Day 334: 1 Corinthians 13, 14, 15 and 16

[Love] always hopes (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Eugene Peterson translates this phrase as: [Love] always looks for the best (The Message). My own paraphrase reads: [Love] always gives the benefit of the doubt. And yet that is one of the most difficult things we will ever be called upon to do.

The antithesis of giving the benefit of the doubt is assuming the worst. This is so easy to do and, truth be told, probably the default setting for most of us. Unfortunately this lack of trust is a killer for relationships. Countless marriages have succumbed to the ravages of distrust, and countless hours of counseling have been spent in an attempt to stem the tide of disbelief.

And the church is not immune. When circumstances can be taken in more than one way, too often we err on the side of misgiving (we miss giving the benefit of the doubt). When a simple statement can be received as innocent or sinister, our insecurities make it too easy to come down on the negative side of things.

In fact, an inability to trust says a lot more about us than it does about those in whom we lack faith.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Doubt? There was none. We were guilty – hands down – and God still chose to believe in us.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Do you need to give someone the benefit of the doubt? When your default setting is to believe the worst, ask God’s help instead to believe the best.

Day 333: 1 Corinthians 10, 11 and 12

Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good (NCV, 1 Corinthians 12:7).

Paul reminds us that everyone has a gift.

Here’s the thing: the gifts of the Spirit are not for personal use. Your gifts are not for you; they’re for me, and my spiritual gifts aren’t for me; they’re for you. To be fulfilled, I must share my gift with the church.

Lots of people can preach better than me. Lots of people can sing better. Lots of people can write better music. Many are more discerning, more merciful, and more filled with faith. But when God put my spiritual gift mix together, he made me just the way he wants me, and I’m the best me there is in the whole world.

But even in being the best me in the whole world, I need to remember that no matter how good a me I am, I’m still not you. We were not meant to work in isolation, but in community. We really do need each other. No one has every gift; not everyone has the same gift; but everyone has a gift. And in God’s kingdom, everyone’s a 10 at something! It is in joining our gifts together, uniting for a common purpose that we function as the Body of Christ.

Every once in a while I’ll ask my church to repeat after me. This is the body of Christ and I am a part of it! We’re in this together.

Together you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body (NCV, v. 27).

TODAY’S MEDITATION

It’s almost Christmas. What’s your gift to the Body this year?

Day 332: 1 Corinthians 7, 8 and 9

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Corinthians 8:9).

What should I do when standing up for my rights hurts other people? In yesterday’s text, Paul states we have the right to do anything, but that some things aren’t good for us and other things, if indulged in, could enslave us. In today’s reading, Paul gives us another assessment as to whether or not a decision is wise.

Specifically Paul is writing about eating meat offered to idols. Those whose faith is strong know that idols have no inherent power, and for them meat offered to idols would not be considered guilty by association. However, for those whose faith is weak – those who still associate meat with pagan worship rituals – the problem is very real. Paul says though some may not see a problem, they have more to consider than just that. They have brothers and sisters in Christ who would feel like they were betraying their Lord if they were to eat that devil meat.

In Romans 12, Paul writes: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves (v. 10). This suggests that when my rights clash with those of another, I should carefully consider whether or not it’s worth asserting those rights. Perhaps it would be better, in that instance, to set my rights aside and, in so doing, honor my brother or sister in Christ.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

God knows how selfish we can be at times. Ask his help to treat others the way you would want to be treated. How will you honor others above yourself this week?

Day 331: 1 Corinthians 4, 5 and 6

I have the right to do anything (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Paul rebukes the Corinthians for abusing their freedom in Christ. “I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything,” – but I will not be mastered by anything (6:12 in its entirety).

In a self-indulgent society that sometimes rubs off even on the church, Paul gives us some guidelines for discerning whether or not certain choices are wise. Just because something is legal or permissible doesn’t mean it’s smart. Paul gives two assessments.

It’s permissible, but is it good for me? Some things won’t hurt me, but they won’t help me either.  They aren’t necessarily bad for me, but they’re definitely not good for me. Does that mean I can never indulge? No, of course not. An occasional chocolate bar is a delicious treat, but eating one every day is diabetes waiting to happen.

It’s permissible, but could it master me? Though I personally choose not to drink, I know the biblical writers never say we should avoid alcohol completely. At one point Paul actually recommends wine for its medicinal value (1 Timothy 5:23), although in another place he warns against drunkenness (Romans 13:13). My father and both my grandfathers struggled with alcoholism, so my decision not to drink at all is based more on family history than religious conviction.

Is it good for me? Could it master me? God leaves some things to our own discretion.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How do you use good judgment regarding “permissible” things?

Day 330: 1 Corinthians 1, 2 and 3

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth how neither he nor Apollos can claim all the credit for their conversion. Paul may have been the first to tell them about Christ, but Apollos had followed up with faithful teaching. Working together, they brought the message that resulted in salvation.

In John 4, Jesus teaches his disciples to be on the lookout for kingdom opportunities. He borrows two agricultural axioms. The first: Four months more and then the harvest (NIV 1984, v. 35), is addressed on Day 310 (November 6). The second: One sows and another reaps (v. 37), was commonly used in a fatalistic sense. One might do all the hard work, but someone else would surely reap the benefit. But Jesus applied it in a new way. He taught, like Paul, that evangelism is a team sport. Paul said one plants and another waters. Jesus said one plants and another harvests. Same thing.

Nineteenth century preacher Dwight L. Moody preached in Chicago the night of the great Chicago fire. By popular account he did not give an altar call and many of those who delayed making a decision for Christ perished. Moody vowed to never again put off asking for a spiritual commitment. While I admire Moody’s conviction, I am relieved that the responsibility for evangelizing lost souls is a shared one.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Consider that whether you plant the seed, water or harvest, it is God who makes it grow. How can you do your part in spreading the good news this week?

Day 329: Romans 13, 14, 15 and 16

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters (Romans 14:1).

St. Augustine is usually credited with the statement: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Paul tells us there definitely are such things as non-essentials. He says we are to accept those who disagree with us on these gray areas without feeling the need to set them straight even though we think they’re wrong.

Disputable matters are those about which God has not seen fit to give us detailed instruction. But even though God did not set down in black and white what we are to do or believe in regard to these things, he left nothing to the imagination about how he expects us to treat those with whom we disagree.

Too often in today’s polemical atmosphere, we have taken what are rightfully matters of opinion and elevated them to dogma. If not quarreling (feeling the need to prove someone wrong) is how Paul describes acceptance, then quarreling must be a synonym for rejection, and we will never win someone over to our way of thinking while at the same time rejecting them.

If God, rather than giving us a paint-by-numbers Christianity, chose to leave some issues to our discretion, then perhaps even more important than defining answers to these disputed matters is how we treat one another.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Can you accept those who think differently than you, without feeling the need to set them straight? If it was really such a crucial matter couldn’t the Holy Spirit confront them?

Day 328: Romans 10, 11 and 12

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Occasionally I am tasked with creating worship slides for projection. Since the chorus is repeated after every verse, I simply cut and paste the original lyric into its new spot as many times as it’s needed. This works fine unless there’s a typo in the original slide because then all my cutting and pasting replicates that same mistake into every chorus.

Given the opportunity, our environment will imprint its values and behaviors on us. Not easily ignored, society aggressively cuts and pastes its way of doing things into our thinking. Paul is telling us we don’t have to be carbon copies of the world around us. Rather than being clones of our culture, we can reflect the character of our Creator.

When I access certain programs on my laptop, it asks, Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer? There are also, even though they are more subtle, prompts I receive from the Holy Spirit when my environment tries to make deleterious changes to my programming.

The world is doggedly determined to find its way into my brain. If I want to submit my conscious mind as well as my subconscious to the life-changing power of the Spirit, I must be intentional about connecting with God and his Word.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How do you give God access to your mind and spirit?

Day 327: Romans 7, 8 and 9

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Did God one day create cancer and say, This is great! People are going to love this once they figure out it’s for their own good!? What about tsunamis? …child abuse? I don’t think so. While I’m sure that occasionally something that appears bad could be planned by God and ultimately be a good thing after all, the truth is bad things happen to good people, and there’s no sense blaming God for that.

But Romans 8:28 doesn’t say nothing bad will ever happen to us. It doesn’t even say every bad thing is a good thing in disguise that we are just too limited to see. What it does say is that God works for our good in everything that happens. The question is: Will we let him?

When bad things happen to us, we can spend the rest of our lives being resentful, blaming anyone and everyone else for our problems, or we can surrender those hurts to God and ask him to help us grow through them. If we submit those things to God, he will reveal something of himself to us – he might even show us something about ourselves we didn’t know – that will help us come out on the other side stronger and more like Christ. In fact, it is by giving ourselves to God in those difficult times, we allow him the freedom to work into our lives the healing and growth we need, which in turn brings about the abundant life (John 10:10). The end results are often determined by our response.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How can times of trouble and trial serve as opportunities for God to do good things in your life, and to bring good things to your life?

Day 326: Romans 4, 5 and 6

People cannot do any work that will make them right with God (NCV, Romans 4:4).

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) wrote: “O Lord our God, grant us the grace to desire Thee with our whole heart; that so desiring we may seek and find Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and loving Thee, may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us. Amen” [9].

During these few days before Thanksgiving, I am once again compelled to thank God for his saving work in my life. Coming from a holiness movement background, it is always tempting to fall into the thinking that says my behavior earns me right relationship with God. Today I am reminded that my best behaviors are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) before a perfect God.

We must remember that holiness is about loving God so much that it affects who we are, which in turn affects how we act. John wrote that we love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19).

It goes back to the words of Moses: For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws (Deuteronomy 30:16).

“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen” [10].

TODAY’S MEDITATION

What motivates your good behavior? As God’s love is poured into your life, may it flow back to him in worship and obedience.

Day 325: Romans 1, 2 and 3

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven (Romans 1:18).

Romans chapter 1 lets us in on the reasons for humanity’s downward spiral. Verse 29 tells how bad things have gotten: They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. We have to back up a few verses to find where things went wrong. They wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks (NLT, v. 21).

The consequence of mankind’s rebellion was God’s wrath. The idea of people venting their wrath paints a picture of mindless explosions of uncontrolled anger. But that’s not the wrath Paul writes about. Three times he states: God gave them over . . . to sexual impurity (v. 24); God gave them over to shameful lusts (v. 26); God gave them over to a depraved mind (v. 28).

This illustrates how poorly we understand wrath and grace. We have things backwards. We see God’s discipline as wrath and his permissiveness as grace, when in fact that is exactly opposite of the way things really are. According to New Testament scholar Paul Achtemeier, God’s wrath is exhibited in allowing us to continue unabated down the sinful path we’ve chosen [8]. In other words, wrath means God takes a hands off posture, and allows us to push on deeper into sin. In this equation, discipline becomes an act of grace, as God’s loving attempt to get us back on the right track.

How does Achtemeier’s explanation of wrath impact your understanding of grace?

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Thank God for his correction in your life. This is yet another manifestation of his incredible love.

Day 324: Acts 25, 26, 27 and 28

We want to hear your ideas, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this religious group (NCV, Acts 28:22).

In 2004 Alan Sorensen and Scott Rasmussen of Stanford University evaluated the effects of book reviews from the New York Times. Not surprising, they found a positive review results in more book sales than a negative one. Perhaps more surprising is that even a negative review increases a book’s sales by over 34% [1].

This study may bear out the claim Any publicity is good publicity. P. T. Barnum is credited with expressing a similar sentiment: “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.” And poet/writer Oscar Wilde is reported as saying, “There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is NOT being talked about.”

After Paul was transported to Rome and awaiting his trial before Caesar, he was free to have guests even though he was under house arrest. Local Jewish leaders told him they hadn’t heard anything bad about him, but that many people were talking trash about Christianity. Apparently that negative press made them want to hear about it all the more.

While negative press may not be the worst thing in the world, Jesus tells us: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (NIV 1984, Matthew 5:16).

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How can you live in such a way that others will recognize you are a child of God? Pray that others will see the positive changes in your life, resulting in praise to God.

Day 323: Acts 22, 23 and 24

When they heard [Paul] speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet (Acts 22:2).

From his travels Paul returns to Jerusalem knowing he has been branded a traitor by the Jews there. One day in the temple he is recognized by some Jews visiting from the Roman province of Asia (where Paul has spent a great deal of time ministering) and they turn on him. The violence of the attack attracts Roman soldiers who break up the beating and arrest Paul, taking him to be the troublemaker. Paul asks permission to address the crowd and his request is granted.

Paul was well-versed in multiple languages, but when they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. This gained Paul a hearing from the very people who were set on his arrest and punishment. There’s something about someone speaking to us in our own language.

On the Day of Pentecost, what got the crowd’s attention was that every person heard the disciples speaking to them in their own language (Acts 2:8). To the Corinthian Christians Paul wrote: I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

We have a large Hispanic population where I minister. I could complain about how they refuse to learn English, or I can put my energies into learning to speak Spanish. I know which one Paul would choose.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

What difference would it make if you could speak the language of those to whom you’ve been called to minister? What’s stopping you?

Day 322: Acts 19, 20 and 21

There is danger (Acts 19:27).

As a kid in the 1960s, I loved the TV show Lost in Space (1965-1968, CBS), built around a failed attempt to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. The Robinson family’s sabotaged spaceship (the Jupter II) went off course and became lost with no apparent way home.

Nine-year old Will was best friends with the family robot, tasked with keeping the boy out of trouble. When peril threatened, the robot would shout, “Danger, danger, Will Robinson!”

Thirty-some years later when my kids were about the same age, they would often mimic Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s familiar expression: “Danguh, danguh, danguh.”

After the crucifixion, when Peter and John were taken before the Sanhedrin, their interrogators recognized the disciples had been with Jesus (4:13). In the Old Testament we read that the Israelites were afraid of Moses when he descended Mt. Sinai because his face was radiant after being with God (Exodus 34:30). Danguh, danguh, danguh.

In today’s reading, artisans complain that Paul’s ministry in Ephesus is threatening their livelihood. So many people are abandoning handmade idols to worship Jesus that the idol making industry has taken a hit.

As followers of Christ, do we still have the potential of being dangerous in our communities? Does society look at us and say, It’s only the church; they never do nothin’! Or do they exclaim, Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How can you be dangerous for Christ this week?

Day 321: Acts 16, 17 and 18

They tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them (CEV, Acts 16:7).

In 1990, the song Unanswered Prayers hit #1 on the Billboard country music charts, which helped keep Garth Brooks’ album No Fences on top for 30 weeks. Based on a true story, the song details a husband and wife at a home town football game where they run into his high school flame. Thinking back, all those years ago he had thought that girl was the one, but realizes the best thing God ever did for him was not answering that particular prayer… at least not in the affirmative.

Two times Paul and his missionary troop encounter a divine detour. First, they plan to travel due west from Galatia into Asia, but God shuts that door. Then they divert north and attempt to visit Bithynia (the northernmost part of Asia Minor bordering the Black Sea), but again God says, No. By default they end up in Troas, where Paul has a dream bidding him come to Macedonia. Troas is, by the way, the seaport lying on the most direct route to Macedonia.

If Paul hadn’t been responsive to the Spirit’s leading, he would not have met Lydia (the seller of purple cloth), who was already a gentile convert to Judaism and in whom the Spirit was at work drawing her to Christ. God said, No, to Paul’s plan because he had a better plan.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

God knows what’s best for you. Thank him for guiding your path up to now – even the times you didn’t understand what he was doing. Ask for grace to trust him in days to come.

Day 320: Acts 13, 14 and 15

We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God (Acts 15:19).

Although we would never admit it, legalism betrays a fear that Christ’s death on the cross was insufficient to guarantee our salvation. Whatever it might be, there is always something in addition to Christ’s shed blood necessary to pay for our guilt.

As the early church shifted to include the Gentile population, many believing Jews thought Gentiles should be circumcised and obey Jewish law in order to be saved. In other words, they were expected to convert to Judaism first, and only then could they be received as Christians. On one occasion Peter almost bowed to the pressure of the Judaizers, but then Paul took him to task and the matter was favorably resolved.

Today we have our own forms of legalism. Legalism may influence our choices of food or beverages; it may dictate that Sunday and only Sunday (or Saturday and only Saturday) is set aside for worship. It may require women to wear long hair and long dresses and men to wear short hair and short dresses... nah! Just seeing if you were paying attention. The point is we put our hope in following a set of rules.

Whatever the recipe of our particular brand of legalism, the security that it brings is false. When we get right down to it, legalism says all that really matters is following the rules better than the next guy.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Consider the words of that old hymn: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” [6]. What’s that look like in practice?

Day 319: Acts 10, 11 and 12

God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and do what is right (Acts 10:34,35).

Here we see the progression from Christianity for Jews only to Gentiles tolerated to Gentiles actively engaged. Before Peter’s dream of clean and unclean animals, he would never have considered that non-Jews could be included in the gospel message. Without the dream, he would have rejected those sent by Cornelius, and without Cornelius he would not have understood the dream.

Word of Cornelius’s conversion got back to Jerusalem before Peter did, so when he got home he had some ‘splainin’ to do. After he told the full story, the Jerusalem Christians, who had not appreciated Peter’s Gentile connection, were appeased.

Following Stephen’s execution but prior to Peter’s Caesarea experience, many Jewish Christians had been persecuted by non-Christian Jews and run out of Jerusalem. Naturally, when they arrived in a new city, they would share the message of Christ with their new Jewish friends and as a result many believed in his name.

Only after Peter returned from Caesarea did Christians actively seek ways to deliver the gospel to Gentiles. We read in 11:20 that Christians from Cyprus (in the Mediterranean) and Cyrene (modern day Libya) brought the message of Christ to Antioch (modern day Turkey, just north of the Syrian border) targeting the Gentile population.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Give thanks for whoever brought the gospel to you. Ask where you can take it next.

Day 318: Acts 7, 8 and 9

This man is my chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).

If there was an unlikely candidate to spread the name of Christ throughout the first century world, it was Paul. Raised a devout Jew, educated in one of the most prestigious rabbinical schools in the world, and recognized as an up-and-comer with the reputation of being a no-nonsense Pharisee, his passion was to destroy the church before it got off the ground.

Yet this was the man God chose to take the message of Christianity to the world.

After earning his degrees (journalism from the University of Missouri and law from Yale), Lee Strobel served as the award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. His research into the resurrection convinced this avowed atheist to receive Jesus as his forgiver and leader. He is now a NY Times best-selling author of nearly twenty books, espousing the cause of Christ.

From 1985 to 1992, Kirk Cameron starred in ABC's family sitcom Growing Pains. Another atheist, Kirk became a believer in Christ and has since co-founded The Way of the Master (an evangelism training program) and The Firefly Foundation, which among other things provides terminally ill children and their families a free summer camp experience.

Former marine turned lawyer, and the first to be imprisoned for his role in the Nixon administration’s Watergate break-in, Charles Colson accepted Christ and devoted his life to his organization Prison Fellowship, which ministers to inmates and their families.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

If God can use these unlikely candidates for ministry, why is it he can’t use you?

Day 317: Acts 4, 5 and 6

No one else dared join them . . . Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number (Acts 5:13,14).

These verses seem oxymoronic. In the aftermath of Liargate – the story of Ananias and Sapphira – people didn’t take joining the church lightly. Church membership was obviously not for the faint of heart, but a commitment to be taken seriously. Those who weren’t serious stayed away. No one wanted to see a headstone with his name on it.

Rather than experiencing a drop in numbers, men and women still received Christ and many were added to the church. In addition to growing in numbers, we see not only the power displayed among the saints and the vibrant church experience they enjoyed, but also the reverence and awe evoked among those who were not yet counted as members (vv. 15,16).

Could it be that we have made it too easy for the tentative to make half-hearted decisions for Christ, and welcomed the non-committed into church fellowship with the promise that, after all, grace is free and costs us nothing? Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, . . . grace without discipleship” [5].

We make grace cheap when we divest Christian commitment of all responsibility, fearing that demands will discourage conversions and impede church growth. Maybe, exactly the opposite is true.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Is your commitment worthy of God’s free gift of grace? What would such commitment look like?

Day 316: Acts 1, 2 and 3

He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

We don’t really have any record of Jesus’ post-resurrection teachings, other than this statement from Acts, ascribed to Luke. However, we should not be surprised that he chose as his topic one of his favorites from the previous three years with his disciples.

In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus told several stories which encapsulated the mysteries of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (v. 31). The kingdom of heaven is like yeast (v. 33). The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field (v. 44). The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls (v. 45). The kingdom of heaven is like a net (v. 47).

In the first century, Rome was the dominant kingdom. The empire wielded power like a centurion’s sword. Anyone who dared cross it was cut to pieces. The Sadducees appeased their Roman masters, cooperating in order to maintain the status quo. The Pharisees preached that legalistic obedience to the law would persuade God to expel the dominant kingdom from Jerusalem. Zealots brandished their own swords in guerilla style attacks aimed at overthrowing their Roman oppressors. Essenes withdrew into cloistered communities, where they could practice their religion away from the dominant kingdom and prying Roman eyes [4].

Jesus taught another way, which he called the kingdom of God.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

How can your life reflect kingdom values?

Day 315: John 19, 20 and 21

[Jesus] said to [his mother], “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26,27).

In his wonderful book How to Live Through a Bad Day, Pastor Jack Hayford uses the seven last words of Jesus (Jesus’ seven last statements from the cross) to show how the Savior made it through his worst day, and how we can make it through our bad days too [3].

At one point, Jesus sees his mother standing there. In spite of what he was enduring, as her oldest son, Jesus still honored his duty to make sure his mother would be cared for after he was gone. Most of us would think, I’m having a bad enough day without having to take responsibility for anyone else! Not Jesus. He didn’t forget that those closest to him still had needs regardless of how bad a day he was having.

How many times have I spoken impatiently to my wife and kids, allowing my selfish needs to trump theirs? How many times have I, in the middle of my hectic schedule, passed by someone in need while I hurried off attending to church duties? I must take a lesson from Jesus and realize if he could arrange for his mother’s care while suffering on the cross, then I can be patient with and caring for others even when I’m having a stress-filled day.

That’s easier said than done. The only way I can do that is to stay close to God, to hide myself in the cleft of the rock (Exodus 33:22), to rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). Come to think of it, that might also help me have fewer bad days.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Is there someone you’ve been neglecting while having a bad day? What can you do for them?

Day 314: John 16, 17 and 18

My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

Many in Israel dismissed Jesus because he was not the Messiah they were expecting. The Messiah they anticipated would burst on the scene, repel the Roman occupation and establish his political kingdom on David’s throne.

In Matthew 13 Jesus spoke of the kingdom: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed . . . Though it is the smallest of your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree (vv. 31,32). Also, The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (NIV 1984, v. 33).

Many today are still expecting Christ to burst on the scene and set up his kingdom, not realizing he planted the kingdom seed 2,000 years ago, and it has been growing ever since. It’s no wonder so many have missed it. This is worth examining again. Consider this paradox: Narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14). And: Before me was a great multitude that no one could count (Revelation 7:9). How does such a humble investment result in such an incredible payout?

When we watch the mustard seed and the yeast, it may not appear that anything is happening, but the truth is God is working outside the spotlight. The kingdom is growing whether or not you can see it.

The mustard seed and the yeast might look like a sucker bet, but Christ assures us they are a sure thing.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Ask your Father to let you see the promise inherent in the kingdom.

Day 313: John 13, 14 and 15

Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet (John 13:10).

It had been a long day leading up to the last supper. Jesus and his disciples had walked into town from Bethany, taught in the temple, and wandered the streets of Jerusalem. When, during their meal together, Jesus got up and started washing his disciples’ feet, they could hardly believe it. Peter protested: You will never wash my feet! (NLT, v. 8a).

But Jesus responded, Unless I wash you, you have no part with me (v. 8b).

Peter surrendered, Then . . . not just my feet; wash my hands and my head too (v. 9).

Jesus explained, Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean (vv. 10).

In walking through this world day after day (in spite of the fact we mostly drive over paved roads), we still pick up the dust and dirt of the world on our feet. We might struggle with mental images that stir up lust, unforgiveness for wrongs suffered at the hands of others, or even guilt for wrongs we ourselves have perpetrated.

We haven’t turned our backs on the faith; it’s just that our feet have gotten dirty. We need to let go of those things and give them to God before the filth becomes part of us. Confession and repentance is like a refreshing basin of water with which to cleanse the spirit of the world’s dirt.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Do your spiritual feet need washed? What kind of dirt have you picked up in the last few days? Ask God to show you and then confess and repent of those things.

Day 312: John 10, 11 and 12

Lazarus, come out! (John 11:43).

Let’s examine a few easily missed ingredients in this miracle narrative.

First: This story is found only in John’s Gospel, who seems to describe this event as the tipping point leading to the crucifixion (vv. 45-50).

Second: In Luke’s introduction of the sisters, Martha is all business but Mary displays a more emotional side (Luke 10:38-42). Upon Jesus’ arrival, both offer the same greeting: If you had been here, my brother would not have died (Martha in 11:21 and Mary in v. 32), but Jesus’ responses to the sisters could not have been more different. To practical Martha: Your brother will rise again. . . . I am the resurrection and the life (vv. 23,25), but when he sees Mary and those with her weeping, he breaks down and cries too (vv. 33-35). His response to each is congruent with their personalities.

Third: The religious leaders respond with a hastily called meeting of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Supreme Court). Together they determine that this miracle is drawing unwanted attention from the people and the Romans alike. So from that day on they plotted to take [Jesus’] life (v. 53).

Fourth: I don’t remember this from Sunday School, but John tells us that Caiaphas and Annas (the chief priests) put out a hit on Lazarus too (12:10). Lazarus walking around was too big a threat. Better to put him back in the ground and deny the miracle ever happened.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

What does it mean to you that God knows you so intimately that he speaks to you precisely what you need to hear, and exactly when you need to hear it?

Day 311: John 7, 8 and 9

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink (John 7:37).

In chapter six we saw Jesus feed the five thousand with only five loaves and two fishes. In spite of crossing the lake, the crowd found him again. When told by Jesus they must believe in the one sent by God the Father, they asked for a sign. “Moses gave our fathers bread from heaven. What you got?!” Jesus’ reply? I am the bread of life (6:35).

In today’s reading, we’ve relocated from Galilee to Jerusalem and it is the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of the feast, it was customary for the High Priest to take a jar of water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out on the ground in remembrance of Moses and the water from the rock [2]. Likely in response to this drama being acted out before him, Jesus addresses the crowd: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, . . . streams of living water will flow from within him (NIV 1984, 7:37,38).

Moses gave us bread from heaven. What you got? Moses gave us water from the rock. How you gonna answer that?

Jesus explained: Manna was a symbol... a symbol of me. I’m the real bread! The water from the rock was a symbol… a symbol representing me. I’m the real water! Why would you get excited about symbols and miss me?

TODAY’S MEDITATION

When it comes to Jesus, parables and facsimiles are easier to handle (read: manage) than the real thing. Do you want safe symbols or the dangerous transformation that only Jesus can bring? What does that mean to you?

Day 310: John 4, 5 and 6

Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (John 4:35).

From 1970-1972, one of the highest rated TV shows (second only to All in the Family) was The Flip Wilson Show (NBC), the first successful variety show to be hosted by an African-American. Flip’s characters included Reggie the White House janitor, Geraldine (What you see is what you get!), and the Reverend Leroy and his Church of What’s Happenin’ Now.

When the disciples came back and were surprised to find Jesus speaking with the woman at the well, he took the opportunity as a teachable moment. Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (4:35).

Because they were making a lunch stop in Samaria on their way from Judea to Galilee, it never occurred to the Twelve to consider ministry opportunities in Sychar. Surely it would make more sense to aim for a successful ministry event in Capernaum. That’s where their headquarters and the bulk of their volunteers could be found. But here? Now? Hey, if you want to do ministry here, let’s do it right. Let’s do the demographics and lay the groundwork, and then put together a crusade – maybe a stadium event.

The message for us? Don’t miss a good opportunity to share the Good News because you’re looking for the perfect opportunity to share the Good News. That perfect opportunity might never come.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

What God-ordained opportunities are waiting on you to just open your eyes and see?