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.”

October 19 - God Loves Me Best

 Read today’s texts first: Job 5; Psalms 108; Acts 10,11

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

God may love you best (better than anyone else
loves you), but He does not love you more. 

I’m old enough to remember the Smothers Brothers and Tommy’s famous complaint of his younger brother Dick, “Mom always liked you best!”  I heard the same thing from my five older siblings (one of the hazards of being the baby), but in our family it was true and for good reason!  I was just more loveable and my parents were only human!

But, it is simply not true of God.  He lives up to our God-inspired ideals. He may love me best (better than anyone else loves me), but He does not love me more.  Contrary to the theology of some who follow some reformed thinking, God is not partial.  Yes, He is sovereign and has every right to play favourites, but our readings in Acts today remind us that He is always consistent with His values (10:34,35).

God loves everyone; Jesus died for everyone; no one is excluded from His grace (unmerited favour). Note: The one exceptional passage in Romans 9:11-16 was an illustration to explain to the Jews how God has the right to include the Gentiles.  The rest of the letter defends His impartiality to choose all of us and our free will to choose Him (Romans 10:11-17).

The Jews had misunderstood their role as God’s chosen people and misrepresented God to the rest of the world.  They were chosen, not to the exclusion of others, but to take the impartial love of their God to every nation.  So ingrained was their misunderstanding and mistrust of those outside the Jewish faith, God had to shock Peter into taking the gospel to the Gentiles with a repeated vision of pigs in a blanket!

That new awareness of God’s impartiality, led by Peter and Paul, coupled with persecution from their own people, drove the mission of the church outward. Today we face our own biases and prejudices, sometimes thinking surely God doesn’t want us to reach “those” people.  The answer is always “yes He does!” 

"Lord, show me today who I need to tell, 'God loves you best too!'” 

October 18 - Discomforting Comforters

 Read today’s texts first: Job 3,4; Acts 8,9

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Beware of using the charismatic credit card, saying
“thus saith the Lord,” when it’s really “thus saith me!” 

Have you ever been advised or admonished by someone who claims to have a Word from God for you?  Job did.  After experiencing the tragic loss of his children, employees and possessions, now Job is faced with searing physical pain throughout his whole body.  His three good friends come to comfort him.  And they do, for seven straight days, just sitting with him when words simply aren’t as effective as silent reassurance.

But eventually Eliphaz can restrain himself no longer.  He tries to bolster his credibility by saying this message came to him directly from God in a vision at night (4:12-16).  He then proceeds to blame Job for his troubles, that good people don’t suffer like this, and that he is simply reaping what he has sown.  Thanks buddy!

We know that what he is saying isn’t true generally.  So much of Scripture (including both readings today) teach us that suffering is an important part of following Jesus and forming our faith.  We also know this isn’t true specifically about Job because of God’s recommendation of him earlier (1:8) and His condemnation of Eliphaz later (42:7) for misrepresenting Him.

There are at least two lessons for us from this story.  First, we must be careful that we don’t attribute to God what is essentially our own biased opinion formed through personal experience.  Unfortunately, I have been on both the giving and receiving end of such uncomfortable advice.

The second lesson applies to how we respond to such advice or admonishment.  It can also apply to personal prophesies spoken over us.  I have learned that if I stay close to Jesus, He can tell me what I need to know about my life personally (my sheep know my voice – John 10:4).  The words of well-meaning friends should only confirm what God has said or will say to me directly.

 “Lord, thank You that you do speak to me personally and I can trust You to guide, comfort and challenge me today!”

October 17 - Good People Have Bad Days

 Read today’s texts first: Job 1,2; Acts 6,7

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The faith and peace that persist during really bad days
are miraculous and powerful and convincing.

Today’s readings share another common theme – good, God-fearing people can have really bad days (also weeks, months and years!). Job experienced one blow after another. Four bearers of bad news, talking over each other in their excitement to report Job’s worst day ever – Job’s oxen and donkeys taken by a neighbouring tribe and his servants killed, his sheep and shepherds struck by random lightning, his camels raided by another tribe who also killed those servants, and, oh yeah, a roof collapsed in a bizarre windstorm, killing his seven sons and three daughters!  Job’s response – The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord (1:21). When his own body was ravaged by painful boils, from head to toe, Job encouraged his wife – Shall we indeed accept good things from God and not accept adversity? (2:10).

It might be hard to believe there could be a worse day than Job’s but Stephen’s story in Acts 6 and 7 may top it.  This wise and wonderful man of God was chosen to care for the Gentile widows (6:1-5), performed miracles in his service to God (6:8), and preached a brilliant sermon that traced the legacy of Christ through the Old Testament stories.  For that, he was dragged before the Jewish Council, accused falsely and publicly stoned.  With rocks being hurled at him, he finds enough peace to look up to heaven and respond just like Jesus did at His crucifixion – Lord, do not hold this sin against them (7:60).

A few years ago on this day I recounted a testimony of great miracles that happened through a young woman from our church who God sent on a mission to Belize.  The week before we heard another testimony from a godly man in our church, married with two young boys, who was in the middle of a painful battle with brain cancer, with no miracle of healing to report.  His words were similar to Job’s and Stephen’s and they were as much an encouragement to our congregation as the stories of great miracles.  The faith and peace that persist during really bad days are miraculous and powerful and convincing. 

“Lord, thank you for the many good days and years I’ve enjoyed serving You, but help me to continue praising You when the inevitable bad days really challenge my faith!”

October 16 - Fear and Comfort

 Read today’s texts first: Malachi 3,4; Psalms 148; Acts 5

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The fear of the Lord simply means reverence, respect
and awe – otherwise known as love. 

Another theme emerged from both the OT and NT readings today – the fear of the Lord.  This topic has always stretched me beyond my understanding.  Because God is much bigger than we are, His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8,9).  That’s why we struggle when we try to fit God into our preconceived doctrinal boxes - God’s sovereignty and man’s free will, God’s justice and mercy, the fear of God and the comfort He brings.  Notice that these are not mutually exclusive, either/or; they are both/and!  We will likely always struggle understanding the tension between these complementary attributes of our awesome God!

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase (Acts 9:31).  Fear and comfort seem like opposites, yet we should find both simultaneously in our relationship with God if we want to be part of a growing church.

The Malachi reading sternly warns of the consequences of disobeying and not serving God, but offers promises to those who fear Him (3:5,16;4:2).  The Acts account tells the scary story of Ananias and Sapphira, who made a generous offering to the church but said they gave all when they held back some for themselves.  The sin was not the gift or the sum that was withheld – the sin was lying to the church, and when you lie to His bride you are essentially lying to God (5:4,9).  When they were struck down by God, “great fear came over the whole church” (5:11).  You think?!

Legalists love this topic – they think we need a revival of fear to fall on the church today.  Those who overemphasize God’s comfort are “uncomfortable” discussing a fear-based relationship with a compassionate God.  Neither group fully understands the breadth of God’s love.  None of us do.

My Dad modeled this tension as well as any human could.  Mom tried to discipline us but as we got older her wooden spoon became more of a joke to the six headstrong Buzza brats.  But her threat, “wait till your father gets home,” put the fear of God back into our hearts.  Sometimes he used a belt (I can remember only one time, but I was the baby of the family, and a good one at that!), but mostly it was just a stern warning quickly followed by unconditional love.  We were never terrified by our dad, but we did respect him and what he believed.

The phrase “fear of the Lord” in both the OT and NT (remember, He’s the same God) means reverence, respect and awe – otherwise known as love.  We don’t obey God because we are terrified of Him or even of the consequences of sin.  We obey Him because He is worthy of our obedience and we love Him (John 15).  “Lord, may I discover today how my reverence for You is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).