Only Jesus: 40 Days with the SON

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I just finished reading Max Lucado's 3:16. At the end of the book he has 40 devotions. I would like to share these with you. One a day for 40 days.

Day 1: An EXTRA-Ordinary Night

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." ~ Luke 2:13-14

There is one word that describes the night he came - ordinary.The sky was ordinary. An occasional gust stirred the leaves and chilled the air. The stars were diamonds sparkling on black velvet. The sheep were ordinary. Some fat. Some scrawny. Common animals. No history makers. No blue-ribbon winners. And the shepherds. Peasants they were. Probably wearing all the clothes they owned. Smelling like sheep and looking just as wolly. An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And were it not for a God who loves to hook an "extra" on the front of the ordinary, the night would have gone unnoticed. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away. but God dances amidst the common. And that night he did a waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that had been shadows jumped into clarity. Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. One minute the shepherd was dead alseep; the next he was rubbing his eyes and staring into the face of an alien. The night was ordinary no more. The announcement went first to the shepherds. Had the angel gone to the theologians, they would have first consulted their commentaries. Had he gone to the elite, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching. So he went to the shepherds. Men who didn't know enough to tell God that angels don't sing to sheep and that messiahs aren't found wrapped in rags and sleeping in a feed trough.

[TonyB]

Thanks for that.
I just finished "Come Thirsty" by him. I really enjoyed it.
TB

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I think the next one I am going to read by him is Travelling Light. I just started Randy Alcorn's Heaven, so I'll have to finish that one first.

[Lily]

SugarSP,

Doesn't Max just have the most amazing ability to write so you can "see it?" He has an awesome gift of writing......

My FIL just finished the book Heaven by Alcorn....he said he loved it......gave him a new fresh perspective. Let us know how you like it!

Blessings, Sheila

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My husband is farther along in it than I am. I was trying to read another book (What Jesus Demands from the WOrld by John Piper) & just could not get into it. My mind kept wandering. My husband talked me into reading Heaven. I have not gotten very far, but so far it is an easy read. My husband has just really been on fire to tell people about Jesus & hand out pocket testaments or bible tracts since he has been reading it. He says the more & more he reads the more & more he wants to tell people.

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Day 2: Mary Cradles God

"And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." ~ Luke 2:7

God had entered the world as a baby. Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold. The stable stinks like all stables do. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling, and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor. A more lowly place of birth could not exist. Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can't remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can't take her eyes off him. Mary knows she is holding God. She remembers the words of the angel: "His kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:33). He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. He is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being. Majesty in the midst of the mundane. She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!

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Day 3: JOSEPH, CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." ~ Matthew 1:24-25

Matthew describes Jesus's earthly father as a craftsman (Matt. 13:55). A small-town carpenter, he lives in Nazareth: a single-camel map dot on the edge of boredom. Is he the right choice? Doesn't God have better options? An eloquent priest from Jerusalem or a scholar from the Pharisees? Why Joseph? A major part of the answer lies in his reputation: he gives it up for Jesus. "Then Joseph (Mary's) husband, being just a man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly" (Matt. 1:19 NKJV). With the phrase "just a man," Matthew recognizes the status of Joseph. Nazareth viewed him as we might view an elder, deacon, or Bible class teacher. Joseph likely took pride in his standing, but Mary's announcement jeopardized it. I'm pregnant. Now what? His fiancee is blemished, tainted ... he is righteous, godly. On one hand, he has the law. On the other, he has his love. The law says, stone her. Love says, forgive her. Joseph is caught in the middle. then comes the angel. Mary's growing belly gives no cause for concern, but reason to rejoice. "She carries the Son of God in her womb," the angel announces. But who would believe it? A bead of sweat forms beneath Joseph's beard. He faces a dilemma. make up a lie and preserve his place in the community, or tell the truth and kiss his reputation good-bye. He makes his decision. "Joseph ... took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son" (Matt. 1:24-25 NKJV). Joseph swapped his Torah studies for a pregnant fiancee and an illegitimate son and made the big decision of discipleship. He placed God's plan ahead of his own.

[fifty]

thanks for these, it never ceases to amaze me that I come on here and find these inspirations at the right moments in my life. God does have a needle with thread and is leading me along to tie up all the loose ends...

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Day 4: BECAUSE OF LOVE

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16

Would you do what Jesus did? He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers. He could hold the universe in his palm but gave it up to float in the womb of a maiden. If you were God, would you sleep on straw, nurse from a breast, and be clothed in a diaper? I wouldn't, but Christ did. If you knew that those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care?...Christ did. He humbled himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary's finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that's what love does. It puts the beloved before itself. Love goes the distance...and Christ traveled from limitless eternity to be confined by this time in order to become one of us. He didn't have to. He could have given up. At any step along the way, he could have called it quits. When he saw the size of the womb, he could have stopped. When he saw how tiny his hand would be, how soft his voice would be, how hungry his tummy would be, he could have stopped. At the first whiff of the stinky stable, at the first gust of cold air. the first time he scraped his knee or blew his nose or tasted burnt bagels, he could have turned and walked out. When he saw the dirt floor of his Nazareth house. When Joseph gave him a chore to do. When his fellow students were dozing off during the reading of the Torah, his Torah. At any point Jesus could have said, "That's it! That's enough! I'm going home." But he didn't. He didn't, because he is love.

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Day 5: JESUS GOES HOME FIRST

"And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him."

When do we get our first clue that Jesus knows he is the Son of God? In the temple of Jerusalem. He is twelve years old. His parents are three days into the return trip to Nazareth before they notice he is missing. The temple is the last place they think to search. But it is the first place Jesus goes. He doesn't go to a cousin's house or a buddy's playground. Jesus seeks the place of godly thinking and in doing so, inspires us to do the same. By the time Joseph and Mary locate their son, he has confounded the most learned men in the temple. As a young boy, Jesus already senses the call of God. But what does he do next? Recruit apostles and preach sermons and perform miracles? No, he goes home to his folks and learns the family business. That is exactly what you should do. Want to bring focus to your life? Do what Jesus did. Go home, love your family, and take care of business. But Max, I want to be a missionary. Your first mission field is under your roof. What makes you think they'll believe you overseas if they don't believe you across the hall?

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Day 6: CHICKENS, HAMMER, AND JESUS

"He's just a carpenter." ~ Mark 6:3 (MSG)

Envision a dusty, quiet village. Nazareth. An unimpressive town in an unimpressive nation. Ignore the nicer homes of the village. Joseph and Mary celebrated the birth of Jesus with a temple offering of two turtle doves, the gift of the poor (Luke 2:22-24). Go to the poorer part of town. Not poverty stricken or destitute, just simple. And look for a single mom. The absence of Joseph in the adult life of Jesus suggests that Mary may have raised him and the rest of the kids alone. We need a simple home with a single mom and an ordinary laborer. Jesus's neighbors remembered him as a worker. "He's just a carpenter" (Mark 6:3 MSG). Jesus had dirty hands, sweat-stained shirts, and - this may surprise you - common looks. "No stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Isa 53:2 NASB). Raised in an overlooked nation among oppressed people in an obscure village. Can you spot him? See the adobe house with the thatched roof? Yes, the one with the chickens in the yard and the gangly teenager repairing chairs in the shed. "He had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins, he would have already experienced it all himself - all the pain, all the testing - and would be able to help where help was needed" (Heb 2:17-18 MSG). Why would heaven's finest Son endure earth's toughest pain? So you would know that he knows how you feel.

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Day 7: GOOD-BYE NAZARETH

"Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God." ~ Mark 1:14

Jesus's obedience began in a small town carpentry shop. His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call. "When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old" (Luke 3:23 MSG). In order for Jesus to change the world, he had to say good-bye to his world.

He had to give Mary a kiss. Have a final meal in the kitchen, a final walk through the streets. Did he ascend one of the hills of Nazareth and think of the day he would ascend the hill near Jerusalem?

He knew what was going to happen. "God chose him for this purpose long before the world began" (1 Peter 1:20 NLT). Everyounce of suffering had been scripted - it just fell to him to play the part.

Not that he had to. Nazareth was a cozy town. Why not build a carpentry business? Keep his identity a secret? Return in the era of guillotines or electric chairs, and pass on the cross. To be forced to die is one thing, but to willingly take up your own cross is something else.

I wonder, what kind of love is this? When you come up with a word for such a love, give it to Christ. For the day he left Nazareth is the day he declared his devotion for you and me. According to Peter, our lives were a "dead-end, empty-headed" (! Peter 1:18 MSG). But God, "immense in mercy and with an incredible love ... embraced us" (Eph. 2:4 MSG).

Jesus left Nazareth and brought us to life.

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Day 8: BAPTIZE YOU?

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, `This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.`" ~ Matthew 3:16-17

Nothing in his appearance separates him from the crowd. Like the rest, he is standing in line, waiting his turn. He, like the others, can hear the voice of the preacher in the distance.

Between baptisms, John the Baptist is prone to preach. Impetuous. Fiery. Bronze face, unshorn locks. He stands waist-deep in the cobalt-colored Jordan. He makes a point of calling all people to the water. "He went into all the country around theJordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Luke 3:3).

Baptism wasn't a new practice. It was a required rite for any Gentile seeking to become a Jew. Baptism was for the moldy, second-class, unchosen people, not the clean, top-of-the-line class favorites-the Jews. Herein lies the rub. John refuses to delineate between Jew and Gentils. In his book, every heart needs a detail job.

Every heart, that is, except one. That's why John is stunned when that one wades into the river.

John's reluctance is understandable. A baptismal ceremony is an odd place to find the Son of God. He should be the baptizer not the baptizee. Why would Christ want to be baptized? Why would he need to be baptized?

Here's why: Since you and I cannot pay, Christ did. We've broken commandments, promises, and, worst of all, we've broken God's heart.

But Christ sees our plight. We owe God a perfect life. Perfect obedience to every command. Not just the command of baptism, but the commands of humility, honesty, integrity. We can't deliver. Might as well charge us for the property on Manhattan. But Christ can and he did. His plunge into the Jordan is a picture of his plunge into our sin. His baptism announces, "Let me pay."

Your baptism responds, "You bet I will."

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Day 9: SATAN STALKED HIM

"He faced all of the same temptations we do." ~ Hebrews 4:15 (NLT)

You and I know what it is like to endure a moment of temptation or an hour of temptation, even a day of temptation. But forty days? That is what Jesus faced. "The Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days" (Luke 4: 1-2 NCV).

We imagine the wilderness temptation as three isolated events scattered over a forty-day period. Would that it had been. In reality, Jesus's time of testing was non-stop; "the devil tempted Jesus for forty days." Satan got on Jesus like a shirt and refused to leave. Every step, whispering in his ear. Every turn of the path, sowing doubt. Was Jesus impacted by the devil? Apparently so. Luke doesn't say that Satan tried to tempt Jesus. No, the passage is clear: "the devil tempted Jesus." Jesus was tempted; he was tested. Tempted to change sides? Tempted to go home? Tempted to settle for a kingdom on earth? I don't know, but I know he was tempted. A war raged within. Stress stormed without.

Like Jesus we are tempted. Like Jesus we are accused. But unlike Jesus, we give up. We give out. We sit down. How can our hearts have the endurance Jesus had?

By focusing where Jesus focused: on "the joy that God put before him" (Heb. 12:2 NCV). He lifted his eyes beyond the horizon and saw the table. He focused on the feast. And what he saw gave him strength to finish - and finish strong.

Such a moment awaits us. In an hour that has no end, we will rest. Surrounded by saints and engulfed by Jesus himself, the work will, indeed, be finished. The final harvest will have been gathered, we will be seated, and Christ will christen the meal with these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:23 KJV).

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Day 10: BIFOCALS AND BINOCULARS

"We have found the Messiah." ~ John 1:41

For John and Andrew, it wasn't enough to listen to John the Baptist. Most would have been content to serve in the shadow of the world's most famous evangelist. Could there be a better teacher? Only one. And when John and Andrew saw him, they left John the Baptist and followed Jesus. Note the request they made.

"Rabbi," they asked, "where are you staying?" (John 1:38 NCV). Pretty bold request. They didn't ask Jesus to give them a minute or an opinion or a message or a miracle. They asked for his address. They wanted to hang out with him. They wanted to know him. They wanted to know what caused his head to turn and his heart to burn and his soul to yearn. They wanted to study his eyes and follow his steps. They wanted to see him. They wanted to know what made him laugh and if he ever got tired. And most of all, they wanted to know, Could Jesus be who John said he was - and if he is, what on earth is God doing on the earth? You can't answer such a question by talking to his cousin; you've got to talk to the man himself.

Jesus's answer to the disciples? "Come and see" (v 39 NCV). He didn't say, "Come and glance" or "Come and peek." He said "Come and see." Bring your bifocals and binoculars. There is no time for side-glances or occasional peeks. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Heb. 12:2).

The disciple fixes his eyes on the Savior.

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Day 11- ALMIGHTY - NOT HIGH AND MIGHTY

"Both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding." ~1 John 2:2 (NKJV)

Maybe it was Andrew who asked it. Perhaps Peter. Could be that all approached Jesus. But I wager that at some point in Jesus's first journey, the disciples expressed their assumptions.

"So, Rabbi, where are you taking us? To the desert?"

"No," opines another, "he's taking us to the temple."

Then a chorus of confusion breaks out and ends only when Jesus lifts his hand and says softly, "We're on our way to a wedding."

Silence. John and Andrew look at each other. "A wedding?" they say.

Why did Jesus go to the wedding?

The answer? It's found in the second verse of John 2. "Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding" (NCV).

When the bride and groom were putting the guest list together, Jesus's name was included. Jesus wasn't invited because he was a celebrity. He wasn't one yet. The invitation wasn't motivated by his miracles. He'd yet to perform any. Why did they invite him?

I suppose they liked him.

Big deal? I think so. I think it's significant that common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus. I think it's noteworthy that the Almighty didn't act high and mighty.

He went to great pains to be as human as the guy down the street. He didn't need to study, but still went to the synagogue. He had no need for income, but still worked in the workshop. Upon his shoulders rested the challenge of redeeming creation, but he still took time to walk ninety miles from Jericho to Cana to go to a wedding.

As a result, people liked him.

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Day 12: JUST CALL HER GRACE

" He knows me inside and out!" ~John 4:39 (MSG)

Talk about a woman who could make a list. Number one, discrimination. She is a Samaritan, hated by Jews. Number two, gender bias. She is a female, condescended to by the men. Third, she is a divorcee, not once, not twice. Let's see if we can count. Four? Five? Five marriages turned south, and now she's sharing a bed with a guy who won't give her a ring.

When I add this up, I envision a happy-hour stool sitter who lives with her mad at half boil. Husky voice, cigarette breath, and a dress cut low at the top and high at the bottom. Certainly not Samaria's finest. Certainly not the woman you'd put in charge of the Ladies' Bible class.

Which makes the fact that Jesus does that all the more surprising. He doesn't just put her in charge of the class; he puts her in charge of evangelizing the whole town. Before the day is over, the entire city hears about a man who claims to be God. "He told me everything I ever did" (John 4:39), she tells them, leaving unsaid the obvious, "and he loved me anyway."

A little rain can straighten a flower stem. A little love can change a life. Who knew the last time this woman had been entrusted with anything, much less the biggest news in history!

Listen. You have not been sprinkled with forgiveness. You have not been spattered with grace. You are submerged in mercy. Let it change you! See if God's love doesn't do for you what it did for the woman in Samaria. He found her full of trash and left her full of grace.

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Day 13 - CHRIST'S CRAZY KIN

"And he was amazed at their lack of faith." ~ Mark 6:6

It may surprise you to know that Jesus's family was less than perfect. they were. If your family doesn't appreciate you, take heart; neither did Jesus's. "A prophet is honored everythere except in his hometown and with his own people and in his own home" (Mark 6:4 NCV).

One minute he was a hero, the next a heretic. When his neighborhood friends tried to kill him ... his brothers were invisible. They thought their brother was a lunatic. "His family ... went to get him because they thought he was out of his mind" (Mark 3:21 NCV). They weren't proud - they were embarrassed!

How did Jesus put up with these guys? When you and your family have two different agendas, what do you do?

Jesus gives us some answers.

It's worth noting that he didn't try to control his family's behavior, nor did he let their behavior control his family's behavior, nor did he let their behavior control his. He didn't demand that they agree with him. He didn't sulk when they insulted him. He didn't make it his mission to try to please them.

When Jesus's brothers didn't share his convictions, he didn't try to force them. He recognized that his spiritual family could provide what his physical family didn't. He didn't let the difficult dynamic of his family overshadow his call from God.

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Day 14 : TOO EARLY TO RETIRE

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2

Having withstood the devil's wilderness temptations and his hometown's harsh rejection, Jesus journeyed to Capernaum, where the citizens gave him a ticker-tape reception. "They were astonished at His teaching" (Luke 4:32 NKJV).

But the people brought Jesus more than sick bodies and seeking souls. They brought him agendas. Itineraries. Unsolicited advice. The herd of humanity wanted to set Jesus's course. "Heed us," they said. "We'll direct your steps."

The people of Capernaum "tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He also said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpse I have been sent' " (vv. 42-43 NKJV).

He resisted the undertow of the people by anchoring to the rock of his purpose: employing his uniqueness (to "preach . . . to the other cities also") to make a big deal out of God ("the kingdom of God") everywhere he could.

And aren't you glad he did? Suppose he had heeded the crowd and set up camp in Capernaum, reasoning, "I thought the whole world was my traget and the cross my destiny. But the entire town tells me to stay in Capernaum. Could all these people be wrong?"

Yes, they could! In defiance of the crowd, Jesus turned his back on the Capernaum pastorate and followed the will of God. Doing so meant leaving some sick people unhealed and some confused people untaught. He said no to good things so he could say yes to the right thing: his unique call.