Jeff understands and dispenses grace, with passion, humour and thoughtful content – a rare combination PHILIP YANCEY
WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2023
Reset and Rescue
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Sorted Men’s Magazine
A WORD FROM JEFF
WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS! Perhaps it’s happened to you. The laptop you’re working on freezes, and no amount of key tapping brings it back to life and usefulness again. And so, you adopt a policy that’s often employed when these moments come: you switch off and power the machine back up again. Rebooting, restarting or resetting – whichever word we choose – often refreshes and restores overtaxed circuits. Something similar is true of us humans. Obviously, we’re not machines – in fact, as we’ll see, our brains are capable of changes and revisions far beyond the scope of the most sophisticated super-computer – but in our hearts and lives, we all need a ‘reset’ from time to time. As apprentices of Jesus, we want to live life God’s way, fulfilling His will and purposes daily. There are many examples of God ‘resetting’ His people in Scripture. We are going to initially focus on one man who was wonderfully used by the Lord, but who found himself in a cave of despair. He desperately needed a reset. His name was Elijah. Then, as we draw near to the Advent season and Christmas, we will take time to ponder the events around the greatest ‘reset’ there has ever been – the coming of Christ from the throne of heaven to the manger of Bethlehem – the rescuer of us all. As I write, my dear friend Steve Legg, who serves as project manager for these notes, is battling cancer, and humanly speaking, the diagnosis is poor. Please pray for Steve, Bekah, and their lovely family. Thank you so much, as ever, for joining me.
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© Son Christian Media (SCM) and Novio Published 2023 by SCM/Novio – PO Box 3070, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 6WX, UK All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of SCM/Novio. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, The “NIRV”, “New International Reader’s Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Publisher. Design by Piero Regnante – Rogfog Creative | rogfog.co.uk Printed by Halcyon
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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. 5
THU 05 OCT
GOD PROVIDES FOR RESET
READ Acts 2:42-47 Hebrews 10:23-25
FOCUS The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared life together. They broke bread and ate together. And they prayed. Acts 2:42
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When Kay and I lead our tours to the Holy Land (come with us – see page 34!), we are always deeply moved by the Jewish practice of Sabbath. Sadly, for many Israelis, Sabbath is more about culture than religion. But it is so impactful to see roads that are normally jammed with traffic virtually deserted; families gather at hotels and in homes to celebrate and fellowship together. In creating and commanding adherence to the feasts and festivals of the Old Testament, we see God Himself who provides these times for restoring rhythm and reset. The Sabbath was ordained with the same objective in mind. And when we share the bread and wine of communion, and remember Christ’s great sacrifice for us, we reorientate ourselves around that which ultimately matters. The same is true when we gather together for worship. As we sing our songs, express our prayers, open the Scriptures, and then engage with fellow believers, the beautiful work of resetting continues. And all of this enables me to offer a gentle challenge: did Covid cause us to get out of the habit of being together in church? While watching online is a great resource, I want to gently suggest there’s no substitute for the practice of being together. God has strategically commanded that we engage in a rhythm of fellowship, prayer, breaking bread and teaching. Let’s follow the pattern He has set for us. God designs resetting to be a regular experience. Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the privilege of being part of the family of God. Help me to give priority to being with my family, to gather around You. Amen.
FRI 06 OCT
JUST LIKE US
READ James 5:13-20 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
FOCUS Elijah was just like us. James 5:17
As we turn to look at the story of Elijah for a while, a little background will help. His name immediately evokes images of a swashbuckling superstar: Elijah, the brave confronter of cowardly kings and wicked queens. He was the fearless faith warrior who stood atop Mount Carmel, laughed out loud at an intimidating gang of demon-worshippers, and then demanded that flames leap out of nowhere. Elijah, the master of miracles, raised a dead child to life. It would seem that he was not like us at all. I worry that, if I was faced with a Cruella De Vil type like Jezebel, I’d feel led to tell her that she was the fairest of them all. As for flames coming forth at my command, I was the worst Boy Scout in history. But before we go on to consider the reset that Elijah experienced, let’s stop and be encouraged by one vital truth that Scripture is loud and clear about – that Elijah was exactly like us. He was just as capable of sin, doubt, compromise, exhaustion, hunger and fear, because he was a real, flesh and blood human – with obvious flaws too. I’m actually encouraged by the fragility of Elijah, because he could be brave and faith-filled one moment, and wondering where God had gone the next. That sounds quite like me. His story is not so much about the extraordinary man, but the life of an ordinary man in the hands of an extraordinary God. There’s hope for us all. Even a failed fire-starter like me. Prayer: Father, thank you for the real-life portraits in Your word. Help me to count myself in for Your purposes today. Amen.
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