April 8 - In His Eyes

 Read today’s texts first: 1 Samuel 3-5; Psalms 77; 2 Corinthians 8

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
 Instead of us doing what seems right in our eyes,
let God do what is right in His eyes!

I love the comparisons and contrasts we see so often in Scripture. The theme of this era of OT history is repeated often in the book of Judges: there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). But notice the words of Eli, a priest in Shiloh: He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes (1 Sam. 3:18). The reason we should let God do what is good in His eyes is simple - He is the Lord! We are not, and what looks good to us may be really bad for us (like the chocolate peanut butter ice cream I had last night).

What is remarkable is that Eli made this statement right after Samuel prophesied that he and his family would die as a result of God’s judgment!  It’s one thing to trust God when things are going well but when circumstances are bad and may be getting worse, do we still want God in control? The answer is a resounding yes! God is good all the time; we are not. His heart is pure; ours is deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9). He sees into eternity; we are sadly very short-sighted!

Unfortunately, my prayer life consists too often of a list of things I see that God needs to do for me right now. But the words of Eli hit me between my self-focused eyes today. My prayers have changed: “God, You are my Lord - do what is good in Your eyes. Help me see what You see so I can pray for Your will to be done, not mine.”

April 7 - Dedicated to the One I Love

 Read today’s texts first: Samuel 1,2; Psalms 66; 2 Corinthians 7

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
 When we dedicate our children to God we are also
dedicating ourselves to raise them according to His will.

The story of Hannah’s dedication of her baby boy, Samuel, provides an example for us today. Jesus was also consecrated to God at the Temple, according to Jewish tradition (Luke 2:22-24). That tradition and those two examples provide enough reason for churches today to dedicate children to God. The christening or baptism of babies, however, is not found in Scripture. Baptism should be reserved for a person old enough to make that decision for themselves.

But Samuel’s dedication was much more than the normal consecration of a first-born baby boy. Because God had answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a son, she fulfilled her vow to God and gave her son back to God. She actually surrendered her baby to be raised by the priest, Eli, to be wholly devoted to God for his entire life. It turned out to be a wise decision as Samuel grew into one of the greatest leaders Israel has ever known. He became a prophet, priest, and King (Judge), and is seen as a foreshadow of Jesus, who would also fulfill those roles.

Knowing how Eli’s natural sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had turned out, it is surprising to see Hannah trusting Eli with her baby! Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, would have heard about their reputation for character “unbecoming a priest”, to say the least (2:12-17,22). But Hannah knew she was ultimately surrendering her child into God’s care, not Eli’s. She was herself dedicated to God first and knew that because of her devotion, God would watch out for her son. Eli should have had the same approach to his children, and removed them from their priestly duties when they stopped honouring God (2:30,31). He warned Eli, “those who honour me I will honour.”

“Lord, when we dedicated our children to You and sang prophetically over them at that time, we were not just dedicating them - we were also dedicating ourselves to raising them according to Your will. As we have honoured You, we know Your promise is to honour us and care for our children and their children as well.”

April 6 - Coincidence?

 Read today’s texts first: Ruth 3,4; Psalms 64,65; 2 Corinthians 6

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
 Coincidence is the handiwork of God!

We often hear how character emerges in times of difficulty. While Jesus was enduring the most excruciating pain imaginable, He took time to notice and care for others: first the women who were weeping for Him (weep not, oh daughters of Jerusalem), then His own mother (transferring her care to John), then those who were crucifying Him (Father, forgive them), and finally the repentant criminal being crucified beside Him (today you will be with me in Paradise).  As we are learning from the tender story of Ruth, that’s the character of God - always noticing and caring for those He loves.

Ruth was poor, a widow, a woman, and a foreigner - all good reasons why she should remain unnoticed. But she pursued the God of Israel (read yesterday’s entry), and God began to pursue her, sovereignly guiding her steps from one amazing coincidence to another.

First, she randomly chose the field of Boaz to glean grain. Boaz just so happened to notice her and provide extra for her to glean. Coincidentally, Boaz was related to Naomi and could qualify as Ruth’s Kinsman Redeemer (a picture of Jesus, who redeemed His bride, the Church). Naomi’s closer relative had no interest in welcoming Ruth into his family, leaving the door open for Boaz. They married and had a son, Obed, who, wonder of wonders, became the grandfather of King David, and part of the royal line of the Messiah, our Redeemer! Like I said, coincidence is the handiwork of God.

“Lord, You’ve also noticed me. A lifetime of coincidences has convinced me that You have been guiding my life from day one and I trust You will do the same for the rest of my life!”

April 5 - God is Not “Ruth”less

Read today’s texts first: Ruth 1,2; Psalms 53,61; 2 Corinthians 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
If God can create our bodies with a brain connecting
to our trillions of cells, then He can relate personally
to each of the 7+ billion people on this planet!

I love these refreshing vignettes in Scripture. Within the dark and depressing era of the judges is this beautiful, uplifting story of Ruth. Sometimes, when we read of God’s judgments over entire nations, we may not realize His tender love for each individual. I recently had a conversation with a successful developer considering a major life-altering decision to pursue ministry. In illustrating how aware I believe God is in those personal moments, I talked to him about the trillions of cells in his body right now controlled by and dependent on his brain. Is it a stretch to imagine the God who created our bodies is capable of personally directing our lives, even though we are each only one of seven billion people on this planet? The story of Ruth proves that thought is true!

Our reading in the Psalms shows how personal God is: God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God (53:2); Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings, for You have heard my vows, oh God (61:4b,5a). God did just that for Naomi and Ruth - two poor, widowed women who had no real home, no source of income, no food and few prospects. But they knew there was one true God and they both chose to follow Him. God heard their vows and gave them refuge (2:12).

Naomi you could understand. She was too old to do anything else. Her options were limited and her only hope for survival was her family and her God. But Ruth was young and beautiful. She could no doubt find another husband if she stayed where she was. Yet she turned away from Moab, and the foreign gods her family served, to follow Naomi. Her speech, repeated so often at weddings, is a covenant of conversion: ...your people will be my people and your God my God (1:16b).

“Lord, You noticed Naomi and Ruth, and You cared personally for their needs. Ruth, a once-pagan Moabite, was accepted into the family of God and included in the very lineage of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). Thank You Lord, that You see me too, You’ve heard my vows, and I can find refuge today in Your arms!”

April 4 - Seeing the Unseen

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 19-21; 2 Corinthians 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
 Learn to pray like Elijah:
Open my eyes to see the unseen world.

The depths of human depravity was so bad in Noah’s day that God had to purge the world. But the flood could not wash away man’s sin (“nothing but the blood”). During this era of the judges, the sin of the heathen nations had completely corrupted God’s people. Our reading today includes homosexuality, rape, violence against women, murder, vengeance, civil war - all between Israelites! Can it get much worse?

Unfortunately the answer is yes. Turn on the news tonight and you will see some of the deepest, darkest sins of human history. The words of Jesus are coming true before our eyes: as it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37). It’s hard to watch!

But our NT reading gives us hope - something else to look at! When we feel overwhelming despair by what we see around us …do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (4:16-18). We need the eyes of Elijah who saw past the surrounding army of Aram, who had come to kill him, to the much bigger army of God, riding on chariots of fire, surrounding Aram’s army (2 Kings 6:15-17).

“Lord, I pray Elijah’s prayer for me - open my eyes to see the unseen world. Today, I want to see what You see - how You are at work above and beyond the circumstances that surround me!”

April 3 - From Glory to Glory

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 17,18; Psalms 89; 2 Corinthians 3

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 
There is no “my truth” and “your truth,” just “The Truth!”

When you wade through the history of the judges, reading weird stories like Micah with his own personal priest and household gods (17,18), you can’t help but wonder how the people of Israel could drift so far from God’s commands. The theme verse shows up again and helps explain what was going on: there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1).

God was supposed to be their king, but the Israelites, as usual, wanted to keep their distance from God. They preferred to interpret what God said to suit themselves, making up their own personal religion to follow. Does that sound familiar in our day of relative truth? There is no “my truth” and “your truth,” just “The Truth!”

But the arrival of Jesus should have bridged that distance between us and God and forever changed our misunderstanding about His commands. Our NT reading today shows us how that happened. Before Jesus came, God’s presence was fleeting, like the fading glory radiating from the face of Moses (3:12-15). God could not live in us until the debt of our sin was paid. But after Calvary, God’s glory no longer has to shine on us from a distance, like the sun in our solar system. The Son of God can now live within us, shining through us from the inside out, with “ever increasing glory” (3:16-18)!

“Lord, while so many people today have rejected You as their king, choosing instead to live by their own rules, I choose You as my King, today and every day. Let the glory of Your coronation shine through my life for all to see!” 

April 2 - Fallen Arches

Read today’s texts first: Judges 13-16; 2 Corinthians 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Despite chronic failure, we can still be a leader

who finishes well.

Time for some more Bible jokes. “Who was the greatest actor in the Bible?” The answer is: “Samson - he brought the house down after his final performance.” He’s also the answer to the question, “who died from fallen arches?” All joking aside, Samson’s only real weakness was a chronic case of stupidity when it came to women.

From his first wife who cried and pried the riddle answer out of him and then married one of his groomsmen, to “Gaza-gate” where a prostitute almost cost him his life, to Delilah who had him tied up in knots, quite literally - you can’t help but wonder how he could soar so high and yet fall so hard?

It is a remarkable story, from his extraordinary birth, starting with a visit from Jesus Himself (another obvious Christophany), leading to a special upbringing as a Nazirite, until he became a mature leader with almost superhuman strength. He was a real life combination of Superman and Rambo rolled into a one-man army!  So much potential, but so many flaws. Aside from the big muscles, he was a lot like you and me.

God chose Samson and used him to deliver His people and rule them well for 20 years. God even redeemed his failures, to the point that Samson will be remembered as a leader who finished well. Those fallen arches left a legacy of selflessness, sacrifice, and heroism that have inspired all of us who’ve studied his life.

“Lord, if You can redeem Samson’s mistakes You can do the same for me. I pray for the same opportunity to be a leader who finishes well!”