NOVEMBER 21.

SAFE AND SOUND.

[The Lord said,] "You shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety."

LEVITICUS 25:18.

ON A MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY, road signs aren't there for our amus.e.m.e.nt, to give a few people jobs, or to clutter up the beautiful landscape. They were put there for one reason: to keep us safe. If we obey them, we'll make it to our destination safe and sound, but if we disobey, we could be headed for trouble-big trouble.

G.o.d's laws weren't given to us to steal our fun and ruin our lives. G.o.d, the Creator of life and the wisest being in the universe, knows exactly what makes life work best. He gave us free will, but He also gave us clear directives to guide us. Sometimes we don't know what to do, but most of the time, His commands are unmistakably clear. When we obey them, G.o.d promises to bless us with safety.

In many cases, the pains we experience when we break G.o.d's laws are natural consequences. We overeat, and we get flabby. We stay up too late, and we feel tired the next day. We skip personal Bible study and prayer, and we become spiritually weak. We yell at our spouses, and we feel isolated. We drive when we're drunk, and we go to jail.

Sometimes, though, G.o.d intervenes and corrects our path without regard to natural effects. He is a gracious G.o.d who loves us too much to let us keep going in the wrong direction, and "whom the LORD loves He disciplines" (Hebrews 12:6, NASB) by bringing difficulties into our lives. When they occur, we wonder, What's that all about? If we pay attention, the Holy Spirit taps us on the shoulder and whispers, "I've given you plenty of warning, but you didn't listen. Maybe you will now. You need to stop sinning and start trusting." If we finally listen, we move toward obedience and safety again.

Do you usually view G.o.d's laws as beneficial or invasive? Explain your answer.

What kind of consequences does it take for you to notice and change your direction?

"Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Bible is the depth, richness, and hidden value that G.o.d will continue to reveal as we continue to prayerfully dig in."-ZIG ZIGLAR

NOVEMBER 22.

MASTER YOUR RESPONSE.

Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of G.o.d.

JAMES 1:19-20.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS any of us can learn (or need to learn) is to control our responses to difficult people and stressful situations. All of us remember (often with a wince of shame) times when we said too much, too intensely, and too often. In James's brief letter, he gave many insights and motivations about the power of words, but this lesson may be the most important of all for many of us.

When we face someone who is defiant or annoying, our natural response is to try to control. We may try to intimidate, we may run away, or we may appease the person to get the conflict over as quickly as possible. Those tactics work just fine-for a moment-but they don't create positive, healthy habits of communication.

In these situations, we often interrupt to say what we believe needs to be said. We fail to ask for the other person's point of view because, to be honest, we don't want to hear it! It takes only a few seconds for our anger to erupt like Mount Saint Helens, and then, all that's left is picking up the pieces after the relationship is shattered.

James offers a different way: Hush up, listen carefully, ask questions, don't jump to conclusions, and put a lid on your anger so you don't ruin the moment and, perhaps, the relationship. His solution is simple but challenging. We need to recognize the damage inflicted by our current responses to others, and then, with a fresh wave of motivation, take steps to change. Memorize a simple strategy: Don't jump to speak, ask questions and listen, watch your anger thermometer and keep the temperature down. You can do it. It just takes practice.

How would this strategy have changed your last difficult conversation?

Imagine using it in that conversation. Imagine using it in the next one.

"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."-G. K. CHESTERTON "When you change your world for the better, you have positioned yourself perfectly to change the world of those around you."-ZIG ZIGLAR

NOVEMBER 23.

TREASURE IN CLAY POTS.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of G.o.d and not of us.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7.

IN CORINTH and throughout that part of the Roman Empire, wealthy people often concealed their valuables in ordinary, unadorned clay pots. These pots were so common that, they hoped, thieves wouldn't think to look in them. Paul picks up on this practice and uses it as an a.n.a.logy of our faith. The treasure, of course, is Christ. Before verse 7, Paul describes in beautiful language that the message of the gospel is the light that shatters the darkness of people's hearts. The treasure, though, is carried by common, ordinary people-clay pots that often have cracks!

Paul uses this stark contrast for two purposes: first, to show the difference between the surpa.s.sing greatness of G.o.d and us so that we remain humble and, second, to remind us of the incredible honor of being the vessels that carry the greatest treasure ever known.

When G.o.d transforms our hearts, the miracle of change doesn't honor us-it magnifies His infinite grace. And when we tell people what Christ has done for us to forgive us and give us new life, our words don't focus on us-they focus on His power and kindness. We are happy for people to look past us to see Jesus in us. That's what matters. What a privilege! We have the inexpressible honor of carrying the message of Christ-by how we live and in the words we say-to everyone around us. Never has a cracked, flawed, common clay pot contained such a treasure!

How do you feel about being a clay pot carrying the greatest treasure ever known?

Describe the privilege of carrying Christ for others to see.

"Do the best you can with what you have, and G.o.d will take what you've done and pa.s.s it on."-ZIG ZIGLAR

NOVEMBER 24.

SHARING SUCCESS.

[David] died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.

1 CHRONICLES 29:28.

AS FLAWED PEOPLE who try to walk with G.o.d, the best legacy we can leave our children is twofold: resources for success and honesty about our failures. When he died, David left both of these to his son Solomon.

Imagine being Solomon on the day David was buried. He could look back on his father's stunning successes: killing Goliath, conquering the Philistines, leading the Mighty Men, and uniting the kingdom. But as he stood at the grave, Solomon also thought of his father's tragic failures: adultery with Bathsheba, conspiring to murder Uriah, and the pride of numbering the people that led to thousands of needless deaths. A mixed bag, for sure.

David, though, had been painfully honest about his sins. He confessed them to G.o.d and to the entire nation. He even memorialized them in psalms of confession and forgiveness so that his repentance would be an example for others-including his son-to follow for centuries to come.

As we prepare our children for the time when we leave the earth, we, too, need to leave a legacy of success and integrity. When we tell our kids about our successes, we need to be careful to give G.o.d credit for blessing us and giving us the abilities to succeed. And when we tell them about our failures, we need to share them in an age-appropriate way, explaining the consequences we experienced, our deep remorse for being so foolish, and the refreshment of G.o.d's forgiveness.

Which will mean the most to our children? Both are essential for them to have success and integrity in their own lives.

As you think about leaving a legacy to your children, what successes will you tell them about? What sins will you share?

Why is it important to communicate both to them? What might happen if you focus on only one or the other?

"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want out of life."-ZIG ZIGLAR

NOVEMBER 25.

SUCCESSION PLANNING.

The contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of G.o.d. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

ACTS 15:39-41.

EVEN AMONG COMMITTED CHRISTIANS, disagreements can cause divisions and necessitate a change in plans. Paul and Barnabas had been the Dynamic Duo of the early church. Together, they had formed an incredible team that took the gospel and established churches throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. On one of their trips, they took along a young man, John Mark, whose career was promising, but he deserted Paul at a critical point (see Acts 15:38). Barnabas wanted to give the young man a second chance, but Paul would have nothing of it.

The question here, like the question in so many disagreements among G.o.dly believers, wasn't between right and wrong. Was taking John Mark along again a risk? Yes, of course it was. Was Barnabas gracious to offer him a second chance? Certainly. The two men, though, couldn't agree, so they parted ways. Paul picked Silas and headed out. Barnabas and John Mark went in a different direction.

Leadership sometimes demands hard choices, especially about people. In many cases, these decisions aren't cut and dried. Different leaders have different perspectives. They can try to come to an agreement, but at the end of the day, someone has to make a decision so the work can move ahead. In this case, one team morphed into two, and their effectiveness doubled. That may not have been Paul's plan, and it probably wasn't Barnabas's first choice, but it was G.o.d's solution. He often has plans that we never considered. New plans may be found in the heat of disagreement, and ultimately, they produce more for the Kingdom.

Don't be afraid of disagreements. State your opinion and try to find common ground, but realize that G.o.d may have other plans for you and for others around you.

Would you have given John Mark a second chance? Why or why not?

What ground rules and expectations should be put in place when Christians disagree?

"If you want to move up the ladder of success, teach someone how to do your job better than you."-ZIG ZIGLAR

NOVEMBER 26.

THANKSGIVING.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is G.o.d; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

PSALM 100:1-5.

IN OUR ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC and technological age, people have made amazing discoveries in every field. Medicine, telecommunications, and computers are only a few areas in which we've seen astounding progress in a short span of years. Our advancement has been so startling that it's easy for us to think that we are the creators and sustainers of the universe. This perception, though, is out of focus and, in the end, dangerous.

Even our ability to think, dream, and invent comes from G.o.d. Our G.o.d-given capacity to earn a living puts food on the table and provides money to pay the mortgage for the roof over our heads. In fact, everything good comes from the hand of G.o.d.

When we focus our attention too much on human abilities, we praise ourselves and forget G.o.d. From time to time, we need a refresher course, and this psalm is a good tutor. All we have, all we can do, and every creative thought ultimately originates in G.o.d. Without Him, nothing exists at all. When we realize that all the blessings we enjoy-including our amazing abilities to create, invent, and discover-come from a loving G.o.d, we respond like the psalmist: shouting for joy, singing about G.o.d's blessings, thanking Him, praising Him, and committing ourselves to live only and always for Him.

What happens when we give people too much credit for the advances of the modern age?

Describe the right perspective, one that gives people the right amount of credit but ultimately goes back to G.o.d as the source of all good things.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that the gifts of G.o.d should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American People."-ABRAHAM LINCOLN