September 22 - Living in the “Fast” Lane

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 9,10; Psalm 123; Luke 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Spiritual power comes through building up the spirit by denying the flesh and relying on the “Bread of Life.”

The title here may be a tad misleading – we’re not talking about living loosely here.  Quite the opposite.  Daniel was a man of incredible discipline, making time to pray every day, without fail.  The only time he broke from the routine was to pray more and add another discipline of fasting.

This is the way Daniel did battle.  Most soldiers, like athletes, eat a high protein diet, then build up the body to overpower the opposition.  But Daniel’s enemy, like ours, was not flesh and blood.  Spiritual power comes through building up the spirit by denying the flesh and relying solely on the “Bread of Life”.

After three weeks of prayer and fasting down by the river, Daniel heard from Gabriel about the effects of his warfare.  While he prayed, the armies of heaven, led by Michael, were mobilized to overcome the Prince of Persia, a demonic principality.  It was the beginning of the end of the Jewish captivity, leading ultimately to their release by Cyrus.  That one man, agonizing in prayer by the river, was the pivotal battle – a foreshadowing of Jesus at Gethsemane.

“Lord, may I never underestimate the power of prayer and the need to move forward today, on my knees.”

September 21 - The End In Sight

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 7,8; Psalm 137; Luke 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Live each day with the “End” in sight!

Anyone who doubts the Bible is God’s Word needs to read from the book of Daniel.  He had three separate visions, in chapters 2, 3 and 8, involving different images but the same interpretation.  Daniel, through God-given insight, predicted the rise and fall of four major world powers before they happened.

There is nothing more compelling than fulfilled prophecy - not the generalized mumbo jumbo of today’s astrologers, but the kind of striking details given in Scripture, with the historical documentation to prove they were written hundreds of years before they came to pass.  Coincidence?  The laws of probability say “impossible!”

With that sense of overwhelming confidence in God’s Word, consider the end result of the vision in chapter 7:17,18.  Yes, in the final conflict the saints will come under attack by the Antichrist and the god of this world who empowers him, but the end is inevitable:

But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.  Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.  This is the end of the matter. (7:26-28)

“Lord, may I never doubt Your Word or Your promise.  I can’t fail when I’m partnered with the Ancient of Days (7:13, 22), the Beginning and the End.  Lord, may I live today with the End in sight!”

September 20 - “Hand”writing

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 5,6; Psalm 130; Luke 3

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Ask for God’s hand on your life
before He writes with it on your wall. 

I knew there was a spiritual reason why I prefer handwriting my journal entries rather than typing them.  It’s not just because I type painfully slow with two uncoordinated fingers. God Himself, though infinitely progressive, chooses to write by hand (actually with His finger) instead of creating “Word” documents (He could bring a whole new meaning to the term “power point”).

Whether it’s the ten commandments on stone, indiscretions of the Pharisees in the sand or Belshazzar’s judgment on the wall, God’s personal penmanship (without the pen) usually spells trouble with a capital “T”!  Why didn’t Belshazzar learn from his father Nebuchadnezzar.  Surely having a dad who grazed for grass alongside donkeys and cows was a lesson in humility you’d remember.

The problem is that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  We are built to function only under a theocracy and anything less, from tyranny to monarchy to, yes, gasp, even democracy creates an imbalance in power.  Belshazzar was willing to worship the gods he made with his hands, but not the one true God “who holds in his hands your life” (5:23).

“Lord, help me to recognize Your hand on my life before I actually see it writing a warning on my wall.”

September 19 - Over my Head

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 47,48; Luke 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

The River of Life flows from God’s throne
and it’s time to get in over your head!

The parallels between Ezekiel’s visions and John’s in the Revelation are too many to be coincidental.  One of the most specific is of the river that flows out from the Temple (Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22).  In both accounts, the river flows out from God’s throne and waters life-giving trees along its banks.

The difference is Zeke’s dip in the river.  He starts slowly, just getting his feet wet.  But soon he’s up to his knees, past his waist and finally over his head.  The river of God always represents the Holy Spirit so Zeke’s gradual immersion is a picture of surrender to the Spirit.

One other distinction in the Ezekiel account is the river’s effect on the dead sea it flows into.  In this case, it actually revives the sea, freshening the water and creating an environment where fish flourish.  The picture is in stark contrast to what Ezekiel and his readers would be familiar with.  The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea now as it always has, but instead of bringing life, the salty sea instantly deadens the river, killing its fish.  When I heard that from Daniel, our guide in Israel, I thought what a great location for a fish and chips stand - the fish conveniently float to the surface, pre-salted and ready for the deep fryer.

The application speaks of a growing dependence on the Spirit, where we learn to trust Him more and more, to the point of surrendering control.  When we become truly Spirit-led, the effect can be miraculous, bringing life to a dead world that at one time could have killed us.

“Lord, I’m ready for a swim today.  I’m starting to understand how much I can do if I’m over my head and completely reliant on You!”

September 18 - Turning Hearts

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 45,46; Luke 1

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Only a heart turned towards God
can turn other hearts the same way. 

Most people look for a leader that turns heads.  When Israel wanted a king, their first choice was Saul, because he stood head and shoulders above everyone else - literally.  But God’s choice was David, the runt of his family, because he was a man after His own heart.  The heart is more important to God than the head, or the face for that matter.  And history proves that only a heart turned towards God can turn other hearts the same way.

Zechariah was told by the angel, Gabriel, that his son would go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous (Luke 1:17).  This is exactly what Malachi had prophesied 400 years earlier (Mal. 4:5).  John the Baptist would not be a head-turner.  His wardrobe of camel’s hair and diet of locusts may have turned a few stomachs, but he would not win people over with his charm and good looks.  Yet he did turn hearts and you can only do that in God’s Spirit and power - the same way Elijah did. 

The other day I glanced in the rear-view mirror while driving and noticed a patch of whiskers under my nose that somehow I missed while shaving in the shower the past few days.  Obviously I need to look in the mirror a little more often, but I’m actually glad that my physical appearance is not high on my list of priorities.  “Lord, I want to spend more time developing a heart for You and the lost than I spend in looking good on the outside.  Turning hearts is more important than turning heads, and for that I need Your Spirit and power.” 

September 17 - Come On Up!

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 42-44; Revelation 22

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

When we think about our hope of heaven
remember to tell others, “come on up!” 

If you want to find out the meaning of life, skip to the end of God's manual for life!  The final chapter of His master plan describes His eternal family, adopted from every nation on earth, in a setting more beautiful than our human minds can imagine. If you get excited about winning the things of this world with Bob Barker’s “come on down” just think how you’ll feel when God says, “come on up!”

As someone with a deep appreciation for the intricacies of God’s creation (I taught Science and the Bible at PLBC for years), I think this earth, despite human sabotage, is awe-inspiring.  But the new earth and new heaven, without the contaminants of sin, will be beyond spectacular.

How can we even picture with our limited imaginations a river of life, trees offering eternal youth, golden streets, bejeweled gates and the glory of our Saviour so bright a sun is no longer necessary.

But it was the closing words of this final chapter that caught my attention: the Spirit and the Bride say “Come!” (22:17).  We have the opportunity as the Bride of Christ to partner with the Holy Spirit and invite those who have not yet heard of the hope of heaven to join us.  By knowing the outcome before it happens, we also know what we must do now.  We have this window of time to tell the world what we know and invite them to “come on up!”

“Lord, I pray that my tendency to be conservative will not contain my anticipation of heaven.  And I pray that my natural shyness will not constrain me from sharing that hope with everyone you put in my path today.”

September 16 - God the Builder

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 40,41; Psalms 128; Revelation 21

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The first earth is astounding; imagine how wonderful
the new and improved version will be. 

It’s another day of “coincidences”: both readings feature angelic beings pulling out their measuring tapes (rods actually) and giving us perspective on God’s future rebuilding projects.  Ezekiel’s vision focuses just on the temple, while John’s encompasses the whole city of Jerusalem.  Both visions include minute details of the building plans.  Why are the dimensions of the temple and the New Jerusalem significant?

Having built a few houses, I appreciate how important detailed plans and accurate measurements can be.  One of my projects was renovating a 20 year-old house and while doing so, I learned this about myself – I don’t like building on another man’s foundation.  When a house isn’t square or level, installing tile, countertops and crown moldings becomes frustrating to say the least.  I much prefer starting from scratch and doing it right the first time.  Apparently God does too!

No doubt that’s why He’s going to build a new heaven and a new earth.  We get a glimpse of how radically different this new creation will be by the cubed shape of the new city of Jerusalem (the K.J. version calls it “foursquare” which means I’m in!).  Whoever heard of a city 1500 miles high?  The first earth is astounding; I can’t begin to imagine how wonderful the new and improved version will be.

As I thought about God’s re-creation, I realized how He does the same with our lives.  We often think that when we come to Christ we are stuck with the imperfect foundations laid by our family circumstances and that all God can do with us is renovate.  The Bible disagrees with that idea, reminding us that we are brand new creations; the old has gone and all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17),  Any baggage we deal with from our past life is there because we have trouble letting go of the familiar.

“Lord, I want to trust Your ability to completely remake me.  Pull out Your measuring tape and redesign me for the next heaven and earth.”