Jump Start # 2981

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

We are nearing the day of Christmas. The stores are filled with people shopping. The delivery trucks are busy going up and down the streets dropping off things ordered on-line. Trying to find that right gift is hard. Some people are easy to shop for. Others, it’s a real challenge.

With that in mind, here are some things to consider.

First, have you thought about all the things God gives you? The list is long. We’d begin with today, that is a gift. We expect it and go to bed at night assuming that the morning will come and there will be another day. One day will be the last day. Today is a gift.

The way God made you is a gift. He has sprinkled talent in you that is uniquely you. Some have an ear for music, that’s a gift. Some can draw, that’s a gift. Some are athletic, that’s a gift. Some are fixers, that’s a gift. All of us have been given talent by God. Sometimes we’d like to have someone else’s talent. I’d like to have an ounce of my wife’s musical ability. We are made uniquely by God. We all have talent. He made you just the way you are.

Second, God has put people in your life. Sometimes these people may annoy us, but they are there. It may be for our benefit that they are in our lives. There may be some lessons we need to learn from them. And, I expect there are times when God is using us to help them. People that enrich us, encourage us, help us and make us be a better us. The gift of fellowship and friendship.

Third, the greatest gift is salvation. Don’t take that for granted. God doesn’t owe us that. He doesn’t have to save us. It is His choice, His love that drives Him to do that. Our salvation came with an incredible cost—the blood of Jesus Christ. Without that, there would be no salvation. Our verse states that this gift is indescribable. It’s beyond words. There is nothing to compare it to. It’s the best. It’s the greatest. It is something that we could not do for ourselves. It is something that only God could provide. Realizing this gift, as our verse states, one becomes thankful. Thanks be to God for our salvation. Without this, we are lost. Without this all is doom.

Gifts that could not be purchased in any store. Gifts that we could not provide for ourselves. Gifts from Heaven.

Before we leave this idea of gifts, let us turn to ourselves. Sweaters, watches, cool socks are all nice gifts but in time those things wear out and are tossed away. How about gifts that can change someone’s heart, their way of life, their destiny. Here are a few ideas:

• The gift of God’s word. Give a Bible. Bibles are expensive these days and there are so many different styles and versions and covers. Think about a Bible for your child. Inscribe the date on the inside. Teach him how to take care of that Bible. Sit down with him and show him things you have learned. Have him bring his Bible to services. Your first Bible is a big deal.

• The gift of videos from the Bible lands. Appian media has several series that brings to life what the Bible lands look like. They have a series designed for children. Find time to sit down and watch these together. Talk about them and share insights. Going to the Bible lands is expensive and hard. Not everyone can do that. But through modern technology the Bible lands can be brought to us.

• The gift of your time. Gifts don’t always have to be store bought. Carve out an afternoon for your grandchild—just the two of you. Have somethings in mind, such as teaching her how to cook or how to use tools or how to identify trees. Lots of opportunities to sprinkle life values in those moments. I expect decades from now, that child will remember that day much more than any toy you bought them.

• The gift of legacy. Take an afternoon with your grown child and talk about your family history. Get out old photos and letters. Show the family tree. You might even take a trip to some old cemeteries, or drive by houses that you once lived in. Knowing where you came from and the history of the family is important. In this, tell the spiritual and religious history of the family. This can make a lasting impression.

Giving gifts is special. It’s an indication of our love for others. It’s a wonderful occasion to make a lasting difference.

Roger

Jump Start # 2741

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Today we wrap up our little series on hymns. I’ve been looking at different hymns that are meaningful to me personally. Each of us could make up our own lists, and that might be a good exercise. In this last installment, I want to consider a modern song, “Thank You, Lord!” Eighteen times in that short, two verse song, the words “thank you” are used. The song demonstrates a heart that is so grateful to the wonderful Lord.

The song was written in 1990 by Dennis Jernigan. The Oklahoma native also gave us the song, “You are my all in all.” Jernigan was born in 1959 and said in an interview that he wanted to express his thankfulness to the Lord for changing a sinful life and making it a useful vessel for the Lord. And, for all of us who are Christians, that is our story and that is our song. As stated in the wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace, “I once was lost but now I’m found.”

So, here in this hymn, Jernigan brings to the forefront the expressing of thanks to our God. The Lord didn’t have to save us. He didn’t owe us anything. He very easily could have turned His back on us. He could have said, “You made the mess. Clean it up.” But, He didn’t. From the early pages of Genesis, there is God, covering Adam and Eve and beginning the process of bringing man back to God where we belong.

Our verse today well describes all of this. Thanks be to God. So often the words, “Thank you,” just do not seem to be enough. The gift is so great. The expression of love is so enormous. All we have is simply two words, “Thank you.”

But, thank you are more than words. They become a way of life. A grateful life. A thankful life. And, this is what it looks like:

First, to be thankful, one expresses it in words. “Oh, they know,” just doesn’t cut it. We need to, and we must, say it. “Thank you,” with a smile on a face and heartfelt warmth towards the giver. In our prayers, we must remember to thank the Lord.

Second, to be thankful, one values, honors and cares for the gift that was given. In this case, it’s our salvation. We show our thankfulness by protecting our salvation. We walk close to the Lord. We guard our faith. We resist the devil. We put on the armor of God. Being careless shows that one isn’t very thankful. Being indifferent shows that one isn’t very thankful.

Third, to be thankful is to praise the giver. Here, it is God. We praise Him in worship. We praise Him by living righteous lives. We praise Him as we tell others about Him.

In this hymn, there are several directions that are pointed to. It begins with thanking God for all that He has done. That’s past tense. That would include in our lives. That would include in Biblical history. God has been there to open prison doors, shut the mouths of lions and part seas. He’s protected His people in fiery furnaces, in arks, and in dark dungeons. And, look at what amazing things God has done in your life. He has answered many prayers. He has forgiven you. He has opened doors for you. He has helped you in so many ways.

From there, the song swings to the future. For all that You’re going to do, are things yet to be seen. God is going to send Jesus. God is going to raise the dead. God is going to open the doors of Heaven. There will be more times in our lives that God will be there. When we are finished here, the angels from Heaven will carry us home.

The song then switches to all that God has promised. That would included the prophecies that have been fulfilled and the hope that remains for us. God is true to His word. He doesn’t make promises and then changes His mind and breaks them.

And, just like that, the hymn turns to God. It says, “and all that You are is all that has carried me thro’. The focus is upon the nature of God. The righteous, holy, powerful and loving God. He is the one behind the forgiveness. He stands behind those promises. He is the reason we are thankful.

In this crazy year that we’ve had, there has certainly been many reasons for people to complain. And, most have. But, there remains God. He hasn’t changed. He is the same before Covid, during Covid, and after Covid. He has been our anchor this year. He has not left us. He has not given up on us. He has not turned off the fountain of His blessings. Have we been forgiven this year? Have we had prayers answered this year? Have we been helped this year?

And, to all of that, we say, “That You, Lord.” Those words cannot be said enough. And, I hope that when we reach Heaven, those will be the first words on our lips.

Thank You, Lord!

Roger

Jump Start # 2002

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

NOTE: With the holiday on Monday, there will not be a Jump Start that day.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, is more than the words of a song, it’s the feeling in the air. Folks are busy shopping, cooking, getting ready for company or making plans to travel. Holidays are fun. It’s great seeing everyone. Presents, fudge, and great movies—just can’t beat that!

We know that there are some gifts that money cannot buy. You can’t buy time. You can’t buy love. We also know that the greatest gift we will ever receive was on the cross a long time ago. That gift, God’s grace, changed our eternity. There is no price that we can put upon that wonderful gift. Paul’s words, “Thanks be to God,” just do not seem enough for all that God has done for us.

I was thinking about an old hymn, “I gave My life for thee.” The first verse ends with the question, “what hast thou giv’n for Me?” Great question! We think about what God has given to us. We think about what it took for God to provide His gift. We may even consider where would we be without God’s gift. All important thoughts. But what have we given to God?

Immediately, we might say, “God doesn’t need anything.” God is God. He doesn’t even need us. While this is true, He did make us. He made us for a reason and for a purpose. And, there are things that we ought to give God. Here’s a short list:

We ought to give God our hearts. He wants us to want Him. We are to love Him with all that we are. God should never be on the back burner or in second place in our thoughts or decisions. This simply means every decision ought to be made based upon God. Paul said, “We make it our ambition to please the Lord.” The old saying, “I be there, Lord willing, and the creeks don’t rise…” Well, what if the creek does rise? Some have thought that this may refer to the Creek Indian tribe. Either way, if the creeks rise, get a boat or carry your rifle and get down to the church house. Give God all of your heart all of the time.

We ought to give back to God the talent that He has given us. We are all so talented. There are those who can sing wonderfully. There are those who can draw. There are those who can figure out electronics. There are those who can decorate so well. Some are writers. Some are gifted at talking. We’ve gone to school and with years of experience we’ve become pretty good at what we do. Are we using those talents for the Lord? Can we take what experience that we have and use that in the kingdom? Write new hymns. Decorate drab church buildings. Put some energy into the church’s website. Connect with new members. Make gifts for the shut-ins. Use your ability for the kingdom. Don’t bury your talent in secular work. Don’t use your ability only to make a living. Find ways to do what you do so well and use it for the glory of God.

3. We ought to give to God some of the time He has given us. It’s never our time. It’s always His time. Each day is a gift. We can spend the day making a living, watching TV, doing what we want to do, or we can spend some of that time strengthening others, praying, sharing the Gospel, growing faith. Days seem to fly by. We are just a week away from ending this year. Where has the year gone, some will say? It’s moved just as fast as all the other years. It’s us and our schedules that seem to make things so busy and packed. No time—no time for deep conversations. No time for deep Bible study. No time for powerful fellowship and connecting. No time to run by the hospital. No time to stop in at the funeral home. No time. Sure there’s always time, it’s just how we use it. Making time for God and for kingdom work is something that we can give to God.

4. We ought to give ourselves to the kingdom when we can. Where are the next preachers going to come from? From us. Where’s the next batch of shepherds coming from? From us. Deacons? From us. Bible class teachers? From us. All of those involve time, effort and devotion. I wonder if we ever talk to our sons about preaching. I wonder if we ever would want them to preach. Throughout the kingdom today are some of the best preachers, but who will replace them? If it’s money, if it’s the easy life, if it’s little effort that we seek, then kingdom work won’t appeal to us. But if we see the great value of helping people out spiritually and changing lives for eternity, then this is something that ought to be talked about around the dinner table. Put your sons around good preachers. Let them see great elders. Then, they ought to see in their parents, those who have put the kingdom first. They ought to see you serving where you can. They ought to see you teaching classes if you can. It won’t be long and we’ll be handing the keys over to the next generation. Are we leaving things better for them? Are we making it better than we found it? Have we made the church strong, faithful and growing? Or, are we handing a mess over to them? What hast thou giv’n me?

5. We ought to give God a continual “thank you,” for all that He has done for us. Our lives are richer, better and hopeful because of Him. We are forgiven. We will be raised one day. We will be in the presence of God someday. We express our “thank you” by saying it to the Lord. We express it by living righteously. We express it by being shaped by Him. A heart and a character that has been molded by the Savior is one of the best ways we show our gratitude to Him.

God gave the best. God gave all. It makes you wonder, in this season of giving, what have we given to God?

Let that stew for a while in your mind and heart.

Roger

Jump Start # 1484

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

  Thankful Thursday is over. Now it’s black Friday. Thoughts turn quickly to shopping, buying and gifts. That’s just the way our society moves these days. My wife were in a toy store earlier this week. I haven’t been in a toy store in years. Now with grandkids I’m back. It was amazing. My wife was looking at books for children. I left her there and was up and down every isle. I was standing in front of the Legos when the store manager asked if he could help me. I told him, “Yes. I want to be eight years old again.” I may have to go back and buy a few things just for me.

The greatest gift ever was given by God to us. It was His Son upon the cross. The world’s first black Friday had nothing to do with shopping. It had to do with the darkness of the sky around Jerusalem as Jesus surrendered and gave His life on that Friday afternoon a long time ago. His gift, that sacrifice, changed the eternal destiny of millions and millions of those who will bow their knees, surrender their hearts and obey the Gospel of Christ.

Have you ever thought about that Saturday after Jesus died? He died on Friday and was immediately buried before the Sabbath would have begun. That Saturday, the disciples would have gone through their Sabbath routine. It was a time for prayers, reflection and reading of Scriptures. But this Sabbath was different. For the past three years Jesus had always been with them. They had seen Jesus heal on the Sabbath. They had seen the Jewish hierarchy angry with Jesus for what He was doing on the Sabbath. They had heard the words of Jesus. He had been the calm one as they moved through the stormy attitudes that so many held. For three years, they followed Jesus. Village after village. For three years, there had been so many people. There had been so many amazing miracles. These disciples had seen them. Calming the sea. Walking on Water. Feeding the multitudes. Raising the dead. The blind received their sight. Cripples walked. So much in such a short, short time. Also, there was all the amazing teachings. The sermon on the mount. The kingdom parables. The lessons about authority. The encounters with trick questions that were intended to trap Jesus. The warnings about Pharisees. The lessons about the coming judgment. They had learned so much. Jesus took them to Samaria. So many people. So many places. All in three years. It was packed with activity and amazement.

But on that particular Saturday, Jesus was in the tomb. He was dead. How empty and lost they must have felt. Was it over? What do we do now? The Holy Spirit had not descended upon them yet. So their memories may have been fuzzy about some of the details. How they must have just sat around and reflected. Jesus wasn’t with them anymore.

It’s not exactly the same, but some know what it is like to go through that first Thanksgiving after the death of a parent or spouse. That empty chair is a constant reminder of someone who is missing. The dark cloud doesn’t go away very quickly. For those disciples, it was Jesus who was missing.

That long, long Saturday, finally turned into Sunday morning. Several women went to the tomb while it was still dark. They wanted to further purify the body of Jesus. He had been buried so quickly, that more detail needed to be given. But as they reached the tomb, it was opened. They were shocked. Angels spoke to them. Then the Lord was there. “Go tell Peter.” These astonished women run back to the city and tell the disciples. They don’t believe it. Peter and another, run to the tomb to see for themselves. The blackness of Saturday has turned into the bright hope of Sunday. Later, they would see Jesus. More conversations. More hope. The dots are all connected. They finally start getting what this was all about. The faith and the courage of those disciples swelled in time. They became the courageous preachers of the Gospel of Christ.

There is a parallel between what the disciples went through and you and I go through. Our world is that Saturday. We are awaiting the hope that our resurrection and Heaven will bring to us. We long to be with the Savior. But for now, we must live with faith and trust in the Lord. How do we know what to do? We have the words of Jesus. We trust. We believe. We hope.

God’s gift to you is the salvation of your soul. That is the one gift that only God can give. That is the one gift that no one else can give. That is the one gift that will change today and tomorrow.

The joy of salvation gets us through the dark times we journey through. God has not given up on us. God has not turned His back on us. God has not left us to our selves. God sent Jesus. Everything will be fine. Thanks be to God!

Thanks be to God!

Roger

Jump Start # 995

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

  This is the season for gifts. Many are busy purchasing gifts that we hope will bring joy and happiness to another person. Sometimes we wonder if the gift will even be remembered a year later. Some people are easy to buy for. Others are hard.

Our passage today reminds us of the best gift of all, Salvation. The Ephesians were told that grace is a gift of God. Let us never forget that God does not owe us salvation. He doesn’t have to forgive us. Also, let us never forget that gifts come with condition, responsibilities and they ought to generate a true thankfulness from our hearts. Without God’s gift, Heaven would not be possible. Without God’s gift we would all be lost. God took us, not when we were the poster children of obedience, but just the opposite. While we were yet sinners, the Romans were told, Christ died for us. One of the greatest verses in all the Bible, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” God gave.

Two thoughts I want to share:

First, God gave the best that He had. He didn’t send an angel for us. He didn’t send another person for us, He sent His son, the Best of Heaven. God didn’t go cheap for us. The blood of Jesus is precious. The gift of Christ was costly—He died upon the cross. No one should ever feel that they have been cheated or overlooked by God. Christ died for all. The gift is available for all. That is the only gift ever that has been for all people of all time. I watched a college football game a few days ago. During halftime, two young people were chosen to throw as many footballs as they could into a target. The winner got a check for $100,000 to be used for their college. That was an amazing gift. It went to only one person. I have put four kids through college. I didn’t get $100,000 for that. I wonder how many watching that game could not go to college because of the expense. That gift was limited. God’s is not like that. The man who walked the streets of London 200 years ago, the person that ate the loaves and fish that Jesus multiplied, the college professor in America, the African that was taken aboard a slave ship in the 1700’s and brought to another country would have never met each other. They lived in different time periods and their world was very different. Their language, dress, and needs were different. However, God’s gift was for each of them. God’s gift is as new in the days of Jesus as it is for you and I today. It is never out dated, nor out of place. God gave you the best. God gave you Christ.

The second thought from this is that the best gift we can give is not found in a store. The gift of time, friendship, love and caring. The gift of listening. The gift of compassion. The gift of touch. Our consumerism often compels us to sink deep into debt this time of year because we have to get the “right” gift. The best gift is you. Consider taking a moment and writing down a heartfelt thank you to someone who has made a difference in your life. Maybe you have never said that to your parents. Maybe there was a friend in the past who stuck with you or a mentor that made a difference in your life. There may have been an friend who helped you when you were down spiritually. They stuck with you and believed in you. They poured time into you. It helped. Look where you are today. Many of us would not be where we are if it wasn’t for that person. Tell them thank you. Take the time to have lunch with someone who is special to you. The gift of you is one of the greatest gifts. Life is precious and short. Most of us have more than enough stuff. What we really need and want is love shared and friendship expressed. Consider visiting someone in the congregation. Spend some time with them. The days of “visiting” are nearly gone. A younger generation has never seen the value of it. Young folks making cookies and visiting older members is timeless. The love, laughter and joy is one of the best gifts received.

This time of year is busy. There is a lot going on. Carving out time for one another is well worth it. It is something that will long be remembered.

God gave His best. The best that we can give is our selves. There is a connection.

Live as if you have one foot already in Heaven!

Roger