Deeper Still by phil mccallum

Scripture
So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25

Observation
One of my favourite pictures in the Bible is summed up with the words “every man under his vine and fig tree.” I imagine Jewish backyards with patios and landscaping, with lamb sizzling on the bbq and kids playing on the lawn. Having a home and family to fill it is one of life’s greatest rewards.

Why were the people blessed with this idyllic life? Because they had a good leader in King Solomon and they chose to fall under his leadership. Some cared for the king’s 40,000 stables. Others farmed to feed the palace one month out of 12. Sill more hauled rock and timber in rotating shifts in Lebanon.

The choice to come under that leadership brought blessing. There was time to do landscaping. There was time to let a tree grow big enough to enjoy its shade. Life was good because of a good leader and the choice of others to follow his lead.

Application

I have been blessed with a good leader in our pastor and in the leaders of our church. I’m thankful for them and open my heart to them.

Prayer
Father, help me to follow and to reap the rewards of following those whom you have placed in leadership over my life. Amen.

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Press the arrow to listen to Kris and Kristyn Gettys sing “In Christ Alone” while reading about God’s blessing.

Scripture
Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;
And let them say continually, “The LORD be magnified,
Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27

Observation
There can be days when the howling pack of critics can drown out any voice of hope. We cannot hear words of encouragement, nor can we hear self-confidence within. But there will come a day when the background noise around us will change. Doubt will be replaced with praise.

Our hope is this: God will give our friends a reason to sing again, because he will be good to us. What they will see is not us but the magnanimity of God. There may be days of hardship, but the Father delights in our well-being. Days of visible favour will come. What will be seen on those days of blessing is not ourselves but who God is.

Application
The Father is navigating my life into prosperity. There may be days of difficulty, but disappointment is always temporary. We have surrounding us a Father who delights in our good. He seasons us only to qualify us to inherit the good he has prepared for us.

Prayer
Father, I believe that you are good and that you desire my prosperity. You are a kind Father, and a wise one as well. You give me the gift of suffering with Christ as well as reigning with him. I embrace both and anticipate your prosperity. Amen.

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Press the arrow to listen to Third Day sing “Run to You” while reading today’s devotion about disappointment. The lyrics tell Jacob’s story.

Scripture
When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” Genesis 29:25

Observation
Jacob was a fine one to ask why someone had deceived him. After all, his name meant “swindler” and he had just cheated his brother out of a lifetime of happiness.

But Jacob didn’t see that dark side of his life yet. That insight would come later, after more crippling injustice. At that early point in his life, Jacob saw himself as the centre of things. In his mind, he was special and any inconvenience was unfair treatment for one who deserved better things.

Jacob could argue that he had prayed at the start of his journey for God to be with him. And if he prayed, shouldn’t that mean that all would go well for him? The answer was an obvious, “No!” We are often victims of our ideals when we pray. It is not just that we experience injustice and disappointment but that we had expected better treatment.

In his message yesterday, Pastor Brady asked us, “Can God answer our prayers with disappointment in order to lead us to greater things?” The answer of course is yes. Prayer is all about leading us out of our perspective and into God’s point of view through the doorway of disappointment. Jacob’s scheming and conniving would be confronted until we last see him as an old limping man crossing his arms to bless his grandsons. Prayer, disappointment and blessing changed him for the better.

Application
Like Jacob, I’m often surprised when God answers my prayers with disappointment. I too am proud like Jacob and expect preferential treatment. But the hope is that this disappointment will lead to greater things. Through the doorway of disillusionment, I can find an outlook on God’s view. Life is ever so much better from that vantage point. I must brave disappointment when it comes and with a game face press through to better things on the other side. For surely better things are there. I have only to limp on. It is only when I get over the sense of specialness and welcome disappointment that I can receive the undeserved kindnesses of God.

Prayer
Father, there is ever so much in my life that I need to have reinterpreted by you to me. Make doorways of my disappointments and show me better things that are yet to be. Help me not to be surprised by injustice. Let my faith in you be strong enough to see that you may offend me to bless me. I receive that. Amen.

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Press the arrow to listen to Aaron Shust sing “Give Me Words to Speak” while you read today’s devotion.

Scripture
Jesse’s first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea, his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai, his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David. 2 Chronicles 2:13-15

Observation
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and John all had one thing in common: they were the youngest in their families. Even the Apostle Paul was something of the last born among the disciples. It wasn’t kosher for God to do much with the youngest, that was legally left to the eldest brother. But occasionally, when God wants to do something unique, he starts at the bottom.

So many expectations lay at the feet of the oldest child–from getting teeth, to losing them, from first steps to first days of school–everything must be done first and best. The other children all take their place and fit well into the family norm.

Just when life becomes predictable in comes the youngest child. He frustrates the oldest with his carefree jaunt through life. He colors outside the lines and marches to a different drummer. Occasionally this tag-a-long child catches the fancy of God and miracles happen.

Why does it surprise us when God behaves like God? Sovereignty means that God is full of surprises. Had it been up to the nitpickers it would have been King Eliab. Doesn’t that sound safe and boring! King David was a shocker at the time, but God liked it so much he had it written as the last human name mentioned in the Bible. God is unpredictable.

Application
If a man of God could be made of the baby of the family, then there is hope that God can use any of our lives for things unexpected. We should never let the yawning predictability of life keep us from the extraordinary. The Lord who led nations with little brothers has surprises in store for our days as well.

Prayer
Father, take my life and do something interesting. Amen.

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Press the arrow to listen to Hillsong sing “Halleujah” as you read today’s devotion.

Scripture
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. 1 Corinthians 9:10-11

Observation
A truly great leader is not known by how much money he keeps but by his generosity in giving away. The word “generous” has its origin in a Latin word that means someone of noble birth. The idea is that the truly noble person is a giver, for he has a combination of power and tenderness.

When God calls us to be generous he is inviting us to act regally and royally, for to give is truly a noble thing. We think of royalty reflected in possessions, while God considers true nobility in an open heart.

There is a harvest with all of God’s financial development in our lives. When exactly does that harvest come? Does it come when we receive more financially? The answer is, no. The harvest comes when we show generosity. The produce God is looking for in what he invests into us is that characteristic of kings and queens: the ability to be generous. The money is inconsequential; the generosity that is created in us is what matters most to him.

An open, sharing heart is one of the greatest gifts we can give to the Lord, for it is then that we are most like him. When funds flow into our lives we are not to think that we have come to the finish line and arrived. The harvest has yet to come. There is no harvest until we give, then we have become like the Lord.

Prayer
Father, with or without money, I want to have an open heart of generosity. In each gift I give, make my heart like your own. Amen.

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Scripture
But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” Genesis 48:17-19

Observation
Joseph was like any father, he wanted the best for his sons. He hoped for the right schools and college, boy scouts, little league, and varsity sports…well at least Egyptian style. In Egyptian culture the first born son was nothing short of a demigod. Manasseh would have slept in a special raised bed, unlike his little brother Ephraim who had a mat on the floor. Manasseh was the designated favorite. Bursting with pride in his first born son Joseph hurried his boys to grandpa’s house for a final blessing before he died.

Joseph wanted the best for his sons, but God wanted what was right for them. What Egyptian culture said about the destiny of Mannessah was not God’s plan for the boy. Ephraim would be given more responsibility, not because he was loved any more, but because it was what fitted his potential. The boys were different and God used their differences to please him.

Application
Jacob was relaxed about the unpredictable ways that God uses people, so the old man went with God’s flow. I want to be relaxed about the uneven blessings of God as well, for my children and even for myself. God uses people differently but loves each of us totally. If we can become secure in his love for us then we will be comfortable with the differences in life outcome.

Jacob in a sense said that all people are great. “Manasseh will also become a great people,” he said. This implies that it was not as if one boy were superior and the other inferior, instead they were just different. If I can accept God’s uneven ways I can come to bless those like me who are used in more remarkable ways. I can come to accept the uniqueness of the way that God uses me.

Prayer
Father, I chose today to base my security not in my life outcome but in the fact that I loved by you. You bless me because you love me. That blessing is different for me than for others because I am unique. And because I am unique you love me differently than all the rest. I thank you that each of us is so greatly loved we would be excused to think we were the only ones on earth loved by you. Thank you for the unevenness of life, for it shows me that you know me personally and give me what fits me best. Amen.

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Scripture
Now we live with great expectation… 1 Peter 1:3

Observation
How can a person live with great expectation? This sound bite from Peter’s letter is alluring. But what makes it even more remarkable is that it was addressed to people caught in the pincers of persecution. Life was level 10 pain for them, but nonetheless they could live with expectation.

What was their secret?

Peter secures this priceless valuable with some packing material.

The first step to living with great expectation requires us to close our eyes. Once closed we need to imagine the jolt of spiritual power that raised Jesus out of the tomb, then follow that lightning bolt up to heaven to see how it has unfolded the radiant beauty of Jesus who fills all of heaven with his light. Once we’ve grasped that enormous picture we need to scale the picture down and insert it into our hearts. That resurrection power is at work in us. Just think on it! Let that thought take you over. It is quite overwhelming.

The second step to living with great expectation is to go to the place where we keep what is valuable to us: it may be a cash drawer, a sock drawer, a trophy shelf or under the bed. Then we are to clear that space and put there what is priceless to the Lord: faith. Faith is more valuable than gold. That is a remarkable concept, for we value gold very much. But faith to God is what an ingot is to a burglar; he greatly desires our faith. Instead of sizing up every event of life by how much money we got out of it, Peter asked us to consider how much faith grew in our heart. That faith is like gold in a vault which should make us feel incredibly valuable.

We have resurrection power and the wealth of faith so it is no wonder we live in expectation. We should close our eyes and reflect on all that is in us and will be given to us in the days and eternity to come.

Application
If I am not living in great expectation that means either that I’m not processing my troubles well or that I don’t value what matters to God. If I see life from his point of view I will radiate more the darker it becomes.

Prayer
Father today I choose to treasure what you value and to live in great expectation.

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