Be Strong
Joshua 1:1-9 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them —to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates —all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
For the most part, I imagine many of us learned about Joshua the same way— “Joshua-fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down.” But as we grow both in age and in faith, plunging deeper into the Word, we learn more about the man called Joshua.
Joshua was one of the twelve spies who returned from the Promised Land with a positive report—the land was flowing with milk and honey. It is ours to take.
The Scripture reveals that to this day, the Israelites have never claimed all of the land God gave them. God assured them to be strong and take courage, keep the Word ever before them. God said, “The Lord your God will go with you wherever you go.”
What happened? It is known as “the 4 S’s—sin, slavery, supplication and salvation. The Israelites entered into the above cycle and it has repeated itself over and over again. The sin the Israelites committed the most often was idolatry. They simply could not, or would not, stay faithful to the one, true and living God.
So what does this mean for us today? It means that we, too, are charged with meditating on the Word, trusting in God during uncertain times, and remaining courageous regardless of the circumstances.
May we follow God faithfully, knowing that He alone can see from the beginning of time to the end of time, and He alone knows the end of our stories.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Why the Law?
Romans 3:21-25 MSG Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
25-26 God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear.
Romans 3:21-26 21 NIV But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood —to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
When I was in my early thirties, I attended a church where nothing but grace was preached. For me to say I learned more about grace at that church than I had ever known before is not an exaggeration. May I tell you that once you learn about grace there is no going back?
One of the sermons about grace made it completely clear that God hates sin, so for us to be reconciled to God we have to be free from sin. But, freeing ourselves from sin was not something we could do. So, God did it for us. Verse 25 says “God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear.”
So what good was the law? God gave us the Ten Commandments. Did they save us? No. The Jewish leaders created 613 laws-did you know there was a “Thou shall not” for every day of the week? Did that save us? No.but the laws did point us to our need for a Savior.
I was called to preach the Word. Can I save you? No, I cannot, nor can any other preacher. I can exegete the Word according to the direction of the Holy Spirit, and I can present the gospel, but salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.
May we today and everyday focus on God and God alone for it is only through Him that we receive the salvation that only Jesus can give.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do You Know Him
1 John 2:3-11 (NIV) 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I Ami not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Are you familiar with “if/then covenants”? They are conditional vows that God fulfills based upon obedience. There is no excuse to avoid obeying such a command—we either obey or we rebel.
What happens when we turn away from God’s decree? Quite simply, we miss God’s direction and blessing. In fact, John says we do not even know God. Is that a risk we are willing to take? The language in this passage is quite plainspoken. We either walk in the light or we don’t— we either tell the truth or we tell a lie. When was the last time we were presented with such a clear choice?
May we have ears to hear the truth of God’s word, and may we walk upright and never stumble. But if we do trip or lose our balance, may we reach out to the hand that will always lift us up.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Guard our hearts and minds with peace
Philippians 4:4-7 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Life on this earth is not easy. In fact, sometimes it can be downright hard. But we were never means to traverse this world alone. Jesus came to earth at just the right time and when He returned to His Father, He gave us the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion.
In Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is referred to as “the Prince of Peace”, and in Judges 6:24 we are introduced to the name Jehovah Shalom”, which means “The Lord is Peace.” The first name reflects Jesus’ role as peacemaker, while the latter shows that peace is part of God’s character.
In Matthew 5 we are told “blessed are the peacemakers,” while in Galatians 5 we see that peace is a gift from the Holy Spirit and in Ephesians 6 we find that peace is a part of the very armor of God. So when we pray that supernatural peace be poured out upon one in distress, these are not idle words.
The trials of life can wear us down, reducing one whose posture was firm and erect to one whose eyes are downcast and whose shoulders are stooped and bent. Yet Jesus offers the promise of peace that this world does not understand.
May we each seek peace, receive peace and offer peace, regardless of our circumstance, for it is only God’s supernatural peace that can deliver us from chaos and despair.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Give Thanks Always
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful,
I am thankful for many things, one being that I have lived long enough to understand when God tells us to do something, He is not playing. As I often say, when God says to be holy as He is holy, it is not just a suggestion. Likewise, when God says to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances, these are behaviors we should practice.
You see, holiness is a part of God’s character. But for humans, since it is not natural to us, we must seek after holiness. How do we seek holiness? By setting our minds on things above, by setting our hearts on loving what God loves, and by setting our actions to live as Jesus lived. And, by rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances.
I wrote a song about true praise around 30 years ago. I’d like to share part of it now.
True praise is like a fragrance, expensive and so rare
Stored in the heart of the believer, marked, “handle with care.”
But once the bottle’s opened and the aroma fills the air,
Then there’s praise, praise, praise everywhere.
Let my praise be like a fragrance carried high on angel’s wings
Let the aroma drift to heaven’s throne
Into the King of Kings,
Let my sacrifice be wholly acceptable my God to thee
Just let me praise your name thru eternity.
May we understand that God desires to set us apart for his purposes and for our calling. May we yield to His unchanging hand as He continues to mold us and shape us, and may we offer up true praise every day of our lives.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
