Jeff clears away expired religion to reveal the living Jesus ADRIAN PLASS
WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY
JANUARY – MARCH 2026
Wise Words
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Pure Church is the story of John Noble, the backslidden son of a Salvation Army officer, and Christine Barnard, a student from the star class of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, coming together to become prime movers in the House Church and Renewal movements in the UK and beyond. It is a fascinating insight into the lives of this young couple caught up in the midst an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which breathed new life into an ailing church. Also available at www.bozpublications.com 00 RC1231_LWL_Issue-17.indd 2
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A WORD FROM JEFF
WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS!
VIDEO INTRODUCTION lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros
Solomon was one of Israel’s most famous kings. He’s mostly associated with wealth, wisdom and wives! His is a story of success, potential, and calling – ultimately overshadowed by later decline and even apostasy. But his life has much to teach us as we seek to follow Jesus, thousands of years later. We will focus largely on 1 Kings, written to explain God’s judgement that came in the exile – it’s history with purpose. After seeing Solomon’s journey, we will turn to the book of Ecclesiastes – a strange journal. Some question whether Solomon wrote it, but for reasons I’ll explain later, I believe he penned it towards the end of his life. We need to be careful in approaching Ecclesiastes. It is all Scripture, faithfully recorded, but it isn’t all the truth. Repeatedly, Solomon says ‘I said to myself’ – these musings are not divinely endorsed. We must remember that while Solomon is sometimes right, that doesn’t mean he always is. And nor are we. As I’ve spent time studying this enigmatic man and then, figuratively speaking, watched as he scribbled the thoughts that became Ecclesiastes, I’ve been challenged to finish well in my own walk with Jesus. And in Solomon’s sober and sometimes extremely dark reflections, I have found some profound and helpful perspectives. We’re called to walk with the Lord, regardless of how life pans out. Living God’s way is always the right way, whatever the circumstantial or emotional weather. Let’s get started... and thanks for joining me!
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© Novio Published 2025 by Novio – Life With Lucas, PO Box 239, Unit 3 Burnt Oak Farm, Heathfield, TN21 1EH, 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 Novio. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version® (US 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 David Graham – david-graham-design.squarespace.com
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PO Box 239, Heathfield, TN21 1EH | Tel 01892 752920
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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. 00 5 RC1231_LWL_Issue-17.indd 5
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THUR 01 JAN
WE ARE ALL A MIXTURE
READ Matthew 12:38-42 1 Kings 11:1-6 FOCUS ‘She came from very far away to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. And now one who is more important than Solomon is here.’ Matthew 12:42
GOING DEEPER
lifewithlucas. co.uk/ goingdeeper
In a conversation with two other Christian leaders, we were sharing our sadness over another leadership failure. An internationally influential pastor was making headlines because of his disastrous choices. ‘I don’t understand it’, one of us commented. ‘I always thought that he was such a good man.’ And that’s how we tend to categorise character: people are either bad or good, saintly or wicked, strong or weak. But the reality is we are all a mixture, capable of living beautifully or sinning grievously. Perhaps only the heat of temptation reveals the real truth. As we’ll see, Solomon was also a complex mixture. He was both a brilliant and a terrible leader, leading Israel to become the most powerful kingdom in the Iron Age – but then his decisions led to her decline after his death. He built a Temple to the Lord, but it became infested with pagan worship and was ultimately destroyed. In his early years, he was devoted to the Lord, but later he turned to idols. The wise man lived very foolishly. Jesus would later celebrate Solomon’s superlative wisdom, and even describe his appearance as glorious, and yet Scripture also records Solomon’s rebellion against God (1 Kings 11:6). As we begin our new year and this journey of considering a life full of strengths and weaknesses, let’s affirm our own humanity and our need for the help of the Holy Spirit, that we may truly reflect God’s glory, now, today, and all the way home. Prayer: Lord, aware as I am of my potential to live badly or beautifully, help me today, and in the year ahead. Be glorified in me. Amen.
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FRI 02 JAN
PURPOSE PROMISED
READ 2 Samuel 7:1-17 Psalm 139:1-16
‘I will make one of your own sons the next king after you... He is the one who will build a house where I will put my Name.’ 2 Samuel 7:12-13
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American pastor Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life is the best-selling hardback book in US history, with over 35 million copies sold: his theme certainly scratched an itch that so many were feeling. Yet there are some popular voices that rush to inform us there is little or no point or purpose in life. Richard Dawkins, passionate about stamping out the idea of God, offers a bleak message: ‘The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.’ ’1 Another writer offers an even more barren message: ‘We came from nothing for nothing and by nothing.’ The Bible takes a totally different view. King David was promised that one of his offspring would be called to be the builder of the first Temple (that news is echoed in 1 Chron 17:1-15). And unlike his father, who had ‘shed blood’ (1 Chron. 28:3), Solomon would be a bringer of peace. When we turn to other biblical characters, such as Jeremiah, we hear God saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’ (Jer. 1:5, NIV). Most of us are not called to acts that will be remembered and celebrated throughout history, but God still has purposes for each and every one of our lives. That purpose may be found in major vocational and career decisions, but also in the daily decisions we make to serve, bless, give, reach out, and use the gifts and talents we have been given. Prayer: As I seek You first, Father, may I live according to Your unique purposes for my life today, and so impact my world. Amen.
Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life, (New York: Basic Books, 1996)
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WEEKEND 03/04 JAN
DOWNHILL
READ 2 Samuel 11:1-27 Psalm 51:1-19
Kay and I live on the side of a steep hill, and many cyclists come screaming down its hairpin bends. Some have lost control, resulting in some bruising crashes. As we start our journey, overviewing the life of Solomon, we turn first to another destructive downhill episode – the circumstances of his birth. The story of King David and Bathsheba is well known, and the details are lurid. Resting at home while his men were risking their lives on the battlefield, David’s eyes wander, and adultery with Bathsheba is the result. She was a victim, a pawn in the hand of the all-powerful king. But when her pregnancy was discovered, David descended further into manipulative scheming, first trying in vain to encourage her husband Uriah to sleep with her, so the pregnancy would come as no surprise. When that plot failed, David moved onto a plan B, insisting that Uriah be located in a place of maximum danger in battle. That evil plan was a tragic success, and Uriah perished, leaving David free to take his wife. When we consistently rebel against God and His ways, we don’t stand on level ground. David plummets into deception, desperation and finally conspiracyto murder. It took an earth-shattering prophetic rebuke from Nathan to bring David to his senses, and finally he admits he was wrong and offers the heartfelt prayer of repentance we find in Psalm 51. As this year unfolds, let’s not begin it on a slippery slope. To ponder: Is there a ‘downhill direction’ in your life?
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MON 05 JAN
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
READ 2 Samuel 12:24-25 Ephesians 2:1-14
So the LORD sent a message through the prophet Nathan. It said, ‘Name the boy Jedidiah.’ 2 Samuel 12:25
In my teenage years, I was given an unkind nickname by a lad who was my nemesis for a while. He delighted in mocking my rather bent nose. I had acquired it when I crashed my bike, flew over the handlebars and the pavement connected with my nose. The nickname was a constant reminder of my rather ugly feature. Jesus gave people (like Peter, James and John) nicknames, but having a second name was almost unheard of in Old Testament times. Yet Nathan the prophet, commanded by the Lord, did that when Solomon was born. The name given by his parents, Solomon, means ‘Yahweh’s restoration and peace.’ And then the new name, Jedidiah, means ‘beloved of Yahweh’. Jedidiah also comes from the same root word in Hebrew as David, Solomon’s father, hinting that Solomon was destined to become the new David, another great king to lead Israel. Perhaps these two names were given to remind Solomon of God’s love for him, but also as a living sign to his father David: judgement for his sin with Bathsheba was over now, peace with God was restored, and God loved the young Solomon. Even five hundred years later, reflecting on the flawed reign of Solomon, Nehemiah affirmed he was loved by God (Neh. 13:26). Today, in Jesus, we have peace with God, and are deeply loved by Him. May those truths settle deep in our hearts, otherwise faith will be a journey of constant striving. We serve Him today because we are loved, and not to earn His love. Prayer: I am utterly loved by You, Jesus. May that truth settle in my mind and my heart, so I live secure in Your grace. Amen. 00 9
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