30

Jump Start # 1635

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1635

Galatians 4:11 “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

  I recently had a short discussion with an amazing Christian. She could write a book about the things she has been through. Her journeys would have stopped many of us. She has powerful faith and is an amazing example to me. But she doesn’t see herself this way. She is not alone. Many wonder if we are doing enough.  Many feel, especially looking to the past, that we have let the Lord down. The standard of the Gospel seems so high and it seems that we fall short of it most times. Sure we believe. Sure we love the Lord. We worship regularly but deep inside we wonder if we are doing enough.

 

Our verse today brings up a word that Solomon loved to use in Ecclesiastes, “Vain” or vanity. It means empty. Paul’s use of this word was based upon what the Galatians were doing. They were trying to keep one foot in the Old Testament law and were missing the benefits of being in Christ. It seemed that Paul’s work didn’t work. It seemed that it was a waste of time. As Paul put it, “I have labored over you in vain.”

 

What Paul expressed is a common feeling that preachers and leaders in God’s kingdom feel. I struggle with this. Am I doing any good? We can be so busy with this and that, doing all kinds of projects, starting new things, but is it making any difference in the lives of people? At the end of the day, is it doing any good? A preacher works hard on a lesson. Two weeks later, a guy who the preacher remembers sitting through that sermon, asks him to preach what he just did. Am I doing any good? Is anyone listening? We look at the congregation and the choices that some make and we wonder, am I doing any good? Another class. Another sermon. Yet, the people seem to struggle with the same things over and over. That feeling leads to discouragement. It makes the preacher question whether it’s time to move on. Being effective is important, whether one leads the congregation or one is teaching and preaching.

 

Have I labored over you in vain? Am I doing any good? Am I doing enough? The humble servant beats himself up asking those questions. The soul is searched. What am I missing? What am I not doing? What am I not doing right? Why aren’t people excelling in the Lord? Why does it seem that some are stuck in status quo? Why can’t I change them with the Gospel? Why can’t they see what I see? I know this feeling all too well. I know those questions. Have I labored over you in vain? Has it all been a waste of time? I’ve gone to bed with those thoughts. I have thought maybe it’s time to hang it up. If you are not doing any good, it’s time to quit. Perhaps I have labored over you in vain?

 

Here are some thoughts that might help:

 

First, the next day seems to help. At night it seems the darkness brings dark thoughts. The sun of the next morning has a way of reminding you that God is not finished with you. A new day. A new gift from the Lord. A new opportunity. A new chance. Get through the night, the morning will help.

 

Second, when one is feeling down, they tend to only see negative things. Problems seem larger. Mistakes seem like mountains. We don’t see the good. We fail to see the right things. There are lives that have been touched. There have been people who have been encouraged. Certainly we can always do more, but look at what has been done. We forget that. We forget the sweet children that we raised. We forget seeing people taking notes of a sermon or Bible class. We forget the “thank you’s” for what we’ve done. Count your blessings. You have helped. Even the cup of cold water that was given is noticed by Heaven. There are droplets of blessings that have come from our hands and hearts that we have forgotten about or that we have discounted as not being much. But they are there.

 

Third, we are not the only ones who feel this way. Our Galatian verse tells us that Paul felt that way. Jesus actually had people walk away from Him. Are we to assume that Jesus didn’t do enough? Are we to think that Jesus should have done more? We want every life to change. We want every person in that audience to leave stronger, more motivated and more committed to Christ. But it won’t happen. Some will remain unchanged. Some will go to church for years and you’d never know it. They never make the connection between Sunday and the rest of the week. Some will keep one foot in the world until the day they die. This bugs us and bothers us. This makes us rethink what we are teaching and how we are teaching. This will drive us to try this and then that, all in an attempt to get that foot out of the world and into Christ. We will sweat blood and cry tears but with some that foot will remain right where it is. The reality is that we will not save everyone. We will not encourage everyone. We will not make a difference in every life. We want to, but some will not invite us in.

 

Fourth, deep inside we know that we are doing what is right. We know we are doing what the Lord wants us to do. Paul didn’t quit after he wrote Galatians. He didn’t say, “I give up. They don’t care. They aren’t trying. Nothing I do works, so I’m done.” No, he stayed with it. He finished the course. He kept the faith. He preached until there was no more breath in him. What he was doing was right. The Lord never let him down. This compels us to keep going. There are those who are changing. There are those who are becoming. There are those who are benefitting from what is being done. Even at dead Sardis, there were a few that were walking with the Lord.

 

Fifth, we must stop comparing ourselves to others. We know Paul said not to do that, but we do. We look at other families and see what they are doing and we feel guilty. We hear what other preachers are doing and we feel worthless. We feel like failures because we cannot keep up with these people. We don’t think up ideas like they do. I know a preacher who once told me that he had 25 Bible studies that week. I didn’t have 25 studies the entire month. Boy that put me in the dumps. What a failure I felt like. It took a long time to get out of that hole. I learned that was his gift. He was natural at that. Some are good at planting and others at watering. I find that I am now doing this innocently to other preachers. They read these Jump Starts and declare, “How do you do this every day?” I now realize that some are saying that with guilt. They look at this and feel that they should be doing the same. NO. Don’t feel that way. God has blessed me with this wonderful gift. You have a gift. It’s different than mine. Remember the Corinthian passage about spiritual gifts where Paul talked about some being a hand, others a foot, and others eyes. We are not the same, nor do we do the same. I write. Others can hold 25 Bible studies a week. Others connect well with young people. Others are amazing in the pulpit. Others have great insight into the Scriptures. Others can make you feel so loved and welcomed. Others can paint a picture of Heaven so real that you can just hold out your hand and touch it. Some families are great at hospitality. Others don’t do so well there, yet they can do other things. We must stop comparing ourselves and using others as the measure of what we ought to be doing. It will only make you feel more guilty and more like a spiritual failure. Find what you are good at and shine. Life’s experiences affect us. Those with little kids at home, need to raise those babies. They don’t have the time nor the resources as empty nesters. Those that have demanding jobs can’t do what retired folks can. Stop comparing. Look within and then look around. Do what you can. The rich man in Luke 16 lost his soul simply because he had opportunity and the means to help poor Lazarus but he did nothing. Nothing is death. Nothing is always wrong. You can do something. Don’t do what I am doing. Don’t do what someone else is doing. Do what you can with what you have. You cannot do it all, but you can make a difference.

 

Finally, when we feel like we are not doing enough, realize that we are not saved by the amount of what we do. Balance theology makes us believe that the good in our lives must outweigh the bad that we have done. This is salvation by works. It never works. We are saved by the grace of God. Our faith and love for the Lord is what matters. You cannot do enough. You cannot be good enough. You will never deserve Heaven. Those thoughts trouble us. It is a gift. It is a gift that you shouldn’t get, but God gives it. So, you can’t do anything to make God love you more. He loves you the most right now.

 

However, when you see areas that you can be doing more, do what you can. Step it up. Take on new challenges. Don’t let others determine your success. If that were the case, then Jesus failed. He said that more will be lost than saved. Jesus said this before He ever went to Calvary. Knowing that didn’t stop Jesus. He went. Do the good that you can. You may have a family over and they might not even thank you. Don’t let that stop you. You may pour hours into a class or a sermon and not see any visible changes. Don’t let that stop you. Keep doing what you can, where you can, until the Lord calls you.

 

Thank you for letting me share this with you. I hope it helped my friend. She’s incredible. It has helped me. Climbing out of the hole of gloom and doom is hard to do.

 

Onward Christian soldier…

 

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start # 1634

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1634

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

 

Our verse today shows the relationship that the church is to have to her leaders. The leaders here would be the shepherds or elders. “Watching over your soul” is what overseers do. This is what the word “bishop” means. They are given the task of watching over. They are to protect, feed, and lead God’s people. The shepherd Psalms, Psalms 23, describes this vividly. The sheep were led to  quiet waters, green pastures, and even through the dark valleys, the shepherd was there. He was watching over the flock.

 

There is one expression in our verse today that is directed toward these leaders. The rest of the passage is directed toward the congregation. The shepherds will “give an account” of how they watched. Ezekiel 34, is a powerful reminder of what shepherds didn’t do back in ancient Israel and God was angry with them. There was plenty to do, but they didn’t do it. The flock suffered. Today, congregations suffer because leaders do not watch over the flock spiritually. They are too busy watching over the check book, the church building and bossing deacons around, that the church is dying and falling apart and they do not even see it.

 

It is to the congregation that this passage is addressed. There are four concepts here.

 

First, obey your leaders. It does little good to have leaders if there are no followers. The men in the position of leadership ought to be trusted, qualified, and have knowledge of what God wants them to do. Decisions must be made. Obey them. They want you to grow. Obey them. They need to feed you spiritually. Obey them. The spirit of radicals and rebels runs too often in some of our veins. We resist. We ignore. We fight. We disobey. We do what we want. In the home, this is disaster. Teenagers that ignore parents, coming in at whatever time they want, doing what they want, are on fast track to trouble. Little ones don’t want to go to bed when they should. Parents that cave in, soon learn that the kids call the shots, not them.

 

Why obey the leaders? Because they are qualified, experienced, spiritual and know what needs to be done. So, a special series of lessons are offered. Do you go? A special class is taught? Do you show up? We do what we want. Down the road, our little house starts to totter and fall because we do not have the faith to stand the storms of life. Our kids grow up weak and fall away. We do not have the love of Christ in our hearts. Why have we become this way? Unless we change, we fool ourselves into thinking we are Heaven bound, when actually, we have been disappointing and embarrassing God for a long time. It didn’t have to be this way. We simply wouldn’t obey. We did what we wanted. It took us away from God. The leaders know what we need. Do you obey?

 

Second, submit. We too often think that this word applies only to wives. It is used throughout the N.T. First, we are to submit to God. We are to submit to one another. We are to submit to the government. And here, we are to submit to the leaders of the church. Submission is an attitude. It differs from the first word, “Obey.” Obedience is the outward action. Submission is the inward attitude. A person can obey without submitting. He can fuss and hate it and complain the whole time. Many do that. They go to church services because they “have to.” They stay married because they “have to.” It’s the “have to” that compels them. If there was no “have to” then they would be gone. That’s obedience. Submission is changing your thinking. It’s bending your way for another. It’s “I want to do this, but I will decide to do what you want.” I may not want to at first, but I will be a team player and bend my will for you. We are to submit to the leaders. You may not want to go to services, but you will, because you know it’s the right thing. We have lost the spirit of submission. It’s all about “Me,” these days. If I don’t want to, then I won’t. If I don’t like it, then I’m not doing it. Me…me…me. Remember Jesus’ call for discipleship? If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. The denying self comes first. If we can get around self, we’ll never make it in the kingdom of God. Submit.

 

Thirdly, not obeying and not submitting brings grief to God’s leaders. One thing you notice as you walk through the Bible, God doesn’t like it when people take pot shots at His leaders. When rebels tried to take over and oust Moses, God opened up the earth and destroyed them. David understood that one does not touch God’s anointed. Among God’s leaders today, accusations are not to be made without two or three witnesses. Trash talking God’s leaders is wrong. This is done far too much today. We don’t like this down at the church house and before long, we are talking negative about the leaders. They don’t do this and they don’t do that. It can get real ugly. Kids hear what is being said. Is it any wonder that some would never want to be a leader in God’s church because of what they have heard growing up.

 

Grief to God’s leaders. It pains them when we are not doing what we should. They lose sleep at night. Their prayers are consumed with us. They want us to do well. They want us to grow and thrive in the Lord. They want us to have strong marriages. They want us to be shinning brightly for the Lord. Instead, we don’t show up half the time. Instead, we are doing what the world does. Instead, we fuss and fight and complain. The leaders grieve. Where did they go wrong? What can be done to get these people right with the Lord? Why are these people rebellious, weak or lukewarm? What needs to be taught? What needs to be preached? How can these people please the Lord as they are? Grief. Tears. Heartache. Good men torn to pieces because we are doing what we want to do. They pray more, care more and are doing more for our souls than we are. They want us to go to Heaven more than we do. These leaders want you to do great spiritually. Are you working with them?

 

Fourth, this would be unprofitable for you. This is where the selfish spirit and the heart of rebellion leads to. This is unprofitable for you. You are not getting away with disobedience and refusing to submit. You are not getting away with doing whatever you want to do. You are not getting away with marching to a different beat. You are about to get it and it won’t be pleasant. It will be unprofitable for you!

 

Two things may be implied here. First, because of your disobedience to the leaders and your refusing to submit to them, you are out of line with God. You will be disciplined. It may be a rebuke. It may be a public warning. It may be fellowship is broken. The guy who goes to church, but doesn’t obey nor submit, isn’t right. The leaders may have to lead the congregation in disciplining you.

 

Second, this is unprofitable for you because God isn’t pleased with this. Unless this course is turned, it will lead to being disciplined by God, especially at the judgment. This is a dead end road. This leads to missing Heaven. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus and do whatever you want, whenever you want. You have commitments and obligations both to God and His people. A married man cannot live as a single person. That doesn’t work. Neither can a disciple live like a person in the world. That choice comes with consequences. Those consequences are not profitable. They are not pleasant. They are not what you want to go through. Shame, embarrassment, and eventually eternity of Hell awaits those who will not obey and submit.

 

What we do can make the work of our leaders nice and easy or we can be a royal pain to them. We can be  profit from following the leaders or we can experience the pain of punishment for not following them. The leaders are cutting a path to Heaven. Why would we not want to follow them? Do we think there is a different way? There isn’t.

 

Obey. Submit. Make it pleasant for them and it will be pleasant for you.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 1633

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1633

Revelation 2:21 “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.”

  Our verse today comes from the message written to the church at Thyatira. There were some things amiss in that congregation. Specifically, they were tolerating Jezebel who was leading God’s people into idolatry. Now, a few thoughts about this. This isn’t the same Jezebel from the book of Kings. That Jezebel, wife of Ahab, was the queen who was killed a long time ago. The original Jezebel was dead. Here, hundreds of years later, a similarly wicked, evil and godless person was working through the church. This person must have been a Christian, but they certainly were not acting very Christ-like.

 

Not only was this current Jezebel evil, she was having an impact with the people of God. The church was being torn up because of her. The reaction of the church was to “tolerate” Jezebel. Maybe she had been there a long time. Maybe they were afraid of her. Maybe they didn’t want to deal with a messy confrontation. Maybe she was part of a prominent family. Maybe…maybe…maybe. Whatever, she was wrong. She was doing wrong. And she was influencing God’s people in the wrong way. The church was torn up because of her. Toleration was not the answer. Problems do not fix themselves. Problems do not just go away.

 

Our verse is God’s response to Jezebel. God’s people wouldn’t deal with her, so God was. God’s punishment was upon Jezebel and all those who went along with her. Included in these plain words are, “I will kill her children with pestilence…” God was not in the tolerating business. He was through with this Jezebel. Change your ways or face the consequences. The wrath of God is severe.

 

It is here that our verse today is found. There are several thoughts that come out of this.

 

First, there was a time of warning, teaching, explaining and patience. A person cannot stop doing what they are doing until they first know that it is wrong. Inherit in these words is the idea of appealing to someone to change their ways. God’s word must be used. This is the reason for change. It is not to avoid a public scandal. It is not to escape the long arm of the law. It is not to keep peace at home. It is not to get the elders off your back. None of those are Biblical reasons for change. Repentance is born in the heart. It comes from the inside. It is based upon the understanding that one is not right with God. The choices made have disappointed and hurt God. One changes because of God. One changes to be right with God.

 

This is missing too often today. A teenager gets pregnant. A mistake was made. Poor choices resulted in a consequence to that sin that now everyone will know about. A shallow apology is made and everything is expected to return to normal. Had that teenager not become pregnant, would there have been any repentance? Did this come about only because of the consequences? If no one knew, would she had changed her ways? Was she sorry for breaking the heart and commands of God or was she sorry that now everyone will know? The same is true of a man who drinks. He doesn’t see anything wrong with it and keeps it hidden until one day he is arrested for drunk driving. Now it’s in the papers. Everyone knows. Now he feels compelled to “go forward” in church and say that he is sorry. Is he? Did the arrest wake him up or is he feeling ashamed for getting caught? Had there been no police would he had gone forward? Would he had stopped his drinking ways? Would he had changed?

 

A person changes, whether they are caught or not. A person changes whether there are consequences or not. A person changes because of God. Repentance is born out of a heart that understands that it is not right with God and that alone drives the person to change. The drinking stops. The fornication stops. The loose living stops. It stops because of God. The prodigal came to his senses and got up and came home. His father didn’t find him in the pigs. He came home. The penitent heart will stop wrong and come back home to God. It will put distance between wrong friends that influence. It will worship regularly. It will embrace God and His goodness. No excuses. No finger pointing. I have sinned.

 

Second, our verse tells us that God gave Jezebel time to repent. This is hard on righteous people. How long should be given? How much time? There is a period of time in which Jezebel is thinking and contemplating. During that time period, Jezebel may still be doing wrong. Patience with people doing wrong is hard. We want justice is be swift. God gave her time. God’s people can be a bit thin on this. We may not be giving folks enough time to consider what they did. We may not give truth enough time to sink in. I suppose a church could err on both sides of this. They may give too much time and patience then is viewed as tolerance. Then, it is possible to give not enough time. Maybe some one was coming around. Maybe they were beginning to see sense and what is right. But punishment came too soon. How much time is hard to know. There is no formula. It will vary with each person and each situation.

 

Third, Jezebel did not want to repent. How was this known? Simply after some time was given, there was no change. Jezebel kept doing wrong. They was no movement in the right direction. And, here lies a lesson that is hard for us to understand. There are some who do not want to change. There are some Christians who do wrong, and they will not stop. Could it be that they love sin more than they love the Lord? Their faith is weak and influenced by the world. They do not have the conviction to resist and flee from Satan, as the Scriptures teach us. They have continued to surround themselves with people of the world who are bad influences upon them. They will not repent. They will not stop doing what they are doing. In this context, Jezebel will not stop teaching false things. She will not stop leading the people of God astray. She is destructive to the unity and the sound teaching of God’s  word. She has made her choices and she must be dealt with.

 

Proverbs tells us that a child that gets us way is grief to his mother. Likewise, a member who gets his way, is trouble for a church. It is not our way, but God’s way. Bringing shame upon God and His people is not right. Refusing to acknowledge wrong is not right. Digging the heels in and refusing to repent is not right. It’s hard to discipline. It’s hard at home. It’s hard among God’s people. Without discipline, the child or the Christian, heading the wrong way, will never come back. Discipline is a form of punishment. It is intended to grab one’s attention and stop wrong behavior. It is intended to bring a person back where they ought to be. It is not intended to destroy a person.

 

Jezebel didn’t want to change. Some are like that. Given the choice, they will stand with sin rather than God’s way. Given the choice, they will continue to do wrong.

 

Our call, as God’s people, is to help those who are doing wrong to see what is right. Reprove and rebuke with gentleness. Save a soul is what we are after. Snatch one from the fires, is what we are trying to do. For some it works. For others, they will choose to stand with Jezebel.

 

I gave her time…she did not want to.

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1632

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1632

Ephesians 5:27 “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

  Our verse today comes from the Ephesian section in which Paul compares the relationship of the church to Christ with marriage. As Christ is, so husbands ought to be. As the church is, so wives ought to be. It is a beautiful relationship of trust, and honoring the other.

 

What is unusual about this verse is that we expect the church to glorify Christ. Jesus is the Savior. He is the one who paid the ultimate price. The church is the people. At best, we are not the best. Yet, the verse states, “the church in all her glory.” The church, God’s people, are how many see God today. We are God’s hands, feet and eyes. We are to be holy and blameless. We are a reflection of what and how we believe and we are a reflection of Christ.

 

It is that last statement, we are a reflection of Christ, that many do no seem to get these days. Once we leave the church building, IT DOES MATTER, what we do. We reflect Jesus. The problem in Corinth, with a man living with his father’s wife, obviously a moral issue, was not something that was going on during worship. His choices of what he did once he got home, affected the church and reflected upon Christ. His choice to be immoral was a blemish. From this Ephesian passage, it was a “spot and wrinkle.” It was not “holy and blameless.” The church at Corinth sat on this. They did nothing. Under Paul’s direction, discipline was required and the fellowship was to be broken. The Corinthian church was not holy and blameless with this obvious sinful activity going on.

 

We understand this principle in other contexts. Those that have traveled overseas, you leave an impression of what “Americans” are like by your behavior. If you are rude, the conclusion, right or wrong is, “Americans are rude.” If you are demanding, it will be, “Americans are demanding.” Although you are not on official business for the American government, conclusions are drawn by the way you behave and act.

 

The same thought is now carried out spiritually from our passage. Conclusions are made about the congregation you are a part of and about Christianity in general by your behavior. So, if you are demanding, selfish, having continual melt downs at work, or home, this is an impression that you leave with others. If you cross the line of right and wrong, the charge of hypocrisy is made. That little song that from Jesus’ principle of influence, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine,” speaks loudly. “Won’t let Satan blow it out…” This is what we are driving at. Away from worship, are you spiritual? Do you blow up when driving? Do you explode at work? Do you bend the rules when you please? Do you do as you want? Do you even think about what you are doing and what affect it has on others? Do you realize that you may be creating spots and wrinkles in the holy body of Christ because you are doing what you want and you haven’t considered being holy and righteous?

 

When away from home, these principles do not change. When at work, these principles do not change. Oh, the shallow thinking and ungodly crowd we surround ourselves with to justify doing things that we shouldn’t. I’ve been told multiple times, that when you go to Europe, you have to drink wine. Everyone does. There is no getting around it. I’ve been to Europe twice. Never had a drop of wine. It can be done. I am to be a child of God that lets my light shine as much at work, on vacation as I am sitting in a pew on Sunday morning.

 

This is much bigger than attitudes, language and behavior. It’s all about Jesus. Do I really love Him and believe in Him? If I do, then I can going to conduct myself as He would want me to be. PERIOD. The same principle applies to marriage. I am married. I love my wife. But, when away, if I flirt around, trash talk her, act like a single guy, it hurts her. It dishonors her. It shows no respect for our vows and the promises made at the wedding. If as a Christian, I act like I am not a Christian, then it hurts God. It dishonors Christ and His people. It shows no respect for God’s word or my commitment or my faith.

 

Most of our problems with living as Christ wants us to does not happen during Sunday worship. It’s pretty easy to be a Christian, when surrounded with Christians, who are engaged in spiritual activity. No, that’s not the problem. The issues arise when we are not with other Christians. It arises when we are not doing spiritual things. It arises we forget who we are and we try to fit in with those who are not Christians. It is at those times, our language gets looser. We say things that we’d never say in the church house. Our modesty drops. Our attitudes sink. We do things that we wouldn’t want others to know about. It is at those low moments, it may be on a date, it may be on a vacation, it may be at work, that our lights go out. It is at those low moments that we don’t act very Christian. It is at those low moments that we shame and embarrass our Lord. It is at those low moments that we tarnish the glory of God’s people.

 

Everyone who sees you will make three judgments. Now, these judgments may not be accurate, but they make them none the less. They will make a judgment about your faith. You are living as a Christian or you are a hypocrite. They will make a judgment about the church you attend. What they think about the church comes from what they think about you. It may be a positive conclusion, or “why would I want to go there?” Thirdly, they make a judgment about Christianity.

 

Your behavior, attitude, language and dress can help people form the right conclusions or they may be the very cause for negative conclusions. Some may visit because of the very way you conduct yourself. Others, may never come because of the way you conduct yourself.

 

There is never a time, never a place, never a situation when you turn off your spirituality. There is never a time when you do not think about Jesus. There is never a situation in which you do not let your light shine. There is never a time to act unchristian. A year of preaching and evangelism can be trashed by a single incident in which someone has acted ungodly. People will remember the wrong for a long, long time. The blemish and damage often takes years to recover. All the good that is done by a church can upset by the unrighteous act of one member.

 

What you do reflects upon Jesus and His people. At the ballgame, at school, on vacation, at work, even in the neighborhood, what you say and do either glories Christ or it brings shame upon the Lord and His people. It is much bigger than just you. When you became a Christian, as Paul told the Corinthians, you are not your own. You have been bought with a price. You no longer have the right to do what you want to do. That thinking belongs to the people of the world who are lost. You belong to Christ. Just as in a marriage, when you said, “I do,” that came with some things. That changed some things. So it is when you become a Christian. Sitting in a church house on Sunday, looking pretty and righteous, but living ungodly elsewhere, doesn’t fool anyone expect the person doing it.

 

Without spot or wrinkle. You help the church be that way by your choices.

 

Reflect Christ today—whether you are at home, at work, in the store, or on vacation. Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me!

 

AMEN.

 

Roger

 

24

Jump Start # 1631

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1631

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

  What an interesting verse. It’s written backwards from the way we tend to say things. The Bible does that in several places. For instance, in the creation account, God says, “there was evening and there was morning.” We usually say the opposite, “there was morning and there was evening.” God says, “Honor your Father and mother.” We normally say, “Mom and Dad,” the reverse order. And, here in our verse today, it begins, “Death and life.” We’d say, “Life and death.”

 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. You can kill someone with your words or you can pump life into their soul by your words. The choice of words can make all the difference. Your words can help or they can hurt. Encouragement or discouragement—it often comes down to what and how we say things.

 

All of this reminds us of some simple truths:

 

First, we must be careful what we say. The words we say can be death to someone. It’s amazing how some give so little thought to what they say. They don’t think about what it would be like to be on the receiving end of those words. I’m not talking about saying crude, offensive or even mean words. We can simply say things that will cause unrest, worry and fear in someone. Somebody gets a new car. You feel compelled to announce before many people, “Isn’t that the model that blows up when you turn it on?” Now think about what you just said. Or, to a pregnant woman, “Isn’t your doctor  being sued for dropping a baby?” Life and death are in your words. Those might be true statements, but the setting, and the way you say those words can help or they can hurt.

 

Second, not everything needs to be repeated or said. Passing on “death” words is only going to discourage someone. Consider who said those words. Their attitude and their heart may be very far from God. Negative, discouraging and uncomplimentary words is all that is necessary for a tender faith and a young heart to quit. It’s because of death words that many young preachers no longer preach today. They had enough. Some things should not be said.

 

Third, the value of a encouragement is hard to measure. A kind word. A kind act. Being thoughtful of someone else. The shut in. The widow. The young person. The new preacher. The shepherds. There are so many people and so many ways that we can touch the lives of others. More than thirty years ago, I was the new preacher in a congregation. I had a young family. One Wednesday night after services, a family stop by with grocery bags full of groceries, including “real butter,” as my wife proclaimed. We couldn’t afford “real butter.” They just wanted to greet us and help us out. A simple thing. That amazing encouragement is still remembered three decades later. That’s the value of “life.” Going out of your way to talk with someone. Giving up a Saturday for someone. Sending a class teacher a note at the end of a quarter and thanking them for teaching you. Life—it makes all the difference.

 

What kills so many people is the thought that no one cares. No one appreciates what I do. No one notices. No one even said a word. A few times with that and a person has had enough. Why go out of my way when no one cares. It’s hard to overcome that.

 

Parents, begin with your kids by teaching them to give “life” to others. Have them draw a thank you card for Grandma for the gifts she brings. Teach them to say, “Thank you.” Have graduates write a thank you card for graduation gifts. It’s amazing to learn that a bride and groom don’t send thank you cards for the gifts that they received. We are living in a time which is not grateful for others. Disciples are different. We realize that a thank you is one way to extend life to others.

 

Fourth, even when the message must be hard, whether in a sermon, a talk with the kids or even a conversation with a friend, there is a way of saying things without tearing them up. Think first. Pray. Speak carefully. Usually when we get excited, our mouths run far ahead of our brains. We say things that we shouldn’t. We get in trouble for saying things that are out of line. There is a way. The word “Gospel,” means good news. You’d never know it the way some preach. They make a person go home feeling worse than when they came. Life and death—we must remember that concept.

 

Fifth, encouragers, those that give life, are fun to be around and can turn a dark place into something bright and good. The gloom and doom crowd rains on everyone’s day. They are no fun to be around. You leave discouraged. That’s the death squad. They kill with their words. The encouragers, those that give life, have a special way of lifting up a sad spirit. They smile. They hug. They are truly glad to see you.

 

There is a wonderful concept that comes from the synagogue official’s little girl who died. Jesus went to his home. He took her by the hand and told her to get up. She obeyed. I just wonder when her eyes first opened, if the first person she saw was Jesus. I want to think so. What an encouraging face. I don’t know this, but I expect there was a smile on His face when she opened her eyes. I like to think our death will be like that. We close our eyes to this world, and when they open on the other side, we see His face. Don’t know for sure if it will be like that, but that certainly puts “life” into my steps.

 

Good thoughts. Kind words. Compliments. Good laughter. Happy times. Conversations with a three-year-old. An afternoon with a dear Christian. Thoughts of Heaven. The face of Jesus. Life. Let us be the givers of life. Satan is death. Death is the world. Death is dark. Death seems to be the end, even though it’s not. Death isn’t pleasant or happy. But life, oh, my! Wonderful, wonderful life.

 

Be kind with what you say. Don’t hide behind, “I just told him the truth,” and be guilty of dispensing death. Don’t abuse God’s word by thinking, “It’s a sword and swords cut.” Give life. Be a fountain of blessings and hope. You can change the temperature of your home and even the congregation by your words and attitude. Sour folks make things cold. Mean folks makes things too hot. But givers of life, offer that refreshing breath of air that’s just right. It picks up tired spirits on a Wednesday night. It offers hope to those who are discouraged and scared. It motivates us to keep on.

 

Life and death—you hold the key. Your words…use them carefully today. Find ways to give life to a dying world.

 

Roger