October 26 - Down Time

 Read today’s texts first: Job 17; Acts 24-26

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

It’s always best to look up during down times. What comes down must go up through prayers and thanksgiving.

Both Job and Paul in our readings today are experiencing some unusual down time. Job is incapacitated through severe sickness; Paul is in custody in Caesarea. Both were highly active and excited about their lives before this. Now they are both sitting, suffering and possibly awaiting death - definitely “down” times!

I don’t want to be critical of Job (his three friends did enough of that). I can’t even imagine what he went through or how I would respond in that situation. It would be hard not to feel sorry for yourself and spend your down time complaining, which is essentially what Job did.

Paul, on the other hand, went from a busy life of travelling and teaching to forced confinement and the constant threat of execution. This would be his life for the next several years, custody in Caesarea and Rome, occasional appearances to offer a defense, interspersed with a whole lot of down time. He too must have been tempted to feel sorry for himself and complain about a life of suffering he certainly didn’t deserve.

And yet, from what we can piece together from what he wrote and what others wrote about him, this didn’t happen. He seized every opportunity to testify about Jesus to those in authority and seemed to enjoy those moments (24:10-21; 24-26; 25:8-11; 26:2-29). Later, he would use his down time to write letters (the Prison Epistles) and encourage the churches he had planted. Whenever he referred to his imprisonment he seemed to be thankful (Philippians 1:12-18).

Paul recognized that even in the down times, God was there and He had a plan. “Lord, I pray that I would learn to have that kind of attitude whenever I experience some down time. Instead of complaining, I will thank You for the opportunity to spend more time with my wife, with my family, and with You in Your Word.”

October 25 - Follow the Leader

 Read today’s texts first: Job 16; Acts 21-23

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

“My sheep know my voice!” (John 10:14–16).
Personal prophecies from others should only
confirm what God has said directly to us. 

I’ve always believed in having mentors and being a mentor to others, but ultimately we are accountable to God. Fortunately we can hear directly from Him (John 10:4). He is our Good Shepherd and He should be the only One we follow.

As we read through Job, it’s easy to sense his frustration with his three friends, whom he now refers to as his “miserable comforters” (16:2). I know what is coming later in the story and sometimes I find myself skipping ahead just so I can hear from God Himself!  And yet, each of Job’s friends love him (why else would they sit with him for days on end?) and they sincerely believe they are speaking for God.

Paul is experiencing similar help from his friends. The disciples in Tyre advised Paul “through the Spirit,” not to go to Jerusalem (21:4). When he stopped in Caesarea, reputable leaders like Phillip, his four prophesying daughters, Agabus, and others (Luke, the author of Acts, included himself with the pronoun “we” – v.12) all tried to stop Paul from going to Jerusalem, saying “this is what the Holy Spirit says” (11).

And yet Paul was convinced by that same Holy Spirit that he needed to go to Jerusalem (20:22,23). We learn later in the story that there was no real conflict – the Spirit was both warning Paul of his impending arrest and urging him to go. His friends heard the same message but, because of their concern for Paul’s life, interpreted the message differently.

That’s why we must hear from God directly before we make a decision. I reread an obscure story from 1 Kings 13 today on my own, just for fun, about a man of God who learned the hard way about following God directly (check it out). I’ve told that story to young students who would come to our Bible College because someone else prophesied over their lives. My question to them was always “what has God said to you directly,” because we are all accountable directly to Him for what we do with our lives.

What Job, Paul and the man of God learned about following the Leader, I need to hear. “Lord, whenever I receive advice or offers of ministry opportunities from others, help me remember to only follow Your lead.”

October 24 - Peter, Paul and Barney

 Read today’s texts first: Job 15; Acts 19,20

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Every believer has something unique to contribute and every spiritual gift is needed to grow the church. 

My title may sound like a folk-singing trio, but if it were, Barney probably wouldn’t be headlining – he’d be singing back-up! I can relate.

The first part of Acts features Peter as the early leader of the first church; the second half, which we are reading now, emphasizes Paul. Between and among these two dominant leaders are brief references to a man named Joseph, nicknamed Barnabas or “Son of Encouragement” by the Christians who recognized his spiritual gift of encouraging and developing leaders. While he doesn’t get a lot of attention in the pages of the New Testament, most of it may not have been written without him. He was the one who recommended Paul to the other church leaders and mentored John Mark when Paul lost patience with him (they wrote at least 14 of the 27 books of the NT).

When I read about the miracles (19:11,12), sermons , and converts (20) that happened through Paul’s ministry, I unfortunately tend to compare my life and ministry with his. If I lived at that time, not much of what I’ve done would be worthy of a write up in Acts, unless it was the times I messed up. But every believer has something unique to contribute and every spiritual gift is needed to grow the church (Ephesians 4:16). Without Barney backing Paul, much of the history of the church and the record of Scripture would be missing.

We all know and appreciate what Billy Graham has done, but how many of us know about Albert McMakin?  He was the son of a sharecropper living on the Graham’s farm, who promised the rebellious 16 year old Billy Graham he could drive his truck if he came with him to hear Mordecai Ham.  It was at that meeting Billy committed his life to Christ and eventually went on to preach in front of 2 billion people.

“Lord, I’m okay devoting my life, especially in my senior years, to encouraging and mentoring other leaders. I will never be like Paul, but it is enough to minister like Barnabas, or better yet, to be exactly who You created me to be!”

October 23 - Women’s Liberation

 Read today’s texts first: Job 13,14; Acts 17,18

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

You shouldn’t text while you drive
and you shouldn’t prooftext while you preach. 

Poor Job not only has to deal with his personal loss and pain, he now has to endure the attacks of his so-called friends.  Fortunately he has enough sense to dismiss their words: “will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for Him” (13:7).

Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar prove that it is possible to take Scripture out of context, misapply it, and in doing so, misrepresent God.  In my Acts readings I noticed a theme in Paul’s ministry that becomes distorted by those who later misapply some of his teachings. We now know you shouldn’t text while you drive; may I suggest you also shouldn’t prooftext while you preach.

Paul addresses two issues in the churches of Corinth and Ephesus that required the silencing of disruptive women.  In Corinth they were disturbing the church services; in Ephesus they were relaying false teachings (1 Corinthians 14:34,35; 1 Timothy 2:11-15).  Some have taught from these two passages that women should be restricted from positions of church leadership.  However, assuming the integrity and consistency of the author is a basic rule of hermeneutics.  Paul would not teach something that is contradictory to his own practice.

We see in our Acts readings today that Paul evangelized the way Jesus did.  He discovered that women often responded to the gospel first (17:4,12,34) and they sometimes helped him plant churches and disciple other believers  (18:26).  Priscilla at first was named after her husband Aquila (18:2) but soon she was listed first (Romans 16:3,4), apparently because she became such an effective teacher and church leader, ironically in both Corinth and Ephesus.

From a day when women were marginalized up to today when the pendulum has swung too far the other way, we need to rediscover the balanced view of God’s Word.  We must not misrepresent the Holy Spirit who empowers boys and girls, men and women, for shared ministry and leadership (Acts 2:17,18).  “Lord, whenever I consider what’s next for me in ministry, help me to remember what might be next for my wife in ministry as well!”

October 22 - Wise Guys

 Read today’s texts first: Job 11,12; Acts 15,16

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When I bring advice based on God’s Word,
I am a wise man.  When I advise others just out of my
own experience, I become a wise guy.

My thought today when reading the Job account is he should seriously consider finding new “friends.” Each one piles on higher than the one before.  Zophar calls Job worthless, stupid, the son of a wild ass (11:11,12), while consoling him with, “you deserve worse than you’re getting” (11:6).  This is not exactly what you need to hear while you’re scraping boils off your body!

No wonder Job responds with sarcasm: “you are the man and wisdom will die with you” (12:2).  In other words, it’s comments like yours that turns a wise man into a wise guy!  And then Job hits on an insight that helps us understand our Acts reading as well.  He says that “in the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune” (12:5).

This is why I was a terrible counselor for most of my life.  I had such a good childhood that I avoided most of the pitfalls teenagers and adults fall into later in life.  As a pastor, when people came to me with their problems, I was quick to tell them it was probably their own fault.  The depth of my advice was like that Mad TV Bob Newhart sketch, “stop doing that” (check out “stop it” on Youtube - very funny until you catch yourself doing it).

When we advise others out of our own experience we become a wise guy.  No one can fully empathize with what someone else is going through.  The same thing happens in Acts 15 when we read about the first recorded church council meeting.  The Jewish Christians couldn’t understand why the Gentiles who were being saved weren’t complying with their Jewish traditions (15:5).

This led to some heated debate between those who sat at home in Jerusalem with those who were on the field seeing what God was doing in saving the Gentiles and filling them with His Spirit.  The gap in experience was too wide, until James, the brother of Jesus, brought them together with the wisdom of God’s Word (a quote from Amos 9:12).

That’s why we have the Bible.  It supplies both the experiences from the full scope of human history with God’s timeless wisdom.  With it, even a wise guy like me can become a wise man.  “Lord, show me how I can apply the wisdom from Your Word to my life today.”

October 21 - Partnering with the Holy Spirit

 Read today’s texts first: Job 9,10; Acts 13,14

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The Holy Spirit is called “the Paraclete,” or “one
who walks alongside us”- that is partnership!

I’m sure there would be some who would dispute what I said yesterday about how we can partner with God through prayer.  Surely our sovereign God needs no help from us!  While that is true, He often chooses to work through His church, and much of what He wants to do through us starts with prayer.

We see a clear example of that in our readings today.  Job is still trying to figure out how man and God can work together: for He is not a man as I am, that I might answer Him, that we should come to trial together (9:32).  But after Jesus becomes our “arbiter” (advocate, lawyer) (9:33) and the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts, everything changes!

In our Acts readings we see the beginnings of Paul’s missions trips.  We read how the church in Antioch came together for fasting and prayer, heard from God that they should commission Paul and Barnabas, laid their hands on them, and sent them out on their first missionary journey (13:1-3).  The next verse says “so, being sent out by the Holy Spirit...”(4).  To me, that sounds like clear evidence that when we get it right, we act on behalf of the Holy Spirit.  That’s partnership, and it starts with prayer (and sometimes fasting).

Recently, Jan and I enjoyed lunch with a dear couple from our church.  They shared more of their incredible testimony with us, especially the part where God restored their two wayward daughters back to them and to God.  Their beautiful girls were living on the streets and their numerous unsuccessful attempts to help them find their way home left them feeling helpless. 

What changed was the prophetic encouragement of two other believers who offered to join them in prayer for an hour every morning for 40 days.  On the 40^th day, God showed up in their crack shack, their spiritual eyes were opened to what they were doing, and they made a mad dash for home, where their parents were waiting for them with wide open arms.  Coincidence – I don’t think so!  To look at them now and see what they are doing in leading others to Jesus, there is simply no denying – prayer works!

“Lord, show me how I can partner with Your Holy Spirit today!”

October 20 - Prayer Chains

 Read today’s texts first: Job 6-8; Acts 12

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

He asks us to pray for a reason - He is teaching us now how to rule and reign with Him forever. 

Yesterday we touched on the topic of man’s free will and God’s sovereignty.  Finding the balance in this tension is pivotal in not only understanding salvation but also our ongoing role in partnering with God in prayer.  Ignoring man’s free will can lead us to fatalism (whatever God wills) and negate the purpose and power of prayer.  Minimizing God’s sovereignty often leads to a formulaic view of prayer - follow this formula and God is literally bound to answer.  Neither view accurately understands how we can accomplish His will through prayer.

Job suffered the personal loss of almost everyone and everything he valued in life, and now we read about his debilitating bout with boils that will go on for many days, despite his prayers for healing.  In our Acts reading we start with the news that James, the brother of John, is killed with a sword, martyred at the command of Herod Agrippa I.  No doubt the church was praying for his safety, as they would be for all the apostles.

We know they were praying for Peter, who was captured, imprisoned, guarded by 16 Roman soldiers, and likely awaiting his execution.  Believers were gathered at Mary’s house (the mother of John Mark), fervently interceding for Peter.  Their prayers were answered when an angel somehow stupefies the guards, tries to wake Peter up (this is where the story gets really funny), breaks off his chains, tells him what to wear, and leads him out to safety as locked gates open up like the “opening” scene of Get Smart.

Peter is still half asleep, trying to figure out if this is a dream or real life as he wanders over to Mary’s.  Rhoda hears him knocking and calling, runs to the gate, recognizes his voice, is too shocked to let him in, and then runs back to explain to those praying for Peter that he’s standing outside right now!  While Peter is still knocking, the prayer warriors are arguing with Rhoda, “you’re crazy, girl, you must be hallucinating!”  So much for the prayer of faith!

The fact is God does answer prayer, whether we expect Him to or not, and not always the way we expect.  But as we pray we learn about God’s will and how we can partner with Him to bring about His will on earth, as it is in heaven.  He could do it without us, and often does, but He asks us to pray for a reason.  He is teaching us now how to rule and reign with Him forever.

“Lord, show me what l can do with You through prayer.  Maybe there are some chains in my own life or in the lives of others that can be broken as I listen to how You want me to pray today.”