04

Jump Start # 4005

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4005

 

Psalms 38:20 “And those who repay evil for good, they oppose me, because I follow what is good.”

 

In this Psalm, David is acknowledging and confessing his sin to the Lord. Earlier in the chapter we find, “For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin” (18). He pleads both for forgiveness from the Lord and protection from his enemies.

 

In a straightforward manner our verse proclaims, “they oppose me, because I follow what is good.” For readers of the N.T. this is not shocking or a new revelation. Jesus had told His disciples multiple times that they would be hated because of Him. Wherever the light went, opposition followed. This is the pattern in the book of Acts. This is the scene in Revelation as the seals are broken open.

 

Yet, even though we know this, it still bothers us, troubles us and is hard to understand. Why do people mock and make fun when all I have done is try to walk with the Lord? You’d think that people would be happy to have Christians around. It is the Christian who will be a servant. It will be a Christian who is first to forgive. It is the Christian who brings honesty and joy to the table of life. It is the Christian who will be kind. It is the Christian who will jump in and serve others. Yet, they oppose because I follow what is good.

 

Some thoughts from this:

 

First, we must never act in a way that resembles revenge, getting back or getting even. When you throw mud with someone who is throwing mud, you both lose ground. Gandhi said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, leaves both blind and toothless.’ Human nature wants to defend, strike back, but we can’t. It was the instruction of the Lord that said, ‘do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also’ (Mt. 5:39).

 

Second, we often are trying to find a reason or a cause why someone opposes us when all we are doing is right. We sometimes take it personally. If I did something different, then they wouldn’t treat me this way. This leads some to slow down their faith and to find bridges to cross over to comfortable land of compromise. That is not the right answer either. It’s not you. It’s the concept of Christ and all that the Lord stands for. By doing what is good, some are shamed. Some feel guilt. Some think if you go away then they won’t be reminded of what they ought to be doing. So rather than change their ways, they attack the messenger or they oppose the one who is doing what is good.

 

As hard as it is, we must continue to do good. When they whisper about you at work, keep smiling. When they talk about you, just keep doing outstanding work. Be a servant, even to those who do not like you and want to oppose you. Arguing profits little. Many are not interested in dialogue. They want to mock, ridicule and belittle you. Remember, they did that to the Lord.

 

Third, our chapter in Psalms ends with this sentence, “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation” (22). David looked to the Lord for help and so must we. Don’t take matters into your own hands. And, through these stormy times, there are wonderful spiritual lessons to be learned if we look. Our character is shaped upon the anvil of trials. When things are going well, we often can feel little need for the Lord. It’s when the waves of storms are crashing around us that we pray deeper, read more passionately and seek the Lord harder. And, because of that, our faith grows. We become the beacons of help for others. We show that God has taken care of us.

 

Opposing those who do good may be the music that our culture dances to, but it isn’t what pleases the Lord. Keep doing good. Don’t stop. Don’t let others slow you down.

 

Heaven notices and that’s what matters the most.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 4004

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4004

 

Psalm 73:17 “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.”

 

Bryan Chapell in one of his books tells a story that takes place in the mining communities of Eastern Kentucky. A miner who was a strong believer was injured and paralyzed at a young age. He became an invalid. Over the years he watched through a window near his bed as life based him by. He watched fellow workers marry, raise families and have grandchildren. He watched the company he had served thrive without attempting to make adequate compensation for his injuries and losses. He watched as his body withered, his house crumbled and hope for better things in this life died.

 

Years passed. One day, the bedridden miner, now very old, had a visit by a younger man. “I hear that you believe in God and claim that He loves you,” said the young man. “How can you believe such things after all that has happened to you?”

 

The old, crippled miner replied, “There are days of doubt. Sometimes Satan comes calling on in this fallen-down old house of mine. He sits right there by my bed, where you are sitting now. He points out my window to the men I once worked with whose bodies are still strong, and Satan asks, ‘Does Jesus love you?’ Then, Satan makes me look at my tattered room as he points to the fine homes of my friends and asks again, ‘Does Jesus love you?’ Finally, Satan points to the grandchildren of a friend of mine—a man who has everything I do not—and Satan waits for the tear in my eye before he whispers in my ear, ‘Does Jesus really love you?’

 

Startled by the candor of the old man, the young man asked, ‘And what do you say when Satan speaks to you that way?’

 

The old miner said, ‘ I take Satan by the hand and I lead him to a hill far away called Calvary. There I point to the nail-pierced hands, the thorn-torn brow, and spear-pierced side. Then I say to Satan, ‘Doesn’t Jesus love me!’

 

The disappointments and defeats in life can make one feel unfortunate. It can make one believe that God has overlooked him. Others prosper while you struggle. Things seem to always work out for others and they never seem to work out for you. There are times when it feels like the faucets of blessings have been turned off. Oh, to have the faith like that crippled miner.

 

What can we learn?

 

First, the measure of God’s love is never in the amount of blessings that shower down. What we often call blessings may not be. Health, good fortune, wealth may seem wonderful to us, but those very things can take hearts away from the Lord. God loves you. God loves you if you are a prophet in a lion’s den, an apostle in a dark prison, or a scared fisherman in the midst of a storm. Children with demons, people with incurable diseases, those who were considered outcasts and out of luck were loved deeply by the Lord.

 

Second, Satan wants us to see what we don’t have. He wants us to feel cheated and ignored. Our old miner focused upon the cross. Look at what we do have. We have Jesus. Keeping your eyes on Jesus, found in Hebrews, and setting your mind on things above, found in Colossians, demonstrate where our attention needs to be. Everyone has bad days. Everyone has troubles. But, not everyone has the Lord. What a blessing it is.

 

The troubles of this life stay here. They do not cross over to the other side.

 

Third, in Chapell’s story of the old miner, nothing is said about what the young man learned. How we handle difficulties is much more than just about us. Our heart, our attitude, our words can make a big difference upon others who are near us. They watch us. They see how we handle adversity. They see what troubles do to our faith. For some, it is the end of their faith. For others, the troubles only make their faith deeper and sweeter.

 

In our passage today, the Psalmist was troubled by what he saw. The wicked prospered. They had few pains in life. It seemed that they were blessed even though they mocked God. These sights and thoughts nearly shipwrecked his faith. That is, until in our verse, he went into the sanctuary of God. There everything made sense. There Heaven prevailed. There hope was restored.

 

Taking Satan to Calvary—what a wonderful thought. Does Jesus love me? Yes, He does. The Bible tells me so.

 

Roger

 

02

Jump Start # 4003

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4003

 

1 Peter 4:16 “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

 

There seems to be a hymn that just resonates in my head and heart these days. The opening lines of that hymn say it all, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear…”. There is a lot of unrest, unhappiness, bitterness and angry that is filling the streets, the social platforms and talk shows. Some are loud and demanding. Some don’t know what to think. And, before one tries to figure out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy and which side of the spectrum you fall on, let us remember that we belong to the Lord. There is a higher calling, a defined path and a nobler way that we need to follow. Filling our times and our heads with much of these things can pull us into arguments, debates and fights that we do not belong in. There is not a lot we can do about these things other than continue to let our light shine and continue to follow our Lord.

 

For many, especially younger ones, there hasn’t been anything like this that they have seen before. But for us older ones, we remember the Civil Rights movement and a lot of the turmoil that came from those that didn’t want to see change. But, further back, historically, the nation was split during the Civil War. Brethren were on both sides of that, each believing they were right. Before that, there was the Revolutionary War. Before that, many troublesome times throughout Europe.

 

On a much smaller scale, some have experienced the internal trouble of church splits and divisions. Brethren who once sang, “Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love,” now can’t stand one another. They won’t talk to one another. Threats, name-calling leads to some leaving and never coming back.

 

Troublesome times. Nothing new to this planet. I wonder if the Lord shakes His head and thinks, “Here they go again. Will they ever learn? Why can’t they get along? Why don’t they listen to Me?”

 

Throughout all of this, there are some things we must remember:

 

First, our citizenship is in Heaven, first, foremost and always. Our politicians, on both sides of the road, do dumb things and things that are wrong. My allegiance is to Jesus. Pride and political position will keep people from ever admitting that they were wrong and never lead them to apologize. And, even if they did, the other side would not forgive. People of God must rise above those petty attitudes.

 

The Ephesians were told: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (4:31-32). Those powerful words must color our attitudes, words and tone of speech.

 

Second, we must stop trying to make Christianity fit in with the world. It doesn’t and it won’t. The world is rapidly going the opposite direction from Christ. Anger, offensive language and mean threats don’t fit in the core principles of Christianity. Compromise is just a polite way of saying you have sold out. Pressure can make a person do that. The world doesn’t like Christ. Jesus said that in John 3. Men love darkness rather than light. Our choice is to put a basket over the light and cross the bridge to the other side, or stand tall with the Lord and realize we will be called names, mocked, ridiculed. But, so they did our Lord.

 

Third, we must stop trying to make the message less offensive. You can’t do that unless you change the message. The LGBTQ+, and what other letters that are added to that, tries to twist the message of the Bible to conform to their sinful choices. Loud on social media is the statement that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. He did. When Paul wrote the Corinthians about those things, he reminded them that what he wrote were the Lord’s commandments. Sex before marriage is wrong. Worshipping God anyway and everyway is not what you get from the Bible. Tone down the message, stop preaching doctrine, and you may please the crowds, fill the church buildings but are you doing what the Lord wants?

 

Preach the word is what Timothy was told to do. The time will come, he was warned, when people want their ears tickled. Don’t do that. Preach the word.

 

Fourth, we must stop trying to make the church like all the other churches. It is not. Israel tried that idea with a physical king. They wanted a king just like all the other nations. A king that would lead the troops into battle. A king that would sit on a throne and you could bow to him. And, they got just what they wanted. Corrupt, ungodly, and weak leaders that led the nation into idolatry and captivity, just like all the kings around them.

 

The kingdom of Christ is different. The church is unique and special. God’s church is not going to do what all the other churches do and the reason is that it is set to follow the pattern set forth in the Scriptures. Churches of the land do not do that. So they will feed the community. They will offer services that bring health to the body, finances to the wallet and make your dog’s tail wag. They will wash your car. Do your taxes. Provide a place to babysit your kids. Great services, but is that what God wants the church to do?

 

The function of the church is to honor and praise God and get people to live righteously as they anticipate spending eternity with the Father. God’s church has a spiritual mission. Taking care of the community is important, but that may fall into the hands of individuals or other organizations. God’s church has a divine mission and it must stay with that.

 

Troublesome times are here. They have been here before. And, they will continue to be here until we are somewhere else. And, as our verse today reminds us, we must not be ashamed to be called a Christian.

 

Roger

 

30

Jump Start # 4002

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4002

 

Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

 

It hadn’t happened in nearly six years, but it happened again. Across a big section of this country, paralyzed by a massive snow storm, many congregations cancelled the gathering together for worship on Sunday. We were one who did that. We did that for safety reasons. Knowing that this was likely to happen, most provided a recorded sermon and Lord’s Supper for their congregations to watch at home. That’s what we did. Filmed a sermon on Thursday, anticipating what came in late Saturday and Sunday.

 

Several thoughts come from this experience:

 

First, what we offered is not the same as coming together. Sure, we opened our Bibles and were taught some thoughts. We prayed. We sang. We remembered. But, we didn’t get to see one another. There is such encouragement from seeing faces, hearing stories and being with each other. Nothing beats that. There is no real substitute for that. Watching from home is easy, maybe too easy. Generations before, folks had to open their Bibles and the leader of the home would read a few verses and talk about them. Each home would have a different lesson and based upon the spiritual fiber of the home, some would get along fine and others wouldn’t.

 

Second, what a blessing to live in these times. After we finished our video worship from our home congregation, we found a singing out of Texas that took place several years ago. We spent many minutes singing hymn after hymn. It is so dangerous just backing out of the driveway, let alone traveling to states away and then to be able to go back years in time and enjoy and benefit from a singing is such a blessing. There was a time when a sermon was preached that it was likely never heard again. Now, our sermons, classes and worship services can out live us and benefit people worldwide. A person can listen to a sermon a day from just about anywhere in the country. What a benefit, treasure and blessing this is. So much lasting good can come from this.

 

Third, preaching in front of a camera without an audience is hard. Maybe if I did this every day, it would become more comfortable, but what’s missing is people. People looking at you. People writing things down. People shaking their heads in approval. The sound of pages turning in Bibles. The sound of little babies crying. The sounds of life. Sermons are intended to reach the heart. You need the inflexion of the preacher’s voice. You need to see his eyebrows go up and down. You see him smile. You hear the force of his voice. You need to see his passion. You need to hear the quiet pauses. Stephen’s powerful Acts seven sermon misses those things for us. Paul’s sermons in Acts don’t have those bonuses.

 

I have many, many printed sermons from generations ago in books. They can seem dry and dull. They are missing life, the life of the preacher and the life of the audience. Preaching is much more than facts, information and learning. It’s transformation. It’s persuading. It’s changing lives.

 

Snow or not, it was a Sunday, the best day of the week. Our God is deserving of our attention, worship and heart. This is true if we are meeting in a church building, away on vacation, snowed in at home, in combat zones during war or as they did long ago, meeting in catacombs for safety. We can take our Sunday gatherings for granted. We can become so use to them that they do not seem special.

 

Sunday with the Lord. Sunday with each other. Nothing like it.

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start # 4001

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4001

 

Matthew 19:5 “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh’.”

 

Throw back Thursday: an article written from the past

 

Before You Marry

 

Standing in a courtroom before a judge, waiting for his granting of a divorce, is not the picture God wants us to have of marriage. But far too many end up there. What is often heard today is expressions such as: “He is not the person I married,” or, “the person on the outside is not the person on the inside.”

 

How can someone know? How can they keep from making a major mistake in their life? Not enough is emphasized about what happens before you marry. Consider some of these thoughts:

 

First, You marry a person as he is, not as he may promise to change, or the person you hope to straighten out. How does this person act when you take a closer look at him?

 

– How does he drive in traffic? Is he dangerous? Does he take unnecessary chances? Does he ignore the warning signs of the road? Does he get angry easily?

 

– How does your date talk to his parents? Is he respectful? Does he shout? What does he say about his parents to you? What does he say about your parents and their values? Does he get you back home on time?

 

– How does he treat those who serve him? Those people behind the counter or servers in restaurants? Is he polite and generous. Is he demanding, rude and inconsiderate?

 

– Who are his friends? What kind of people are they? Are these the kind of people you would choose your friends from? How does your date act when his friends show up? Does he treat you differently when his friends are around?

 

– How does he treat you? Does he really listen to you? Is he honest with you? Is he pushy or demanding? Will he accept “no,” if you tell him? Is he interested in the things you are interested in? Does your family interest him? Is he attracted to your good looks or to you as a person? Does he keep up his part of the relationship? Does he apologize or make excuses when wrong?

 

– How does he spend money? Does he have a savings account? Does he have any financial plans? Does he carry a lot of debt? Does he pay his bills on time? Is he always having to borrow money from others?

 

– How does he act when playing sports? Can he get beat without becoming angry  and upset? Does he play fair? Does he quit?

 

– How is his outlook and nature in life? Is he positive and up-beat or is he negative, and complaining? Is he a joyful person? Is he hopeful, excited and full of ideas and plans?

 

– How does he act towards his own brothers and sisters? Does he like them? Is he nice to them? How does he act towards your bothers and sisters? Does he like being around kids? Does he respect their things?

 

– What does he like to talk about? Is it good things? Is it unrealistic and pipe-dreams? What kind of music does he listen to?

 

– What do your parents and grandparents think about him? Are they glad you are dating him? Are they trying to get you to slow down and take a real look at him? If they don’t like him, why?

 

– Where is he with God? Does he believe in God? Does he want to be right with God? Does he respect your commitment t the Lord or is he always trying to get you to miss church “just this one time?” Is he stronger spiritually than you are? Does he feel comfortable sitting in church services? What does he do during church services? Have you heard him pray? Does he have a Bible? Does he know anything about the Bible?

 

These are all very fair questions. They reveal the character of a person as he is right now. If you can’t honestly answer these questions, or the answers are negative, why are you dating this person? Don’t make a mistake later by ignoring what you see today.

 

Roger

May, 1998