One Year Book of Devotions for Men Part 48

November 5

TO READ: Psalm 84

Wholehearted Devotion

I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living G.o.d.

Psalm 84:2

Men can really get into sports. Just watch them as the winning three-point shot finds nothing but net at the buzzer. Leaping to their feet, arms raised, they shout and hollera"jumping, grinning, and hugging the nearest fan. Unrestrained delight! Uninhibited joy! Unabashed emotion! Itas all there. Meanwhile, back at the church . . . a different story. The enthusiasm is not always transferable.

The psalmist, however, is an exception. He seemed to get into his wors.h.i.+p in a big way: aWith my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living G.o.da (84:2). He looked with such longing at the Temple and its courts, the symbols of G.o.das presence (84:3-4), that he even envied the birds who made their nests there! So hungry was he for the opportunity to wors.h.i.+p and to share in the fellows.h.i.+p of G.o.das people that he could honestly say, aA single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my G.o.d than live the good life in the homes of the wickeda (84:10).

The writer of this psalm was not unaware of the attractions of the life that the wicked live. He was even prepared to describe it as athe good lifea!a"a life of ease and enjoyment, entertainment and excess. But it held little attraction for him, because he had discovered the good things that the Lord lavishes on his servants (84:11)a"grace to live each day wisely and well, and the promise of glory in the age to come.

The psalmist chose well. So often athe good lifea lacks depth and purpose and ultimately leaves an empty feeling of disappointment, a bitter taste of disillusionment. The agood lifea offers champagne in the evening but says nothing about real pain in the morning. In marked contrast, the psalmist preferred the rugged lifestyle of a pilgrim, and he courageously faced the realities of the Valley of Weeping rather than crafting escapist entertainment designed to help him deny reality. He knew athe good lifea is not all that good!

The psalmist was enraptured with the Lord, and with his whole being he let it be known. So it is for the man today who does what is right, who trusts in the Lord and nourishes his spirit in glad wors.h.i.+p, adoration, and praise. For him there is no reticence and no reluctance, but lots of rejoicing with his awhole being, body and soula!

November 6

TO READ: Nehemiah 1:1-11

aI Was Wronga

Listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!

Nehemiah 1:6

Men do not find it easy to say, aI was wrong,a and, aIam sorry.a But we need to learn. Unless we admit culpability and offer apologies, our relations.h.i.+ps will suffer.

Nehemiah was the kingas cupbearer. Much more than a glorified wine steward, he was a member of the kingas inner circle, a trusted aide, a key man in the affairs of state. He was also a deeply spiritual man who knew how to pray to the G.o.d of heaven. When he heard about the sad state of affairs in far-off Jerusalem, Nehemiah made use of both channels (1:4; 2:1-8). The cultured man who knew how to present wine to an earthly king also knew how to to present prayers to the heavenly Lord, with dramatic effect.

Nehemiahas prayer was deeply emotional, springing from a recognition that the situation in which G.o.das people found themselves was directly attributable to their own actions. No whining came from his lips, no questions sprang from his heart, no recriminations found their way into his thinking. G.o.d had said clearly and unmistakably that if his people obeyed they would be blessed, and if they disobeyed they would suffer the consequences. The mess they were in was simply the acc.u.mulation of consequences for which they were responsible. Nehemiahas prayer reflected this insight.

Nehemiah confessed sin on behalf of the people as a whole. In itself, this could have been too vague, too fuzzy, too out-of-focus. True, the people had sinned collectively; but, as Nehemiah recognized, collective guilt is the sum total of individual guilt. Israelas guilt included Nehemiahas own guilt. Collective confession has its placea"right alongside individual, personal confession. It is the logical response to individual guilt, not a convenient subst.i.tute for admission of personal culpability.

The same Lord who has promised that actions have consequences has also guaranteed that confession leads to forgiveness and that forgiveness is the pathway to restoration. Nehemiah knew this well. So his prayer, which was deeply confessional, was also quietly confident.

We men should be as eager to approach the Lord as we are to make business contacts, and as well-versed at presenting our heart concerns to G.o.d as we are at offering our products to potential customers. And like Nehemiah, we, too, should be ready to confess our sins, confident that G.o.d will hear and forgive. Then, when we present our requests, we can have confidence that G.o.d will hear us and answer.

November 7

TO READ: Nehemiah 4:1-23

Finis.h.i.+ng the Job

Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, aDonat be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!a Nehemiah 4:14

More jobs get started than get finished. More projects are conceived than are completed. Initial enthusiasm gets drained, capital gets exhausted, energy gets dissipated. Unforeseen obstacles rear ugly heads, unantic.i.p.ated problems loom large, unwelcome factors prevail. People get tired, bored, disgruntled, disappointed, dishonest, angry, envious, jealous, fractious, compet.i.tive, combative. Projects die on drawing boards. aI quita becomes a mantra.

All of that could have been Nehemiahas experience. If ever there was a project designed to discourage its workers and deplete its resources, Nehemiahas rebuilding project was it! Poor pay, long hours, constant problems, dangerous working conditions, understaffing, shortage of materials, a nonexistent benefits package, limited supervision, little job satisfactiona"you name it, it was all there. But somehow Nehemiah got the job done. How did he do it? Nehemiah only succeeded because G.o.d empowered him and protected him. He continually relied on G.o.d for help and strength, and he was not disappointed (4:4-5, 9, 14-15, 20).

Nehemiah also instilled in his workforce a concern for the well-being of the community. The project in which they were involved was significant because it served more than personal interests. More than pay and perks, Nehemiah focused his workersa attention on the well-being of those for whom they were responsiblea"their families and their homes (4:14). They should work hard to provide for and protect those whose care was their concern.

In addition to these motives, there was a higher vision, a n.o.bler goal. aRemember G.o.d,a Nehemiah said. He knew that the rebuilding project ultimately served G.o.d. He knew that rebuilding the city would fulfill the divine objective. So he and his workers were enrolled together in providing the sweat and muscle that would result in G.o.das will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Workers whose focus is narrowly self-centered struggle when conditions are less than ideal and quickly jump s.h.i.+p if they can improve their own situation and get what they imagine to be their just desserts! But men and women inspired with a cause that transcends purely personal preference endure more and are satisfied with less. They finish the job they are given, because they know that doing the will of G.o.d and providing for the needs of others gilds the mundane realities of work with a glory that makes it all worthwhile.

November 8

TO READ: Esther 1:10-20; 3:1-6; 4:1-17

Respect Must Be Earned

Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I am willing to die.

Esther 4:16

Respect must be earned. It may be demanded, but it can never be imposed. Fear may be coerced, and obedience may be enforced; but respect flows freely from a heart full of appreciation for admirable qualities and behavior.

King Xerxes of Persia apparently did not know this. He was incensed when Vashti, his beautiful queen, refused to be paraded before his majestyas drunken friends (1:10-12). In his opinion, Vashti did not show him proper respect, so she was deposed as queen and banished for life (1:19). This, the king and his advisers decided (1:20), would ensure that men would be respected by their wives! It is a rare woman who respects such a man.

Some time later a shady character by the name of Haman was elevated to the number-two position in the kingdom (3:1-6). He demanded respect and expected everyone to bow before him. But a feisty official, a Jew called Mordecai, had no respect for Haman and refused to bow. Hamanas response was to order the annihilation of all Jews! This, he determined, would teach the Jews the meaning of respect! It is a warped mind that orders aethnic cleansinga as a response to an insult.

Some leaders have egos that cannot bear the slightest slight. They abuse power, and their punishments bear no resemblance to the imagined crimes. Such leaders receive only hatred and disdain.

But then there was Esther. Esther was Vashtias successor as queen of Persia. She was also Mordecaias cousin. As queen, she remained a closet Jewess because Mordecai had told her to keep her nationality a secret (2:10, 20). Esther was informed of the imminent destruction of her people, and she was reminded that she was in a position to do something about it. She must approach the king, an illegal and dangerous act (4:11). She must use her exalted position as a platform for righteousness. She must disclose her ethnicity and perhaps sign her own death warrant. She knew how desperately she needed both her kinsmenas support and the Lordas enabling (4:16).

Xerxes and Haman, with their small minds and fragile egos, craved respect but generated only fear. Esther, with her quiet courage, sense of duty, and simple faith, rescued her people and earned their respect. Leaders who demand respect often do not receive it. But you can respect a leader who leads by example and demonstrates dignity.

November 9

TO READ: Job 1:6-22

Bad Things Happen

aAll right, you may test him,a the LORD said to Satan. aDo whatever you want with everything he possesses, but donat harm him physically.a So Satan left the Lordas presence.

Job 1:12

In a perfect world all would be sweetness and lighta"or so we fondly imagine. But our world is often ugly and dark. We dream and work to bring about our utopia, but it never comes. Bad things happen. And they happen continuously, relentlessly, and cruelly, to bad people and also to the good. Sometimes, it seems they happen more to the good than to the bad. Why?

Jobas world was sweetness and light. He had lots of money, a successful business, a great family, recognition, and a good reputation. And with all of this, Job was a righteous and deeply religious mana"the best of the best. Then came calamity upon calamity, until he was left only with fresh graves, shattered barns, decimated herds, chronic illness, and a bitter wife. G.o.das best had been dealt lifeas worst. But why?

A skeptic would quickly answer, aBad things happen because there is no good G.o.d to keep them from happening.a The skeptic thinks he has an incontrovertible point. But surely, if it be argued that the presence of bad things points to G.o.das absence, it must be conceded that the presence of good things points to G.o.das presence. aYes,a the skeptic might reply, aand what kind of G.o.d is he if he exists? If he is all good, why does he tolerate evil? If he is all-powerful, why doesnat he stop it?a The story of Job points in another direction. G.o.d, our creator, rules all things by his mighty power, and he is good. Satan, our accuser, is evil. For reasons that we donat understand, G.o.d allows Satan to engage in evil functions, but only under tight divine control; yet G.o.d makes everything, even evil, serve his purpose, and he brings eternal good out of temporal evil.

It may be a hard truth to embrace, a bitter pill to swallow. But ultimately, G.o.das ways are beyond our comprehension. aThere are secret things that belong to the Lord our G.o.da (Deut. 29:29). At some point we have to humbly accept what G.o.d has told us and trust that he is doing what is right. Even though aclouds and darkness surround him,a we can trust that arighteousness and justice are the foundation of his thronea (Ps. 97:2). And there is no getting away from the fact that good can come out of evil.

Look at the cross of Jesus Christ. It was temporal evil, but from it came eternal good. Satan did his worst. G.o.d did his best! What gross evil, but what glorious good! Best of all, G.o.d does not watch our pain dispa.s.sionatelya"in Christ he endured it himself.

November 10