Life with Lucas April-June 2023

Life with Lucas helps us to get to know God, and God’s Word ISHMAEL

WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY

APRIL – JUNE 2023

Jesus and Wisdom

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Sorted Men’s Magazine

A WORD FROM JEFF

WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS! In this edition, we focus on the final section of Mark’s gospel, as Jesus heads towards Jerusalem, faces His false accusers, experiences the horrors of the cross, and then the wondrous resurrection! I pray that our journey together will enrich our walk towards the greatest weekend of the year – Easter. We end our look at Mark with the stunning vision of Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, ascended and alive forever.

And then we turn to the theme of wisdom and look at what different writers have to say before settling on Proverbs for the rest of our time together. Crammed with words of counsel that will help guide us in our daily decisions, we will discover in Proverbs an ancient treasure trove – practical, relevant, and vital!

In the coming days, we hope to provide small group resources so that readers can join together with others. Learning is done best in community!

Please pray for me as I continue to write these resources, and for our small team that works together to produce them. Our work to provide notes free of charge to prisoners continues; please help us make this happen by visiting lifewithlucas.co.uk, where you can donate to this important work.

And thanks to those who donate financially to help us keep prices steady at a time when the cost of everything – ink, paper, postage – is going up.

If you are able to join them, you’ll see a place where you can give on that same page.

Finally, we apologise for any issues you may have had with receiving the January-March notes. A number of issues were outside our control, but thanks for your understanding and patience.

God bless you,

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INTRODUCTION

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE WITH LUCAS! CHOOSE A TIME Find the best time that works for you, ideally the same time, same place every day, when you can concentrate and have the least number of distractions.

PAUSE AND TALK TO GOD Take a moment to focus on God and ask Him to speak to you as you read and reflect on His word.

READ GOD’S WORD Read the daily passage from your Bible. Don’t be tempted just to skip this part. It’s important: who knows how the Holy Spirit might speak to you as you read the actual text?

MAKE NOTES

ONLINE VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS, AND GOING DEEPER When you see the video icon, this points you to a brief Video Introduction to the subject.

Make the most of the occasional Going Deeper resources when you see this icon. They will help you delve further into the passage.

GIVE YOUR DAY TO GOD Thank God for what you’ve learned and ask for help if the day’s notes brought to light anything especially applicable to your life at the moment.

Writing slows you down and helps you focus. Write in your Bible, a notebook, or in the white space in the devotions. Don’t hesitate to underline, write in the margins, or circle words.

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WEEKEND 01 - 02 APR

STAY AWAKE

READ Mark 13:33-14:2 Revelation 3:1-6

VIDEO INTRODUCTION lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros

I am getting older. Not only is my hairline sprinting up my forehead, but I am developing a capacity for sleeping previously unparalleled in my life. I have recently slumbered during a movie (it was dull), a board meeting (it was long), and a sermon (it was, well, a sermon...) Slumber just seems to come naturally to me these days. And I notice that absolutely no effort is required to nod off spiritually. All we are required to do is give ourselves to what caught people napping in the days of Noah – eating, drinking, marrying – the usual stuff of life.

It’s not that any one of these things are bad – rather it’s being absorbed with them, preoccupied with them as a priority that can kick in with the effect of a fast-acting sleeping pill.

As we hear Jesus calling us to ‘stay awake’, we remember the disciples lived with their eyes wide open, because spiritual warfare is a reality. Whether we are aware of it or not, we Christians camp out on a battlefield. We are at war. Perhaps that’s why the idea of retreat – deliberately taking time out to take stock of where we are in our lives – is such a good idea, and one that is becoming more popular among all Christians, not just the reflective, more monastic types.

If there’s no time to take a few days out, why not find an hour or two soon to take the pulse of your own Christian life? If we don’t, we could end up doing little more than sleepwalking at speed.

To ponder: Am I sleepwalking at speed?

What might I do to be fully awake?

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MON 03 APR

LEAVE HER ALONE

READ Mark 14:3-9 John 12:4–6

FOCUS ‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus said. 'Why are you bothering her?

She has done a beautiful thing to me.’

Mark 14:6

This would a bloody week, when many ugly, spiteful things would be done to Jesus.

‘Faithful’ companions disappeared in a cloud of dust when He was arrested, nowhere to be seen when the heat was on. A kiss of betrayal brushed His cheek. He was surrounded by thugs dressed up as priests, brandishing indictments of blasphemy even as they blasphemed Him, their eyebrows highbrow in mock horror. Square-jawed Roman bruisers punched Him and then tumbled dice for His coat. And in the midst of the muck, the blood, the bile, the rank stench of hypocrisy and evil dressed up as good, there was a rose on the rubbish tip, in Mary’s expensive offering of anointing oil. Jesus uses a rich phrase to describe what others despised: ‘she has done a beautiful thing to me.’ Apart from the costliness of it all, what made it so beautiful in His eyes?

Surely her offering showed that she understood a hint of all that was to come in the next few days, as she anointed Him for burial. As the scent of that perfume filled the room, she was saying to Jesus, ‘I’ve heard you. I listened when you said you were going to die, even when others protested that it must never be allowed to happen. I don’t understand but I believe what you say. Let me help prepare you for the journey ahead.’

When others are going through a dark week, let’s give them the gift of listening, soothe them with our silence and care with the gift of careful attentiveness. It will be a beautiful thing to them.

Prayer: Teach me the art of attentiveness, so those I meet will know I am truly hearing them. Amen.

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TUE 04 APR

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

READ Mark 14:10-11 James 3:13-18

FOCUS They were delighted to hear that he would do this. They promised to give Judas money.

Mark 14:11

What a stark contrast is the grabbing Judas with the generous Mary. And if her selfish act blessed Jesus with its simple beauty, how much did Judas’ selling-out wound Him? One of the most difficult blows to take is the betrayal of those closest to us – notice that Mark emphasises how Judas was ‘one of the Twelve’. That close-knit band who had walked so many dusty roads together, laughed and cried and stared wide-eyed in wonder at all that Jesus said and did – now one of them becomes a turncoat. Not every relational betrayal is a direct attack of the enemy, although in Judas’ case it was a direct strategic strike against Jesus from the powers of hell: Judas made a choice and that choice resulted in Satan entering into him (John 13:27). But the crushing disappointment that comes when we know we have been sold out by those we thought were our friends can be exploited by the enemy with devastating effect.

So why are we all capable of betrayal? One of the tipping points for Judas seems to have been when he saw his cashflow suffering, as Mary anoints Jesus with pricey perfume. It was then that he scurried off for his wicked little meeting and secured the promise of some cash in hand. Selfishness, greed, envy and a hunger for the immediate, rather than long-term loyalty and commitment can all sow seeds of betrayal in us. What precious relationship is about to be shattered for the equivalent of a few pieces of silver? Let’s think again before we make that deal.

Prayer: Lord, show me where selfishness threatens faithfulness today. Amen. .

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WED 05 APR

THE LAST NIGHT

READ Mark 14:12-31 Psalm 118:1-14

FOCUS The disciples left and went into the city. They found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.

Mark 14:16

How would you spend your last night? I’ve wondered what my priorities would be if I found myself just a few hours away from an appointment with the executioner. Many Christians around the world face that reality: tens of thousands are martyred every year because of their love for Christ. So what if the enemies of the gospel came for us?

Jesus chose to spend His final hours over a meal with His best friends. The conversation over the food was real, gritty and even awkward, with moments of tension and sadness. And there was time to remember what was important, over bread and wine.

Then a song was sung; music carries a power to move and strengthen us, to unite and to solidify truths that life has eroded. The hymn chosen would have been the Hallel, part of Psalms 115-118. So what words did Jesus use on His last night?

He proclaimed that God is good and His love is eternally enduring (Psa. 118:1-5).

Suffering can whisper a dark accusation about God’s character: does He really care?

Is He bothered about us? Difficult times carry a double power: not only do we suffer but we wonder. Perhaps we battle sickness but then hurt spiritually as well as physically, tormented by thoughts that God is dead, or worse, alive but uncaring.

Jesus embraced suffering convinced that He was loved by His Father: it was the closing stanza of the hymn, the last words He sang (Psa. 118:29). Whatever else we don’t know, let’s know this: God loves us. Me. You. Prayer: Help me to know Your love for me, Lord, when my circumstances and feelings suggest that I am alone and unloved. Amen.

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THU 06 APR

TROUBLED

READ Mark 14:32-72 Hebrews 5:7-8

FOCUS He took Peter, James and John along with him. He began to be very upset and troubled.

Mark 14:33

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

Pause and take a long look at this remarkable scene, as we see Jesus struggling. He is ‘very upset and troubled’ – the words include a sense of amazement, in the same way that the disciples were astonished (Mark 10:32). Jesus knew death was coming, and had repeatedly tried to explain what was to come to His slow-witted disciples, but when He finally came face to face with His painful destiny, He naturally recoiled at the awfulness to come. Even though He knew what He knew, He was overwhelmed by horrified surprise. It’s one thing to contemplate suffering in the future; it’s quite another to find today is the day of pain.

There’s usually an element of surprise in suffering – especially because most of us have little prophetic warning of trouble ahead. Some of us live in the delusion that bad things happen to other people. Few of us assume cancer, premature bereavement, or some other tragedy will be part of our lives, and so when they are, we go into shock.

But Jesus is open in His struggle and makes no attempt to hide His anguish from His trusted friends. There’s no stiff upper lip here, no pretending all is well. Jesus was in the deepest despair. Faith doesn’t pretend: it faces the unfortunate surprises of life with reality. If we are facing suffering today, let’s reach out for help. And if those around us are struggling, let’s reach out to them. We can at least make sure whatever they are going through, they don't go through it alone.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be present, sensitive, caring. And may I humbly reach out to others when my day is dark. Amen.

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FRI 07 APR

THAT DARK DAY

READ Mark 15:1-47 Exodus 10:21-29

FOCUS At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’

This means 'My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’

Mark 15:34

In a way that we cannot fully understand, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, and died for us. So why does He declare temporary abandonment? The traditional view is that God could not look on sin – that while Jesus suffered as ‘a ransom for many’, while He bore the sins of the world, God could not be with Him; and He was literally abandoned not only by His disciples but also by His Father. But this idea is implied rather than biblically defined.

Others emphasise Jesus’ taking on of the alienation of the human sinful condition.

He experiences not only horrific physical (crucifixion) but also emotional suffering, the most terrible thing any human can face: which is the sense that God has abandoned Him, that He is completely alone in a hostile universe. In this moment, Jesus enters into the darkest experience of fallen humanity.

Yet in the midst of the isolation and the darkness – as nature participates in the drama of the cross and darkness descends at noon for three hours – there is hope.

This was all happening during the Passover festival, when the Jews looked back to the first Passover hundreds of years earlier, in Egypt. The ninth plague in Egypt was a threeday darkness followed by the last plague, the death of the firstborn. The darkness at Calvary was an announcement that God’s beloved Son, His firstborn, was giving His life for the sins of the world – the death of darkness, the dawning of hope. We bow our heads in worship.

Prayer: Jesus, you are the light of the world, and the darkness can never overcome it.

Amen.

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WEEKEND 08 - 09 APR

JESUS IS ALIVE!

READ Mark 16:1-8 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

It’s the glorious declaration that we followers of Christ make today – Jesus is alive! But after Easter fades and life goes on, the incredible truth that Jesus is alive, now, can get buried and filed away as little more than a conviction we carry. I talk about Jesus every day of my life, but sometimes, the avalanche of words sweeps away the core truth: He is risen.

The women hurrying to the tomb of Jesus are to be admired for their devotion. Sadly, they had missed the point about the resurrection too. Even though Jesus had repeatedly said that He would rise on the third day, the truth had not quite landed with them (Mark 9:9-10, 31; 10:34).

When the resurrection is not core to our everyday living, we waste a lot of life on things that don’t matter – like carrying spices to anoint a body that isn’t there. We fret, anxious about apparently insurmountable problems (like how to move big stones, finding the meaning of life, and the reality of death), when actually, these things have been taken care of. Because Jesus is alive, even the biggest stones can become seats for passing angels (Matt. 28:2). When we forget the resurrection, we weep rather than witness. Faith is useless and forgiveness a vain hope (1 Cor. 15:14.17) It takes practice to accept the really good news. Initially the poor women were terrified into silence. But eventually, they got it. He really has risen. Let’s celebrate that today, and live in the good of it tomorrow.

To ponder: Take time to consider this today – what does the resurrection of Christ mean for the life that I am leading right now?

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MON 10 APR

OUR RISEN FRIEND

READ Mark 16:9-11 John 20:11-20

FOCUS Jesus rose from the dead early on the first day of the week.

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.

Mark 16:9

There’s a lot of debate among scholars about the authenticity of these verses – the best and most reliable manuscripts don’t include them. But let’s consider them anyway – they are a valuable summary of the beliefs of the early church, and don’t contradict anything else in Scripture.

Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene is wonderful, especially in a culture where the testimony of a woman was not allowed in a court of law. Those terrible prejudices are swept away by the resurrected Jesus as he makes Himself known to Mary. But in his gospel, John paints a more tender portrait of their meeting. Her eyes were swollen with tears of despair, just like the mourning, sobbing disciples in Mark: but then He appears, not in a blinding flash of light, or with a drum roll or fanfare (which might have happened if I had been choreographing the resurrection), but as someone whom you could mistake for the gardener. It’s only when He speaks her name that she suddenly realises the truth. It’s Jesus!

There were so many things that He could have said at that moment: 'I told you so.' 'Death is finished!' 'Mission accomplished.' 'I’ve got the keys of death and hell.' But instead, Jesus’ priority was to reconnect with and reassure one of His distressed followers. When it comes to friendship, Jesus really does know how to do it. He insists that we are not to see ourselves as His servants, but His friends. He spoke Mary’s name – and He knows our names too.

Prayer: Jesus, You know my name, You know me, You love me. I am so grateful. Your love reaches to the heavens, and includes me, today, this moment. Amen.

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TUES 11 APR

UNNOTICED

READ Mark 16:12-14 Luke 24:13-35 FOCUS After that, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them. This happened while they were walking out in the country.

Mark 16:12

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

The famous 'Emmaus Road' story is told in more detail by Dr Luke. A weary couple of friends are trekking the long road home, exhausted and exasperated, when suddenly Jesus joins them for a stroll. Most sermons that I’ve heard preached suggest the troubled pair were supernaturally prevented by God from recognising Jesus, which may be true, but the text doesn’t insist this was the case.

The Greek word krateo means that 'their eyes were under arrest or in custody' – it’s the same word used to describe the arrest of Jesus. Perhaps tiredness, disappointment, unbelief, or a preoccupation with just getting home after that most difficult weekend meant they simply didn’t notice that Jesus was right there with them. Certainly, something similar often happens to me. I don’t expect God to do or say much on my tougher days, and yet sometimes those are the very times when (looking back) I can trace His handiwork.

Notice another fact too: they were heading the wrong way when Jesus walked with them.

As soon as they realised the truth, they turned right around and headed back to Jerusalem to share the great news that He was alive.

That doesn’t in any way print us a licence for rebellion and sin, but I’m glad that Jesus doesn’t give up on me when I’m heading the wrong way. He really does patiently look for lost sheep. Perhaps you love someone who is walking on the wrong road: He is able to show up and meet them too.

Prayer: Save me from not noticing you, God. Be real to me when I’m headed the wrong way. And meet those that I love who are lost. Amen.

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WED 12 APR

IN HIS NAME

READ Mark 16:15-18 Acts 28:1-6

FOCUS ‘They will pick up snakes with their hands. And when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all.

They will place their hands on sick people. And the people will get well.’

Mark 16:18

In America, there are some churches (thankfully only a few) who take these verses so literally, they dance with snakes and drink poison as part of their Sunday services. They work themselves into an ecstatic frenzy and pass the reptiles around. All of this is supposed to demonstrate faith. Most of the congregants have been bitten, and some have died. This is not what is being suggested here. Jesus did say we had power over the reptilian enemy (Luke 10:19), and Paul did escape an encounter with a viper unharmed, but he was building a fire at the time, not deliberately reaching into a basket (Acts 28:3).

And we’ve already noted that this text is unreliable. I’d like something a little more solid before waltzing with a rattlesnake. One commentator notes that a better translation would be 'if they are compelled to take up snakes or drink poison’ (by a persecutor).

These seriously misled people who provoke serpents are simply tempting God (Matt. 4:5-7) as they deliberately expose themselves to danger.

Some of us do that in more subtle ways.

Some in the early church specifically sought martyrdom, believing it to be the most glorious death. Sometimes in our misplaced zeal, our clumsy attempts to stand for Christ, we stir up trouble unnecessarily. It’s important to be bold enough to suffer for doing good (1 Pet. 3:17); it’s madness to suffer for being foolish. Trouble will come, that’s a promise.

But let’s not go looking for it.

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith, and save me from fanaticism. Amen.

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THU 13 APR

SIX WEEKS

READ Mark 16:19a Acts 1:1-11

FOCUS When the Lord Jesus finished speaking to them, he was taken up into heaven.

Mark 16:19

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We prayed yesterday and asked the Lord to increase our faith – which is not easy. For the six weeks after His resurrection, Jesus constantly appeared to His disciples and spoke about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), while they were more interested in discussing the earthly kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Narrow thinking dies hard.

Luke also makes it clear that He gave 'many convincing proofs to them' that He really was alive. A shroud of privacy is drawn over the details of this epic season for them, but I’m encouraged that Jesus worked so hard to build their faith before finally ascending to be with His Father.

Sometimes I feel so guilty about my own lack of faith: over the years I’ve seen far more than my fair share of God’s activity and supernatural power, so much so that I often feel that He 'spoils' me – and yet I still worry, and wonder.

But I find myself in good company; one might have thought that a couple of hours, or even a day or two in the private company of the resurrected Jesus would be enough to galvanise the disciples’ faith and strengthen them for the challenges ahead – but it took a crash course that lasted a whole six weeks!

We can be tempted to promote the incredible little band of Jesus’ disciples into supersainthood, but they were just like us, with our capacities for greatness and grime, passion and passivity, and for faith as well as unbelief.

He worked with them. He’ll work with us too.

Prayer: Train me to believe, Lord. And thank you for enrolling me in the lifelong academy of faith. Amen.

FRI 14 APR

And so, the epic story draws toward an end; and it’s usually here, if I read a book or watch a film, where I feel a sense of elation (if the ending has been a happy one) followed quickly by a sense of dissatisfaction, as I remember that even the best story is just that – a story. The lights in the cinema come up, the pages end, and reality lands upon me with a crash. My time of escapism has finished.

JUST AS HE SAID

But this is not so with the story of Jesus.

So utterly changed were His disciples, they embark on a life and death mission in partnership with the Lord who works with and through them. They cast all cares for their own survival aside as they throw themselves into the mission, and march, heads down against persecution, to turn the world the right way up.

READ Mark 16:19b–20 Hebrews 1:1-14

FOCUS He sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19b

And all that Jesus said and sang about His own future came true. At that final meal, we remember that He sang about the right hand of God. When he stood before His accusers, He affirmed that He was headed for the right hand of God. And now, we see that all of this was not bluster or rhetoric. His work is finished yet ever continuing through His people, He is ascended and now sits triumphant in that very place.

Sometimes, when the weather of life is at its worst, and we wonder if we’ll ever see the sunshine again, it’s good to remember: He is safely home. And one day, we will be home safe too. In the meantime, we walk with Him, serve His purposes and live for the Kingdom by faith and with faithfulness.

Prayer: I thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your blood cleanses me from all sin. Your grace embraces the worst of me. Amen.

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WEEKEND 15-16 APR

WISDOM – HOW TO LIVE READ James 1:1-8 James 2:14-20

VIDEO INTRODUCTION lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

We turn now in another direction, as we begin a study into what Scripture – especially the book of Proverbs – has to say about wisdom. As we’ll see, wisdom is a priceless treasure – when we know how to live God’s way, we embrace the Maker’s instructions.

Ancient Greek culture prized wisdom, which for them was about gaining more knowledge.

But in Hebrew thinking, wisdom is about understanding and applying practical truth for everyday living. Wisdom, or lack of it, changes the world. From the beginning, back in Eden, everything went wrong when that first couple defied God’s instruction and wisdom. God wants us to live wisely in our friendships, marriages, sexuality, money, business, and politics.

As we see from our second reading today, James, the half-brother of Jesus, challenged his readers about allowing their faith to deteriorate into mere theory – a cherished belief system, but one that made little difference to daily choices.

As one who spends a lot of time studying Scripture, and writing and preaching biblical principles, I’m acutely aware that my faith can descend into a collection of ideas rather than remaining the core of my daily life. When it comes to following Jesus, He makes it very clear: if we truly love Him, we will obey Him (John 14:15-17).

As we consider the priceless value of wisdom, let’s ask God to help us to apply and live His truth, and not just believe in it intellectually.

To ponder: Is Jesus our advisor – or do we desire to make Him our Lord?

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MON 17 APR

PRIORITIES

READ Philippians 3:1-14 James 4

FOCUS But here is the one thing I do.

I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me.

Philippians 3:13

What is our priority in life – what matters most?

We saw yesterday that faith can deteriorate into being a set of ideas that we give a nod to, rather than forming the centre of our existence.

For James, gaining God’s wisdom and applying it is his primary ambition. He is all about action – he uses over 50 imperatives in the 108 verses of the epistle – and three times, he talks specifically about asking God for things.

In chapter 4, he tells us to bring our requests to God, asking for the right things. In chapter 5, reminding us about supernatural power, he calls us to pray for healing for the sick. But first, James calls us to ask for wisdom. Growing up in the same family as Jesus, he would have been able to observe his half-brother in the closest detail that only a sibling could. During his ministry, people marvelled at Jesus’ great wisdom, and wondered where He had got it (Matt. 13:54).

Before we go any further in reflecting on wisdom, let’s affirm this: the single most important truth is that we are called to walk in a relationship of love and trust with God, putting Him absolutely first in our lives. Asked about what matters most, Jesus made it clear: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind.’ This is the first and most important commandment (Matt. 22:37). With His help, let’s place God on the throne of our lives as the unquestioned King.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want You to be my foundation, my focus, my centrality. Work Your reign in me, I pray. Amen.

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TUE 18 APR

WISDOM AND SUFFERING

READ James 1:2-5 Romans 5:1-5

FOCUS My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble...

If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it.

James 1:2,5

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At first glance, it might seem that James got distracted while he was writing about suffering, suddenly launching into a discourse about the need for wisdom. But look closer, because suffering has everything to do with wisdom. When tough times come, the first casualty, for me at least, is my ability to think clearly and sensibly. I react rather than respond, or sulk, go into imaginative overdrive and succumb to paralysing fear, or drift into other mental dead-end trails that only serve to make things worse.

We know that ‘trouble’ is part of the human condition, and we should not be surprised by it. But when clouds appear and shroud the sun, we need to ask God to give us the right mindset in order to navigate the storm. And we don’t need to feel terrible because of our tendency towards unhelpful thinking: God won’t rebuke us for our asking. Our need and lack doesn’t repel Him or prompt a rebuke from Him. Our confession of our need is a sign of true humility, a recognition that we do not want to walk in our own strength.

Perhaps some of us are battling through some storms right now. Let me ask: is our thinking making our problems worse? Is there a need for us to intentionally ask for and embrace God’s wise perspective?

‘Lacking’ wisdom is a banking term. All out of wisdom right now? Let’s not only ask, but ask with confidence and expectation, drawing close to our God who loves us so.

Prayer: Lord, when trouble comes, help me to run to You, hungry for Your help, wisdom and strength. Amen.

WED 19 APR

CHRIST OUR WISDOM

READ 1 Corinthians 1:18-30 Romans 1:18-25

FOCUS Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us.

1 Corinthians 1:30

It’s a turn of phrase that I’m hearing frequently these days. When something good happens, people announce that they are ‘grateful to the universe’. During a profound conversation with a man who is not a follower of Jesus, he told me, ‘I think the universe is calling my name.’ When people say that, at least they are acknowledging there is something beyond themselves, which might be a forward step on the pathway to truth. But it can also be dangerously misleading. The ‘universe’ is not a person, makes no moral demands, and we can make it mean whatever we want it to mean. We can call on the ‘universe’ when we choose to, or ignore it if we please. But the Bible calls us to worship the Creator, not creation. And for the follower of Jesus, wisdom is found, not just by accumulating information, but in walking with and knowing a person – Jesus Himself.

When I was a young lad, my friends and I discovered a leather bag that contained a hoard of jewellery – a treasure trove. We were excited! Handing it in to a local police station, we were told that it would become our property if it went unclaimed for thirty days. At last the phone call came – the good news was that the contents belonged to us, but our joy was immediately tempered as we learned that it was just fake costume jewellery – and totally worthless. Celebrating our Jesus, Paul tells us, ‘All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him’ (Col. 2:3). In Christ alone is ultimate wisdom.

Prayer: Draw me close to You, Jesus – my life, my way, my wisdom, my helper.

Amen.

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THU 20 APR

FAITH AND WISDOM

READ James 1:5-8 Mark 11:24-25

FOCUS But when you ask, you must believe.

You must not doubt.

People who doubt are like waves of the sea.

James 1:6

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It’s been a habit of mine that caused much pain, especially when I’m trying to put together ‘easy assembly’ furniture. I choose to believe that I don’t need to read and follow the instructions provided, and I launch into the project sure all will be well. Four or five hours later (and after a lot of thoroughly unChristian muttering), I finally concede that I need to humbly go back to square one, and carefully walk through the step-by-step directions. That way, I will end up with a wardrobe that actually has a door.

We embrace the wisdom of God as we acknowledge our need of Him and His help.

He knows best. We will need to be intentional about seeking His wisdom too, ‘asking God’, as we saw that James exhorts us. But all of this is an act of faith, especially as we live in a culture that leans towards an ‘If it feels good, do it’ approach to life. When we choose to shun seductive whispers of temptation, break step with the crowd, or pick a pathway of selflessness and service, we determine to live by the true wisdom of the invisible God – and that takes faith. We choose to believe that His way is right. Perhaps that’s why James touches on faith and doubt as he celebrates God’s wisdom. And the wise live with a conviction that this life is not all there is, but eternity with God is before us – again, a determination of faith.

Today, let’s put what we believe into action, and trust Him as we walk in obedience to His stunning wisdom.

Prayer: When my way seems best, and my faith is low, help me to trust in You, faithful God. Amen.

FRI 21 APR

WISDOM AND HUMILITY

READ Romans 1:18-22 Genesis 16:1-15

FOCUS They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.

Romans 1:22

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

In a taxi yesterday, our driver was lamenting some of the crazy ideas now commonly touted, and then he said, ‘The trouble is – we just think we’re so clever and sophisticated.’ It was C. S. Lewis who coined the term ‘chronological snobbery’ – the smug assumption that we are more enlightened than our forebears.

If we are going to walk in wisdom, we need to adopt an attitude of humility. We will no longer insist on standing on our own two feet, but understand God knows far more than we could ever begin to grasp, and although His ways are higher than ours, His perception on everything is correct. He knows best. When we know our limitations, we will be more likely not only to ask for His help, but surrender to His commands, which are ultimately given because of His heart of love and care.

The Bible is filled with the stories of people who rejected God’s strategy for their lives and walked in their own perceived wisdom.

Even Abraham was one of them, on a few occasions. God’s promise of a child to a very elderly couple seemed beyond reach. And so Abraham and Sarah concocted their own plan, and shamelessly used and abused their handmaid Hagar.

I can look back over my own life and see a few lesser disasters – all a result of me rushing to a decision without prayer and reflection, or ignoring the advice of trusted friends. Let’s affirm that God’s wisdom is vital and precious to us – and whatever He says to us, let’s do it.

Prayer: Guard me, Lord, especially when life is going well, and pride and then an attitude of independence from You could enter my heart. Amen.

23

WEEKEND 22-23 APR

DESIGNER LIVING

READ Proverbs 1:1-7 Psalm 2:1-12

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

As we begin to walk through Proverbs, here’s a question that desperately needs an answer: how should we live? Answers on a postcard (or in an email) please, and make it quick. Help is urgently needed; a cursory look around will show we’re not doing too well in the living department.

Many are abusing alcohol to escape life, with statistics on alcoholism up as a result of the hopefully fading pandemic. The media seems obsessed with bad news, and we are overwhelmed with apocalyptic economic predictions, with inflation rocketing and the cost of living climbing. As nations joust and throw verbal punches at each other, we wonder – where will it all end? Pop into your local bookshop and you’ll see shelves stacked with self-help books. No longer do we need to date/negotiate/subdue our inner demons/pay the bills alone; there are a brace of experts standing by. Daytime television serves up an array of lifestyle ‘gurus’ who can also lend a hand.

How should we live? Proverbs provides a two-word answer: with God. When we take God out of the picture, there is no picture – just a load of meaningless paint blotches.

And this is not God the paramedic, ever on hand to help us out with our cuts and scrapes, or God the Santa impersonator, but the God the holy one, the Creator who calls for our love, obedience and worship.

We were made by God, for God. To know and live in that truth is the beginning of wisdom.

To ponder: What does it mean to walk with God?

24

MON 24 APR

COMMON SENSE

READ Proverbs 1:8-19 Jeremiah 4:2

FOCUS My son, listen to your father’s advice.

Don’t turn away from your mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 1:8

It pains me to say it, but some of us Christians are daft. Sometimes it seems that the more ‘spiritual’ some people get, the quicker they are to kiss their brains goodbye and abandon any sort of common sense. Over the last nearly fifty years of being a Christian, I’ve witnessed first-hand some of the wackiest behaviour – and I’m sure I’ve made my own contribution to the collection of odd, brainless things that have been done in the name of God. In my first faltering footsteps as a disciple of Jesus, I got it into my head that whatever logic and wisdom I had was fallen and therefore flawed, so I should beware of my own thought-processes – a surefire recipe for bizarre and strange behaviour.

One example of this was my belief that because I was a Christian, I should have no non-Christian friends. It is true that, throughout Proverbs, we are warned that bad company corrupts character, so we should be aware of the pressure that ‘the crowd’ might try to exert over us. But that emphatically doesn’t mean we should shut ourselves away from people who aren’t Christians. Proverbs uses two words to describe the legacy of good parenting; they are instruction, which is about the accumulation of wisdom, godly common sense, and teaching, which has to do with the commands of the law, the Torah (see Proverbs 28:7). Both are absolutely essential.

We need wisdom as well as revelation. Let’s use our brains as well as our Bibles.

Prayer: Thank You I can make prayerful, thoughtful good choices. Renew my mind daily, loving God. Amen.

25

TUE 25 APR

BAD FRUIT

READ Proverbs 1:20-33 Galatians 6:1-10

FOCUS So you will eat the fruit of the way you have lived. You will choke on the fruit of what you have planned.

Proverbs 1:31

26

Recently I prayed with someone who is angry at God because she has not been healed of her liver disease. For years doctors have been warning her that her daily dose of whisky is a sure route to death, but she refuses to put down the bottle and blames God because she has not long to live.

The marvellous news of the Christian message is that we can be forgiven for our mistakes and sins. But our actions still have consequences; we live in a universe where every cause has an effect, and while God cancels out the due penalty and judgment for our sin when we come in repentance to Him, we may have to endure the ongoing results of our bad behaviour. A person can be forgiven for drinking too much, but they’ll still have to face the damage excess alcohol does. Pardon is available for marital unfaithfulness, but the marriage might still be the major casualty.

Or to quote a biblical example, Peter’s rash sword swinging in the Garden of Gethsemane was forgiven, and the amputated ear – one immediate consequence – repaired, but one of the relatives of the unfortunate amputee still recognised Peter later – an unexpected consequence of his wild hotheadedness (see John 18:26).

Sometimes people sin with the knowledge that they can get forgiveness later, a bizarre and twisted approach to grace. But while pardon is freely available, perhaps there are lifelong consequences that we might have to face if we take that next step into conscious sin.

Prayer: Lord, keep me aware of consequences of wilful acts I might be tempted to commit. Amen.

WED 26 APR

SEARCHING

READ Proverbs 2:1-11 Jeremiah 29:11-12

FOCUS Look for it as you would look for silver.

Search for it as you would search for hidden treasure.

Proverbs 2:4

There are some Christians who say that God constantly speaks to them – in some cases, many times a day. I’m not sure whether I should covet their experience or be concerned about them, because my experience is that God has not been so conversational as they suggest. But just recently I felt that I did have an encounter with the Lord. It was during a restless night, around 2am, when the whisper came. I sensed that the Lord was saying that He had loved the intensity and passion that I had had for Him in my early years as a believer: this was a gentle call to return to my first love.

Wisdom comes to those who search for it – and as we’ve seen, that search must be centred on God Himself as the source of true wisdom. As we hear the call to ‘store up’, ‘listen’, ‘apply’, ‘call out’, ‘cry out’, ‘look’, and ‘search’, in just a few verses, we understand that there is nothing casual about discipleship.

Proverbs encourages us to be people who are diligent in the hunt for wisdom. As we engage our brains to think things through, as we read, reflect, discuss, ask questions, and sometimes agonise over what we believe, then that worthwhile, lifelong treasure hunt pays the greatest dividends. The Message puts it like this: ‘Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now...’ (Matt. 6:33-34).

Let’s be those who are diligent, foraging urgently for the Lord and the wisdom that He brings.

Prayer: Father, give me a voracious appetite for wisdom and understanding, and grace in my search. Amen.

27

THU 27 APR

THE SAFE PLACE

READ Proverbs 2:12-22 Proverbs 3:13-26 FOCUS Wisdom will save you from the ways of evil men. It will save you from men who twist their words.

Proverbs 2:12

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

At the end of an amazing tour of the Holy Land, a Welsh gentleman approached me, a warm smile lighting up his face. ‘I’d like to give you more than a hug, Jeff. In Wales we like to offer a cwtch’ (pronounced kooch). He went on to explain. ‘A cwtch is more than a hug, and it’s not given lightly. The word means “a place of safety”; we offer it as comfort, as a refuge when life brings trouble.’ I learned that a cwtch has the magical quality of transporting someone back to the safety of their childhood.

The word ‘save’ appears repeatedly in our reading today – those who walk in wisdom are saved from those who do evil or who twist words, and also from adulterous temptation. And the writer talks about the honest ‘dwelling in the land’. For the Jew, the ‘land’ represented the safety of home and the protection of the God who had led them into the land that was flowing with milk and honey.

As we will see tomorrow, we are not promised a life of ease, where pain cannot strike us: on the contrary. But as we walk daily in the wisdom and instruction of the Lord, we are rescued from so much self-inflicted harm that comes from thoughtless and foolish living.

God gives us commands and principles to walk in, not because He wants to curtail our joy in life, but because He loves us and wants to keep us from unnecessary harm. Are we resisting Him, insisting on our own way when He is trying to rescue and save us?

Prayer: Lord, when I am tempted to wander, when my ways seem better than Yours, save me. Amen.

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FRI 28 APR

GUIDANCE

READ Proverbs 3:1-10 John 15:1-11

FOCUS In all your ways remember him.

Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.

Proverbs 3:6

1

Perhaps we can all point to certain passages of Scripture that have become very precious and life-giving in our journey with the Lord.

Today’s reading contains one of mine. As a young Christian, I was terrified that I might miss the will of God for my life. So desperate was I to please Him that I felt paralysed, unable to navigate any major life junctions in case I made a wrong choice. But the counsel in Proverbs 3:5-6 brought relief.

Here is assurance that as we acknowledge God in our decisions, ‘remembering’ Him as we prayerfully make ourselves available to what He wants, then we can be assured of His leading. Whether we are aware of His specific direction or not, He will ‘make [our] paths smooth and straight.’ The Hebrew word that is translated ‘trust’ comes from the same root as an Arabic word that describes wholehearted surrender: ‘It means to throw oneself down on one’s face, to lie down spread-eagled in complete reliance. If God fails us, we are damned. If God comes through, we are saved forever. Real trust is that blunt and daring and simple.’1 As we saw earlier, none of this means that we are to make choices without taking time to reflect or seek counsel. But as we do that work, rather than 'being wise in our own eyes’ (verse 7) we can move forward in confidence and faith. Today, let’s consciously walk with the Lord in dependency, knowing that without Him, we can achieve nothing of real value.

Prayer: Father, in my decisions, priorities, direction – I want Your way. I trust You for the right pathways. Amen.

Ortlund, R. C., Jr. Preaching the Word: Proverbs—Wisdom that Works (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway: 2012) p63.

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WEEKEND 29 - 30 APR

POINTERS, NOT PROMISES

READ Proverbs 3:11-35 2 Corinthians 11:24-33

The title of a sermon troubled me: 70 laws for guaranteed financial success from Proverbs.

My concern was that it might lead some to treat the Proverbs as sure-fire promises, like the clauses of a legal contract that work in every situation. An example of this is the oftmisquoted Proverb: ‘Train a child in the way he should go. When he is old, he will not turn away from it’ (Prov. 22:6, KJV).

But the book of Proverbs should not be used in this way. Broadly speaking, they point us to a series of lifestyle choices that generally will improve the quality of our lives; the man who stays clear of the red light district and who avoids the sideways glances of the woman who sits next to him at work won’t end up shattering his marriage or contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

Without getting into ridiculous prosperity teaching – which is a lie – putting God first in our finances and being generous will point us towards prosperity. But let’s not make the mistake of using Proverbs as a guaranteed pathway to plenty. In the last few months, in a couple of less prosperous countries, I have met Christians whose love for God makes my Christian commitment look pale by comparison; and yet their life quality and expectancy is not guaranteed because of it.

And the list of troubles that the Apostle Paul went through shows that wise living doesn’t guarantee trouble-free living. The sayings of Proverbs are pointers, not guarantees.

To ponder: Consider an example from your own life when obedience to God’s wisdom led to a great outcome.

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MON 01 MAY

A FATHER’S WISDOM

READ Proverbs 4:1-9 Psalm 145:1-4

FOCUS My children, listen to a father’s teaching. Pay attention and gain understanding.

Proverbs 4:1

32

One of the greatest regrets of my life is the fact that I do not know more about my own father’s life. A teenage soldier in the Second World War, he was captured and held in Italy and Germany as a prisoner of war for four years. Finally, he escaped and made his way across Europe, arriving back in England just before the war ended. My dad told me about some of his adventures, I knew some of what he did, but never discovered how he felt. I wish I had asked questions about how he sustained hope during those long years in captivity; and what drove him to make the daring break for freedom. What was it like trying to settle back down to a civilian life again? None of the questions can be answered now, as he died nearly three decades ago. I wish I’d recorded his memories, to harvest his precious wisdom. I am the poorer for not having the benefit of it.

As we repeatedly hear in Proverbs the encouragement to a son to listen to the good advice of his father, we discover true wisdom is not just found on the pages of Scripture or good books. Let’s respect, honour and learn from our seniors. Some of them are frail, don’t know the first thing about our high-tech labour-saving devices, and wonder what’s happening to the world. But in so many cases, they are also reservoirs of great wisdom, having already trekked so much of life’s journey and weathered pressures that we can only imagine. Let’s do ourselves a favour, and listen.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for those who have walked ahead of me. May I benefit from their wisdom. Amen.

TUE 02 MAY

HEART HEALTH

READ Proverbs 4:10-27 Philippians 4:8-9

FOCUS Above everything else, guard your heart. Everything you do comes from it.

Proverbs 4:23

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

One of the most stupid things that I have ever done (and believe me, I have a vast collection of gaffes to choose from) was pouring the contents of a boiling kettle onto the keyboard of my laptop. It all resulted from trying to do too many things at once – tap out a sermon, make a cup of tea, with my mobile phone wedged between shoulder and ear. Over went the kettle, and scalding water poured into my machine, which literally – believe me – made a high-pitched screaming noise, and promptly died. Everything was nuked in a second by my carelessness. I was not a happy person at that moment. I’m a lot more careful these days about what I allow near to my computer – too much is at risk.

Sometimes I’m not always so careful about what I allow into my heart – and of course, the heart in biblical terms is not that pump that circulates blood around the body, but it’s our soul, our thoughts, and our inner self.

When we give access-all-areas passes to envy, bitterness, lust, greed, or a host of other pesky destructive attitudes, we can expect chaos to result. It really does matter what we think about; a good life is no accident, but comes from the setting of a diligent sentry on the gates of our minds. When we ‘set our hearts’ on pursuing what God prohibits, not only are we disobedient, but we stain our lives. Or to change the analogy, the ‘wellspring’ is contaminated. Are we pouring anything toxic into our hearts?

Prayer: Lord, help me to be alert and proactive today about what I allow into my heart. Amen.

33

WED 03 MAY

STRONG WARNINGS

READ Proverbs 5:1-14 John 8:1-11

FOCUS Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

Proverbs 5:5

The health warnings printed on cigarette packets are becoming ever more startling.

When legislation was first introduced in the UK to make them mandatory, they were fairly low key: ‘Smoking can damage your health.’

Now the font size of the lettering is huge, the letters are in bold, and the message more in your face: ‘Smoking kills!’ But even these shock tactics fail to get some people’s attention – nicotine is still a multi-billion pound industry, and lung cancer continues its devastating work.

Here Proverbs give us all a no-holds-barred health warning about adultery: it may cost us everything that we value. Last week we considered that sin carries bitter consequences.

Here Proverbs carefully describes the carnage that adultery creates. And the warning is needed, because the pull can be strong, and terrible choices can seem entirely logical.

Amongst other things, adultery can empty our bank accounts, shatter the confidence of those who respected us, load us up with regret, cause our once loving homes to be an empty places of loneliness, and mean our children have difficulty in forming long-term relationships.

There’s forgiveness available for those who’ve already wandered down that destructive path, as the woman famously caught in the act discovered, but we’d all do well to seriously consider these words.

Why this graphic warning? It’s because we are all capable of making horrendous choices.

Let’s look before we leap.

Prayer: Help me to heed the strong warnings of your Word. Lead me not into temptation, loving God. Amen.

34

THU 04 MAY

EXPOSING THE LIE

READ Proverbs 5:15-23 2 Peter 2:14

FOCUS May your fountain be blessed. May the wife you married when you were young make you happy.

Proverbs 5:18-19

Picking up of one those celebrity magazines in the hairdressers today, I learned that one big name has announced that monogamy – faithfulness to one person – is ‘not all that it’s cracked up to be’. ‘Let’s face it, we’re all just animals’ she quipped. The photograph of her and her equally famous boyfriend shows them as the beaming epitome of exuberance and happiness. It’s all rather beguiling, but to be blunt, it’s a lie. Bed-hopping is not the way to build a life. On the contrary, faithfulness, celebrated here in Proverbs, can provide the secure, trustworthy environment that allows for true intimacy: snacking in the sexual supermarket never truly satisfied anyone beyond a transient thrill. The joy of being able to share chatter as well as silence, to have a history of memories, through good times and bad, and the knowledge that you are so very known – and yet still loved – comes only to those who prize and pursue faithfulness.

Another celebrity put it well. Michael Palin, of fame, went to a party hosted by Andy Warhol and Truman Capote, both famous for their wild ways. Palin says that he was appalled by the debauchery of the event, and as the madness of the evening unfolded, he realised what was really important: ‘What matters is being able to go with my three children to get the newspapers in the morning.’ Palin was celebrating a simple family act, one better than all that grubby glitz in the world.

Prayer: God, your pathway is good. Lord, thank You for the blessings that come from walking in Your ways. Amen.

35

FRI 05 MAY

GET MOVING

READ Proverbs 6:1-5 Ecclesiastes 10:18

FOCUS Don’t let your eyelids close.

As a deer frees itself from a hunter, free yourself.

Proverbs 6:4-5

36

Despite owning a vehicle well-equipped for the Colorado winter, recently I managed to drive my car off the side of the road and into a gully (the road had unhelpfully disappeared under about six inches of snow). Try as we might, there was not a thing we could do to get out of that rut: all our best efforts just made the wheels spin and dug us deeper into the mire. We sat there in a blizzard, and we were thrilled when, three hours later, a man with a beefy tow truck pulled us out. In the meantime, all we could do was wait.

A well-worn saying that used to do the rounds in Christian circles is, ‘Let go and let God’, and it can be seriously overused.

Of course, there are times when we find ourselves in that wheel-spinning place where there is absolutely nothing we can do to affect our plight; all our best efforts just seem to make things worse. But there are many other occasions when the Bible urges us to get ourselves into gear and take radical action fast in order to prevent disaster.

Acting as a financial guarantor for credit for an unreliable person is a recipe for trouble, and so Proverbs urges us to rush to extract ourselves from such a dreadfully dangerous deal. There are times when we should not just ‘leave it to the Lord’ when the Lord wants us to take responsibility. Are there areas that we’ve just let go, where God wants us to take some control? Let’s postpone that nap, and get out of that trap.

Prayer: Father, help me to know when to act, and when to wait for Your action. Amen.

WEEKEND 06-07 MAY

SLOTH

READ Proverbs 6:6-11 Psalm 119:60

Here’s a confession: I think I am quite lazy.

People who know me well, and especially those who work with me will probably find this surprising, because I work hard (usually long hours) and have friends who constantly tell me that I need to take more time to rest.

Yesterday I mentioned our having to wait in the snow for a tow truck. But there have been many other times when I have found myself at the mercy of a breakdown service, not because of mechanical malfunction, but because of male dysfunction: mine. I am one of those sad men who delays putting petrol in the car until the last possible moment.

There’s no rational explanation for this bizarre habit. Perhaps I nurse the misguided belief that the car will get better fuel consumption if I wait; or maybe I just like to challenge the fuel gauge to a duel. Or maybe it’s just that filling up with petrol is such a boring activity, and one I’d rather delay. As Proverbs advises us to ‘think about the ant’, it holds up the tiny insect as an example of industriousness. It is nifty at doing boring, ant-like activities. ‘The ants are models of diligence in that they work tirelessly in spite of having no taskmaster to goad them on, and they prepare for the winter in spite of having no administration to lay out economic plans.’2 Contrast that with the person who always leaves the tedious jobs until last. If we want to avoid being mugged by disaster, let’s do today what needs to be done – today.

To ponder: What tasks do you tend to leave until last?

2

Garrett, D. A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs Vol. 14, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1993) p96

37

MON 08 MAY

WHAT GOD HATES

READ Proverbs 6:12-35 Psalm 45:1-7

FOCUS There are six things the Lord hates.

In fact, he hates seven things.

Proverbs 6:16

I’m a grace preacher. Too many Christians live under the oppressive heel of a warped view of God, who is ever-trembling with angry anticipation, just waiting to zap them with 40,000 volts; they live in eternal insecurity.

I long to remind anyone who will listen that God utterly, wonderfully loves them: this is the heart of the gospel. But there is a danger that this message of love can imply God is therefore over-tolerant, that our sins don’t matter, and in order to be inclusive and welcoming to all, we must therefore dilute the hard-hitting challenge of the call to follow Christ. There is no actual contradiction between the message of love and holiness; God absolutely loves us and loves us too much to allow us to continue with bad living.

Let’s use the Bible word: sin. God is not Santa Claus, a smiling, unthreatening chap who only ever gives gifts and makes no demands.

He is the holy one who calls us, by His grace, to make holy choices.

Proverbs is blunt here about God hating certain attitudes and actions. Among them are pride, lies, the oppression of the innocent, and ‘wicked’ scheming. Other things that rile God include that madness where we throw ourselves headlong into sin, being a lying witness, and being the kind of person who shatters peace and unity because they love to stir up trouble. And the latter part of the passage returns once more to the insanity of adultery. Let’s not use grace as an excuse to love what God hates.

Prayer: Thank you for love that is sometimes tough, and calls me to make right choices. Be with me today, as I choose again. Amen.

38

TUE 09 MAY

BLUNT TALK

READ Proverbs 7:1-27 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

FOCUS He was like an ox going to be killed.

He was like a deer stepping into a trap.

Proverbs 7:22

A minister friend of mine once got into serious hot water, because he decided to preach about sex. Furious letters from the irate and disgusted hit his email inbox at speed; some Christians were appalled that this ‘unspiritual’ subject should be so openly discussed. How totally wrong they were.

Sunday morning preaching that doesn’t affect our Monday mornings is not only a waste of time, but perpetuates the notion that Christianity is irrelevant. Sex is spiritual simply because every aspect of our lives is spiritual – to carve up our living into ‘spiritual’ and ‘unspiritual’ boxes is a certain recipe for disaster. And if we’ve got any doubts that God wants us to talk with clarity about sex, consider how much attention is given to sex in the pages of Scripture and especially the book of Proverbs; once again the writer here returns to the woes that result from adultery.

Here is a graphic description of the seductive techniques of the ‘adulterous wife’ who is hell-bent on straying while her husband is away working. Proverbs is blunt, bold and leaves little to the imagination as we are urged not to be suckered by our urges.

People don’t come to church to find out what happened to the Amalekites. Let’s call for, and welcome, biblical preaching that tackles tough subjects. And if we’re living contrary to the blunt advice given here, let’s not stash that area away under the heading of ‘unspiritual’ and therefore unimportant.

Prayer: Lord, in my thoughts, in my relationships, in my sexuality, be honoured and glorified. Amen.

39

WED 10 MAY

WISDOM AND FUN

READ Proverbs 8:1-36 Deuteronomy 16:15

FOCUS I was the skilled worker at his side.

I was filled with delight day after day. I was always happy to be with him.

Proverbs 8:30

Yesterday I was given a telling-off after preaching a sermon that prompted a fair amount of laughter. I love to share stories in a way that allows people to laugh and learn at the same time. The lady who shared her disapproval ended by telling me, ‘I’m sure God must love you’, which I think was thin code for the news that she probably didn’t.

Wisdom is a very grown up word, overlaid with notions of seriousness and sobriety.

The caricature of the wise person is the silent soul living a hermitlike existence, removed from the hustle and bustle of life, who never stoops to the frivolity of laughter. Fun and wisdom seem to be unnatural companions.

But here wisdom is described as a woman in the streets, calling for attention but in total contrast to the wayward wife of the former chapter.

Four reasons are given for choosing the wise way. First, God tells us the truth (4-11). He who invented life knows how it should be lived. Secondly, God’s ways work – wisdom is practical (12-21). And then wisdom is as old as the hills (22-31); God used it in creation.

But buried in that passage is the truth that the act of creation was playful and fun. In verse 30, wisdom is the ‘skilled worker’: a better translation is ‘little child’ or ‘darling’.

The emphasis is on the joyful play of creation rather than the powerful work involved in it.

And the ‘fun’ continues. God is always at play throughout the earth. Let’s smile if we’d like to. We have permission.

Prayer: I’m grateful for the gift of laughter, Lord. Help me to take life seriously, but not too seriously. Amen.

40

THU 11 MAY

WISDOM AND REBUKE

READ Proverbs 9:1-12 Revelation 3:19

FOCUS Warn those who are wise. They will love you.

Proverbs 9:8

Yesterday I told you about my little postpreaching telling-off. If I’m honest, I find those episodes when someone tells me they are about to ‘tell me the truth in love’ rather draining. All too often I don’t hear truth, and there’s not much love about. When I’m rebuked, I try to smile and take it on the chin, but some of these encounters make me want to just give up.

But there’s a danger in my weariness, because there are times when I do get it wrong, speak out of turn, and I desperately need a kind word of correction, even if I don’t necessarily want it. A rebuke can be like cough medicine, which sometimes tastes like a syrup made of rotting animals, yet is apparently good if you’ve got a cough. Let’s not demonise everyone who disagrees with us, or dismiss all conflict out of hand.

Here Proverbs gives us a character profile of the wise person, which includes the ability not only to listen to a critic, but also love them for their criticism. Healthy evaluation is a real bridge to growth. As a parent, I didn’t help my children when they were growing up if I unthinkingly agreed with everything they wanted to do: they needed a dad, not another compliant friend.

Beware the leader who refuses to listen to those who disagree with the path of leadership they are taking. But also, beware the ‘follower’ whose mission in life is apparently to be forever correcting everyone else, while they themselves can never be wrong. Who has permission to tell us off?

Prayer: I choose to welcome rebuke; I choose to hesitate, to think and pray, before offering rebuke. Amen.

41

FRI 12 MAY

SIN TASTES GOOD

READ Proverbs 9:13–18 Romans 6:23

FOCUS She says, ‘Stolen water is sweet.

Food eaten in secret tastes good!’

Proverbs 9:17

42

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but when I was much younger, I got into some small-time shoplifting, mainly for sweets (I was addicted to those multi-coloured packets of Refreshers).

Looking back, I realise that I actually had enough money to buy the sweets, but there was something far more exhilarating about stealing them. Stolen sweets taste better, or as Proverbs puts it, ‘Stolen water is sweet.’

It’s an uncomfortable truth, but there’s something inherently attractive about what we can’t or shouldn’t have.

And it is also true in other areas of sin. With all that we’ve seen that Proverbs says about adultery, we have to ask why it is that adultery can be such a temptation? Often those who stumble into it are happily married, to partners that they love dearly. Others around them watch the devastation of their bad choices and wonder: why did they stray when the person at home was so wonderful? But here the lingering perversity of the human condition is exposed, as we realise that which is furtive and off-limits can have an allure all of its own.

Perhaps it’s the thrill of the chase, the dark pull of the unknown, or just boredom with what we can have anytime. We can all be tempted to pursue what isn’t ours.

Shoplifters become thieves who go to jail.

Philanderers destroy their families. Gamblers lose it all, alcoholics pickle their livers; what looks lovely can lead to the grave. Sin can taste very good at first, but will turn to ashes.

Prayer: Save me from the deceptiveness of my own heart, living God. By your grace I stand. Amen.

WEEKEND 13-14 MAY

SOLOMON

‘It could be you’ trills the British lottery commercial, with a giant finger pointing out of the sky, promising that someone, today, is going to be invited into the dream factory of fabulous riches. How would that feel?

Probably when he was only a teenager, Solomon discovered that the finger of destiny was pointed at him as he was chosen by his father, David, to succeed him as king.

But there was more: God Himself gave the young Solomon a blank cheque, an invitation to choose whatever he wanted. Here was an offer from the most fabulously wealthy one that there has ever been: God Himself.

So, Solomon chose to ask for some more of what he already had – wisdom. Already dubbed by his dad as a man of wisdom (1 Kings 2:9), Solomon wasn’t satisfied with his own existing rich reservoir of understanding, and opted to ask for more of the same, to meet the fresh challenges he now faced as Israel’s first dynastic king. And some of the answers to his prayers are passed on to us here in the Proverbs.

READ Proverbs 10:1-5 1 Kings 3:1-15

Solomon shows us that yesterday’s grace is insufficient for today’s challenges; we need God daily. And Solomon’s choice challenges us. A good question for us all might be, given an open offer from heaven, what would we choose? But perhaps the more relevant question is, in the small, everyday decisions that we make today, to be kind, generous, patient, understanding – will we do well in those choices? In the words of the Proverb, will we do what is right?

To ponder: Let’s try to think honestly. If God offered us anything we desired, what might we choose?

43

MON 15 MAY

CHATTER

READ Proverbs 10:6-32 James 1:19

FOCUS A wise heart accepts commands. But foolish chattering destroys you.

Proverbs 10:8

As a preacher who has to listen to myself talking everywhere I go (!), I sometimes get tired of my own voice. I love people, and I love to talk. But too often, I have plunged myself into excruciatingly embarrassing situations, and all because of my propensity to chatter away, mouth firmly in fifth gear, brain stuck in neutral. I once mistook a friend’s sister for her mother; to think this was forgivable, but to extend my hand and say, ‘You must be her mum?’ was not. I flush crimson when I recall asking another lady when her baby was due (she wasn’t pregnant) and agonise over the time when I mentioned how boring a particular deacon in a church was (I was having dinner with a couple hundreds of miles from that church, and they were from a different denomination. They wouldn’t know that man, now would they? They turned out to be related. Her father. Ouch).

The general advice from Proverbs about words is simple: keep them few. A mouth on autopilot is a dangerous thing, unrestrained as it is by pause or reflection, insensitive to the potential damage that can be caused by runaway verbiage. Sometimes, when I’m tempted to share that tasty little morsel of gossip, or that story that might just be inappropriate or unhelpful, I remind myself that I am about to fill just a few seconds of time with words – which I might regret for days later. It’s a sobering thought that might just save me – and maybe you too – from too many verbal gaffes in the future.

Prayer: Gracious God, set a guard on my lips. Help me to pause and think before I speak. Amen.

44

TUE 16 MAY

DISHING THE DIRT

READ Proverbs 11:1-13 Romans 1:29-32

FOCUS Those who talk about others tell secrets. But those who can be trusted keep things to themselves.

Proverbs 11:13

Once I met a lady who shared some wonderful and terrible news about her teenaged son.

He is such a talented soccer player, he’s been scouted by one of the major league British teams, and a bright sporting career beckons. Some of his school ‘friends’ were so jealous, they attacked him and tried to cut his legs and destroy his future. They weren’t successful, but he lives in daily fear now.

We might be horrified by their wickedness – yet be guilty of something similar ourselves.

Yesterday I mentioned gossip. Have we ever wondered why gossip is such a delicious temptation? What is it about passing on news about others that can be so satisfying?

Surely gossip is sometimes about taking the legs out from beneath someone who appears more successful, more influential, or more spiritual than us. Gossip allows us to exert a whispering power: with carefully chosen words, we can stain reputations, and undermine credibility. Gossip can be a pathetic expression of sheer envy. Let’s think before we blab. But even confidentiality, celebrated here, can be misused by the gossip. To switch metaphors, I’ve seen great churches blown apart by people who whisper lies and spread rumours, but then cover the bomb with the cover-all: ‘This is confidential – don’t tell anybody.’ And then at the time of their choosing, they detonate all of the bombs at once by launching a public attack that has already quietly gathered support. The tongue of the gossip is the most dangerous weapon.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, God. Amen.

45

WED 17 MAY

ONLY MONEY

READ Proverbs 11:14-31 1 Timothy 6:17-21

FOCUS A woman who has a kind heart gains respect. But men who are not kind gain only wealth.

Proverbs 11:16

46

We were motoring down glitzy 16 Mile Drive, Southern California’s location, famed for the most incredibly palatial mansions. Here you can pick up a fabulous house with an awesome view, if you have a spare thirty million dollars or so. As we stopped to admire the perfectly manicured lawn of a particularly posh place, we exchanged our usual comment, one often made by people who ponder the lifestyles of the rich and famous: ‘They’re not happy.’ It’s a comment we make with a smile, because money can help happiness. It’s much easier when you know where your next meal is coming from, and it must be fun to occasionally shop without caring about the price tags. And obviously extreme poverty is anything but fun; I’ve heard people in the affluent West justify ignoring the plight of the Global South with the dismissive comment: ‘They’re happy that way.’ While many who don’t have our luxuries could teach us about contentment, not being able to afford the basic necessities of life is awful. To have is easier than to have nothing.

That said, it is possible, according to Proverbs (and common sense) to gain ‘only wealth’.

If we’ve grown a fat bank balance at the cost of our parenting time, marriages and friendships, then we’ve paid too much. If we’ve crawled our way to the top by hurting others along the way, then we leave a pot of cash and a poisoned legacy when we leave this planet. In one sense, the saying is true – it is only money.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the provision I enjoy, but help me to value that which is truly priceless. Amen.

THU 18 MAY

BEING SOMEBODY

READ Proverbs 12:1-9 Luke 20:45-47

FOCUS Being nobody and having a servant is better than pretending to be somebody and having no food.

Proverbs 12:9

In Ireland during the Ryder Golf Cup, I noted that despite that beautiful country’s inclement weather, a streaker had dashed across the golf course wearing nothing but a smile.

The television commentators giggled, the police pounced, and the bemused crowd applauded. But you have to ask the question: why? What inspires an adult human being to remove all their clothing while the world watches on? This is not even fifteen minutes of fame – more like thirty chilly seconds.

It must be that the glorious possibility of being noticed is alluring to some. Others, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, dressed up to impress.

Celebrities hire public relations specialists to ensure they are kept in the spotlight of public attention. Perhaps much of that is for commercial reasons, but you don’t have to be famous to have a hunger to be noticed and approved. We can all succumb to the temptation to drop the names of ‘famous’ people whom we have met, and bathe in their limelight for a while. But surely there’s a more important question to be asked: what is it that makes a ‘real’ somebody? Lest we succumb to the worship of artificial heroes created by celebrity, we should remember that our importance is not measured by how many other folks around the planet are aware of our existence (fame). Real ‘somebodies’ enjoy true significance that is anything but superficial.

Today I met someone like that: you’ll meet her tomorrow.

Prayer: Save me from the empty, treadmill existence where I live desperate that others will notice that I am alive. Amen.

47

FRI 19 MAY

KINDNESS

READ Proverbs 12:10-28 Ephesians 4:32

FOCUS Worry makes a man’s heart heavy.

But a kind word cheers him up.

Proverbs 12:25

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

Some time ago I was preaching in Belfast, at the beautiful Waterfront Hall. It was the end of an exhausting day of travel, beginning with gridlocked traffic in Dublin. The evening went well, almost everyone had left the venue, and then I noticed an elderly lady sitting in the foyer, waiting for her ride home.

At first glance she looked like a prim, perfectly groomed Ulsterwoman, and my first thought was that she might have struggled with the flavour of the evening. My preaching had included a lot of humour and more than a few religious sacred cows had been led out for slaughter. She sat bolt upright, dignified and very proper, and I wondered: had I offended her? As I approached her to thank her for coming, her face broke into a huge smile, her eyes sparkling. It turned out that she was a retired missionary evangelist, had travelled the world preaching the gospel, and at eighty-nine, had lost none of her passion for Jesus. For two or three minutes, she absolutely overwhelmed me with kind words and encouragement. I wiped a tear away, and then immediately asked if she minded a peck on the cheek from a stranger.

‘Do I mind?’ she laughed. ‘I was widowed two years ago: all kisses are welcome!’

Five minutes later, she was gone, the hall was empty, and my heart was full. That beautiful lady had presented me with a bouquet of kindness; the colour of her words and the perfume of her thoughtfulness said it in a way flowers never could. Let’s be kind.

Prayer: Show me where kindness from me could refresh others today: grant me sensitivity to see, and time to take action.

Amen.

48

WEEKEND 20 - 21 MAY

SHINING BRIGHT

READ Proverbs 13:1-11 Matthew 5:14-16

Yesterday I introduced you to the lady who showered me with words of kindness and encouragement. Let me tell you one more thing about this most delightful soul. She shared with me that she had a strange encounter while travelling on a ferry recently. A man in his mid-fifties, sitting across from her, hesitantly approached her and asked if he could have a moment of her time. ‘It’s your eyes’, he said. ‘There’s something in your eyes that draws me to want to ask you about what to do with my life.’ He went on to explain that he had experienced some recent family tragedy, and that he could see warmth and love in her eyes. Then he asked her if she was a Christian. He was not a believer. There was just something about her that shone for God, a beauty from God that transcended words.

She prayed with him and introduced him to Jesus there and then.

As Proverbs continues to portray the stark contrast between the wise and the foolish, we read that ‘The lights of godly people shine brightly’ (verse 9). The Hebrew word for brightly means that this could be translated as ‘its shines merrily or joyously’.

I like that! A house brightly lit is a symbol of love, wholesomeness and joy. God is currently invisible, but His purpose is that we shine like beacons for Him, and as we do so in His power, people will see something of His beautiful character. God help us to ‘let that little light shine’ in us today.

To ponder: Do you know anyone who shines very brightly with kindness? Let them know you appreciate them!

49

MON 22 MAY

FRIENDS

READ Proverbs 13:12-25 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

FOCUS Anyone who walks with wise people grows wise.

But a companion of foolish people suffers harm.

Proverbs 13:20

Wisdom is catching. It rubs off. That’s why I will travel quite a long distance to be with certain friends. I love our times of small talk, easy laughter and shared stories. I also deliberately seek out people who are better at life than me; their shared experience creates a classroom where life-shaping lessons can be learned.

For years I was part of a film and prayer group; four of us met about six times a year.

We would go out to watch a movie and discuss the content and our responses to the film over dinner, and then take time to share where we were at in our own personal lives. At some point in the evening, we shared prayer. This was far more than a good night out, because I was able to gather wisdom from their journey without travelling their road. From that group of friends, I gained a greater understanding of how to deal with family illness, bereavement, disappointment in leadership, navigating into retirement and how to make a major ministry transition. A whole library stacked full of books would not have taught me these vital lessons – all this, and we have seen a few good movies together too!

I’ve met too many people (mostly Christian leaders) who tell me, perhaps with a tinge of pride, that they are too busy for friendships.

That worries me greatly. In their selfsufficiency, they have cut themselves off from the vital resource that we all need. God created us for friendship. I’m too busy not to have friends.

Prayer: Give friends to the lonely, and give pause to those who are busy. May I grow in true friendship today. Amen.

50

TUE 23 MAY

UNHELPFUL EMPATHY

READ Proverbs 14:1-10 Job 16:1-5

FOCUS Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

Proverbs 14:10

There are a number of phrases that I’d be glad to never use again for the rest of my days – they include: ‘There’s not a job for you any longer’, ‘I’m sorry, she’s dead’ and ‘We’ve lost the lot.’ The circumstances of life have caused me to use each of these phrases recently, and the pain of them means I’d prefer to avoid them for the rest of my life.

But here’s another well-worn expression sometimes overused in Christian circles – one that does more damage than good: ‘I know how you feel.’ In a genuine desire to empathise and because we long to bring someone who is suffering out of the chill of loneliness, we try to warm them up with words that are rarely true. Bluntly, we never really know how somebody else feels. No two sets of circumstances are ever identical and just as every human being’s fingerprints are unique, so is each person’s response to suffering. We can go so far as to say that we have trekked a similar trail, but that is the limit of our ability to understand.

Poor old Job, so terribly bruised and battered by tragedy, had to further endure the ‘helpful’ advice of his well-meaning but clumsy friends. Job’s ‘comforters’ were sincere, thoughtful – and made matters so much worse as they dismissed Job’s thinking with their clichés. In the rush that we feel to try to say something helpful, let’s remember to pause. And sometimes, to say that we don’t know what to say, but that we love and care; that can be enough.

Prayer: Save me from offering words that hurt, even though I mean them to heal.

Grant me the gifts of words, and the gift of silence. Amen.

51

WED 24 MAY

JOY AND GRIEF

READ Proverbs 14:11-35 Matthew 6:25-29

FOCUS Even when you laugh, your heart can be hurting.

And your joy can end in sadness.

Proverbs 14:13

Today I preached a sermon that was well received, had some great conversations with leaders, and actually flew on a plane that was on time. I should also tell you that the plane was loaded with children on their way to the ‘national festival of screaming’, and I drove away from a petrol station without paying for the fuel (you’ll have to wait a few days for the inside scoop on that little personal disaster).

It was a good day and a bad day.

It was Charles Dickens who famously began one of his books with the words, ‘It was the best of times and the worst of times.’ In a sentence, Dickens reveals a key truth about life: times of tears and laughter are often comingled. Until recently, I viewed life as either being on a mountain top or trudging through a valley – personally I prefer summits and cloudless skies. But now, retired church leader Rick Warren, who has walked through a great deal of tragedy, affirms that life is more like a railway track with good and bad circumstances running parallel. That’s Warren’s experience: the church he led is hugely effective – his book, The Purpose Driven Life is a multi-million copy bestseller – and his wife Kay battled cancer and they lost their son in tragic circumstances.

Paul Tournier famously quipped that ‘most people spend their whole lives indefinitely preparing to live’. Be it in sunshine, rain, or some of both, let’s live today. And when it is time to laugh, let’s seize that moment and enjoy it to the full.

Prayer: Thank you for the gift of today.

Whatever circumstances I may have to weather, please stay close. Amen.

52

THU 25 MAY

SOFTLY, SOFTLY

READ Proverbs 15:1-13 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

FOCUS A gentle answer turns anger away.

But mean words stir up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

‘We’d like a taxi to pick us up at the South Terminal please.’ The dispatcher confirmed the details with a convincing authority. If only it had been true. Forty-five minutes later, cabs had come and gone – but not ours. We called again and confirmed that we were at the South Terminal. 'We’ll be right there.’

We called again. Twice. Then our mobile phone rang; it was the taxi service. A grumpy manager demanded to know where we were as our taxi had been circling the North Terminal for thirty minutes and apparently we were responsible for this, together with global warming, world hunger and the increase in British street crime.

Exasperated, I was tetchy in my response, which lit the blue touchpaper, and I was treated to a free lecture about my telephone manner. The wandering taxi driver finally arrived and greeted my unsmiling visage with a warm grin and sincere apologies. The service was terrible, he agreed. As we got out of the cab, he apologised again and, as a parting shot, said ‘God bless.’

Rats. My reactionary words on the phone had simply added fuel to the fire, in sharp contrast to the driver, whose calm manner had defused the tension immediately.

Confrontation usually creates confrontation; but when we meet an inflammatory moment with gentle measured words, we may avert an argument, a fight, or possibly a world war.

The driver got a big tip, because he gave us a smooth, short journey, and a needed lesson in life.

Prayer: I want to learn to respond, rather than react, Lord. Show me how. Amen.

53

FRI 26 MAY

DYING LAUGHING

READ Proverbs 15:14-33 James 3:1-12

FOCUS Joy is found in giving the right answer. And how good is a word spoken at the right time!

Proverbs 15:23

Apparently I was very nearly guilty of manslaughter recently. ‘My death certificate would have mentioned your name’, said a lady yesterday after a morning service. She suffers from a very acute bronchial condition, was reading one of my books, and found something so funny that her fits of laughter edged her into a danger zone. Her face was serious now. ‘I was in a bad way, and just couldn’t breathe. I nearly died laughing, quite literally. Those books should carry a health warning.’

I was worried now. Was I being told off?

Should I list being a health hazard to my other sins? I stammered an apology; after all, I hadn’t just offended this woman, I’d nearly killed her. My anxiety wasn’t needed; her face broke into a broad, winning smile. ‘Just keep the laughter coming, Jeff. I love to laugh. If I had died, I’d have died happy.’

But then I thought again. We’ve talked a lot about the power of our talking over recent weeks, because in Proverbs the level of our wisdom – or folly – is gauged by the way we speak. Words can kill. They cost nothing, and yet have the power to wreak incredible damage and destruction, but also grant us the ability to build up and change the lives of others. The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). At no cost, we can change somebody’s day – and possibly life – today. God forbid that, rather than cause someone to die laughing, we might contribute to their dying feeling desolate and betrayed.

Prayer: Bring life and joy today through the words that pass my lips. Amen.

54

WEEKEND 27-28 MAY

TOLD YOU SO

READ Proverbs 16:1–16 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

‘I told you so.’ It’s usually an unwelcome phrase that tumbles from the lips of the smug, know-it-all who is thrilled to discover that their opinion was actually right, and has been so all along, despite opposition. But there are some who can tell us so when it comes to knowing how to do life. Here we are able to pause and remember how we met Solomon two weeks ago: here was the king who was offered anything his heart desired from the one who could deliver exactly that. Remember how he chose wisdom over riches, prompting a delighted response from God. And here Solomon lets us know that there were no regrets about that choice; turning down the cash was the right thing to do (and in his case, God gave him both anyway). But listen to his words: ‘It is much better to get wisdom than gold. It is much better to choose understanding than silver’ (16:16).

The Bible is a story, not just a compilation of theological information. As we travel with those who once lived through the trials, temptations, joy and sorrows that we now face, we can learn from those who’ve gone before us, rather than having to repeat their mistakes. We can find lessons on how to treat our children – and how not to: how to run a business, how to be a friend, how to lead, how to be led, what matters, what doesn’t, how to listen to those who are grieving, and the opposite... the list is endless.

Solomon’s experience can ‘tell us so’: choose wisdom. Let’s take his word for it.

To ponder: What life lessons have we learned from the journeys of biblical characters lately?

55

MON 29 MAY

PRIDE

READ Proverbs 16:17-33 Daniel 4:28-37

FOCUS If you are proud, you will be destroyed.

If you are proud, you will fall.

Proverbs 16:18

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

It is surely the most famous and oft-quoted proverb of them all. Here we’re reminded that pride doesn’t just make people obnoxious, but can very often be the cause of their downfall. Why is that?

Pride blinds us. It makes us think that we can live by our own exclusive set of rules, that we are so special that we don’t have to obey the basic principles of life and goodness.

People with an inflated sense of their own importance often see themselves as being above the expected norms of behaviour.

Pride also makes us arrogant, unwilling to listen to the warnings of those who we think are less ‘important’ than us.

Compound all of this deception with the feeling that, however we live and whatever we do, we have the golden touch – even call it ‘the blessing of God’ – and before we know it, the haughty high-flier is face down in a ditch. Is it possible that God loves some of us too much to allow us to fly too high – He knows that success might destroy us, and so sets a limit on our progress for our own protection?

'God opposes those who are proud. But he gives grace to those who are not' (James 4:6).

High and mighty King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn that truth the hard way – his temporary insanity taught him to turn from his self-worshipping ways, and he finally acknowledged that God was and is able to humble the proud (Deut. 8:3). Isn’t it better to humble ourselves rather than force God’s hand and make Him teach us humility?

Prayer: Grant me success in your eyes, Lord, but give me the character to be able to cope well with success. Amen.

56

TUE 30 MAY

LEGACY

READ Proverbs 17:1-13 1 Timothy 3:1-7

FOCUS Grandchildren are like a crown to older people. And children are proud of their parents.

Proverbs 17:6

It was some years ago now. Working in Indonesia, our daughter Kelly determined to try to change the thinking of the local people there in their overt prejudice against people with disabilities. Often those who struggle with terrible physical challenges have to bear the additional burden of being outcasts as well, rejected because of their perceived weaknesses. A young boy with severe mobility challenges was being denied access to the local kindergarten because of this prejudice. Kelly took some of the teachers to visit him in his ramshackle, posttsunami shack which was supposed to be temporary accommodation – but nothing more permanent is in sight.

The teachers fell in love with the delightful lad, and now his place in the kindergarten is assured. I can’t tell you how ‘proud’ – in the right sense of that word – I am of Kelly. But reading this Proverb today, I was challenged that I want my children to be proud of me – ‘a parent who is the pride of his or her children.’

I want to leave a legacy that is more than financial when I die. The choices that you and I make matter. The thought of my now adult children being ashamed of me, of what I have done, and of how I have lived, chills my heart.

Proverbs declares, ‘To be highly respected is better than having silver or gold’ (Prov. 22:1). and Paul exhorts young Timothy to choose leaders of good repute. Sometimes I hear people carelessly say, ‘I don’t care what people think of me.’ Really?

Prayer: Lord, grant me a good name, and a wholesome reputation – for Your name’s sake. Amen.

57

WED 31 MAY

GOOD MEDICINE

READ Proverbs 17:14-28 Deuteronomy 16:13-15

FOCUS A cheerful heart makes you healthy.

But a broken spirit dries you up.

Proverbs 17:22

It was the day after Christmas, and we were taking a family walk along the seafront in Bognor Regis. That’s when the mad idea hit.

We wanted to go for a wade in the sea. A swim was out of the question, due to the icy water and lack of swimming costumes. So, we opted for second best, sloshed our way in, up to our calves, splashed around for a minute and made a memory as we did so. We shivered all the way home, but I’m glad we did it. It was harmless fun.

The Purpose Driven Life is an excellent book and has proved to be a great inspiration to millions. But I have a confession to make: I can’t stand the title – even though that’s probably what helped sell the book by the truckload: everyone is looking for purpose.

The thought of everything I do being efficient, productive and purposeful is terrible to me. I’d like to have some fun before death, to laugh uncontrollably a lot more than I do.

Some of us Christians are bewilderingly nervous of fun, seeing it as ‘unspiritual’. That idea produces a religion as inviting as one of those old-fashioned corsets – the fun is gradually squeezed out of us, until there’s no freedom to breathe left. But Proverbs makes it clear – laughter is good for us, a fact now scientifically proven: the human body is hugely helped by frequent doses of laughter. We can giggle our way into better physical and mental health.

Nervous of laughter? Let’s think again and take our medicine.

Prayer: Help me to be fully, completely alive today; fill me with your joy. Amen.

58

THU 01 JUN

LISTEN!

READ Proverbs 18:1-13 James 1:19

FOCUS To answer before listening is foolish and shameful.

Proverbs 18:13

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

A distant acquaintance of mine is a wonderful man. He has a real passion for God, is generous and kind to a fault, and he almost always interrupts and finishes off sentences for just about anyone that he is ‘conversing’ with. It’s almost farcical, like one of those television game shows, as if he has to fill in the blank, with the possibility of a new car as a prize. But all of that blank-filling means that much of the time, he’s wrong. It doesn’t only irritate everyone that he talks to, but conversation takes longer because of his terrible habit of interrupting.

Massive confusion reigns as a result.

'I’m off to the...’ ‘...bathroom?’

‘No, the Netherlands, where I’m going to...’

‘That’s a long way to go to the bathroom, isn’t it?’

Sound familiar? Why do some of us develop this dreadful social habit that can be more off-putting than a serious dose of halitosis?

Sometimes people of great spiritual passion do this; they’re so excited about what they’re doing for God, they don’t have time for others to complete what they have to say. But surely bad manners sits at the heart of this practice: we are impatient, and perhaps subconsciously feel that what we have to say is far more interesting than the words that we are currently hearing. Hence, we answer without listening. Proverbs cuts us down to size if we embrace this practice. We’re the foolish ones, according to ancient wisdom. Let’s take a break. Pause for breath – and listen.

Prayer: Lord, help me to value the words and wisdom of others. Teach me to be a good listener. Amen.

60

FRI 02 JUN

OFFENDED

READ Proverbs 18:14–24 1 Corinthians 8:9-13

FOCUS A broken friendship is harder to deal with than a city that has high walls around it.

Proverbs 18:19

Our home in Britain is just a few miles from a heavily fortified castle. It’s an object of great beauty now, but it sobers me to remember that here my forefathers peered out of the turrets and poured boiling vats of fat on any unwelcome callers who had actually managed to cross the massive moat. We Brits do fortification rather well.

I’ve met a few Christians – and been to a few churches – that do life the same way. Woe betide the unfortunate soul who makes a comment/uses a Bible version/sings a song that is offensive to them. If the music is a few decibels too loud, or the flower rota is revised without Doris being included (due to her Amazonian junglelike arrangements) then up comes the drawbridge and the official verdict is handed down by people who, figuratively speaking, have their arms permanently folded in disgust. They are offended.

Often the scripture that exhorts us ‘not to offend the weaker brother’ is hauled out, even though the person offended may not be weaker at all; they are not so much suffering from a weak conscience as a prickly disposition. And the problem gets worse.

Here Proverbs lets us know that married to offence is stubbornness, and it uses the pictures of a fortified city – a gated citadel – to show just how unyielding we can be.

Perhaps we’re offended right now. Two questions: is the issue worth being upset about? And are we willing to listen to those who disagree with us? Let’s think again.

Prayer: Father, save me from becoming passionate about what doesn’t matter, and stubbornness that deafens me to wisdom. Amen.

61

WEEKEND 03-04 JUN

WARPED ZEAL

READ Proverbs 19:1-15 Philippians 3:1-6

We all know that zeal is one of the most toxic forces in the world today. People of conviction can so easily be hijacked by wrong causes, and then end up perpetuating horrendous crimes, the victims of their own misguided enthusiasm. So Proverbs warns us to make sure that we are informed as well as committed. It isn’t good to get all stirred up without knowledge. Nor is it good to be in a hurry and miss the way (Prov. 19:2). And before we look to apply this truth to the world scene, we Christians need to allow ourselves to be challenged too. History is littered with terrible things that have been said and done in Jesus’ name; the Crusades, the Spanish inquisition, and defending the practice of slavery were all perpetuated by Bible-believing Christians.

Misguided zeal is not just a problem of church history: it is alive and well. Sometimes I meet Christians who scare me – Christian fanaticism is a very real possibility. When we go overboard on one particular doctrine, interpretation, or way of doing church, we can stray into a danger zone. We need balance in these things; over-emphasising one doctrine at the expense of another is dangerous. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time were certainly passionate – but their passion was misguided. We should remember Paul and his emphasis on ‘Christ crucified’ as the most important thing.

Just because a person is loud, and even willing to die for their convictions, doesn’t make them right. Let’s think before we shout.

To ponder: Is there an issue that I tend to fixate on, and feel passionate about? Is my zeal informed? Amen.

62

MON 05 JUN

MONEY

READ Proverbs 19:16-29 Amos 5:21-24

FOCUS Anyone who is kind to poor people lends to the Lord. God will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 19:17

Over the next few days, we are going to be considering our attitude to money in general, and the poor specifically. Jim Wallis has a graphic illustration of how much the Bible has to say about the poor. A seminary student took a Bible and cut out every reference to the poor with a pair of scissors.

Wallis commented: ‘When the seminarian was finished, that old Bible hung in threads.

It wouldn’t hold together, it fell apart in our hands. This is our Bible – full of holes from all that we have cut out.’

Scripture is emphatic: all of our singing, our religious activities, our busyness in local church life – all of this is worthless to God – offensive, even – if we have no concern or make no practical effort to help those in our area, and in our world, who struggle with poverty. Amos slams the message home: God hates worship when the worshippers take a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude to the poor (Amos 5:21). And what does God love? ‘I, the Lord, love justice’ (Isa. 61:8, NIV).

Yes, we can try to evade the issue of the poor by complaining the needs are so great, or we feel overwhelmed by them. Or we exempt ourselves from responsibility, insisting that monies given to charities won’t reach those who need it – so what’s the point? But this just won’t do as far as God is concerned.

Proverbs makes it clear that love shown to the poor is like love shown to God: true worship. These issues are complex, but absolutely demand our attention and action.

Prayer: Lord, show me my part to bring hope and healing in a world so full of need and pain – a world that you so love. Amen.

63

TUE 06 JUN

DEAL OR NO DEAL

READ Proverbs 20:1-30 Job 31:13-23

FOCUS ‘It’s no good. It’s no good!’ says a buyer.

Then off he goes and brags about what he bought.

Proverbs 20:14

I love a deal. I’m one of those sad types who enjoys the cut and thrust of buying. When the airlines, for example, announce a sale, my fingers fly across the computer keyboard at white-hot speed. Given the chance to pay less, I’ll take it. I also love to be generous, but if a multinational corporation is offering me a product at a price too good to turn down, I’ll shake hands on the deal.

But I’ve seen that principle of thrift and stewardship go badly wrong. Visiting a country in the Global South recently, I watched aghast as some well-heeled westerners took the principle of bartering way too far, and effectively ground a market trader underfoot as they battled for ten minutes to save twenty pence. They strode away, all smiles and triumph; and we could argue that the trader didn’t have to accept their offer... or did he? Did that sale mean the difference between putting food on the table for his family that day, so that even though the profit was meagre, he was forced to take it? Proverbs rues the tactics of the buyer who casts aspirations on the product in order to force the price down, and then prides himself on his conniving handiwork.

Thank God that we are living in days when buying fair trade products is normal. But concern for the poor goes beyond fair trade products, important though they are. Surely the best way to measure a deal is not to ask, ‘Did I get the keenest price?’, but to pose the question: ‘Is it fair?’

Prayer: Let me do what is right, not just what is best for me. Amen.

64

WED 07 JUN

JUSTICE

READ Proverbs 21:1-31 Micah 6:8

FOCUS Do what is right and fair. The Lord accepts that more than sacrifices.

Proverbs 21:3

In 1986 Yoweri Museveni became President of Uganda, when his National Resistance Army overthrew the military junta. Museveni had attended Christian youth camps during his teenage years, and while at one of the camps, had asked that an evening be devoted to prayer for nearby Tanzania which, at the time, was engaged in terrible civil war. He was told that this request was inappropriate: ‘We don’t concern ourselves with things like that.’ Prayers were held, but they focused on the needs of the camp and for the spiritual wellbeing of those attending the event.

Museveni made a decision: Christianity apparently had nothing to say about the needs of the day, so he would look elsewhere for a guiding philosophy for real life. But he was rejecting a faith that has justice at its very heart.

God is just: He calls for justice. One of the favourite Old Testament terms for God is the rock, a symbol of stability and consistency (Deut. 32:4). When God introduced the call to holiness to His people, it was a call to a personal and social ethic that included blessing the poor (Lev. 19:2), caring for the elderly, looking after those with disabilities, including the marginalised, and doing business with honesty – a call that mirrored His own dependable character.

Let’s make no mistake. The cry for justice is not an addendum to the gospel, or simply a means of attracting attention so that we can talk to people about heaven. Justice sits at the heart of God, and the heart of God’s message.

Prayer: Bring justice to the oppressed, righteous God. Use me in the fight to bring relief to the suffering. Amen.

65

THU 08 JUN

WE ARE FAMILY

READ Proverbs 22:1-29 Ephesians 3:14-15

FOCUS The Lord made rich people and poor people. That’s what they have in common.

Proverbs 22:2

I met Julie during a recent visit to Ethiopia.

She attended a project run by the charity, Compassion, which focuses on caring for children in need. Seventeen-year-old Julie offered us tea and biscuits when we visited the centre, just outside Addis Ababa; she was the perfect hostess, all smiles and kindness.

But her smile comes despite incredible hardship. The average income in Ethiopia is pitifully low; her father had died from the HIV virus, and her mother was struggling to bring up the family alone. I complimented Julie on her attitude, her disposition, and her hardworking approach to fulfilling her hopes and dreams. When she told me about her family history, I said something simple, but I will never forget her reply. ‘Julie, I’m so sorry that your dad isn’t here. If I were your father, I’d be so incredibly proud of you. You’re a wonderful young lady.’

She looked down, slightly embarrassed at the compliment, and then responded. ‘Thank you, Jeff. From now on, I will always think of you as my father.’ There was no outstretched hand with her comment; this was no calculated to move to get anything – just the recognition that we are all members of the same human family. I’m not Julie’s dad – but I am her brother; both of us made in the image of God, and her brother now because of Christ.

The faces of those children, emaciated by poverty, that appear on our television screens – to put it bluntly, they are not aliens or people other than us. They are family.

Prayer: Thank you for the family, Father.

Help us to know how live as family, I pray.

What part do I play? Amen.

66

FRI 09 JUN

THE DEFENDER

READ Proverbs 23:1-16 Jeremiah 22:16-17

FOCUS Don’t move old boundary stones.

Don’t try to take over the fields of children whose fathers have died.

Proverbs 23:10-11

In America they’re called the public defenders. They are the lawyers who take up the cases of those who can’t afford to hire an attorney. And they are much needed: sometimes ‘justice’ is linked to dollars.

God is the defender of the poor and the oppressed. He took on Uriah’s case when David stole his wife and set him up for death on the battlefield and, through Elijah, became prosecuting attorney against evil Ahab and Jezebel when they tried to wrench Naboth’s vineyard out of his hands. He ‘takes up the cases’ of those wronged by injustice.

But when we talk about God having a bias towards the poor, that can imply that He doesn’t love those who aren’t in immediate need as much – which is not true. God is not prejudiced, but He is the God of justice, as we’ve seen. And so, when people perpetuate injustice in some way, God opposes them and sides with those who are the victims. In our focus verse, orphans having their land taken is cited as one example.

That said, when we ignore the poor, or worse still, live in such a way that makes their plight worse, we might well find ourselves in the dock. And, in this case, the public defender is very, very good at His job – this defender is strong. Let’s stay on His side, allow our hearts to be broken with His, and play our part in genuinely making poverty history. What steps might you and I take to do this?

Prayer: Holy God, save me from the displeasure that You have towards the unjust. Help me to walk uprightly. Amen.

67

WEEKEND 10 -11 JUN

HUNGOVER

READ Proverbs 23:17-35 Ephesians 5:18

GOING DEEPER

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In many churches in the UK, the issue of drinking alcohol is no longer an issue. Earlier attitudes of prohibition and total abstinence have been replaced by a more relaxed view that a drink in moderation is certainly not condemned by any biblical restriction; on the contrary, a ‘little wine for the stomach’s sake’ is even encouraged in some circles. The idea that the wine that Jesus drank (and made in huge quantities during that wedding in Cana) was little more than grape juice hardly warrants a comment.

But with freedom comes the need for caution. Proverbs graphically describes the awful symptoms of a hangover, and the serious threat of alcoholism: in the end, it bites like a poisonous serpent. Your eyes will see strange sights. Your mind will imagine weird things (Prov. 23:32-33). Overall, it is bad for your health and your heart, and there seems not to be an agreed safe limit, according to the medics. Consider the regret of the person who succumbed to temptation while under the influence, or the families who have been left bereft because of a drunk driver. Let’s respect those who totally abstain, for reasons of conscience, or because they know they are prone to addiction, or have those near and dear to them who are weak in this area. And let’s realise that a problem with alcohol doesn’t announce itself; indeed, a major element to addiction is denial. Enjoy wine if you like – but don’t like it too much.

To ponder: Are there any addictive patterns in our lives that we need to acknowledge?

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MON 12 JUN

GLOATING

READ Proverbs 24:1-22 Job 31:1-34

FOCUS Don’t be happy when your enemy falls. When he trips, don’t let your heart be glad.

Proverbs 24:17

It was the night of a General Election in the UK, and voting results were coming in thick and fast. It was becoming apparent who was going to form the next government, and a very famous politician who was tipped for a top job in cabinet was being interviewed.

The look of gratuitous gloating that took over his whole face was obscene to watch.

He was almost licking his lips at the thought of power; his dismissive remarks about the failed contenders in the other parties came, not from the heart of a man magnanimous in victory, but from a small man intoxicated by his own triumph. He smeared this epic moment in his history with gloating, or, as one dictionary defines this, ‘malicious satisfaction’.

A few years later, that same politician reaped what he had sown as he hit the headlines with news of his own scandals: how the Fleet Street hacks gloated over his downfall.

Surely gloating is a sign that we think we are superior to others: when we take pleasure in their downfall or suffering, we reveal that we might have been willing to contribute to their pain if we could have, so pleased are we about their agony. Whatever the reason, celebrating the demise of another – even our enemy – is ugly, and more importantly, could provoke the discipline of God, who is disgusted by gloating. Job, in examining his own heart before God, insisted that he would have no part in rejoicing at the perils of others. Let’s join him.

Prayer: Give me empathy for those who fall, and humility in the midst of success.

Amen.

69

TUE 13 JUN

HONESTY

READ Proverbs 24:23-34 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6

FOCUS An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

Proverbs 24:26

If I may use the term, I think that most of us suffer from the ‘Does my bottom look big in this?’ syndrome. The correct answer to that question would always be a firm ‘no’. Or would it?

I recently asked a friend’s advice about a huge decision I’d made – and one that I’d consulted with them about in the process.

‘If you thought I was taking the wrong step, would you tell me?’ ‘Of course not’, they replied. ‘I’m not that radical.’ This is worrying; surely true friendship is about being willing to risk offence and misunderstanding if honest counsel is sought. It’s not as if a contrary opinion would be intrusive – when we genuinely ask for an opinion, we are giving permission for difficult things to be said.

Taking things a step further, there are some people who deliberately hide the truth and heap effusive praise on those who don’t deserve it, to gain political and relational capital. The Bible has a word for this kind of humbug: flattery.

I’ve noticed that sometimes we Christian leaders surround ourselves with folks who agree with us, and are really quite like us.

We can even view with suspicion anyone who thinks differently, and view honest questions as hostility. To live like that may be comfortable, but it’s perilous. If everyone thinks the same, we’ll all end up stumbling into the same trap together.

Don’t blunder into brutal honesty – make sure that you have permission to tell the truth.

Fudging doesn’t belong in a genuine friendship.

Prayer: Give me grace and sensitivity to be honest, and grace and sensitivity when others tell me the truth. Amen.

70

WED 14 JUN

STILL SEEKING

READ Proverbs 25:1-15 Luke 24:36-39

FOCUS When God hides a matter, he gets glory. When kings figure out a matter, they get glory.

Proverbs 25:2

Over the last forty years or so, I’ve been on a dangerous journey. At times, I wish I’d never started. There are shadowy seasons when the terrain turns into a solid uphill trek, with no plateau in sight. And there are other days when I feel like I am lost in thick fog.

The trip to which I refer is the journey of questioning my faith. When I first became a Christian, I swallowed wholesale – without too much chewing – just about everything that I was told about God. Helpfully, I was part of a trustworthy church that gave me some terrific foundations for my faith. But about a decade into my being a Christian, I decided that questions were needed. Did I really believe what I thought I believed about evangelism, worship, the more difficult doctrines of election, predestination, and heaven and hell?

Sometimes I mention to fellow leaders that I am on such a journey, and they gasp, nervously. Isn’t the Bible enough for you, Jeff? Are you turning liberal in your advancing years? Faith involves questions, struggling, doubt, mystery, and the pain of ‘searching out matters’. That’s why Jesus told parables – not to dumb down kingdom truth, but to activate a search in His listeners’ hearts and minds. Faith is not about treating truth as some fragile thing that might crumble if we touch it or examine it too closely. Genuine faith sometimes keeps us awake at night – it niggles and irritates and liberates and confounds us. Are you on a similar journey?

Take heart.

Prayer: All-knowing, all-wise God, open my eyes and my mind to see your truth: and help me see that seeing takes a lifetime.

Amen.

71

THU 15 JUN

A GOOD NEIGHBOUR

READ Proverbs 25:16-28 Mark 12:28-34

FOCUS Don’t go to your neighbour’s home very often. If he sees too much of you, he will hate you.

Proverbs 25:17

It’s a bad feeling. An enjoyable evening with beloved friends starts to turn into a nightmare – simply because it’s gone on too long. You frantically look for a pause in the conversation, so that you can jump in, with one of those, ‘My goodness, is that the time?’ quips. You announce that you have to be up at 3am for an early choir practice. You yawn and stretch – repeatedly. And if you are my wife Kay, who works extremely long hours, there comes a point when her eyelashes blink at high speed, so desperate is she just to keep her eyes open.

We have a friend who has a rather brutal solution to those guests who stay too late.

When he thinks the time has come, he jumps up, and announces with a smile, ‘Alright everybody, I think sleep is in order. Thanks for coming over, and goodnight.’

Once again we see that the Bible is so practical, and that the whole of our lives matter to God – including the details of our social lives. But we also realise that selfobsession, and failing to notice the needs of others – including their need for sleep – can destroy the deepest relationships, and turn love into hatred. So practical is Proverbs, it gives us wisdom to prevent us becoming early morning sleep intruders too: ‘Suppose you loudly bless your neighbour early in the morning. Then you might as well be calling down a curse on him’ (Prov. 27:14). Let’s be sensitive and practical. People will be happier to see us.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to damage friendships with selfishness or close relationships with insensitivity. Amen.

72

FRI 16 JUN

NEVER LEARNING

READ Proverbs 26:1-11 2 Timothy 3:1-9

FOCUS A foolish person who does the same foolish things again is like a dog that returns to where it has thrown up.

Proverbs 26:11

I have had a problem, sometimes that comes from meeting a lot of people: I forget their names. This is a real issue for one involved in Christian leadership in a large church, especially when people come to me and ask for prayer. They introduce themselves, tell me their name (which stays in my mind for about three seconds), and then tell me they don’t feel valued in the church: can I pray for them? Now I’m sweating. This person who feels unwelcome and unnoticed is about to be treated to a prayer from me where I don’t mention their name – compounding their chronic sense of rejection. I’ve tried to bluff it with the use of terms like ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, or even ‘this dear soul so loved by you Lord’, but I don’t think that I really got away with it. This amnesia has afflicted me for about forty years, and I’m sad to say that I only just took action to take care of it. Now, when I’m introduced to someone, I spend the first thirty seconds of our conversation shouting their name inside my head: I make up rhymes about it, and do everything I can to remember. The problem is – why did it take me so long to learn this lesson and take action? Forty years is a long time.

Some of us haven’t learned our lesson yet about more serious issues. Our life is a repetitive cycle of unbroken habits and predictable sins. The picture of a dog snacking on its own vomit should startle us into action – what foolish patterns of behaviour do we need to break?

Prayer: Help me to learn, take action, and move on. Save me from meandering in never ending circles of sin. Amen.

73

WEEKEND 17-18 JUN

IDLE

READ Proverbs 26:12-28 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Our busy culture means that we frequently talk about how much we have to do, with so little time. It would be easy to get the impression that everybody is energetically working hard – sometimes too hard. But as Proverbs warns us about the folly of the ‘sluggard’, we see that laziness is still a massive problem – even for those of us who are busy, as I mentioned earlier. The person who is too lazy to even take food to their mouth is extreme!

We can be lazy in our relationships, forgetting to be kind or demonstrate our love. We can be lazy in disciplining our children, unwilling to face the pain of their disapproval. It’s easier to clean their room than demand they clean it; in a sense, that’s lazy. We can be lazy in our beliefs: legalism flourishes when we are unwilling to do the hard work of wrestling with Scripture and thrashing out truly biblical convictions. I shared earlier that I have a streak of hidden laziness, in that I tend to leave the boring tasks until last, and dive into what I most enjoy – a recipe for long-term trouble. And laziness is adept at making excuses for inaction: ‘A person who doesn’t want to work says, “There’s a lion in the road! There’s an angry lion wandering in the streets!”’ (Prov. 26:13). And the lazy soul can be self-deceived as well, ‘wise in his own eyes’.

What have we been putting off? Do you have your own lazy streak? Get with it: there’s no lion outside.

To ponder: Where might you identify laziness in your life?

74

MON 19 JUN

SELF PRAISE

READ Proverbs 27:1-16 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

FOCUS Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth.

Let someone else praise you, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:2

He really is a brilliant Christian leader, an effective communicator, and very adept at sharing his faith one on one. And the problem is, he is very aware of all of the above, and just about every time he speaks, he tells everyone just how good he is. This is usually thinly cloaked in comments about ‘just wanting to give God all the glory’, and ‘of course nothing would happen without the Lord’, but the message is very clear: God Himself must be thrilled to have this chap on His side.

When we are driven to tell people everything we know, whom we’ve met, and our strengths, we demonstrate a gaping insecurity, and an unhealthy appetite for approval. It is as if we are walking around with our record card, frantic that others be aware of our triumphs. Of course, the opposite of this reveals a similar hankering: people who forever put themselves down, deny the existence of any gifts whatsoever, and exude a pseudo-humility which is actually a desire to be corrected affirmatively. They can be looking for the same praise – just using a different method to extract it.

Ironically, self praise does nothing to endear people to us – it alienates them.

They are repelled by our boasting, and also feel lessened by our harping on about our accomplishments. Perhaps we’d do better to take a leaf out of Paul’s book, and boast about the things that show our weaknesses (2 Cor. 11:30). If there’s an A+ to be given, let someone else give it to us.

Prayer: Father, set me free from the need to prove myself. Deliver me from any approval addiction, and all boasting, or false humility. Amen.

75

TUE 20 JUN

SHARP

READ Proverbs 27:17-27 Hebrews 10:24

FOCUS As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

GOING DEEPER

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Temporarily home alone, I am cooking for myself, and it hasn’t gone altogether well.

Attempting to defrost some chicken breasts yesterday, I was frustrated by the dullness of our kitchen knives. When we first bought them, they were razor sharp, but time and neglect have dulled them. As we hear about ‘iron sharpening iron’, we’re reminded about the power of authentic friendship. A few days ago I issued a challenge about speaking honestly to each other in friendship, and a friend who was reluctant to do that with me. Today, I want to celebrate the few people who are close to Kay and me, and yet challenge and confront us (actually, it’s usually me that gets the confrontation, Kay doesn’t need it so much...).

I have come to believe that we can get confused about the word loyalty. Some people refuse to accept honest feedback, believing that if I disagree with them, I am being disloyal.

But surely the Bible speaks more about faithfulness than loyalty: if I am truly faithful, and I see a friend meandering into disaster, I will take courage and share my concerns.

Of course, that right to speak needs to be earned, and it should always be tempered with kindness. But if we are to stay ‘sharp’, we need friends who can help with the sharpening.

The writer to the Hebrews tells us, ‘stir up one another to love’. The word used there is paroxysm and means to ‘stimulate strongly’, ‘arouse,’ or even ‘incite to riot’. Who can act riotously in our lives?

Prayer: Words of challenge can be tough, Lord. Give me wisdom to know who to listen to, and grace to hear words of tough love. Amen.

76

WED 21 JUN

FOOLS?

READ Proverbs 28:1-12 Romans 1:18-32

FOCUS Sinful men don’t understand what is fair. But those who worship the Lord understand it completely.

Proverbs 28:5

I’ve just listened to an interview with a man who’d like the world to believe that all Christians are utterly misguided, pathetic souls, and I am angry. Apparently, we not only need faith as a crutch to lean on, but have basically kissed our brains goodbye.

Knowing nothing at all about life, we are naive, uneducated and stupid. Poor old us.

I’d be the first to admit that we Christians sometimes say and do so silly things. We certainly don’t have the monopoly on all truth, and we don’t always make Jesus look good. But I also believe Christians often have an understanding of the dynamics of relationships that is rare in a world where so many marriages are falling apart. Nor does the fact that we are not immune to marriage breakdown ourselves contradict the reality that we have a good understanding of what makes human beings tick. Many Christians have a firm understanding of the real reason for creation care – we worship the Creator and are not lost in space trying to preserve the mother ship. We have much to say about justice, poverty, forgiveness, and sexual ethics. Knowing the God who invented life itself is surely the key to understanding life, as Proverbs reminds us.

We’re far from perfect, and at times bring shame on our amazing Lord. But let no one write off those who know the Lord as a collective of fools. The Bible speaks of those who, rejecting the knowledge of God, profess themselves to be wise, and have become fools.

Prayer: To know you, life-giving God, is to know life. Help me walk in the true wisdom of your ways. Amen.

77

THU 22 JUN

CONFESSION

READ Proverbs 28:13-28 James 5:13-16

FOCUS Anyone who hides his sins doesn’t succeed.

But anyone who admits his sins and gives them up finds mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

78

I am so grateful for the truth that you and I do not need to go to a human priest to confess our sins. We have in Jesus our perfect mediator, our magnificent High Priest, and we can come freely and confidently to Him to ask for His forgiveness, mercy and strength for our struggles. But all that said, we can miss out on the opportunity to build relationships of rugged accountability where we can be honest and vulnerable in a trusted environment.

Earlier I mentioned the small group of fellow Christian leaders, to which I belong, where we have no-holds-barred conversations about the battleground areas of our lives. They have helped me to be accountable, and I hope that I have contributed to building a place of safety and strength for them. Of course, there’s always a danger with accountability groups – we can fool ourselves that because we are part of one, we are being accountable.

In fact, we can always either lie or hide our sins in those groups, while listening to the struggles of others and congratulating them on their honesty!

And a culture of confession can be built into our individual friendships. Either in a group or with a trusted friend, we can bare our hearts, ask for ongoing accountability, and also find assurance of forgiveness. It is not that they are doing the forgiving – only God can do that – but they can declare the truth of forgiveness to us, and speak grace to us that will help us in our ongoing struggles.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want deep, resilient and honest friendships where confession is part of our interaction. Help me make that a reality. Amen.

FRI 23 JUN

GODLY LEADERS

READ Proverbs 29:1-21 3 John 9-10

FOCUS When those who do right grow stronger, the people are glad. But when those who do wrong become rulers, the people groan.

Proverbs 29:2

Over the last forty years, Kay and I have been privileged to minister in over a thousand different churches and conferences around the world. We have crossed so many different denominational lines and been with churches of vastly different styles and sizes.

And in most cases, we have met local church leaders who are passionate, hard-working, true servants of Christ and Christ’s people.

Many of them put me to shame in their faithful dedication to the work of God. But I have also bumped into a few domineering bullies who, like Diotrephes mentioned here by the apostle John, ‘loved to be the first in everything’. Calling people to honour them, they rush to silence any criticism. Demanding unflinching loyalty rather than faithfulness, they use the church for their own purposes.

When leaders like that are in charge, the people groan: the word means 'mourn'. Just today I watched a video of an internationally known leader, and she came across so humbly. Sadly, I’ve ministered alongside her, and have seen a different story.

I have met too many people who have been wounded by ‘rulers who do wrong’, as Proverbs puts it. Many have abandoned church life altogether, fearful that oppression might continue. So let’s pray for them, and also pray for those who lead the local church. Success can spoil; leaders who began well can be ruined by success. And if your church is led by good, godly and servant-hearted leaders, let them know how much they are appreciated.

Prayer: Thank you for leaders who serve sacrificially as servants, Lord. Bless them, and keep them in a posture of blessing.

Amen.

79

WEEKEND 24-25 JUN

YELLING

READ Proverbs 29:22-27 James 1:19-20

GOING DEEPER

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This week I’ve been researching the behaviour of bats (don’t ask!), and discovered they spend their whole lives yelling. It’s how they get around. I used to think that this was due to bats being as blind as, you guessed it, bats. This is just an urban myth, like the ridiculous idea that Elvis is living in Birmingham, or that the bat is a flying mouse.

Bats actually have keen eyesight – but they do rely on something called echolocation in order to live. Echolocation enables a bat to emit high frequency sound waves that bounce off an object – such as a tasty mosquito – to produce a type of sound ‘echo’ that returns to the bat’s ears. So bats yell at each other, they yell at their lunch, they yell at the trees, they yell at their neighbours, and they yell at their babies. They yell up to 200 times every second. They’re born yelling, and they die yelling. Their whole understanding of the shape of the world is based on how everything responds to their yelling.

And some people are like that. Angry from birth, or so it seems, they stomp through life simmering, complaining, going off the proverbial handle, hot-tempered, provoking and winding people up and generally seeing the world as it responds to their yelling. For them, there’s always something to yell about: bad service in a restaurant, the scruffiness of Heathrow airport, the price of petrol, the follies of the church, and the interminable delays on the M25. If that’s us, let’s ask: why?

To ponder: What causes some of us to live much of the time on the edge of anger?

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MON 26 JUN

MIRROR, MIRROR

READ Proverbs 30:1-13 James 1:19-25

FOCUS Some are pure in their own eyes.

But their dirty sins haven’t been washed away.

Proverbs 30:12

It was a constant theme in his preaching.

He railed repeatedly about the evils of pornography – and yes, we are constantly bombarded with opportunities to sully ourselves with degrading material. In days gone by, people who wanted access to porn had to make the effort to go across town to that seedy shop. These days, the vilest images are instantly available with a few keystrokes tapped onto our phones.

So he was right to warn us all about the perils of porn use and addiction. But then the news broke: he had not only been using pornography for years, but had been consorting with prostitutes as well. I wondered: how could he be so fixated on preaching as he did, while living as he did?

Perhaps there was a subtle deception that crept into his thinking, the idea that if he could turn others away from pornography, this would somehow redeem his own failures.

How easily we can deceive ourselves. We rationalise, telling ourselves that everyone is doing it. We tell ourselves that the sin we’re trapped in doesn’t matter. We compare ourselves with others; surely what we’re doing isn’t as bad as their sins. We focus on the good aspects of our lives, and even offload our own guilt onto others, becoming critical and judgmental.

In short, our hearts are capable of such self-deception. When we look into the mirror of God’s word, we can see ourselves as we really are, and then ask for forgiveness, get help, and make a change.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, deliver me from the deceptiveness of my own heart. Show me, that I might call upon You for help. Amen.

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TUE 27 JUN

ARMED

READ Proverbs 30:14-33 Proverbs 12:18

FOCUS Some people have teeth like swords. The teeth in their jaws are as sharp as knives.

Proverbs 30:14

The phrase, ‘teeth like swords’ specifically speaks of the oppression of the poor, but elsewhere Proverbs reminds us that ‘thoughtless words cut like swords’ (Prov. 12:18) – and Paul rebukes the Galatian Christians: ‘You must not keep on biting each other’ (Gal. 5:15, NIV).

I mentioned this in a ‘Going Deeper’ section last year, but as we hear about how dangerous words can be, it bears repeating. I was having an odd conversation about another Christian leader, recently promoted to a position of national leadership. A fellow minister was raising some concerns about this man’s suitability for the position, but had no specific, tangible evidence for his hesitation: ‘I’m not sure what it is about him,’ he mused. ‘It’s just, when he stands up to speak, although his preaching is fine, there’s something... It’s a strong feeling that I have.’ And then, to endorse his unspecified suspicion, the minister added, ‘And I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Something is going to emerge, I’m sure of it.’

Brilliant. The newly promoted leader’s character had been smeared, and all on the basis of a vague feeling. There was no evidence of anything being wrong, but suspicion had been raised – and passed around – because of a hunch. And that hunch might have been created by jealousy, or perhaps an altercation in the past that had never been resolved. Christians have ingenious ways to hurt each other. Let’s watch out, because we can be armed and dangerous.

Prayer: May my words bless and strengthen, not bite and harm, loving God. Amen.

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WED 28 JUN

PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY

READ Proverbs 31:1-9 Luke 24:13-35

FOCUS She said, “My son!

My very own son!

The son I prayed for!’

Proverbs 31:2

As we turn to ‘the sayings of King Lemuel’, we have to concede that we have no idea about who he or his mother was – he was certainly not a king of Israel, and the Bible has no mention of Lemeul other than here.

But we do have recorded the words of his mother, who affirms that he was the son that she prayed for. There are certainly a number of biblical examples of children being given to previously infertile people in response to prayer, but that’s not the point I want to make here. Not only did Lemuel’s mother pray for him (the Hebrew suggests that she made vows in connection with his birth), but she exhorts and encourages him to make the right choices in life.

It is so heartbreaking for a believer to see a son or daughter drift away from the Jesus that they were raised to know and love, and then go on to make destructive choices. For years we are assailed with fears for them, guilt about whether we have contributed to their walking away, and our faith is mocked because despite all of our frantic and fervent prayers, they continue to walk far from God. Perhaps you are in that place today. May your heart be encouraged by the truth that Jesus is able to meet people, even as they walk the wrong way, as He did with two on the famous road to Emmaus. The moment they discovered who they were talking with, they headed back the way they came. Keep hoping, believing, and keep praying. It may seem impossible, but God is God. Prayer: Grant me faith to ask for more than I can even imagine, mighty God. Amen.

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THU 29 JUN

SUPERWOMAN?

READ Proverbs 31:10-27 Luke 8:1-3

FOCUS Who can find a noble wife?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Proverbs 31:10

Proverbs 31 describes the famous biblical bionic woman; the super-sister who scoops up the baby under one arm while simultaneously churning out gourmet meals, producing crafts, and doing a dozen other domestic chores with the other. But look again at this lady – this passage provides no support for the idea that women should stick to the domestic sphere. That’s not to diminish the supreme value of the full-time homemaker – but women rightly want to enjoy other roles, and the Bible shouldn’t be used to limit them.

This entrepreneurial lady knows how to cut the right property deals and is a shrewd investor (v.16); she trades, manages staff, and is a wonderful example in her care and compassion for the poor (v.15, 18, 20). In a culture that so often demeaned women (in Jesus’ time, it was impossible for a woman to teach), this lady is renowned for her wisdom and instructional skills (v.26). She is strong and confident, being able to ‘laugh at the days to come’ (v.25) and is industrious, taking great responsibility for the affairs of her household (v.27). Surely these words show a huge sense of dignity and respect for women. Personally, I could never again envisage the possibility of church leadership that does not allow women to express their calling to lead at every level. I’m aware that some will disagree, but I want to continue to speak out against the oppression of women in Jesus’ name – the one who treated women with such respect.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for all the priceless gifts that women bring. Encourage those who still struggle with oppression. Amen.

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FRI 30 JUN

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

READ Proverbs 31:28-31 Matthew 12:35

FOCUS Charm can fool you.

Beauty fades.

But a woman who has respect for the Lord should be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

As we draw our journey through Proverbs to an end, I write this during a season when the church in the USA has been rocked by yet another scandal surrounding a senior Christian leader. The media is full of coverage from gloating reporters, many clearly delighted at this man’s fall. And all of this reminds me once again of the message that seems to jump out time and time again from the book of Proverbs: character is what counts.

Breathtaking beauty or movie star handsome features are not enough, and will succumb to wrinkles and gravity in time. A stack of money and the ability to wield power are not sufficient. Nor is gifting or talent. As we hear words specifically spoken about women, we discover what really matters for us all, men and women both: ‘Charm can fool you.

Beauty fades. But a woman who has respect for the Lord should be praised’ (v.30). Here is what really counts and lasts: a good life lived with God. Perhaps, like me, you’re all too aware of your failings and foibles, and you sometimes get discouraged, not so much about the state of the world, but more about the state of you.

Like the mighty Apostle Paul, we can feel frustrated with our struggles and fragilities (Rom. 7:24-25). Keep travelling with Jesus, and may it be said of you and me – we were good people, and loved God. May God bless you and yours, and may we know the empowering of the Holy Spirit to enable us not only to live well, but experience His transforming work.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, make me like You. And keep me faithful and faith-filled daily.

For Your glory I pray, Amen.

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HOLY LAND TOUR 13TH-20TH NOVEMBER 2023 HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT VISITING THE HOLY LAND?

Join Jeff and Kay Lucas on a very special tour of Israel that will transform and inform your Bible reading time.

Sharing practical, biblical insights as they travel, they will take you to the famous biblical locations, including Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Register your interest now and look forward to a well-organised and informative visit. And there will be lots of fun too!

Some highlights of the visit will be to biblical locations where Jesus walked such as the Sea of Galilee, Caeserea Philippi, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the garden of Gethsemane. We will also visit the Dead Sea, Masada and Qumran, the Garden Tomb, walk the streets of the old city of Jerusalem, and visit the Western (Wailing) Wall.

Professional local guides share their wealth of historical and archeological knowledge; Jeff offers teaching as we tour, and Jeff and Kay host the entire experience – one that some travellers have enjoyed so much they have returned to do the same trip a second and even a third time!

With excellent hotels, amazing food, and the unforgettable experience of exploring the stunning old city of Jerusalem (with markets where you can haggle for a bargain) this trip will delight and inspire. Come with us!

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What previous guests have said: This trip is life-changing and highly addictive – you will want to return again and again... It was so valuable having local guides and the knowledge they are able to impart is so rich. – Lisa Thank you, Jeff and Kay, for all that you organised, for the experiences you gave us, for the wisdom you imparted to us and for the love you showed us.

Charlie and I feel so blessed to have been part of this trip. We will never forget it: it will stay in our hearts forever. – Angie This trip (my second time!) has forever changed my walk with God. – Debra

Thanks so much for a wonderful trip. We enjoyed it so much – saw amazing sights and met lovely people. Your insights are gentle, humble and real, and not at all ‘preachy’ which just allows everyone to meet God in their own way. – Hilary and Lisa

To register your interest so that you are among the first to get all the information you need, visit: www.jefflucas.org 87

LIFE WITH LUCAS PARTNERS WITH THE C3 CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE AND THEIR EXCITING PRISON MINISTRY. They broadcast a bespoke version of their Sunday service into 76 prisons and detention centres in England which has the potential for over 57,000+ prisoners to watch directly on TV screens in each cell – some inmates spend up to 22 hours a day in their cell.

Many inmates express a desire for Christian literature to be able to read and learn whilst they are in prison. We provide Life with Lucas free of charge to any prisoners and chaplains who request copies; at the moment 60 prisoners are using the resource.

Becky Campbell, who leads the ministry, says, 'C3 is very grateful for the partnership with Jeff Lucas and team to enable more people to grow in discipleship and their relationship with God, even behind the gates of prison’.

Please help us to get words of hope and salvation inside those prison walls!

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NEXT TIME: THE FUGITIVE It’s a book of the Bible that chronicles a very familiar story, much loved in Sunday schools everywhere – the journey of a reluctant prophet, Jonah. Called by God to a task that made him angry and ill-tempered,

Jonah’s story is often eclipsed by a rather large fish! But Jonah is not really a ‘fishy’ story at all, but rather reveals the greatness, patience and mercy of God. His character is the main theme of the book. Join us for an in-depth study that will practically equip us for the times when we feel frustrated in our faith – and discover the contrasts between the petulant Jonah and the faithfulness of Jesus!

JOIN US NEXT TIME!

It’s a commodity that seems to be in short supply these days – and that is wisdom. When we stop believing in God, we can end up believing anything. A culture that abandons the straight edge of wisdom is destined to drown in foolishness.

In this edition, Jeff completes our journey through Mark’s gospel, and then we turn to Proverbs in search of some of the treasures of ancient wisdom that it contains. Get ready for a practical, challenging and encouraging study!

Life with Lucas is written by Jeff Lucas, an international author, speaker, broadcaster and coach. Married to Kay, his passion is to equip the Church with biblical, practical Bible teaching, marked by vulnerability and humour. Jeff is a best-selling author of 34 books, and broadcasts weekly on Premier Christian Radio. He is a teaching pastor at Timberline Church, Fort Collins, Colorado.

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JeffLucasUK

lifewithlucas.co.uk PO Box 3070, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6WX, UK Tel 01903 732190