August 8 - The Good Shepherd

 Read today’s texts first: Jeremiah 1,2; John 10

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

It’s true - sheep are stupid, they’re followers,
they can’t fend for themselves. Okay - compared
to the Good Shepherd, that’s me!

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep (10:14,15).

Jesus often compared Himself to a shepherd, and to us as sheep. People who don’t know Jesus don’t like that comparison. Sheep are stupid, they’re followers, they can’t fend for themselves. Compare me to a lion, king of the jungle, top of the food chain! The trouble is, when it comes to really understanding life here and the life to come, compared to God, we are pretty stupid and pretty much helpless. We were created to be dependent on God, our Good Shepherd. In fact, humbling ourselves and admitting our need for God is the first step toward real life, eternal life.

The next step is to know the Shepherd personally, to entrust our life to His care. When we get to know Jesus, we will learn to recognize His voice, and can follow His leading. There are a lot of voices calling out to us, trying to distract us, mislead us, draw us to the edge of some cliff or isolate us so we are attacked by predators. We are to beware of the sheep thief, who comes only to steal and kill and destroy. By way of illustration, Jeremiah is telling the Israelites, that’s exactly what they’ve done: they followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves (2:5b). Jesus, in contrast, comes that we may have life, and have it to the full (10:10).

How do we know we can trust this Shepherd, how do you know He is the “Good” Shepherd? It’s pretty simple. He’s not a hireling; it’s not just a job (10:12,13). He doesn’t look at His sheep as a paycheck, or worse, a future dinner, a rack of lamb with some nice mint sauce on the side! We can entrust our lives to Him because He laid down His life for us.

“Lord, I'm okay being called a sheep knowing You are my Good Shepherd.”

Saviour, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care; In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use Thy folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

August 7 - Blind Guides

 Read today’s texts first: Zephaniah 1-3; John 9

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Stay humble  - you don’t want God to humble you!

The zingers keep coming. The story of Jesus healing the man born blind has so many wonderful layers, it almost seems too good to be true. But the fact that it is true makes it even more spectacular. Here’s my list of favourite moments:

• The disciples see a blind man and start the blame game; Jesus sees Him and feels compassion (9:2,3).
• Jesus chooses a little dirt and some spit to heal the man (9:6). It may not be the most sanitary technique but every miracle requires a fresh approach. Yesterday’s manna is full of maggots. Jesus reminds us to always ask: "what is the Father saying now?" (You’ll notice the same thing with God’s military strategies in the O.T.).
• Jesus required the blind man to take a step of faith by washing his muddy eyes in the pool (9:7).
• People couldn’t quite recognize the man now that he could see (9:8,9). An encounter with Jesus changes you.
• Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. He did that a lot and it makes you wonder if He just liked to tick off the Pharisees (9:14).
• The Pharisees see a man who was born blind who can now see and their first thought is to call Jesus a sinner for healing on the Sabbath (9:15,16). How hard were their hearts?!
• They didn’t believe the man so they asked his parents. His parents said, “He’s a grown man, ask him!” (9:20,21).
• When they tried to get the blind man to agree Jesus was a sinner he counters with, Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see! (9:25).
• When the Pharisees kept asking him how Jesus did it, he gets exasperated, I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too? You gotta love Jewish sarcasm!
• After they got mad and threw the poor man out of the synagogue, Jesus stepped in with this great line: For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind (9:39).
• When the Pharisees picked up on the slam, they asked Jesus “What? Are we blind too?”  Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains (9:40,41).

 Zing! There are a whole lot of reasons to love Jesus but I personally love these moments when he brings down the arrogant Pharisees. Whether it’s the rebellious Israelites being redressed by Zephaniah or the hard-hearted religious rulers being slammed by Jesus, you don’t want to stand against God! “Lord, help me to stay humble because I would never want to be humbled by You!”

August 6 - The Great I Am

 Read today’s texts first: Habakkuk 1-3; John 8

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The Bible is filled with grand stories, unexpected plot twists, and heroes who deliver the perfect line
at the perfect moment.

I love a good book, but there is nothing like The Good Book! For enjoyment or relaxation I tend to read fiction, mostly because the stories are larger than life. They are exciting, stirring up my imagination in ways real life typically can’t. But God’s Word is real, it’s absolutely true, and yet it excites like no work of fiction could. The Bible is filled with grand stories, unexpected plot twists, and heroes who deliver the perfect line at the perfect moment. The end of John 8 is one of those moments; I’ve read it countless times, and it still brings me to the edge of my seat.

First, I read through Habakkuk, wondering how this prophet can be so bold in questioning God’s ways. If God wants to use an enemy nation to bring judgment and correction to Israel, how dare you second guess Him. But Habakkuk’s heart is right, He does love God, and he qualifies his questions with a resolve to accept whatever God chooses to do: Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord is my strength (3:18,19a). It seems God is very patient with those who love Him, cutting Habakkuk a lot of slack for what could be construed as insolence.

Not so with the self-righteous Jews in John 8. They too are questioning Jesus, but with a whole different agenda. They may have been the same people Jesus embarrassed when some religious leaders challenged Him to stone the woman caught in adultery. When He countered with, If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her, they knew they were in trouble. The only one worthy to throw that stone was Jesus and He was busy writing on the ground with His finger, probably each of their names beside their latest sin!

The rest of the chapter is this beautiful banter: the Jews trying to trap Jesus into blasphemy, and Jesus deliberately baiting them. When it came down to “my father/your father,” Jesus set up His clincher by mentioning He had hung out with their father Abraham. When they responded with You are not yet fifty years old...and you have seen Abraham? Jesus came back with this zinger - wait for it, I tell you the truth...before Abraham was born, I am (8:57,58).  I love that line!

“Lord, I’ve questioned You before and You have always been patient with me. But I do trust You, knowing You are the Great I Am, the eternal One who knows all, sees all, from beginning to end!”

August 5 - Virgin Records

 Read today’s texts first: 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Jesus is our Brother from another Father -
fully God and yet fully just like us!

After reading through the messianic prophesies of the major and minor prophets, it is shocking that the majority of Jews didn’t realize who Jesus was. When they saw Him perform extraordinary miracles and teach with such profound wisdom, they couldn’t make the connection to his very ordinary childhood in Nazareth (7:27,41). They would ask, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” “Doesn’t he come from Galilee?” (That’s like saying “c’mon, really, doesn’t he come from Surrey!”).

Well we know today in hindsight that Jesus was born of a virgin, from the very seed of God, so while He may have appeared ordinary, He was far from it! But The Jews then should have known that as well from the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. They should have expected His birth in Bethlehem from Micah 5:2, and, with some simple research, discovered how a Galilean baby like Jesus coincidentally arrived on the scene in a Bethlehem barn!

The records written before and after the Messiah’s unique virgin birth in Bethlehem and subsequent childhood in Nazareth set the backdrop for His mission on planet earth. Jesus could fully identify with the human condition, being born and raised in the most humble of surroundings by two very down-to-earth parents. Yet He clearly had a mindset and a mission that came from His real Father, God Himself. Fully God, fully man, uniquely sent as the second Adam to contest what the first Adam lost.

You have to laugh at the foolish religious leaders. Not only did they dismiss the overwhelming evidence that Jesus was God’s Son, they applied lots of peer pressure to convince others they were right: Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! (7:48). Actually, yea! When Nicodemus, one of their own who secretly believed in Jesus, questioned their rationale, they mocked him, Are you from Galilee, too? (Translation: “seriously, Nic, aren’t you another Surrey rat?”).

“Lord, I am so grateful You were man enough to fully relate to a former Surrey boy like me, yet You are also God, fully able to pay for my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

August 4 - To Whom Shall We Go?

 Read today’s texts first: 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Serving God brings freedom -
Freely helping yourself leads to bondage!

Peter had his inspired moments. In today’s reading, after Jesus offended the hangers-on looking for another free lunch, He looked at His remaining disciples and asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?... Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (6:67-69). When we get to know the One who created us, we should finally realize there is no one else who knows us better, who loves us more, and who we can trust more fully.

Even Josiah, the youngest king of Judah, figured that out early in his life. After discovering a copy of God’s Word in the Temple and seeing how far his people had strayed from God’s laws, he tore his royal robes in repentance.  Though he was personally right with God, he identified with the sins of Judah, feeling deep remorse on their behalf and bravely leading them in a complete reformation. His epitaph is impressive: Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses (23:25).

Notice how compliance to God and His Word brings freedom, whereas defiance against Him brings bondage. The message from the god of this world, since the day he slithered up to the first man and woman in the garden, is “serve no one, make your own decisions, look out for número uno!” In other words, he is saying, “be your own god!” It’s the oldest lie in the book, and Josiah’s successors illustrate the consequences of believing that lie. The first, Jehoahaz, was literally put in chains by Egypt’s Pharoah (23:33); the second, Jehoiakim, was enslaved by the King of Babylon (24:1). If you set out to serve yourself you end up serving Satan (Rom. 6:16).

“Lord, there is no One else I trust with my life, nowhere else I can go for direction, for this life and the life to come!”

August 3 - When God is Unmoved

 Read today’s texts first: Nahum 1-3; John 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When we move away from God?
Good luck with that! 

Yesterday we saw how easily God’s heart is moved when we move toward Him. But what happens when we move away from Him? The city of Nineveh and the religious rulers in our readings today provide clear examples.

About 100 years before Nahum’s prophecy, Jonah had a whale of a visit in Nineveh. When he was vomited up on their shores, seaweed in his hair, his skin bleached from stomach acids, the entire city repented. Evangelists today should try that look instead of $1000 suits - it may be more effective. But things changed a century later as once again the citizens of Nineveh set their hearts arrogantly against God.

This is what Nahum said to them: The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of [Nineveh]; he will pursue his foes into darkness (1:7,8). In 612 BC, Nineveh was so devastated by the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians that it was completely leveled and covered by desert sands. Archaeologists doubted it even existed until A. H. Layard began excavations in 1845. Once again, Bible history and prophecy was confirmed!

Fast forward to the story of Jesus healing the lame man in Bethesda. It is a moment of incredible compassion and power, and you would think everyone would be ecstatic. Not so much, especially the religious leaders. Jesus healed the man, and the man picked up the bed he had lain on for 38 years, on the Sabbath, of all days. Gasp, how terrible! (Jesus performed a lot of healings on the Sabbath - makes you think!).

As they tried to stir up the crowd against Jesus, he said this: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts (5:39-42). When you refuse to come to Jesus, watch out! Death awaits.

“Lord, where else can I go? Who else has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). I set the course of my life to draw closer to You each day!”

August 2 - The Lord Was Moved

 Read today’s texts first: 2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33; John 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

When we move toward God,
God is moved!

So often in talking to preChristians about Jesus, I’ve heard these words, “I’m not good enough to be a Christian. God could never forgive what I’ve done!” In response, I often tell the story of Nicky Cruz. He was the notorious leader of the Mau-Maus, a vicious street gang from New York. Nicky would slit throats because he liked the smell of blood, but he was the first gang member converted under David Wilkerson’s ministry (check out The Cross and the Switchblade). His transformation led to the founding of Teen Challenge. If God could forgive Nicky and change his life so powerfully, no one is beyond His love.

The same could be said of the two stories in our readings today. Manasseh was without a doubt the most evil king of Judah, worse than even the worst king of the northern tribes, and apparently worse than any of the pagan kings around them. Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites (33:9). He undid all the good his father, King Hezekiah, had accomplished during his extended life, desecrating the very Temple of God with an Asherah Pole.

But when God stopped Manasseh by having him dragged into exile, he actually repented! In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God (33:11-13). That phrase “The Lord was moved” shocked me. I know God is merciful but after what Manasseh had done why wasn’t God angry or at least a little cynical?

Fast forward to our story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Jesus felt compelled to travel through Samaria, instead of skirting around the region as most self-respecting Jews would do! Apparently His heart was moved by not only a despised half-breed Samaritan, but a woman (in those days Rabbis didn’t waste their time teaching women). Worse yet, she was an immoral woman, who had been married five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. But Jesus changed her life that day, so dramatically that many from her town also became followers of Jesus (4:39-42).

“Lord, no matter how good or bad I think I’ve been, I need Your grace and I’m never beyond it. When I move toward You, You are moved!”