September 24 - Says You!

 Read today’s texts first: Ezra 1; Psalms 84, 85; Luke 7

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Jesus always speaks with authority and integrity -
what He says He will do gets done!

I understand authority.  My dad wasn’t domineering, but he was clearly the head of our family.  His reputation as WW 2 flight leader over a squadron of B-24 pilots helped bolster our respect.  Mostly it was his integrity – what he said he would do, he did.

The Roman centurion in the Luke 7 reading understood authority too.  He commanded a “century” of soldiers (100 men) and expected them to obey.  Yet there was more to this man than his rank and armor.  Behind that tough exterior must have been the soft heart of a seeker.  Why else would he build the Jews, their subjects, a synagogue?  Why would he care so much for a sick servant?  How did he know about Jesus and why would he think this lowly Jew could and would heal his servant?

It takes a leader to spot another one.  The centurion had obviously noticed Jesus in action earlier.  He recognized that Jesus spoke with authority and integrity.  He saw a man of His Word.  For someone of such high rank to be so humble and so subservient to a Jew who was his subordinate, shows he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

So did Jesus, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (9).  “Lord, may I live this day with that kind of confidence in You and Your Word.  When the voices of doubt inside my head whisper, ‘says who?’ I want to respond like the centurion, ‘says You!’”

September 23 - Lord of the Sabbath

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 11,12; Luke 6

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Rules, works, comparisons, judgments and religious
pride are the antithesis of who God is
and who we should be.

The Pharisees missed it again.  Instead of focusing on their relationship with God, they reduced their faith to rules and regulations.  The Sabbath was made for man, to connect us with the Lord of the Sabbath.  But the legalists turned it around, implying that man was made for the Sabbath.  They became slaves to a system, turning a weekly opportunity for a faith lift into bondage to a repressive religion.

We do the same thing in the church today.  A relative of mine lost faith in the church because of the legalism, perceived or real, at his Christian school.  His friends were reprimanded and, at times, suspended for offenses like listening to secular music while shooting baskets after school in the gym, walking around with their shirt untucked, or having white markings on what should have been all-black shoes!  He connected what seemed like pharisaical legalism to the church in general.  How many others have done the same?  When North Americans are polled, the vast majority say they love the man Jesus but not His church.  We are perceived as hypocrites who focus more on rules that our relationship with a loving God.

The Jews today have elevators in Jerusalem (we rode them a few years ago) that automatically stop on every floor during “Shabbat” (sabbath).  When you aren’t supposed to lift a finger to touch an elevator button, Jesus was asking a man to raise his shriveled arm and then He healed him.  The purpose of the Sabbath is restorative (the day of rest).  Spending time with Jesus eating (v. 1) or being healed in His presence (v. 10) is exactly the spirit of the Sabbath.

“Lord of the Sabbath, help me interpret and live out Your Word in the Spirit it was written – the Holy Spirit.  Rules, works, comparisons, judgments and religious pride are the antithesis of who You are and who You’ve called me to be.”

September 22 - Living in the “Fast” Lane

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 9,10; Psalm 123; Luke 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Spiritual power comes through building up the spirit by denying the flesh and relying on the “Bread of Life.”

The title here may be a tad misleading – we’re not talking about living loosely here.  Quite the opposite.  Daniel was a man of incredible discipline, making time to pray every day, without fail.  The only time he broke from the routine was to pray more and add another discipline of fasting.

This is the way Daniel did battle.  Most soldiers, like athletes, eat a high protein diet, then build up the body to overpower the opposition.  But Daniel’s enemy, like ours, was not flesh and blood.  Spiritual power comes through building up the spirit by denying the flesh and relying solely on the “Bread of Life”.

After three weeks of prayer and fasting down by the river, Daniel heard from Gabriel about the effects of his warfare.  While he prayed, the armies of heaven, led by Michael, were mobilized to overcome the Prince of Persia, a demonic principality.  It was the beginning of the end of the Jewish captivity, leading ultimately to their release by Cyrus.  That one man, agonizing in prayer by the river, was the pivotal battle – a foreshadowing of Jesus at Gethsemane.

“Lord, may I never underestimate the power of prayer and the need to move forward today, on my knees.”

September 21 - The End In Sight

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 7,8; Psalm 137; Luke 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Live each day with the “End” in sight!

Anyone who doubts the Bible is God’s Word needs to read from the book of Daniel.  He had three separate visions, in chapters 2, 3 and 8, involving different images but the same interpretation.  Daniel, through God-given insight, predicted the rise and fall of four major world powers before they happened.

There is nothing more compelling than fulfilled prophecy - not the generalized mumbo jumbo of today’s astrologers, but the kind of striking details given in Scripture, with the historical documentation to prove they were written hundreds of years before they came to pass.  Coincidence?  The laws of probability say “impossible!”

With that sense of overwhelming confidence in God’s Word, consider the end result of the vision in chapter 7:17,18.  Yes, in the final conflict the saints will come under attack by the Antichrist and the god of this world who empowers him, but the end is inevitable:

But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.  Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.  This is the end of the matter. (7:26-28)

“Lord, may I never doubt Your Word or Your promise.  I can’t fail when I’m partnered with the Ancient of Days (7:13, 22), the Beginning and the End.  Lord, may I live today with the End in sight!”

September 20 - “Hand”writing

 Read today’s texts first: Daniel 5,6; Psalm 130; Luke 3

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Ask for God’s hand on your life
before He writes with it on your wall. 

I knew there was a spiritual reason why I prefer handwriting my journal entries rather than typing them.  It’s not just because I type painfully slow with two uncoordinated fingers. God Himself, though infinitely progressive, chooses to write by hand (actually with His finger) instead of creating “Word” documents (He could bring a whole new meaning to the term “power point”).

Whether it’s the ten commandments on stone, indiscretions of the Pharisees in the sand or Belshazzar’s judgment on the wall, God’s personal penmanship (without the pen) usually spells trouble with a capital “T”!  Why didn’t Belshazzar learn from his father Nebuchadnezzar.  Surely having a dad who grazed for grass alongside donkeys and cows was a lesson in humility you’d remember.

The problem is that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  We are built to function only under a theocracy and anything less, from tyranny to monarchy to, yes, gasp, even democracy creates an imbalance in power.  Belshazzar was willing to worship the gods he made with his hands, but not the one true God “who holds in his hands your life” (5:23).

“Lord, help me to recognize Your hand on my life before I actually see it writing a warning on my wall.”

September 19 - Over my Head

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 47,48; Luke 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

The River of Life flows from God’s throne
and it’s time to get in over your head!

The parallels between Ezekiel’s visions and John’s in the Revelation are too many to be coincidental.  One of the most specific is of the river that flows out from the Temple (Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22).  In both accounts, the river flows out from God’s throne and waters life-giving trees along its banks.

The difference is Zeke’s dip in the river.  He starts slowly, just getting his feet wet.  But soon he’s up to his knees, past his waist and finally over his head.  The river of God always represents the Holy Spirit so Zeke’s gradual immersion is a picture of surrender to the Spirit.

One other distinction in the Ezekiel account is the river’s effect on the dead sea it flows into.  In this case, it actually revives the sea, freshening the water and creating an environment where fish flourish.  The picture is in stark contrast to what Ezekiel and his readers would be familiar with.  The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea now as it always has, but instead of bringing life, the salty sea instantly deadens the river, killing its fish.  When I heard that from Daniel, our guide in Israel, I thought what a great location for a fish and chips stand - the fish conveniently float to the surface, pre-salted and ready for the deep fryer.

The application speaks of a growing dependence on the Spirit, where we learn to trust Him more and more, to the point of surrendering control.  When we become truly Spirit-led, the effect can be miraculous, bringing life to a dead world that at one time could have killed us.

“Lord, I’m ready for a swim today.  I’m starting to understand how much I can do if I’m over my head and completely reliant on You!”

September 18 - Turning Hearts

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 45,46; Luke 1

 MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Only a heart turned towards God
can turn other hearts the same way. 

Most people look for a leader that turns heads.  When Israel wanted a king, their first choice was Saul, because he stood head and shoulders above everyone else - literally.  But God’s choice was David, the runt of his family, because he was a man after His own heart.  The heart is more important to God than the head, or the face for that matter.  And history proves that only a heart turned towards God can turn other hearts the same way.

Zechariah was told by the angel, Gabriel, that his son would go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous (Luke 1:17).  This is exactly what Malachi had prophesied 400 years earlier (Mal. 4:5).  John the Baptist would not be a head-turner.  His wardrobe of camel’s hair and diet of locusts may have turned a few stomachs, but he would not win people over with his charm and good looks.  Yet he did turn hearts and you can only do that in God’s Spirit and power - the same way Elijah did. 

The other day I glanced in the rear-view mirror while driving and noticed a patch of whiskers under my nose that somehow I missed while shaving in the shower the past few days.  Obviously I need to look in the mirror a little more often, but I’m actually glad that my physical appearance is not high on my list of priorities.  “Lord, I want to spend more time developing a heart for You and the lost than I spend in looking good on the outside.  Turning hearts is more important than turning heads, and for that I need Your Spirit and power.”