October 14 - Do You Love Me?

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 11,12; Psalms 1; Acts 3

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Because Jesus loves us He has promised to “be with us.”
If we love Him in return, can we promise each day
to “be with Jesus?” 

It may be my state of mind after Thanksgiving weekend, but in everything I read this morning, worship and thanksgiving emerged as the theme.  In Nehemiah, in what may have seemed a mundane list of returned exiles assigned to live in Jerusalem, we see special mention of the singers, musicians, and those who constantly expressed thanks to God (11:17,22,23; 12:8,24,27-43,45-48).  In Psalms 1 we read of how blessed and prosperous we are when we delight and meditate in God’s Word.  In Acts 3 we see Peter and John heading to that same Temple built in Nehemiah’s day for their “sweet hour of prayer.”

But what happens next triggered for me a whole new understanding of what it means to “be with Jesus” (4:10). On the way into the Temple, Peter boldly prays for a lame beggar he must have passed countless times before. The ensuing miracle and bold sermon preached by this same Peter in an impromptu street meeting results in an altar call with thousands more added to the church (4:4).

What caused this massive, almost immediate change in Peter’s personality, from a whimpering, weeping washout to this powerhouse pillar in the first church!  The name change Jesus promised Peter, from a quivering reed to an immovable rock (Matthew 16:15-19), happened in just a few short days.  Most point to Pentecost as the beginning of the change, when He was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached his first sermon.

But I believe we can trace it even further back to that moment he spent with Jesus on the shores of Galilee after the resurrection.  On the night of the crucifixion, this self-proclaimed bodyguard of Jesus had folded like a cheap tent under pressure.  He denied he even knew Jesus when challenged by a little girl.  He was so ashamed of himself for denying and deserting Jesus he cried through the night.

Then, in a moment of tender, grace-filled conversation with Jesus, Peter was restored and recommissioned back into leadership (John 21:15-19).  That’s what happens when we spend time with Jesus and that’s why my daily time with Him in His Word is so sweet.  “Throughout this Thanksgiving week, thank you Jesus for being with me and allowing me to be with You!”

October 13 - Inside Out

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 9,10; Acts 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
Teach your children to be influencers, not influencees. 

Israel was intended to be a witness to the other nations (Exodus 19:5,6), but instead of being an influence on them, the surrounding nations too often influenced Israel.  We see the same problem in the church today.  One obvious example is the current popularity of Christian schools, as parents, threatened by the influence of “worldly” kids, choose to separate their children for their own protection.  The problem is – who’s left in the public schools to introduce the other kids to Jesus?

It was fascinating today to read of an Old Testament revival in Nehemiah’s day and compare it with the New Testament revival in the book of Acts.  The people of Israel confessed their compromises with the nations around them and then covenanted with God to completely separate themselves.  For them that was wise - if you can’t be the influencer, don’t become the influencee!

But as the Spirit of God is poured out and into the New Testament (new covenant) church we see them becoming the influencers of the nations who had gathered together for Pentecost, and thousands found faith in Jesus. When we realize that the very Spirit of God now lives in us, we can again take up the offensive and invade every corner of our world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We can teach the same things to our children at a very young age so they can become leaders early on.  We just came through Thanksgiving weekend. As I read through my journal from a past year I remembered how we prepared our three young grandkids, who were staying with us that weekend, for our big family dinner. We focused on being polite, generous and grateful, especially around the dinner table.  Because it was Thanksgiving weekend we had several opportunities to talk about those things, while gathering leaves outside, decorating inside, making name plates, baking cookies, getting ready for the extended family coming the next day.  By the time we tucked the kids into bed we could notice they were already living from the inside out (they have excellent parents so we can’t quite take all the credit!).

The point is, the promise of the Holy Spirit living through us extends to all of us today, and to our children, and to theirs too (2:39)!  “Thank You Lord that we don’t have to be influenced from the outside in but we can become the influencers from the inside out!”

October 12 - Respect the Law

Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 7,8; Acts 1

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

“Desire the sincere milk of the Word” (1 Pet. 2:2), without adding chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles!

 
We live in a day when life is far too fast paced.  We run to too many activities, energized by too much sugar and caffeine.  Our kids are often medicated for hyperactivity, and media has reduced their typical attention span to about 7 minutes, if that!

For those of us who teach or preach as a profession, our western culture is a challenge.  I remember fondly the young pastors in Sri Lanka who sat spellbound for the hours of training we provided every day all week long.  In our churches here at home we are fortunate to keep people’s attention for 30 minutes once a week, and we better lace the sermon with funny stories, video and prezi (power point is now passé).  Bonus points for any extra special effects you can throw into the mix!

Nehemiah asked Ezra to read the entire Torah (the Law) from early morning to late afternoon in front of absolutely everyone in Judah, 42,360 of them, men, women, and older children, standing, in the hot sun. No technology, no projectors, no microphones - just God’s Word. And when Ezra finished, everyone wept, not because they were glad it was over but because they were so happy to hear God speak to them (8:9)!

Our pastor in my home church read two full chapters from Joshua recently (he did use various readers and some improv acting to keep everyone’s attention), but I found it refreshing to hear the whole story without interruption.  I pray that we can run counter-culture and change the way we as God’s people respect the reading of God’s Holy Word. It starts with each of us reading for ourselves each day.  I love the daily discipline of reading and reflecting on Scripture.

“Thank You Lord for the joy of hearing from You every day - the joy of the Lord is my strength” (8:10).

October 11 - Incredible Credibility

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 5,6; Psalm 146; Luke 24

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

If you can’t walk the talk you will soon lose the people who are supposed to be walking behind you! 

Nehemiah is one of the best examples in the Old Testament of a consistently effective leader. How did he manage to convince the other leaders in Judah to not only stop extorting land and exorbitant tax from their fellow Jews, but to actually return what they had taken (5:12)?

The answer follows in a description of Nehemiah’s leadership by example.  He refused to receive the perks, the properties or the wages due him even when he became governor.  He not only lived with less, he took care of those who had less than he had (5:14-19).  Now that is incredible credibility!

It saddens me when I see political leaders campaign for lower taxes and fiscal restraint and then vote themselves a pay increase as soon as they are elected.  If you can’t walk the talk you will soon lose the people who are supposed to be walking behind you!

An even greater travesty is to see that kind of extortion in the church, where some prosperity teachers convince their flock that their thousand dollar suits and million dollar homes are signs of their spirituality.  Our New Testament readings of the life of Jesus show how far they’ve strayed from His example.

Jesus was able to inspire His apostles to give up everything, even their own lives, because He led by example.  He was certainly entitled to take what He deserved as the Son of God but He left it all behind to show us what real leadership is all about.

When my financial advisor discusses my limited retirement options with me, I remind him that God has always provided for me and my family in the past and will continue to do so into eternity.  My beautiful mother-in-law, Helen, pastored her whole life and continued to care for her flock in her retirement home up to 98 years of age.  She never owned a home other than a sod house they built with their own hands as homesteaders, but God made her rich beyond anything this world can offer.

“Lord, help me to follow Nehemiah, Helen, and Your example, and trust You for my provision today and for the rest of my life!”

October 10 - Dele“gate”ion

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 3,4; Luke 23

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

We cannot build “gate”ways of ministry into
our community without dele“gate”ion!

Unlike Ezra, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem without a delegation of exiles.  Apart from a small escort of soldiers, he was alone.  One man with a mission – to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  He crafted his vision through prayer and fasting (1:4), sharing his plan with a benevolent king (2:2-8), and then observing the lay of the land with some trusted men (2:11-12).

To some, chapter 3 may seem like TMI - too much information, but we need to appreciate the principles these details beautifully illustrate.  The overarching theme for me is clear:  if you want to rebuild ten gates (and all the connecting towers and walls in between) you must dele-gate!  Nehemiah, with proven credibility, inspires his people to “arise and build.”  And then he assigns tasks according to these insightful principles (followed by some examples from my home church):

• The priests should lead by example (3:1) eg. like the staff of NorthRidge serving on the Sunday set-up teams!
• Have them serve where they have a vested interest – “in front of their house” (3:23) eg. like dividing the city into parishes and having each church family hand out invitations to our annual carnival throughout their own neighbourhoods.
• Include everyone and their children in the work (note the emphasis on families in the text).
• God will take note of those who don’t get behind the work (I love how they are singled out in v. 5).
• Persevere in the face of opposition (4:8,9)
• Have some of the volunteers intercede in battle to protect the workers (4:13). eg.  we may not need swords and spears to protect the church in Canada but we do need to use spiritual weapons to push back the opposing gates of hell (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

There is so much wisdom in these chapters some would dismiss as irrelevant.  “Lord, thank You for reminding me today of how important every detail in Your Word is to me and those I influence.  May I always be known as a leader who builds the church through delegation.”

October 9 - Be “Preprayered”

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 1,2; Psalm 133; Luke 22

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

If only we would spend time each day “preprayering”
before we face temptation instead of repenting after. 

Be Preprayered!  It may not be how the boy scouts spell it, but it should be the motto of every believer!  It is certainly a theme in all our readings today.  Nehemiah practiced it well, spending days in fasting and prayer (1:4) before approaching the king for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  And even in the moment before his request, he paused in prayer again (2:4).  No wonder he gained favor and always acknowledged where that favor came from (2:8b,18,20).

Jesus also modeled “preprayeredness.”  He made Passover preparation easy for His disciples by prepraying ahead of time and seeing prophetically a safe place for them to meet (8-13).  This was followed by a night of prepraying for His impending betrayal and crucifixion.  He even reminded His disciples to do the same, knowing that they were about to face their greatest temptation (40).

You would have thought they would have sensed the urgency in their Master’s voice as He talked clearly about His betrayal and broken body in what we now know was their last supper together before His death.  And yet while Jesus prayed so deeply that He sweat blood, His disciples drifted off to dreamland.  No wonder they were caught unprepared for their own persecution for being associated with Jesus.

They all deserted Him, but this account focuses on Peter’s triple denial, followed by a wake-up call from a nearby rooster and his deep remorse.  If only he had spent the first part of the night praying beforehand instead of crying all night afterwards.  What struck me as I reread this account was how Jesus anticipated Peter’s failure and had already preprayed for his repentance and restoration as a leader:  “I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (32).

“Thank you Lord for praying for me and for my restoration after I sometimes face temptations unprepared!  Today I choose to be preprayered!”

October 8 - The Widow’s “Might”?

 Read today’s texts first: Ezra 9,10; Psalm 131; Luke 21 

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Only God leaves a “lasting” impression.

Sometimes I listen to the TV on remote headphones when I’m cleaning the house, and recently I caught up on some PVR episodes of The Voice and Bill Gaither (old people have eclectic taste!).  As I listened to the up-and-coming raw talent on The Voice, I have to admit I was impressed with people and their skills in music and production.  But when the Gaithers began singing, my spirit suddenly was filled with awe at how much more impressive God is.

When you meditate on God’s Word throughout the day it comes back to you in those moments. Chapter 21 in Luke talks about how impressive the Temple was (the same temple that Ezra helped rebuild after Israel’s prolonged captivity).  It was a spectacular tribute to human engineering.  But Jesus quickly brings perspective when He prophesies what will happen to this temple in the very near future (it was demolished by Titus some 40 years later).  He then contrasts the temporal state of the world with the permanence of His Word (v.33).

What struck me today was the simple story of the widow’s mite (KJV) that led into this profound teaching moment.  She understood that her strength, her future, was in God’s good hands and not in her ability to provide for herself.  That’s why she traded everything she had in this world for what Jesus promises in the life to come.  The same kind of sacrifice was required of the exiles in the Ezra reading as they were called to give up their heathen wives in obedience to God’s Word.

Christians today, like the Israelites of old, often make compromises, especially in our very comfortable and impressive western world.  I know I have, but “Lord thank You for reminding me today what, or should I say, Who, is really impressive!”

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus 

Let all heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away

But there's something about that name.

(Bill and Gloria Gaither)