Jump Start # 3172

Luke 12:18 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

The great commentator Paul Harvey used to have a segment on his radio program that he called, “The rest of the story.” What he did was find the follow up details after a major story broke. What happened next? And, in many ways we wish the Bible did that for us.

For instance, what was life like for Adam and Eve after they left the garden? Did Jonah ever get what God was trying to show him? And, that older brother of the prodigal, did he ever get over his pouting and hard heart? What happened to Jairus’ twelve year old daughter that Jesus raised from the dead? Did she become a disciple? How about Naaman, what was the rest of his story after he was cleansed from leprosy?

So many fascinating stories. The Bible isn’t a human interest book that details the biographies of all these people. The Bible points us to Jesus and through Jesus to the Father. There are many stories, lives and histories wrapped around and intertwined with the revealing of Jesus Christ. The central picture is Jesus.

Our verse today is one of those stories that we could file in “The rest of the story” folder and just wonder about. First, it’s a parable and it’s not about real people, even though many have lived this very story. The wealthy farmer had grand dreams and plans. He was mapping out a retirement. Tear down his existing barns and build larger ones. Store his crop and take it easy. It looked good on paper. He had thought it all out. He was set. The future was bright. He left out one detail, a big one. All of his plans were based upon his staying here. He had not planned to die. He had no thought of God in his plans, his life, nor his future. He never thanked the Lord for sending the rains that made his crops grow. He never thanked the Lord for the fertile soil that gave him an abundance. It was all about himself. He had no room for God. There was room being made for more crops. There was room for taking it easy. But for God, simply nothing. And, that night, that very night, his life here ended.

The rest of the story for that man would have paralleled the rich man in Luke 16. A life of wealth without God is an eternity of sorrow, regret and agony. That’s how the farmer’s story would have played out.

But don’t just leave that thought there. Build a bridge to your life. What if you had died last night? What if you were not here to read this Jump Start today? What if last night was your last time here? What if you walked through that door of death last night?

Here are some thoughts:

First, there would have been a lot of phone calls being made last night. Word would have spread. You passed away. Shocked, stunned, hard to believe, would have been the comments. Your children would have traveled through the night to come home. Tears would have flowed from those who loved you.

Second, quick decisions would have to be made. What funeral home? Where are the insurance papers? Is there a will? What cemetery to use? Whatever was planned for today would have to be cancelled. Appointments. Yard to mow. So many things that you were going to do today, now, won’t get done. Last night, you passed away.

Third, I expect some from the church would gather. Tears and hugs would be common. Offers of help would be extended. Some would bring food.

Fourth, your family would make preparations for your funeral. An obituary would be written detailing your life. And, quickly the family would realize what an absence they feel by your death. Pictures would be collected to use in your service. And, in a short time your family would have to go through your closet, dresser drawers and desk. Some things would be thrown away. Some would be scattered to the family.

And, slowly, your dear family would start to recover. They would smile and laugh again. They would talk fondly of you. Your absence would be missed at holidays and family gatherings. And, while all of these things are going on, you are on the other side. Your faith and love for the Lord would make all the difference and be a great comfort for your family.

This very night your soul is required of you. That will be spoken of us someday. Two things ought to come from thoughts like this:

First, walk so close to the Lord that you can reach out and touch Him. Don’t worry about what others think. Don’t get caught up with this and that. This ole’ world just doesn’t sparkle much these days. Read God’s word. Talk deeply to the Lord. Soon you will be seeing Him.

Second, love those dearly who mean so much to you. A day is coming and you won’t be here. You won’t get the chance to tell them what a difference they made in your life. Argue less and smile more. Don’t get upset so quickly about things that do not matter.

This very night your soul is required of you…what a statement! Sure is something to think about.

What if I died last night…are you ready? Are you ready to see the Lord?

Roger

Jump Start # 1438

Luke 12:18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do:  I will tear down my barns and bulid larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

  Our passage today comes from the Lord’s parable of the rich farmer. Jesus told this parable as an illustration against greed and having what seems to be everything but in reality having nothing. Someone had interrupted Jesus and demanded that the Lord settle a family dispute about inheritances. Family issues about money continues today. Much too often, as soon as the funeral of the last parent is over, the kids are running and grabbing stuff that they want. Disputes over who gets what have ruined relationships among siblings.

So we are given this parable. The rich farmer had a problem. More crops than room to store them. What a nice problem to have. His solution, tear down the current barns and build larger ones. That would allow him to take ease and enjoy things. His retirement boat was about to dock. Things were all set on paper. That night, the text tells us, that very night, he died. His death was sudden. His death was not expected. He died before the new barns got built. He died before the crops could be stored. He died and left all of it. Many of us have heard preachers point out in this story the number of times the farmer refers to himself. His crops. His barns. His ease. No mention of God. No including God in these plans. No thought about the eternal. It was all me and all now. The Lord pulled the rug and the farmer’s world collapsed. Great lesson.

There are many commendable things about this farmer. He obviously understood how to farm. He had an abundance of crops. He knew what he was doing. He wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t expecting others to take care of him. He wasn’t counting upon some wild scheme to get rich. Hard work and steady work made him successful.

It is from that thought that we want to explore a thought today. I tend to think many disciples today are like this farmer. We are busy people. We are pouring hours into our jobs. As we are getting older, many of us are working harder and longer. The demands of family add to our busy lifestyles. The kids are involved in sports and it seems there is a practice or a game every weekend. Sleeping in on Saturday just doesn’t happen. Having the kids just go outside and play doesn’t happen. It’s running here and running there. We have spent afternoons watching our grandkids, these little ones are little. But after a few hours of running with them I’m drained. And this is the cost of busy lives. We are tired. We are always tired. Our tanks are empty all the time. I hear folks talking about this all the time. It’s not just young families, it’s middle aged folks who are working all the time. Ask them, ‘How are you doin’?’ and they respond, “Tired,” or, “Busy.”

Now, tired and busy are the costs that one pays to be successful and to have our kids excelling, especially in today’s world of sports. Traveling teams do just that, they travel. Tired and busy leads to other things. They lead to being short on patience and stressed. Little things bother us more when we are tired and busy. We tend to snap more at each other. We tend to bark more. Tired and busy does something to our insides as well. We don’t feel peace. We don’t feel calm. Our minds are trying to figure out how we are going to get supper, get to the ballgame, get the yard cut, pay the bills before bedtime. And bedtime doesn’t bring rest. We collapse. We are exhausted. The clock wakes us in the morning for another round of the same stuff. I remember reading a book years ago entitled, “Little House on the Freeway.” That title may seem like the theme of your home.

Tied and busy affects us spiritually. We know that. We hate that. I see it. The Wednesday evening Bible class is full of tired adults. Their minds haven’t turned off work yet, they are thinking about tomorrow’s busy day, they are balancing the upcoming weekend schedule and feeling very guilty for not having their Bible lesson completed for the evening. But how? But when? There is a call for volunteers to help. Guilt tells you that you ought to, but when? How? Food needs to be taken to the family who just had a funeral. When? How? You’re not sure how you are going to feed your own family tonight with the crazy schedule going on. The preacher talks about quiet time with God. Oh boy, more guilt. Any quiet time, and our eyes would fall asleep. We sometimes fight that in church services. We are on the go so much, that sitting still doesn’t happen. At home, we are asleep on the coach before a movie is even half over. Tired and busy.

For young parents, the dream is when the kids are post high school, things will slow down. It usually doesn’t. It is at that period in life that work really becomes demanding. Then it’s visiting the kids. Just as busy. Just as tired. Nothing changes. The dream shifts to retirement. If we can hang on until we retire, then things will slow down. But a look at the retirement funds and that looks a long way off. The busy farmer becomes our story. We never saw ourselves living like him. He had no time for God, but then, what has happened to us? He was looking to the future so he could slow down and relax. And there we are with the same thoughts. We never thought that we would be so similar to that farmer.

And sadly, for some, what happened to the farmer is what happened to them. God called them. God called them before their dreams were realized. God called them in the middle of their busy and tired lifestyles. God called them before they were ready.

I expect many of you reading this today, are thinking, “Yep, that’s our family—tired and busy.” Most of us can identify the problem. We even see what it’s doing to us. What we want is help. What we want is a solution. What we want is a couple of weeks in Hawaii, which isn’t going to happen.

The solution is before us, but many of us simply do not want to do it. It means pulling the plug on some things. It means taking the foot off the accelerator of life. So your kids are not in every season of sports. It’s not the end of the world. So it means they may not make varsity. So it means they may not play college sports. Few do. Which is more important to you? Keeping this break neck pace or allowing your kid to actually be a kid. And the folks at work want you to believe that your job is your life. No it’s not. Within a week after you have quit, retired or died, you will be replaced. This is even true of most preachers. Even as preachers, busy and tired affects us. I know. I am the poster child of what I have written today. I keep taking on more projects, doing more things, never saying “no.” There is a price to all of us.

So, catch your breath. Find moments to relax. Use driving time to pray. Connect with the Lord and include Him in what you are doing. Have a meal together as a family as often as you can. When you do, leave the phones elsewhere. Talk. Laugh. Share. Connect. Dump the guilt and see church services as a spiritual oasis. Recharge your spiritual battery. Do what you can. No one can do it all. Get your priorities lined up. Like a monthly budget, go over your schedule the same way. Drop what can be dropped. Rearrange things to be more efficient. Rest when you can rest. Remember what is most important.

I’ve mentioned this week an incredible funeral I participated in on Monday. Most thought, including the staff at the funeral home, a Monday morning funeral will not be attended very well. Folks work. The place was packed. Chairs were put out more than once. The line was so long that we delayed the start of the service. Busy people came. Impressive. Off the charts. Unbelievable. People worked it out to be there. It was an illustration of people who put relationships first. It was moving, touching and very helpful to this dear family. Now, you are reading this and may think, we’ll I just couldn’t do that. They did. It wasn’t just stay-at-home moms and retired folks at this funeral. There were tons of working people. Some took off part of the day. Some were using their lunch time. They saw the importance and they made it work. That’s what we have to do. There are times when we need to be there for others. There are times when we must work magic to get to the church house on time, but we’ll do that.

Don’t allow tired and busy to keep you from doing what is most important. Don’t allow tired and busy to keep you from letting your light shine and especially from keeping you from God.

Busy and tired are not excuses. We’ve allowed ourselves to become this way. If it’s not working, fix it. Don’t die like this pitiful farmer in Jesus’ story. Don’t let his story become your story.

The Psalmist wrote, “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still. That’s needed on the insides of us as well as the outsides of us.

Roger