Lynn Jones: Jumpstarting the Christian life
By Lynn Jones
In my truck, I carry a set of jumper cables. I do this for two reasons—one noble and the other not so mobile. I may see someone whose battery is dead and will need a jump-start, or, and this is the more likely scenario, I will not be able to start my own truck, and will need someone to jump-start me.
The bitterly cold temperatures we have experienced this week reminded me of a story that the late Bro. Huey Wood, a Methodist friend of mine from Booneville, used to tell. A man came into town one icy morning and said, “Preacher, it is terribly cold out there. I was coming across the bottom a while ago, and I saw two beagles trying to jump something but were not having much luck. They were hooking jumper cables onto a rabbit trying to get him to run.”
There are times when all of us need a jump-start, even in our Christian lives. It would be nice if after we became Christians, we would always run at peak efficiency and never stall out, but experience shows that often is not the case.
I read of a very sophisticated hot-air balloon that was designed to attempt to fly around the world. All the latest technology was on board to assist the man making the attempt. But after all that technology, there was still one thing still missing. The balloon had no power system on board. It was dependent on the power of the wind to propel its flight around the world.
That is the way it is in the Christian life. We are dependent on the power of God to live the Christian life. We have no independent power source. We need Christ and His power in our lives.
In the 1988-89 college basketball season, Hank Gathers, who played at Loyola Marymount, did something that had been done by only one other person in the history of college basketball. He led all NCAA Division 1 teams in scoring (32.7 ppg) and rebounding (13.7 pg). But on March 4, 1990, tragedy struck. While playing against Portland, Gathers collapsed and died on the court of a heart attack. Although he was gone, he continued to inspire the team. Hank Gathers had been a left-hander. After his death, his teammate Bo Kimble paid tribute to Gathers in every game. Kimble, who was a right-hander, would shoot his first free-throw with his left hand. Eventually, Loyola Marymount lost in the western finals of the NCAA tournament. The team needed more than the inspiration of Gathers’ memory. They needed his presence and power on the court.
We have more than the inspiring memory of Christ. We have His presence and power. Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Because of that, He can jump-start us and empower us for effective Christian service.
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.
