Deeper Still by phil mccallum

Observation
God gave Joseph overwhelming privileges. He was on the top floor of the pyramids, so to speak. How he used the power God gave him tells us everything about the stages of his heart.

Forgiving family who had sold him to slave traders was not a snap decision. In some way it is comforting to read Joseph’s struggle to forgive because it gives us elbow room to work through our own forgiveness challenges.

Joseph went through three stages until he was ready to reconcile.

First, Joseph used the platform of success to become a bully.

Genesis 42:8-9 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”

Under the Egyptian headdress and makeup he was still just Joey, but he would never let his brothers know that vulnerable information. He stared them down with steely resentment. He would make them do jail time just like he did. At the Bully Stage we can use the grace of God to get back at others who have harmed us. Of course we will not be forgiven if we do not forgive, but thankfully the Lord does not rush but gives us time to come to a better frame of mind.

Second, Joseph became a police man.

Genesis 42:17-18 So Joseph put them all in prison for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.

Evidently God had spoken to Joseph over the three days and touched his heart. His words were not prickling with revenge now. There was a softness about him. But still he was not ready to reconcile with his brothers. That would take more time. At the Policeman Stage, we may not want to harm people, but we do want to teach them a lesson. Instead of entrusting God to deal with our enemies we speed things up a little.

Finally, Joseph became a counselor.

Genesis 45:1-5 selected Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. Then he broke down and wept. “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive? Please, come closer,” he said to them. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

Instead of confronting his brothers, he consoled them. What a dramatic change from the bully just a few months before. Joseph was now comforting those who had harmed him.

Application
It is easy to relate to the stages of Bully and Policeman, but to think that we could one day console those who had harmed us may be too much to contemplate. But such is the grace of Jesus. If I am to be a Christ follower, then I must be prepared for unusual changes God will bring to my heart. Such is the miracle of forgiveness. I will pass through stages of forgiveness, but I am not to remain paralyzed in any of them.

Prayer
Father, there are times I find it comfortable to be a bully and a policeman, but I open my heart to be surprised to find myself one day being a counselor to console those who have harmed me. Amen.

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Every Season by Nichole Nordeman

Scripture
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” Genesis 39:16-17

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. Genesis 40:23

So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Genesis 41:16 (NKJ)

Observation

Joseph had a dream planted in his heart by the Lord. It was more than just an idea that Joseph had for his life. It was a plan that God has for him. That dream was like a seed buried deep in him. One day, in right conditions, that seed would grow. Meanwhile, that seed would need to remain hidden from view under prison clothes deep in his heart.

There were people that God put into Joseph’s life who made holding onto dreams difficult.

He first met the Dream Taker, Mrs. Potiphar. When she couldn’t steal his dream with her swinging hips she turned to purgery. Because Joseph made the right choice, she could snatch his cloak but she could not steal his dream. Sometimes we have to leave our reputation in the hands of others so we can hold onto the dream God has given to us.

Then Joseph met the Dream Faker, Mr. Cupbearer. Joseph showed genuine concern for his injustice, and gave him a great gift of hope. But words were forgotten and all the promises made were never delivered. There are many people in life who will promise opportunity and never deliver. Networking is a remarkable advantage in life. God can use it to open doors. But there are many who never deliver. Their lack of performance does not in any way hinder the power of a God-given dream. A true dream can survive disappointment.

The only reason Joseph’s story survives nearly 4,000 years later is because he met the Dream Maker, the Lord himself. As David Seamonds said, “Joseph was in prison but he did not let prison get into Joseph.” The last two years of waiting were the most important. Marinating in disappointment, Joseph never let it mutate into discouragement. Instead he came to the conclusion that he had been given a God given dream, which only the Lord could fulfill if he would so choose to do. His first public words tell it all: So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” He now knew that God alone could fulfill dreams.

We built our first house with the rustic feel of a ski lodge. Strewn about the job site were many left over blocks of timber. One hefty chunk of wood lay sunk in a mud puddle. I had walked around it many times, until the day came to craft the mantle piece. I needed a nice, thick slab of Cyprus pine to do the job. When I measured I found that the only one to fit the bill was the muddy beam in the puddle. I cleaned it up and went to work with my planer and router. Once the outer husk was peeled away, the beauty of heart of the wood sang out. With a sand and shine I fixed the mantle on top of the fireplace as the feature of the room. Just as mud could not deter the purpose of that board, so too disappointments from Dream Takers and Dream Fakers cannot inhibit God from working his purposes out through us.

Application
I could give some names for Dream Takers and Dream Fakers in my life. But I know there is a Dream Maker watching over me. He has surprised me before and he will likely do so again…when the time is right.

Prayer
Father, you alone interpret dreams. Fulfill through me what you have placed deep inside of me. Amen.

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Scripture

“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” Acts 7:51-53

Observation

Stephen’s sermon is so eloquent that it’s hard to remember the guy is on death row approaching the electric chair, in a manner of speaking. The last words Stephen spoke on the courtroom floor are the most remarkable. Around Stephen is a swirling chaos of fists, spit and stones, but at the center is a man having an epiphany. It’s like a melodramatic scene from 1950’s Bible flick. Stephen is gazing toward heaven, a spotlight warms his face, a beatific smile illumines his visage and he swoons at the sight of Jesus.

Stop, stop, stop! This is the sort of thing that should happen in a sanctuary and not in the witness stand. How did Stephen manage to see such a remarkable sight in the midst of chaos?

Here’s the secret: Stephen had learned to worship in extreme conditions. He had learned to be comfortable with adrenaline, push it aside and to see the Saviour’s face. His story would not be told if it were not a model for us as well.

Do you know the taste of adrenaline? Have you felt the dizziness of a surge of blood pressure? Can you hear the ringing in your ears as the blood vessels swell? Have you sensed the out-of-body experience as you stand before those you fear to hear a voice speaking and wake up mid paragraph to discover it is you? We’ve all been in pressure points. Stephen’s is an extreme. But here’s the point: have we learned to live as Stephen learned to die? Have we learned how to look up in pressured circumstances and to worship the God of heaven?

Application

Stephen’s poise under pressure is not an ideal but a possibility. There are pressured moments in life when we too are placed on the spot. It is then that choices we make can open up our relationship with Christ. I remember reading about the Christian leader Polycarp (his name does not mean ‘many fish’ but that’s another story). Polycarp was on his way to be burnt at the stake, but he asked the arresting officer if he could have time to pray. He asked for a meal to be brought to his executioners and he went to an upstairs room where he methodically prayed for each of the churches he oversaw. It’s no wonder that at the stake, when Polycarp was asked to turn his back on Jesus, that he had the presence of mind to say, “I’ve served him 86 years and he’s never failed me, how can I be unfaithful to the one who has loved me so?” (That’s my paraphrase.)

Worship can happen anywhere, even under pressure. It requires me to become comfortable with uncomfortable emotions, to walk through stress rather than trying to neutralize it, and to look for Jesus in the most unlikely places.

Prayer

Father, I can’t say that I’m there yet with this one, but I’m certainly learning. I’ve had several lessons this last year. I expect there will be more. Help me to look up rather than looking down in these pressure points and help me to break through emotions that I fear into an experience of you too great for words so that I can say what must be said even in the most difficult times. Amen.

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The Bible Says

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

My Mind Thinks

Baseball fans all over Colorado are as exuberant as the autumn trees. The Colorado Rockies actually stand a chance of making it to the World Series. We’re staying in Colorado at the moment with friends. The hype is everywhere. The local sporting goods store is sold out of Rockies caps. Cars have flags waving. It’s fun to be neighbors with winners. The Rockies have nothing to do with the Bible passage I’ve read today except this: in baseball it’s three strikes and you are out.

Peter had three strikes against him the day he walked into the temple.

He was on his way to a Jewish majority event as a minority Christian. � � Strike one.
He met a man asking for help with needs bigger than he could fix.� � � Strike two.
Like most pastors, he didn’t have enough money.� � � Strike three.

But this time, after three strikes Peter was not out but in. Peter made it to the home plate of a miracle because he knew what he did have. Peter had the Lord Jesus Christ and that was enough. Jesus was freshly resurrected from the dead, ascended on high and seated at the right hand of God. This news was so fresh it had not even yet been written about. Peter’s Lord Jesus was in a place of power to act. This would be the Lord’s first public demonstration of his healing power since his days on earth. Peter was poor but he knew he was rich because he had Jesus. The rest of the story is in the Bible.

So often we disqualify ourselves from miracles because we focus on the strikes against us rather than what we do have to offer. Throughout the Bible all kinds of excuses are used to opt out of doing something supernatural.

“I can’t talk so good.”
“I’m a sinful man.”
“My tribe is the least in Israel.”
“I have only a little oil.”
“We have only a boy and his lunch but what is that among so many.”

You’ve heard the excuses all before as the struck out batter shuffles back to the bull pen with his shoulders slouched. So many of us check out of God’s supernatural plan because we accept as ironclad fact that three strikes make an out.

But not with the Lord. Three strikes can be rubbed off the scoreboard if we will instead dig down in our pockets into what we do have. When was the last time you took personal stock of your assets rather than your liabilities? Or take it one step further. What does Jesus have to offer that you don’t have?

My Heart Responds

I’m about to take a Sunday morning walk along a path that leads straight to Pikes Peak. On my prayer walk I’m going to ask the Lord and myself this question in a new way, What do I have? What does Jesus have that I can use that I have not touched.

My Spirit Prays

Father, can you speak louder than the Umpire today, over the sound of striiiiiiiiike and instead remind me what I do have? And then help me to use it. Amen.

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Gabe with his Uncle Jon along with Daisy (thankfully Daisy is no relation!)

Scripture

I lift my eyes to you,
O God, enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,
just as servants keep their eyes on their master,
as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,
for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud
and the contempt of the arrogant. Psalm 123

� Observation
This week I’ve been trying to train Zach, a very excitable Labrador puppy. Zach’s heart is in the right place but his eyes often are not. The only way to keep his focus is with a Milk Bone biscuit hidden in my hand. I see a lot of people like myself in Zach’s darting eyes. We ought to have our eyes fixed on Jesus in every moment of life, our vision flooded with the Saviour we keep before us always.� But we find it very hard to concentrate.

� Some of the most difficult distractions of life are in contempt, scoffing, and arrogance.� Not everyone in life wants us to make it.� There are people in this world who want to step up by stepping on us. The only way they know how to pull themselves up is to put others down. The only words that console their shortcomings are the barbs they throw at others. In fact most of the arrows they fling at the innocent are those the Holy Spirit has driven into their own disobedience. They just pull them out and use them against us.

I was shopping last week when on the busy pedestrian sidewalk I saw a German Shepherd sitting alert on its own. Whisking past the dog were dozens of shoppers. But the dog was oblivious. Instead his eyes were fixed in the distance. I followed his sight trail and saw some distance away his owner. She had trained the dog with hand signals. Between each command she would place both hands behind her back. Then with a certain flick of her hand the dog would eagerly sit, stand, lay down and come. It was a beautiful relationship to behold.

Application
That sense of focus must become ours in our relationship with the Lord. The greatest test our focus will ever endure come with jaunts and taunts from those who have their own issues with the Lord that they have never addressed. But the greatest lesson in injustice is to learn to worship with the discord descant of criticism around us. Our eyes must be focused on the Lord for one reason.� God is full of mercy. He has better plans for us than our critics can imagine. It is our focus on the hope of God’s future plans for us, no matter our fumblings, that keeps us alert when permission comes from him to move into better things.

� If a dog can learn to wait and watch that closely then surely we can as well.� That obedience lesson awaits you today in Psalm 123.� When our focus is not on where we can best land the next punch, but instead on the gestures of God then we know we have begun to truly worship.

Prayer
Jesus keep my eyes on you today.� �

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Here I am at age 6 with a bandaged playground injury sitting on the knee of Uncle Henry, the man who was the grandfather I never had.

Scripture

So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:

For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.

Lamentations 3:26, 27, 31

Observation

What is the recipe for creating a person of success? We would think that it would begin with plenty of love, nurture, compassion, encouragement, grace, kindness, and all of the other best intentions we have for our children.

But experience with people shows again and again it is those who have started life with the gift of hardship who are often most successful. Some of the most successful people I have known began life in poverty, abuse, rejection, and pain. But it was that early hardship that introduced them to the secrets of life success.

“It is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline”, Jeremiah wrote.

For those who are passing through hardship in their early years, there is hope in these words. With the Lord there is no freedom from pain, but instead our hope is that our pain can be used for his purposes. Those God wishes to grace with success will often be given the gift of hardship early in life to teach them the lessons of success. Those who have suffered while they are young should have the most hope of better things to come. As A.W. Tozer said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” (From Glorify his name! Root of the Righteous, chapter 39.)

Jeremiah was an old man as he wrote these words, but he could remember his years as a young prophet suffering great abuse. Now as an old man he was watching young men of Jerusalem suffering their first bruises in the aftermath of war. Jeremiah made quite a list of hardships a young man can experience that are signs of future success:

…walled in (verse 7)

…heavy chains (verse 7)

…blocked with a high stone wall (verse 9)

…target for his arrows (verse 12)

…arrows deep into my heart (verse 13)

…people laugh at me (verse 14)

…chew on gravel (verse 16)

…rolled in the dust (verse 16)

But still Jeremiah wrote,

Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends
His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. (verses 21-23)

It seems that the best view of the Lord comes not at the top, but from the bottom.

I remember when I first moved to Australia, living amongst the tall gum trees of the Dandenong Mountains. I went for a walk with my camera to take pictures to send to my family in America. I wanted to give them some sense of the slender stature of the eucalypts of Australia. I took my Kodak Instamatic and placed it at the base of the tree looking upward through the branches to the crown. When the pictures were developed I discovered that trees are best appreciated not from a distance but from the bottom. As the camera lens captures the slender trunk and waving branches we can get a feel for how mighty a tree can be. And so it is with the Lord. His greatness of mercy so fresh every sunrise is seen best not from the high blessings of life but from the low hardships.

Application

I must embrace my hardships if I am to be successful in life. Success begins when I don’t lose heart with my early failures but see them as but the precursors of success.

Prayer

Father, use all that I have experienced in life both good and bad to prepare me for better days to come. Amen.

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Uncle Henry was the grandfather I never had (mine died before I was born). He called us his “synthetic granchildren”. He was a pastor of pastors and our family patriarch.� He taught us all how to pray.

(More pictures below)

Scripture

The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it: God, how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen? Habakkuk 1:1 (The Message)

Observation

Often our prayers are full of answers but not enough questions. The answers I speak of are our notions of how God should fix our world. We see a problem, we think up a solution and we barge into the holy place and tell the Lord what he ought to do. There is another level of prayer that starts with questions and not answers. Instead of telling God what to do, it lays out an inquiry of the Lord and then waits for the answer.

Habakkuk asked God just three questions and had enough in God’s answers to write a book. That says that the Lord has more to say to us than we have to speak to him. We have two ears and one mouth to give us an idea of ratios of speaking vs listening that God is looking for.

Eugene Petersen translates this opening sentence with an unusual twist. “The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it.” The word of the Lord was not just in the message that God gave to Habakkuk, it as also in the problem laid before him. Each problem of life is thus a gift and it is our choice to ask good questions that makes it possible for God to speak.

Mother Teresa was on a journey with some of the sisters. Along the way they faced a good many difficulties. The sisters wore out the mother superior with their constant fretting about problems. Finally Mother Teresa said, “Problems are a gift from God.” That little change of perspective changes a problem from an obstacle into an challenge to eventually draw from the miraculous resources of the Lord.

Problems are a gift from God and questions are how we find answers.

Prayer

Father, help me to be more diligent in asking your direction. Help be to be the Larry King in prayer, knowing to ask the right questions and then sitting back to see how you will answer. Amen.

Uncle Henry would host a campfire and marshmellows every summer in his backyard. Here’s me with my family when I was five. I’m the little blonde boy, kneeling.

Our birthdays were a week apart, so every Labor Day Weekend we would trek the three hours to Uncle Henry’s 150 year old house and celebrate our birthdays together.

Every one of us boys had an annual “talk” from Uncle Henry to improve our lives. I was not very attentive. I would give anything for one of those talks today.

Just to prove that there were times I would sit still when I had my little talk, here’s me after some bicycle accident.

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