same can be said of church buildings. There are those who continue to hang on to a dying and dwindling congregation that lacks vision, leadership and hope. Just a handful meet. Why not close the doors and merge with a nearby congregation? Can’t do that. They will keep doors open until the last man standing is no longer standing. It’s sad to see this. The few that are there are so discouraged and dead. But it will remain that way. Our faith is wrapped around the Scriptures. That’s what keeps us going. The Scriptures never change.

Second, faith looks beyond what is visible. This was Paul’s point in 2 Corinthians. There he said, ‘we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen’ (4:18). What is it that is “Seen”? That’s the visible. That’s the problems. That’s the bad news. That’s death. That’s what everyone sees. However, the people of faith are looking to the Lord. They see what others do not see. Through their faith they see the invisible. And, just what is “invisible”? God is. Promises are. Hope is. And, why is it that others cannot see these things? It takes faith. It takes faith in the Lord. It takes faith in the Scriptures. The faith is not in simply believing things will get better. The faith is not in ourselves. The faith is not in our country. How is it that the sheep could still follow the shepherd when the valley was dark? They kept their eyes on the shepherd. They saw nothing else. They stayed so close to the shepherd that they could know that he was there. By faith, we do the same. How do we see Jesus when things are so dark? We look at nothing else. We stay so close to Him that we know He is there.

Third, wrapped in this faith of ours is hope and promises. These promises are from God. God keeps His promises. He never forgets. This storm we are going through will pass. Some will be stronger because of this. Some will fail through this. Some will come out on the other side with great lessons learned. Some will only complain. This is not the worst thing that can happen. Jesus said, do not fear the one who can kill the body and after that do no more. There is a limit to what can be done. Our breath can be taken, but not our spirit. Our worry and fears are overcome by a great faith and love for the Lord.

No, we don’t need to stare at some old bone, hold some piece of history to help us keep our faith. The Scriptures are powerful enough to do that. They are powerful enough to save us. They are powerful enough to give us freedom. Will we come through this? It’s a matter of faith. Those who have it will make it. Those who don’t, won’t. Remember the Lord’s story about the wise and foolish man who built their houses. What was built upon the rock, stood. You can’t be building in a storm. It’s too late.

Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.

Roger