March 31 - The Problem of Prodigals

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 9,10; Psalms 49; 1 Corinthians 16

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

We should spend quality and quantity time with our
children, but ultimately they must choose to
follow Jesus for themselves.

There’s a disturbing trend among great leaders in the Bible. Despite their successes in leading God’s people, they didn’t always have success in raising their own families. Today’s OT reading features Abimilech, who didn’t exactly make his father Gideon proud by killing all his brothers so he could be next in line for the throne. Other leaders coming up soon in our readings had similar problems: Samuel’s sons were too corrupt to follow him (1 Samuel 8:1-5), David’s sons tried to usurp his throne from him (1 Kings 1; 2 Samuel 15-18), Hezekiah’s son Manasseh undid every good thing his father had done (2 Kings 21), and so on and so on.

These illustrations of OT prodigals help me understand two things. First, as leaders, our highest priority is to lead our families in the faith. Paul said that one of the main qualifications to look for in choosing an elder is proven success in managing his own household. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? (1 Tim. 3:4,5). I remember one particular pastor’s conference when a pastor stood up and addressed his colleagues with this statement: “my church comes before my wife and my children.” Tragically, his wife had left him before next year’s conference, and a year later he was no longer a pastor. Misplaced priorities are costly. Our Abimilechs and Manassehs can undermine much of the good we spend our whole lives to accomplish.

But I have another observation that may help those of us who are trying to lead our families well and yet still have prodigals at home. Have you noticed that God, our Father, also has a lot of prodigals. Jesus picked Judas. Paul, who likely had no children of his own, struggled with his spiritual children, as we can see throughout his letter to the Corinthians. Pet theologies aside, free will is something we cannot control. We can and should spend quality and quantity time with our kids, model integrity, preach without words, fast, and pray for them, but ultimately our children must choose to follow Jesus for themselves. We cannot make that choice for them.

“Lord, the problem of prodigals will always be with us because You want us to love You of our own free will. I choose to do that today and I pray for my children and grandchildren that they would make that choice too!”

March 30 - Dying to Live

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 8; Psalms 42; 1 Corinthians 15

MAXIMize YOUR DAY
I like growing old! Being over the hill and on the way down is easier than going uphill.  It also means I’m
picking up speed towards a pretty cool final destination.

Today is my wife’s birthday. We won’t mention her age because apparently it’s a sensitive subject. I personally like this stage of life. Being over the hill and on our way down is technically easier than going uphill, so far. But if we are dreading death, the hope of a new life after this one should completely change our perspective.

At a recent family birthday party, we played “Loaded Questions.” One of the questions was, “which invention would you like to dis-invent?” My niece, Beth, answered, “the unflattering lighting in fitting rooms”, I answered “Facebook” (sorry, I prefer face-to-face), but my granddaughter, 7 at the time, had the most profound answer: “I would dis-invent deadness!” Well good news Kaitlyn - Jesus did just that!

Paul is urging the Corinthian church to defend the truth of Christ’s resurrection against those who deny it (15:12-14). His death was crucial in forgiving our past, but His resurrection life is crucial to our hope for the future. Because death is only a doorway to an eternal life without pain and suffering, then heading downhill means we are picking up speed towards a pretty cool final destination. Happy Birthday, Babe! Be encouraged with these words:

When our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die -- then at last the Scriptures will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” …. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless (15:54,55,58). 

“Thank You Lord for the life I’m enjoying now, but I can’t wait for the perfect life ahead when I will see You face to face!”

March 29 - Broken Vessels of Light

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 6,7; Psalms 52; 1 Corinthians 14

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Hey fellow “Crackpots” - we don’t have to pretend
to have it all together.  His light shining through
our brokenness brings Him glory! 

I loved this song, “Broken Vessels of Light” (1986, Reba Rambo - yeah, I know I’m old!). The tune was cool, Reba was ultra-cool, but it was more than that. The lyrics spoke to me. We are broken, imperfect, clay vessels, yet God chooses to live inside us (2 Cor. 4:7). We don’t have to pretend to have it all together - His light shining through our brokenness brings Him glory.

The story of Gideon is the perfect illustration, or should I say “imperfect” illustration! Here was the youngest of the poorest family in their tribe, hiding from the Midianites. Jesus shows up (the “Angel of The Lord” in the story is likely another Christophany) and calls Gideon a “mighty man of valour.” God always sees us for what we can become in Him! Then, shocker, He asks Gideon to lead Israel against the Midianites and Gideon is sure He’s got the wrong man (6:14,15).

But the best part comes later when he hears about God’s brilliant military strategy. First, reduce your troops from 32,000 to 300. Then, when you are outnumbered 450 to one (8:10 - 135,000 to 300), go to battle carrying the following lethal weapons: a trumpet and a clay pitcher with a lit torch inside. Yeah, right! Those clay pots represented Gideon, his tiny army and the rest of the bedraggled Israelites. When they were broken and dependent on God, His light shone through and their enemies were scattered. That'll preach!

“Lord, I’ve been called a crackpot before, but I’m okay with that if people see Your light shining through those cracks.”

March 28 - Women Leaders

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 4,5; Psalms 39,41; 1 Corinthians 13

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

I don’t defend women in spiritual leadership because
of political correctness or feminist pressure.
I defend it because the Bible does!

This journal entry may tick off some people but, I’m sorry - we shouldn’t make the Bible say what we want it to. In every new school year at PLBC, some of our first-year male students questioned our female students, asking them why they were there. PLBC is committed to “training leaders to make a world of difference” – you’re a woman (they would say), and God says you can’t be a leader!

One of the passages they use to proof-text that view is coming up tomorrow, which was specific instruction to women who were interrupting a church service (1 Cor. 14:33-35). But fortunately our reading today gives us some wider context. That’s why we should study the entire Bible and always remember that God doesn’t contradict Himself!  I don’t defend women in spiritual leadership because of political correctness or feminist pressure. I defend it because the Bible does, in a day when those liberal views were not prevalent. In fact, the Bible was written in a time and place when women were generally diminished and devalued by everyone but God.

Deborah was a woman, a submissive Jewish wife even, yet she was also an anointed prophet and a God-appointed leader of Israel (4:4,5). As Judge, Deborah led Israel to victory over Jabin, King of the Canaanites, bringing peace to Israel for 40 years (5:31). Some say she was only a co-leader with Barak, but that’s not what the Bible says. Barak took orders from Deborah (4:6-9).

“Lord, what I’ve told my students I vow to you: I will never tell someone - male, female, or child - they can’t lead when You may have clearly called them to do just that!”

March 27 - Psst… Pass It On

 Read today’s texts first: Judges 1,3; 1 Corinthians 12

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Bob Dylan said it well, “you gotta serve somebody.”
If we don’t teach our children to serve God, they will serve themselves and eventually the god of this world.

There are parallels between Israel’s compromises with their heathen neighbours and the church struggling with the revived paganism of our day. I was a youth pastor over 30 years ago and I am shocked at how much more difficult it is now to keep our youth connected to church. They are being bombarded from all sides by sexual images, corrupt lyrics, and an overt celebration of sin once shunned.

Israel went through a similar culture shock. They came from a nomadic, introverted, family-centered society into a very different world. Like today, Canaanite culture was steeped in sexual perversion and violence. That is why God commanded Israel to drive them from their land. He warned Israel about entering into agreements, intermarrying, worshipping other gods, and exposing their children to such flagrant sin. But as Joshua’s generation died out, the next one did all of those things. After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals (2:10,11).

Somehow the Israeli parents failed in passing their faith on to their children, and it is a repeated pattern throughout the book of Judges. Every successive generation seemed to drift from their faith, suffer the consequences from their sin, and cry out to God for help. God would hear their prayers, send a judge to deliver them from their enemies, only to see the cycle continue. The theme of that day (and ours) was every man did that which is right in their own eyes (21:25). 

Sin is simply selfishness or self-centeredness. The antidote, once you have asked God for forgiveness, is becoming outwardly focused, to loving and serving God and other people. The secret is revealed in our NT reading today: discovering the gifts of God’s Spirit within each believer and putting them to work. As our children begin to see what God has given them to give away to others, the grip of selfishness is broken. The children’s ministry at our home church does this so well. At every age level, children are given opportunity to put what they are learning about God to work, in serving and ultimately leading younger children. This is modeled by adults throughout the church and hopefully in every home. 

Bob Dylan said it well, “you gotta serve somebody.” If we don’t teach our children how to serve God, they will live to serve themselves, and eventually the god of this world. “Lord, thank you for a family and a home church that showed me how to serve You. Help me continue to pass that on to my children and grandchildren!”

March 26 - I Will Serve the Lord

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 23,24; Psalms 44; 1 Corinthians 11

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Our choices not only affect us and our future, but they
influence those who are walking behind us.

Who in the Bible was born without any parents? The answer - Joshua, the son of none (Nun). Sorry ‘bout that, but as a kid I loved Bible jokes. Joshua did have parents, probably good ones from the way he turned out. He also had an excellent mentor, most likely shadowing Moses from the moment they left Egypt. And Joshua was definitely a son of God, one of only a few leaders in the Bible who finished well. We all remember his parting words to Israel. If you grew up in a Christian home you may have had them displayed on a plaque: Choose you this day whom you will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (24:15).

You most likely heard your parents say this to you often: “make good choices!” We all have choices to make every day. Unlike animals (in God’s creation, humans are not animals so don’t believe those who tell you differently), we do not live our lives by programmed instincts. We were created in God’s image, and one of the characteristics we inherited from Him is the ability to choose how we live our lives on this earth and where we will spend eternity. But the choice to serve God is more than a one-time decision. We are saved, or become a child of God, with one decision, but we work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12) by making godly choices every day.

Joshua stands out as an example of a man who did just that. What is even more remarkable is the legacy he left behind:  Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel (24:30). Like his mentor, Moses, Joshua left Israel in good hands. Paul, the apostle, made the same kind of choices and was able to say to his followers and successors: Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Our choices not only affect us and our future, but they influence those who are walking behind us.

“Lord, my prayer is the same as Joshua: I choose to serve You this day and every day; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

March 25 - Distance Learning

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 21,22; Psalm 47; 1 Corinthians 10

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

It is best to study at SHK, the School of Hard Knocks,  through Distance Learning.

I’m a big proponent of hands-on training. It has been the guiding value behind the Bible college and the church institutes I’ve led. Every student applies what they are learning immediately within the real-life world of a local church. But there is one school, from which we all need to graduate, where I would recommend completing each course by “distance learning.” The school is SHK, better known as the School of Hard Knocks!

Have you ever wondered why there are so many stories of failure in the Bible, especially within the history of Israel? Most other ancient documents, like those chronicling the Pharaohs or Caesars, often minimize or omit their leaders’ missteps and exaggerate their accomplishments. But the Bible is all about real people in real life making real mistakes. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did….These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come (1 Cor. 10:6,11).

For the most part, I grew up learning from the mistakes of others. Avoiding the traps of adolescence was worth the labels of “nerd” or “goody two shoes” (what does that mean anyways?). When I did persist in learning the wrong things the wrong way, I would look back later, shake my head, and wonder why I didn’t keep my distance. I could have - God always provides an escape route every time we are tempted (10:13).

“Lord, I am so grateful that Your Word helped me learn most of the hard lessons of life without the hard knocks. But when I failed some of those lessons, I am also grateful that You never kept Your distance from me.”

March 24 - Our City of Refuge

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 18-20; 1 Corinthians 9

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Jesus is our only “city of refuge” and to be
outside His protection is sure death. 

The legal system in the old wild west was swift, but not always just - saloon brawls, gun fights in the streets, notorious gangs, and pistol-packing posses who seldom waited around for the circuit-riding judge to show up. But the revenge-driven justice system of the older east, especially the middle east, was far more wild and woolly than the west.

God’s law stood in stark contrast to the vicious “law of the land” typical of the Canaanite nations. To protect those who were unjustly charged with premeditated murder, God commanded Israel to set aside six of the Levitical settlements as Cities of Refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, evenly accessible to all. The practical purpose for that time was clear (20:1-6), but like so much of God’s laws for Israel, there was also a foreshadowing of the future Messiah. Jesus would eventually become our ultimate refuge (Ps. 46:1; Heb. 6:18).

Jesus is a place of refuge accessible and available to all, Jews and Gentiles alike (20:9). He is our only refuge, and to be outside His protection is sure death (20:5). The most incredible parallel is that total freedom comes only after the death of the High Priest (20:6). But unlike the Cities of Refuge, Jesus provides a haven for the truly guilty, which includes all of us. Beyond the mercy of God pictured by these cities, the grace of God is illustrated by Jesus, who died in our place.

“Lord, You are my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1). I will never leave the protection of Your presence.”

March 23 - Pulling Up Roots

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 15-17; 1 Corinthians 8

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Sins are like weeds. If you don’t pull them out
by the roots, they will grow and multiply
bigger and stronger than ever!

Unlike my friends, I didn't get an allowance from my parents. We lived in a nice house, our dad seemed well-off (he owned six businesses), but the Buzza kids had to work for every cent. One of my favourite chores was pulling weeds. The demographics for this free-enterpriser were ideal - two acres of yards, lots of gardens and rockeries, and a ravine behind us when pickings were slim. At one cent per weed, the pay rate may violate child labour laws today, but back then seven weeds could buy you a popsicle! My dad did have one big condition, though - no root, no money!

Now that I’ve had my own rockeries, I understand the principle. With the return of spring comes weeds, and I could always see a big difference where I weeded last fall from where Jan “helped” me. She didn’t grow up with my dad so she didn’t pull up the roots when she weeded. Well, they not only survived the winter, they grew back bigger and stronger than ever, with new baby weeds!

This is a simple explanation for why God wanted all the corrupt Canaanite nations completely uprooted from the promised land (Deut. 31:3-6). If they were allowed to hang around, they would soon spread and choke off the spiritual life of Israel (Deut. 31:16-21). But as God predicted, Israel became lazy, tired, or fearful, and stopped short of driving out all the Canaanite nations from their allotted lands (15:63; 16:10; 17:12). The rest of the story we will be reading in the days ahead, but bookmark these verses. They become the reason for Israel’s continuing failures and ultimately their deportation from the promised land.

“Lord, I ask for your help in pulling up the roots of sin in my own life, anything that could spring up later to choke off our relationship or hinder anyone else in their relationship with You (1 Cor. 8:9-13).”

March 22 - Old Faithful

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 12-14;1 Corinthians 7

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

May what was said of Caleb be said of me:
He has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly!

Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, it’s the time I used to visit my good friend I lovingly called “Old Faithful.” I’m not referring to my gushing friend in Yellowstone, although this old geezer has visited that old geyser many times (each May on student tour). I am talking about my beloved Craftsman lawn mower with its reliable Briggs and Stratton motor. Two decades old, zero maintenance, never flush the fuel tank, never change the oil, started first pull every spring. I loved my mower! Faithfulness is one of my core values. Although I don’t always live up to it, I aspire to!

That’s why the story of Caleb inspires me. He and Joshua were the only two of the ten spies who believed Israel could possess the promised land, giants and all. God said Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly (Numbers 13:30; 14:24,30). He lived up to his name, which literally means “faithful,” “whole-hearted.”

Caleb, Joshua, and Moses were the only grown men to survive the wilderness wanderings, with God’s help. And knowing God was with him, at the ripe young age of 85, Caleb asked for the hill country of Hebron. Guess why? Because that’s where the giants lived, in the most fortified cities in all of Canaan. Love that guy, maybe more than my mower! God loved him too, and helped him take the land for himself and his family (14:6-14).

“Lord, You gave me this appreciation for the quality of faithfulness. Now I pray that I can live up to it and finish my life well. Like Caleb, if I need to face a few giants in my old age, I can “mow” them down with Your help!”

March 21 - Listening Skills

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 9-11;1 Corinthians 6

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

God wants us to listen to Him and, shocker,
He actually wants to listen to us. 

I regularly teach pre-marriage couples about interactive and reflective listening gleaned from my 46 years of wedded bliss to Jan. Okay, I pretend to know what I’m talking about but after more than four decades, I admit, it’s still a work in progress. Guys - can you ever understand what your wife is really saying? 

If that’s true of married couples, imagine the communication gap between man and God! And yet, God wants us to listen to Him and, shocker, He actually wants to listen to us. That’s the way it was in the beginning - Adam and Eve walking and talking with God in Eden (Gen. 3:8). That’s the way it can be with us now if Jesus lives in our hearts (Rev. 3:20). But we can even see God pursuing that kind of relationship with man before the finished work of Calvary. He talked with Moses face to face (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 34:10). Now, in our reading today, He is listening to Joshua (10:14).

In earlier blogs we’ve talked about the importance of listening to God, consulting with Him before every major decision. For the most part, Joshua did that, and when he didn’t (eg. Ai, the Gibeonites), the consequences were devastating. But we know that; we see it over and over again in Scripture, and we can get the impression that our relationship with God is one-sided. Just listen to God and do what He says (like marriage, right guys?). But what stood out to me in this passage was this verse: there has never been a day like it before or since, a day when God listened to a human being (10:14).

That was true. God may never again rearrange the solar system because we asked Him to, but He does listen to us. Recently, God encouraged me with a miracle of my own, small to some but huge to me, just to confirm I had made a good decision. It was a special moment between us, too personal for this blog, but life-changing for me. “Lord, thank You that not only do You speak regularly to me, You also listen.”

March 20 - Ai Yi Yi!

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 7.8; Psalms 69; 1 Corinthians 5

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

You can’t eat yesterday’s manna (except on the Sabbath) and you can’t fight new battles with old strategies. 

Joshua and the Israelites quickly go from the thrill of victory at Jericho to the agony of defeat at Ai. I love Bible names, especially when they fit the story. For example, at Shittim, they were in deep doo-doo (Numbers 25:1-3). After their first attack on Ai, it was “Ai yi yi” (Joshua 7:3-5). Another way to remember this city is “A (eh), I got this!”

After their miraculous rout at Jericho, they quickly became overconfident. One look at the far less fortified city of Ai and the scouts were saying, “hey, we don’t even need to send the whole army. Two or three thousand should do it. Give the other guys the day off!” So Joshua forgot about his bare-footed conversation with Jesus, decided he didn’t even need to pray this time, and, as a result, lost 36 men.

This is so typical of human nature. As soon as things start to go well, we think we’re the reason and soon forget about God. Then we fail, fall flat on our faces, come crawling back to God, only to repeat the cycle. It happens over and over again with God’s people, the Israelites and us, myself included!

There are at least two things to remember from this story. First, keep sin out of the camp. We can see it with Israel (7:11,12) and with the church (1 Cor. 5:1,2). If we expect God to fight our battles for us we had better keep our hearts pure. Second, don’t fall back on what worked in the past. Israel learned you can’t eat yesterday’s manna (except on the Sabbath) and you can’t fight new battles with old strategies. It’s fascinating to see how God gave Israel a new plan for every challenge they would face - for Ai it was the first recorded example of the classic pincer movement. Israel would need to consult with God every time they went to war. The same is true for us.

“Lord, thank You for the successes You’ve given me in the past. But today is a new day and I need to hear from You for the challenges ahead!”