March 5 - Little is Much

 Read today’s texts first: Deuteronomy 1,2; Mark 12

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

God delights in using little things, little amounts and little people to accomplish much! 

I love the truth found in the old hymn, “Little is Much When God is In It.” It was written by Kittie Suffield, who ministered with her husband and the pastor’s son from their home church in Ottawa, George Beverly Shea. They lived this message and God blessed their humble beginnings as evangelists to impact a world through the Billy Graham ministries.

What made me think of the song was the contrast between the Pharisees and the widow in Mark 12. The religious rulers had everything you might think you need to make a difference in the world: intelligence, education, knowledge of God’s Word, power, wealth, influence. And yet, most of them used all their resources to draw attention away from Jesus and toward themselves. The widow, on the other hand, seemed to have none of those things, but she gave all of what little she had quietly to Jesus - no bragging, no fanfare, no one noticing - except Jesus. Those who have much are often afraid to give it away (like the rich ruler from Mark 10), but those who have little to give seem less hesitant to give everything. We see in our Old Testament readings how untrained nomads defeated one warrior nation after another, led by a grizzled 120 year old shepherd named Moses. That reminds me of an encouraging list of heroes from the Bible:

Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David was an adulterer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Martha worried about everything, Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons, the Samaritan woman was divorced several times, Zaccheus was too short, the disciples deserted Jesus, Peter denied knowing Him, Paul persecuted and killed Christians, Timothy had an ulcer… AND, oh yeah, Lazarus was dead!

“Lord, You seem to delight in using little things, little amounts, and little people to accomplish much. I trust that You can still use me in my advancing years and with all my inadequacies as I surrender what little I have to You!”

March 4 - The Power of Forgiveness

 Read today’s texts first: Numbers 34-36; Mark 11

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

If you want to understand the words of Jesus,
look at His actions. They were always congruent!

At the height of the Word Faith movement, a song popular at their conferences worked its way into our Foursquare churches. It was based on the words of Jesus found in Mark 11:24: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours.  Unfortunately that promise was often attached to personal prosperity. You got the impression that if you weren’t wearing a thousand dollar suit and driving a BMW you were somehow lacking in faith.

If you want to understand the words of Jesus, look at His actions (they were always congruent – it’s called “integrity”). He didn’t focus on His own personal needs. He gave up family, friends, regular income, the comforts of home, food, sleep, safety, and eventually His life. We don’t read about Him praying for a bed to sleep in, a home-cooked meal to savour, a new robe to wear, a fancy chariot to ride around in, or an investment portfolio large enough for a comfortable retirement. Despite knowing He was destined for torture and death, His prayers always seemed to focus on the needs of others.

Unfortunately, prosperity teachers would dismiss His example with another verse taken out of context: He became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul’s example (11:27) gives the balance we need to understand he is referring to spiritual riches.

The context for Mark 11:24 comes in the next verse. Jesus strangely connects our relationship with God to our relationship with others. If we can’t quickly forgive others, how can we expect God’s forgiveness or, for that matter, His answers to our prayers. The authority Jesus taught about and demonstrated in His own life (from this chapter alone: His triumphal arrival in Jerusalem, His withering words to the unfruitful fig tree, cleaning up His Father’s house) came from an unobstructed relationship with His Father.

“Lord, You are not my celestial bell-boy standing by to serve my needs. I am here to serve You by serving others. Help me to keep my heart right and my prayers answered by quickly forgiving anyone who may have offended me.”  

March 3 - Wax On, Wax Off

 Read today’s texts first: Numbers 32,33; Mark 10

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Simple obedience, day-to-day faithfulness -
Wax on, wax off - is field training for battle! 

Karate Kid was a classic movie in so many ways, but my favourite part is Miyagi’s training regimen. At first you think the old man is violating child labour laws, getting his deck sanded, his fence painted and his car washed, pretending it has something to do with training “Danielson” for a karate championship. Then, after days of mind-numbing routine, it all comes together: “show me paint the fence, sand the deck, wax on, wax off.”

Israel experienced the same unorthodox training for battle. When you read about their string of victories over experienced Canaanite warriors you may wonder how Israel was so consistently successful in battle. What transformed this community of farmers and builders into an unstoppable fighting force? The answer comes in the next chapter - sort of. It’s a history of their preparation for the conflicts awaiting them in the promised land. It’s a lot like wax on/wax off as they set up/pack up camp over and over again. They were learning the discipline of following the cloud, moving without complaining wherever God led them.

The disciples had to learn the same discipline. Jesus held up a child (eg. the Karate Kid) as their example (10:14-16) - adults tend to struggle with complicated distractions, like hard hearts (10:5), wealth (10:22), and selfish ambition (10:35). Jesus made it clear - if you want to be great, learn to serve. Watch me as I pick up my cross, follow My example, and you’ll be amazed as the powers of heaven move in behind you.

“Lord, thank You for reminding me that simple obedience, day-to-day faithfulness, is the only preparation needed to push back the gates of hell. Wax on, wax off!”

March 2 - Help My Unbelief

 Read today’s texts first: Numbers 30,31; Mark 9

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Our problem of unbelief must ultimately give way to simple trust in a God who knows far more than we do.

The father of the demon possessed boy probably speaks for all of us. When asked if he believed Jesus could deliver his son, he answers, “I do believe. Help my unbelief!” After walking with Jesus for over half a century, I still need help with my human doubts.

I’ve seen many undeniable miracles over those years, but I must admit to being shaken while watching a great church leader, a father of two young boys, succumb to the ravages of brain cancer. I do believe he is with Jesus right now, completely healthy and happier than we can ever imagine this side of heaven. But I still struggle with questions from my limited perspective, wondering why he had to go now and not after his sons had children of their own. I do believe Lord, but help my unbelief!

In both our readings today, questions are unavoidable: why are women’s vows subject to fathers and husbands (ch. 30), why did so many Midianites have to die (ch. 31), how did Moses and Elijah show up very much alive with Jesus (9:2-12), why was Jesus so fixated on His death (9:12,31), and why is there a hell for those who don’t believe (9:43-49)?

Some clues to our struggles with unbelief are found in what Jesus has to say about children (9:36,37,42). They simply believe - trusting those with more life experience to make the right decisions for them. Our adult problem of unbelief must ultimately give way to simple trust in a God who knows far more than we do.

“Lord, I do believe, but when doubts creep into my human thinking, help my unbelief! Like Peter, James, and John, who saw You transfigured before their very eyes, give me a glimpse beyond my limited perspective into eternity.”

March 1 - Sacrifice - The Antidote For Sin

 Read today’s texts first: Numbers 28,29; Mark 8

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When we give up our life for God and for others, we find out what life is all about! 

This is Gracie, my youngest granddaughter, at her Wee College graduation. It was wonderful cheering her on as she and her fellow grads quoted the verses they had been practicing all week long: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...”; “A new command I give you, that you love each other as I have loved you...”; “God loves a cheerful giver”. There’s much more that they had memorized, and all of it has daily application.

Let’s face it - children are basically immature! Their conversations often center on two words: “me” and “mine.”  I could preach these verses to them when they fall short, but I prefer to hold my grandkids up as examples when they succeed, like when Kaitlyn was given a bottle of her favourite Gatorade for herself and promptly poured out two glasses first for her brother and sister.

That’s what our readings are all about today. The sacrifices called for in the OT chapters seem so onerous, but we need to be reminded that the costs of sin are high. Note the payment for sin had to be “without flaw” (28:31). That’s why we can’t atone for our own sin - we were born flawed, with a sinful, selfish nature. Our NT reading tells us that’s why Jesus came to earth, to become the perfect, sinless lamb sacrificed in our place to pay our debt of sin once and for all (8:31).

But there is more to the idea of sacrifice than payment for sin in the past. Jesus explains to His disciples that a life of sacrifice will keep them and us from sin in the future. Taking up our cross daily (34,35) and giving up our life (and Gatorade) to others, will keep us pure, uncontaminated by the “leaven of the Pharisees and Herod” (15). They were self-centered sign-seekers, looking out only for numero uno. Jesus reminded His disciples, when they were concerned about where their next meal was coming from (14), that when they were giving food away to others, they never lacked for themselves (17-21).

“Lord, thank You for reminding me today that my sinful past was forgiven because Jesus gave up His life for me, but avoiding sin in the future is possible as I follow Christ's example of selfless sacrifice. When I give up my life for You, I will discover what life is all about (34; Matthew 16:25).”

March Devo - Love Means Having To Say You're Sorry, A Lot!

As predicted in last month’s Buzz, February was the month for cheesy romance movies on TV, and yes, I watched too many of them!  But the one I didn’t go near was “Love Story,” from 1970, starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw.  That one line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” is one of the most parodied movie lines in cinematic history, and for good reason.  It is so blatantly wrong!

Real love requires an unending supply of apologies and forgiveness.  We are human and we will make many mistakes in our relationships.  However, if we are secure in who we are and already assured that God loves us no matter what, a lot of hurt feelings can be avoided.

 God’s kind of love “is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5b).  Another version says that “love hardly even notices when others do it wrong.”  Now that’s the best way to avoid misunderstandings, confrontation,  damaged feelings, and the need for forgiveness.  I learned a long time ago to believe the best about people.  If they say something or do something that may seem personally offensive, I quickly tell myself, that’s not what they meant.  My wife calls me the “boy in the bubble” (I don’t think she means it as a compliment but I take it that way!) and so far, no one has been able to burst that bubble.  The key is to forgive people even before they ask for it, like Jesus did (Luke 23:34). Lewis Smedes, author of “Forgive and Forget,” said that “to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”  We try to use unforgiveness as a weapon to hurt others but like a knife without a handle, it only hurts the one who holds on to it!

 A more difficult challenge for me, as the insensitive bubble boy, is to not offend others.  The first part of that same verse we quoted earlier says that “love is never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way” (1 Cor. 13:5a).

When you are thinking about others and caring about how they feel, you are unlikely to cause an offense.  If you do, then love demands an apology – who is right or wrong is not the only issue.  It’s one of the most powerful principles we can teach our children and grandchildren.  And the best way to teach it is to provide an example for them to follow.  Have you ever made a mistake with your children and asked for their forgiveness?  This is not a sign of weakness, but of great inner strength.

Asking for and extending forgiveness is not easy.  Smedes goes on to say: “Forgiving is love’s toughest work, and love’s biggest risk …. Forgiving seems almost unnatural.  Our sense of fairness tells us people should pay for the wrong they do.  But forgiving is love’s power to break nature’s rule.”

 

February 28 - Make No Mistake - God Loves You!

 Read today’s texts first: Numbers 24-27; 1 Corinthians 13

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

We like to talk about God’s undying love,
but we cannot presume on that grace
or forget the great cost of that love.

It’s my nature and my job as an English teacher to find mistakes on paper.  It may even be a spiritual gift.  So I couldn’t help noticing that our readings today include 1 Corinthians 13 when we’re supposed to be in the middle of Mark. Coincidentally, we will read 1 Corinthians 13 again on March 28, and today is February 28 – it looks suspiciously like a mistake on the reading guide.  In case it was our mistake in the student handbook, I checked New Hope’s website and it is the same there.

Whether a mistake or not, I was glad to read about the unconditional love of God right after the slaughter of 24,000 Baal worshippers in Numbers 25.  I’m aware of how the justice of God was swiftly executed to protect His people from compromising with the sexual and idolatrous perversion of the Canaanite nations.  It’s appropriate that the setting for this flirtation with the daughters of Moab was called “Shittim.”  Israel was in deep!

It is sobering to read about the holiness of God and the dangers of “playing the harlot.”  We have our own battle lines of compromise within the church and among God’s people today.  Yes we are in a time of the new covenant where we like to talk about God’s undying love, but we cannot presume on that grace or forget the great cost of that love.  God’s wrath was poured out on His own sinless Son so that we could experience forgiveness instead of judgment.

“Lord, seeing Your justice and mercy together today was no mistake.  We want to live in that tension – aware of Your holiness, but grateful for the love that made it possible for that holiness to flow through us.”