• 22:31-34. Jesus prayed for Simon. He allowed the testing of Simon and He prayed that Simon would not fail. Simon did not see his own weakness in this. We often do not see our own weaknesses. Jesus saw the weakness, was aware fo the impending denial and still prayed for Simon. His prayer, “When you return, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus knew Simon would fail. He knew he would deny Him. He knew that Simon would not make it through the night with the commitment, “I will go to jail or to the grave with you.” Yet, Jesus prayed, “When you return, strengthen your brothers.” Some of the times of our greatest advance in Christ comes when we are tested to limits we cannot ever imagine. Peter could not know FULLY what was coming. He could not. Yet, Jesus knew and He prayed for Peter. APPLIED: It should overwhelm us that knowing our weaknesses and our failures, Jesus would pray for us and would have a purpose for us…when we return to Him…after we fail.
• 24:44-46. All throughout the Scriptures, from the Law of Moses, through the Writings and the Prophets, the Story of God’s redemptive love is a common thread. God has been singing the same song since Creation. His love for His Creation is the familiar refrain. He love is not academic or prospective, but is evident and applied. It is real. Jesus demonstrated this to the disciples along the road. He showed them all things concerning Himself in the Scriptures.
• The demonstration of God’s plan throughout the Scripture was not an exercise of information. It was a revelation of how the disciples would now take their place in redemptive history. 24:47-49 tells us that the disciples are the caretakers of the story. They were to proclaim what they have witnessed of the love of God, the redemptive work of His Christ, and the need to respond in repentance, yield to His Lordship and live in His Kingdom. They were to do so with the Power of the Holy Spirit as He came to indwell them…the Promise of the Father for all of His people.

Proverbs 31:3 is the takeaway today. A call to disciplined choices… “Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings.” [Often times, destructive patterns in our lives are overcome, not by power over the destructive pattern, but by avoiding it to begin with.]

Someone once said that John Maxwell has only written one book and published it under dozens of different titles. This is certainly a stretch but it does recognize the fact that Maxwell has articulated a number of leadership and communication principles and expertly applies them to various facets of human relationships.

I picked this book up as a refresher on some interpersonal communication principles. After all, Solomon once said that there is nothing “new” under the sun. I find it useful to vary my own reading with a cross-section of history, leadership, business, practical religious works, and theological works. I purchased this particular book about eight months ago and placed it on my shelf.

Maxwell addresses the desire of a person to be successful in a “people business.” Whether one is a pastor (as I am) or a salesperson, a public employee, or someone who works on the front lines with customers, these principles are beneficial. No one will read this and find the “magic bullet” to success with people; rather, one will be reminded that working with people is hard work! The book is replete with stories and examples that accurately illustrate the principles espoused. This is both helpful and entertaining. In addition, Maxwell draws on the wisdom of Scripture through the text to explain the origins of these principles.

I recommend this book as it is sound and useful for a wide range of people. It is work to build relationships, but with Maxwell, the work is made easier to handle. Thanks John!!

You can purchase a copy from Amazon HERE.

My observations of the text:

• 19:1-10. Zaccheus was a tax agent and was hated because he made his living exploiting others for profit. The change…he was repentant and wanted to right the wrongs…and he became generous toward those who were poor. Without a change…there would be no reason for confidence in change.
• 19:11-27. We are to be good stewards of our salvation…of our relationship in Christ. If we squander what He has entrusted to us, we will be called a “worthless slave ” (19:22) and will be destroyed. Why? I thought we could not lose our salvation. [How do you know this person was saved? Where is the transformation? Where is the life change?]
• 21:1-4. This example is one of great faith. This woman gave all she depended on to God. No greater example of trust exists than this of the widow. Other gave out of their surplus, but she gave all she had. It was her dependency that was extolled here…not the amount fo the gift. For the widow, the work of God was more valuable than even food to eat. For the rich man and the religious man who gave far more…their security was more valuable than the kingdom. [In our culture...we tend to praise the large gift more than the large heart.]
• 21:24. There is a defined end point to the era we live in. We do not know when this era will end, but God knows. The time of the Gentile will come to a close, never to reopen again. Our only sign is the increased difficulties that God’s people will experience as the end draws near.
• 21:28. Believers are not to see tribulation and be in despair; rather, when we see difficulties multiplied…we are to lift our head and cast our gaze to the Eastern Sky…for our Redemption draws near!

Proverbs 30:7-9 is the takeaway today. I tis one fo the most powerful proverbs demonstrating faith that I know of. “Two things I ask of you, do not refuse me before I die; keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘who is the Lord?’ or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

• 17:1-4. There is a God-ordained responsibility to confront sin in the life of a “brother.” We live in a skewed value system culture where the most tolerant and loving thing a person can do (supposedly) is overlook transgressions and sins. We esteem the “do not judge” aspect of the gospels and, as such, do not confront sin in other believers. Our failure to act biblically in this regard is as much of a STUMBLING BLOCK/MILLSTONE as legalism, liberalism or the like. Certainly it is dangerous to redefine the gospel. It is also dangerous to ignore sin. Why would we do so? Part of it may be because we know our own propensity to sin. Because we know our own weaknesses, we feel bad pointing out the weaknesses of others. Part of us wants to be popular and we think that by pointing out sin, we lose popularity. Everyone wants to be liked…and that is okay…until we pursue popularity more than righteousness. Part of it is fear. We don’t want people to look at us because we’re afraid that we will be exposed if we start to expose others. (Just look at how the political primary season is going!) THE FACT is though, sin enslaves. Sin holds in bondage. Sin steals abundant life. When we abrogate our responsibility to confront, we consign a brother to living in abjectly destructive patterns. He suffers…and we watch passively as it happens. FURTHER, when a man repents…even five times a day…we are to forgive. Nowhere do you see a provision to wait and see how he does…or an examination for fruit of repentance. What you do see is a direct command to challenge the sin and forgive the sinner when he repents…as often as it occurs, you are to do this…without exception.
• 17:5-6. We read this…but do we really believe it. Do you believe you can pray with faith for a tree to be uprooted and it will?
• 18:18-26. Jesus has a way of getting to the root of our idolatry. For most of us, our idols are not wood or stone. They are something else that we rely upon or depend on. Maybe it is a relationship. Maybe it is financial security, tradition, or education. When Jesus calls for a man to come to Him, He chooses necessarily to strip the man of his idols. To move forward with Jesus requires…NECESSARILY…that we have our idols stripped away. A man cannot enter the Kingdom with packages in his hand. He must rely on Christ…and Christ alone.

Proverbs 29:13 is the takeaway today. “The poor man and the oppressor have this in common; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”

My thoughts on today’s text:

• 13:1-5. Sometimes we see people who experience tragedy and think…they really blew it. What we fail to comprehend…is that we’ve all really blown it. If a man doesn’t realize his own unrighteousness and the righteous judgment of God toward it…He cannot be saved. This is the point Jesus is making…and we need to “GET it.
• 13:14. God help us. The church leader became indignant because a woman was “set free” from her spiritual suffering and it wasn’t on the church program. We need to get over ourselves. When we come into the presence of God…don’t we expect Him to set people free? If He uses someone else to do it…don’t we need to rejoice? I wonder if we miss God’s work in lives at times simply because we are too fixated on the minutia of Greek and Hebrew or fine points of our Theology. If a woman was healed this way in church tomorrow…would you rejoice and praise God…or doubt and wonder how this could be?
• 14:27,33. Jesus does not call us to (as John MacArthur puts it) “easy-believism. Jesus did not promise an easy life, but an eternal life. No one doubts that our eternity in the presence of God is going to be more amazing than we can comprehend. However, some think that coming into the faith is one where we call the shots and it is comfortable. Jesus said that kingdom citizenship requires a denial of self-will and self-preservation, and a surrender of all that you have…your life, your possessions, your everything. For he who surrenders all, he gains the whole world, but he who seeks to hold back, keeps what he has and surrenders his own soul. There is no other way to understand the call to Kingdom living. There is also no better plan and purpose to embrace. This is Abundant life…to KNOW HIM and to MAKE HIM KNOWN to the Ends of the Earth.
• 15:11-32. When your enemy repents and yields control of his life to God…do you rejoice with the angels or reject the good news and cling to your bitterness?

Proverbs 28:13 is the takeaway today. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”

A couple of observations from the text for me:

• 7:18-23. When John the baptizer had questions about the identity of Jesus as Messiah, Jesus did not give a speech or publish a resume. He fulfilled the Scriptures in the presence of those asking. The Scriptures authenticate authentic messages.
• 7:30. A rejection of baptism (the baptism of repentance-baptism of John) was a rejection of God’s purpose. While believer’s baptism differs somewhat in its meaning and purpose, it is still ordained by God for believers…so to reject it in practice or in form is to reject God’s purpose for you. Baptism is SIGNIFICANT.
• 8:34-39. Real transformation scares people and it can even cause them to reject the transformer as well. We all get comfortable in our sinful lives of self-control. When this man was changed, those who knew Him rejected Him, and Jesus sent Him back to His own village. While others rejected this man’s transformed life, he did not reject Jesus. This is an excellent example of what biblical faith truly is.
• 9:37-43. What some today would call minimal faith, Jesus calls wicked, unbelieving, and perverted. Have we so softened up our definition that we miss the unrelenting intent of the Lord?

Proverbs 27:18 is the takeaway today. “He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who cares for his master will be honored.”

• 10:8-9. The disciples were instructed to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. Where they found faith, they authenticated the message with signs of healing. (It is God who heals and it is faith in God that allows us to see it.) Where they did not find faith, they were to authenticate the message with a sign of judgment, the dust and the sandal). Some think that the only sign of the Kingdom is that of healing, but it is not so. It is also not our primary concern. We are to preach and to act obediently. God saves and God judges.
• 10:20. Those who went out also came back rejoicing that they power of God had been manifested through them. Jesus told them that the greater miracle was that God manifested His power toward them in their own salvation. ARE WE MORE in awe at our salvation, or at the miraculous events of healing?
• 11:37. Jesus was invited to eat a meal by a Pharisee…and HE WENT! Would you?
• 11:42. Some tell me that the “tithe” is never taught in the New Testament. This is one of the clearest verses affirming the validity and ongoing nature of that which was extensively taught to the people before. These things (giving of the tithe with meticulous care) are to be done without leaving the others (justice and generosity) undone.
• 12:13-15. Just for me. I was in an extended conversation this week with someone who believes that it is ok…and even preferrable for the government to tax the rich to do justice toward the poor. I think this word speaks to the fact that Jesus is not concerned with the civil tax codes or the idea of fairness in the world. He IS concerned with the sense that His people represent His kingdom and as such are to proclaim Him as King and point others to trusting in Him as King!
• 12:22-34. We can be covetous whether we have an abundance of things and want more…or lack abundance and are anxious to get some…rather than trusting in the God who provides always for His children (12:32).
• 12:47-48. There is a scale of judgment in play where not everyone is treated the same at judgment. Those who have been given more and failed to steward it, will receive a stricter judgment than those who have been given less and failed to steward.
• 12:49-53. More to come on Sunday as I preach on the subject of unity. Christ came to divide and then unify under the banner of righteousness.

Proverbs 26:4 is the takeaway today. “Do not answer a fool according to his folly or you will also be like him.” [As a friend once said, "Don't mudwrestle a pig. You'll both just get dirty but the pig likes it."]

• 4:20-27. Jesus is teaching (preaching) in the synagogue and they are very complimentary of Him…but it changes suddenly. Why? In the hearer’s mind, they are the centerpiece of God’s redemptive story…not God. When God was rescuing (them in their own understanding) they were happy. God is rescuing us! When God passed by them and showed grace to other (25-27), they were indignant and wanted to kill the preacher. The story of grace was true in both accounts. The response to it was based not on the speaker (Jesus) or on God, but on where the audience saw themselves in the story. THIS is still common today I think. When people look at group pictures of event they attended…they look for themselves first. When they come to worship services, they look for agreeable environments, things for their kids, and principles of the message that apply to them. Could it be that this is the definition of “self-centeredness” and that we fit the definition more often than not? When we want to react to the message that we hear…would we not be wise to simply pause and ask of ourselves and of God, “Why does this create such an emotional response in my life? Is this indicative of a sin in me, or is it really an insensitive preacher?” (Most in that day just considered it a problem with Jesus. They tried to kill him for it that very day. In truth…they were not at synagogue to hear from God, but to be encouraged in their own role and “god” in their own little universe.)
• 5:19-20. How awesome it is that Jesus would show grace toward someone in response to someone else’s faith. It was the faith of the friends that He responded to. It was because of their faith that He healed this man. So…does God ever see our faith and show grace toward others? IOW: Are you actively BEGGING God and going the “extra mile” (whatever that is) to get your friends to Jesus…and does He show grace to them because your faith is compelling? WOW- That’s a convicting thought in my mind.
• 6:46-48. There is a huge difference between someone who calls Jesus Lord and one who acts on the Lordship of Christ. You can tell, by what He does with the message…and that is usually revealed in the midst of the storms that are non-negotiable.

Proverbs 25:11 is the takeaway today. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” [Speak the same word in wrong circumstances, and it has no value.]

A couple of observations struck me in these first three chapters:

• Mary’s Magnificat is a powerful prophetic word about the role her yet to be born Son would play in the world. This isn’t just some lofty aspiration of a loving mother; rather, it is a divine sense of revelation about the significance of the advent of the Messiah. (1:46-56). BTW: I thought it interesting that God used one supposed “impossibility” (the conception fo John by an old, barren mother) to encourage Mary with her impossibility (a young virgin giving birth). [NOTE: Just in case you miss the significance, this is a physician writing...who was well-versed and interested in the science of medicine. He offered no explanation as to how this occurred other than the divine hand of God.]
• 1:62. It hit me this morning that the people tried to communicate with Zacharias with SIGNS and not words. He couldn’t speak, so they ASSUMED that he could not hear as well. It was his ability to speak that was interrupted (1:20), not his hearing. Notice: Here is what I have found to be true in my experience…when I talk to South Asians, I speak with an attempted accent and a choice of vocabulary that I think they can understand. To Arabs, I do the same thing. Same with Latin Americans. To those who are hard of hearing…I change the way I talk with them too. I ASSUME that since they talk funny (Said tongue in cheek of course) that they must also hear funny. I assume they can’t understand what I have to say if I just say it and I try to modify what I say to fit what I think they can understand. So…I wonder how many times we do not engage the LOST at all or accurately because we ASSUME they won’t understand where we are coming from? Are we cheating them…and all the while they would understand perfectly if we would simply SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT?
• 3:10-14. I observed that the act of repentance in all three cases dealt with physically meeting the needs of people around them, contentment with what we have (no coveting) and fairness in our dealings with others. All three incidents involved MONEY to some degree. NOTE: Some people want to believe that there is/can be repentance without it affecting how they deal with their money (again…tongue in cheek since we don’t have any money of our own…but are merely managers of God’s money.) According to John…if there wasn’t a clear outworking of repentance…and in this case, that which was evidenced by generosity, satisfaction, and charity…there was no confidence is the grace of God operating in one’s life. So…when God is at work, there is clear evidence…and I might argue that you can measure that work with a calculator. [Now before you delete this or argue...just meditate on it and ask God if this could be true. Listen for His answer...not mine   ].

Proverbs 24:21 is the takeaway today. “My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change.” [Avoid those rebellious people who simply want to change leadership rather than yield to it...recognize that God ordains all leaders, even evil ones, for His own purpose.]

Some people want to focus on the resurrection because it is cheerful and hope-filled. But there is no resurrection without the crucifixion. Others focus on the crucifixion and its atoning work…but there is no crucifixion without the willful and intentional condemantion of the people (Israel and Rome)…both groups having handed Jesus over in rejection of His rightful and just place as the Son of God…the Messiah. [By extension, we fit into the condemantion category as well.]

See, part of the overwhelming nature fo the grace God showed in the resurrection is best seen when juxtaposed against our willful rejection of His Lordship. When we delivered over Jesus to die…we rejected God and His Messiah. Yet…He forgave us. He forgave us not due to our merits but due to His nature…due to grace.

It is in light of this grace that we see the commission. Go and preach the gospel to all creatures. Every created being must hear…is the scope of the gospel. God directs us to tell the story of His love to everyone…to our clients, our co-workers, our employers, our neighbors, the market owners, those like us, those different from us, to those of our language group and to every other language group…to every creature.

How could we freely receive the grace of God and not freely serve the God of grace?

Proverbs 23:29-35 is the takeaway today.

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

³⁰Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.

³¹Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;

³²At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.

³³Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.

³⁴And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.

³⁵“They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.”

Substitutes for real peace do not yield peace at all. Only sorrows.