"...then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15
Life is tough.... Ok that is an under statement but we know that it is.
Time hasn't changed in that way through the years. It's always been tough and Joshua surely understood the really difficult days! And that is an understatement!
Joshua was getting old and he had something to say to the next generation. His advice is something we all need to hear as well.
Joshua brought the people together and said, "...choose this day whom you will serve..." Joshua had made his choice. He was a hero of the faith. There was no wavering in Joshua's devotion. His faith was pure from beginning to the end. He had fought the good fight! He had won the race and he was ready to receive the victor's prize. What was the key to Joshua's life? Simply stated: "He had a single minded devotion to God. He followed the words offered to him back in the first chapter of the book that bares his name.
As I think about life and about all of those that I have both observed and counseled and as I consider my own life, it seems that the times of compromise are the most difficult days. Yes, indeed walking on the fence isn't a lot of fun.
When you're walking on the fence it's easy for the enemy to push you off. When you are on the fence looking at the pleasures of the world allowing them to entice you, life can be really hard and uncomfortable.
No matter how you look at it. If you're looking around it's hard to go straight in life! Sometimes my wife has to remind me of that when I'm driving my car. Sometimes I'm distracted by things and I look around and when I do the car inevitable starts to weave.....
I think until we settle it in heart that Jesus is our Lord... period... end of story, we will always have the temptation to look around and perhaps to even dabble in the world around us. Sometimes even when we are distracted and looking at good and pleasant things we can get off tract and weave side to side.
To Ponder: When it comes to your faith in Jesus are you sometimes walking on the fence? Are you tempted by the things of the world? Are you in love with God so much that he captivates both your attention and your devotion?
Join with me in prayer: "Dear God we love you. We want to follow you but we also know we get distracted from time to time. Today we pray as David did in Psalm 139:23 and 24. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See I there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." Lord thank you for Joining us as we walk through life. Help us to have a single minded focus upon you! And today we say from the depths of our heart, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Friday, July 12, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
As for me and my house.... Joshua 24:15
Hi blog friends. Did you miss me last week? Ok most of you probably didn't notice but I was on vacation with my family for part of the week! We went camping for a couple days. It was great fun. I find that it is less fun to sleep on an air mattress as I'm getting older..... but everything about Camping is awesome. Especially since your family is right their with you all the time!
Vacations are great times with the family so I put my blog aside for a week. But now I'm back.
Actually last weeks vacation relates to my blog for the day. Joshua in his old age had accomplished what God had asked of him as a leader. So as a beloved leader he gathered the people around him and charged them to decide whom they would serve now and in the future!
We will look at this passage this week but today I want to point out that Joshua spoke for his entire house saying,"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!" Many times we find the idea in Scripture that a parent would come to faith and the entire family would come to faith as well. We see this a couple of times in the book of Acts. Acts 18 speaks of Crispus and his family which came to faith in response to Paul teachings of the gospel message of Christ. In Acts 18:8 it says, "Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized."
In many villages and tribes around the world we can be thankful that whole households continue to come to proclaim their faith in Christ in response to the gospel message.
But today it is not a given by any stretch of the imagination that every child in a family will automatically follow in the foot steps of their parents when it comes to faith in Christ. But Joshua's remark about his family following the Lord is an important statement for us to consider. No we can't just stand and say that because I believe my children will follow my lead!
However, as parents one of our utmost responsibilities is to do everything that we can to direct our children toward the Lord. It is their choice to believe but we must do whatever we can to live such a life before our children that coming to faith in Christ might be a natural response.
One of the best ways we can do this is to love our children by spending time with them. Just think about it... Why should they follow or believe that God loves them if we, as God's hands and feet, don't demonstrate love?
So last week was my week to spend time and to love my kids! Vacations can be great times to display the love of Christ! I hope you have special times this summer!
As a parent I am so blessed that all my kids have a love for God and are interested in following Christ as their Lord and Savior!
To Ponder: Remember what we do speaks much louder than what we say. So how have you proclaimed the message of Jesus to your family through your actions today?
Vacations are great times with the family so I put my blog aside for a week. But now I'm back.
Actually last weeks vacation relates to my blog for the day. Joshua in his old age had accomplished what God had asked of him as a leader. So as a beloved leader he gathered the people around him and charged them to decide whom they would serve now and in the future!
We will look at this passage this week but today I want to point out that Joshua spoke for his entire house saying,"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!" Many times we find the idea in Scripture that a parent would come to faith and the entire family would come to faith as well. We see this a couple of times in the book of Acts. Acts 18 speaks of Crispus and his family which came to faith in response to Paul teachings of the gospel message of Christ. In Acts 18:8 it says, "Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized."
In many villages and tribes around the world we can be thankful that whole households continue to come to proclaim their faith in Christ in response to the gospel message.
But today it is not a given by any stretch of the imagination that every child in a family will automatically follow in the foot steps of their parents when it comes to faith in Christ. But Joshua's remark about his family following the Lord is an important statement for us to consider. No we can't just stand and say that because I believe my children will follow my lead!
However, as parents one of our utmost responsibilities is to do everything that we can to direct our children toward the Lord. It is their choice to believe but we must do whatever we can to live such a life before our children that coming to faith in Christ might be a natural response.
One of the best ways we can do this is to love our children by spending time with them. Just think about it... Why should they follow or believe that God loves them if we, as God's hands and feet, don't demonstrate love?
So last week was my week to spend time and to love my kids! Vacations can be great times to display the love of Christ! I hope you have special times this summer!
As a parent I am so blessed that all my kids have a love for God and are interested in following Christ as their Lord and Savior!
To Ponder: Remember what we do speaks much louder than what we say. So how have you proclaimed the message of Jesus to your family through your actions today?
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Don't crowd the plate! -Joshua 1:7-8
"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. 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." Joshua 1:7-8
This is a wonderful time of the year to be a big baseball fan! I'm a big Cleveland Indians fan myself! I'm especially happy after they beat the White Sox! They won both games yesterday!
I used to play little league baseball. It was a lot of fun even if I wasn't the best player in the world.
Today I was thinking about the importance of following the rules when it comes to baseball and when it comes to life.
In the verses listed above God is commanding Joshua to hold on to the laws and to follow them without turning from them. God seems pretty serious about it. Actually God makes a correlation for Joshua about the importance of living by the law, following the rules and being successful in life. Personally, I believe that's one of the most important reasons we have the laws. They're not there to simply punish us and point out when we're wrong. Rather they help us to prosper and help us to be a blessing to others.
Yes, indeed the Laws are meant to keep us out of trouble but when we don't follow the laws we often get burned. I think that sports is a good example of this.
Take hitting for example. If you break the rules by standing on the plate while hitting or even if you crowd the plate too tightly you're likely to get hit! Now if you're only a little league player getting hit is not a matter of life or death. I can tell you that from first hand experience because there was one season, before I received my glasses, that it seemed the only time I got on base was when I was hit by the pitch!
Perhaps I had a bruise or two but the pitches in little league probably hover around the 50 to 60 miles an hour depending on your age but in the pros you could get hit by a 90 + mile hour fast ball! Ouch!
The point is.... if you stay on the right side of the plate (or the left side for the lefties, ha!) You're much less likely to get hit but if you aren't following the rules.. watch out!
Life is like that as well. When we don't live according to God's law the possibility that we will suffer consequences is greatly increased.
And just like there's a big difference between the little league and the big league pitch, consequences for our sins seemed to increase with our age and the situation. Considering the crucial challenges ahead of Joshua and the Children of Israel they better prepare for the 100+ fast balls.
I find it amazing sometimes how people blame God about the pain and even the sickness they suffer from. I can sympathize with them just as God does but I can just hear God yelling from heaven to some of them saying, "Stop crowding the plate and you won't get hurt!" Frankly I shake my head because a lot of people stand ON THE PLATE, if you know what I mean, and they expect to still be standing by the end of the day!
Indeed all of us probably crowd the plate more than we should. Just like we tend to push the speed limit we tend to test the limits of God's laws as well.
Don't be fooled by Satan's lies. Sin and living on the edge might seem fun for a season but when we follow the laws not only will we avoid some broken bones we have a much better chance of hitting the ball out of the park!
To Ponder: Why don't we thank God today for his laws and guidelines for life! Let's be thankful for the blessings we've received when we and others have followed the laws. And if you're crowding the plate a little bit. MOVE BACK! into God's perfect will.
Be sure to find a church to worship God tomorrow morning. Let's remember to observe the Sabbath and keep it Holy! Besides it's a great joy to worship God and make the Lord first in our lives!
This is a wonderful time of the year to be a big baseball fan! I'm a big Cleveland Indians fan myself! I'm especially happy after they beat the White Sox! They won both games yesterday!
I used to play little league baseball. It was a lot of fun even if I wasn't the best player in the world.
Today I was thinking about the importance of following the rules when it comes to baseball and when it comes to life.
In the verses listed above God is commanding Joshua to hold on to the laws and to follow them without turning from them. God seems pretty serious about it. Actually God makes a correlation for Joshua about the importance of living by the law, following the rules and being successful in life. Personally, I believe that's one of the most important reasons we have the laws. They're not there to simply punish us and point out when we're wrong. Rather they help us to prosper and help us to be a blessing to others.
Yes, indeed the Laws are meant to keep us out of trouble but when we don't follow the laws we often get burned. I think that sports is a good example of this.
Take hitting for example. If you break the rules by standing on the plate while hitting or even if you crowd the plate too tightly you're likely to get hit! Now if you're only a little league player getting hit is not a matter of life or death. I can tell you that from first hand experience because there was one season, before I received my glasses, that it seemed the only time I got on base was when I was hit by the pitch!
Perhaps I had a bruise or two but the pitches in little league probably hover around the 50 to 60 miles an hour depending on your age but in the pros you could get hit by a 90 + mile hour fast ball! Ouch!
The point is.... if you stay on the right side of the plate (or the left side for the lefties, ha!) You're much less likely to get hit but if you aren't following the rules.. watch out!
Life is like that as well. When we don't live according to God's law the possibility that we will suffer consequences is greatly increased.
And just like there's a big difference between the little league and the big league pitch, consequences for our sins seemed to increase with our age and the situation. Considering the crucial challenges ahead of Joshua and the Children of Israel they better prepare for the 100+ fast balls.
I find it amazing sometimes how people blame God about the pain and even the sickness they suffer from. I can sympathize with them just as God does but I can just hear God yelling from heaven to some of them saying, "Stop crowding the plate and you won't get hurt!" Frankly I shake my head because a lot of people stand ON THE PLATE, if you know what I mean, and they expect to still be standing by the end of the day!
Indeed all of us probably crowd the plate more than we should. Just like we tend to push the speed limit we tend to test the limits of God's laws as well.
Don't be fooled by Satan's lies. Sin and living on the edge might seem fun for a season but when we follow the laws not only will we avoid some broken bones we have a much better chance of hitting the ball out of the park!
To Ponder: Why don't we thank God today for his laws and guidelines for life! Let's be thankful for the blessings we've received when we and others have followed the laws. And if you're crowding the plate a little bit. MOVE BACK! into God's perfect will.
Be sure to find a church to worship God tomorrow morning. Let's remember to observe the Sabbath and keep it Holy! Besides it's a great joy to worship God and make the Lord first in our lives!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Courage in the face of our struggles - Joshua 1:9
Our faith and our courage are proven and tested best under fire.
It's one thing to say that we believe. It’s one thing to know the
Bible, the laws and the right thing to do and yet a very different thing to
live by them. But live by our convictions we must!
Some people wonder if God tests our faith by causing challenges
and pain in our life. I tell them God doesn't have too.... life is filled with
enough challenges all its own. Now it is true that sometimes I think God allows
us to face certain trials and pains for one reason or another. Thankfully
out of God's grace we don't experience all the pain this life has to offer.
Thankfully by God's grace we do drive to work and back safely and the drunk
driver doesn't always hit another car.
No, I don't think that God tests us but if we are to live in this
world of troubles and sin we will face our share of pain. Unfortunately, most
of us will never become self-made millionaires who can hibernate on a deserted
tropical island far away from the idiots of this world.
In Joshua's case, as with most of the great heroes of the Bible,
trials, worries, fears, and, yes, great pain would come to him precisely
because he was confronting the evil world as a Godly leader. It is true that
sometimes Joshua's greatest defeats came as the result of his failure and the
failure of the people to obey God's word. However, his worries and struggles
were no less challenging when he was doing everything right. That is just how
life is most of the time but because we are human we don't like the world to
work that way. We want to be blessed when we've been living right and when we
mess up we understand why we get ourselves into trouble. With this thinking in
mind, when we can't see a reason for our pain, we tend to blame God and shake
our fist. God understands this of course and the Bible is filled with people
who cried out a variation of our favorite complaint,"Why me, Lord!"
I've said that a couple times over the past couple of years myself.
Yes, over and over God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.
Why? Simply because life is hard especially for those with the courage to
face the evil of this world head on. But know this, "If you are standing
for what is right, God is standing behind you and with you. If you let God, he will
also carry you."
I offer these words to all of my friends who are suffering.
Especially for those who struggle with Trigeminal Neuralgia like I have
suffered over the last two and a half years. God is with you in the pain. Pain
is not our enemy. Of course, it is not our friend either! Pain is not the enemy
but giving up and hiding out is. But God surely understands and is with us
during those times as well for God draws near to those who are in pain.
Personally, since I've received healing following a surgery in
February, I have come to the point that I am thankful for those two years. I've
learned much about myself. I didn't give up. I wish I could say I didn't
complain and do my share of hiding out. My wife would correct me if I said
that! No, I am not the ideal patient but through the pain I have learned much.
I know that I'm a much better counselor and I have much more confidence in most
areas of my life. I've learned that God is able to hold us even through the
most difficult struggles. If you can make it through Trigeminal Neuralgia, you
can make it through just about anything.
So to all my friends from the Trigeminal Neuralgia group I offer
these words: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not
be discouraged, for the LORD, your God, will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 That truth was given to Joshua but it seems to me we can embrace
that truth as well because it comes from the heart of an unchanging God who
loves us.
To Ponder: If you lack courage, hand your cares to the Lord for
God cares for you.
These are the words of Jesus to you today: "Come to me, all
of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my
teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you
will find rest for your lives. The teaching that I ask you to accept is easy;
the load I give you to carry is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
God bless you and give you strength and courage.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Be Strong and Courageous - Johua 1:9
Ok I have to tell you that this is probably one of my all time favorite Scriptures to preach about. I know I may say that a couple times over the next two years but I really mean it when it comes to this passage.
Joshua is also probably my favorite person in the Bible to preach about so I will try to resist the urge to blog every day. (hopefully I won't have as long a blog post as today's either!)
So Why do I like Joshua? Simply put he was a man of great courage. He was a great leader. He was faithful to God. But also because he didn't run away from his fears.
Fear and courage are by no means opposites. The most courageous people are those who move forward and do the right thing despite their fears.
So why do I think that Joshua was afraid? For me it starts with the fact of how many times God and Moses tell Joshua to be strong and courageous. Moses had successfully led the children of Israel to the foot of the promise land. Joshua had been Moses right hand man and he would succeed Moses to lead this mighty nation of wanderers. Moses would help the people out of the place and the mentality of slavery. Joshua would take this free wandering nation and make it into an army and into a nation where they could put down their roots. Much is said about Moses exploits to free Israel from grip of the Pharaoh and to lead God's people through the wilderness but Joshua was equally as great a leader.
Joshua and the people of Israel now had to learn to fight. They had to farm the land. No one had done that in 40 years. They had to learn to be self sufficient. At the same time they needed to continue to be totally dependent upon the Lord. They had to be strong and courageous in the face of some of the greatest obstacles imaginable. Joshua knew it. Moses Knew it and God knew it so several times it is written in Scripture instructing Joshua to be strong and courageous. In Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses tells Joshua "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." In Deuteronomy 31:24 it says, "The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you." Just read our passage for this week. How many times does God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous and not be terrified or afraid. Why would God repeat this so many times and why would the author of Joshua write it so many times? Simply because Joshua was probably afraid and so he should have been.
My guess is that you have some pretty big challenges in your life. My guess is many of you have reason to be afraid. Being afraid is not a sign that you lack faith it says your human. God knows your human. However, notice that everytime God instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous he didn't just stop there. He didn't just say, "Come on Joshua take it like a man!" No God promised to be present each step of the way. Joshua could be strong and courageous because he knew that God went before him and no matter the struggles and the pain, God would never leave him or forsake him. And that my friends is the promise that each of us has today. Trust God! Life may be painful and I know it is for many of my friends but God is with you and God is faithful.
To Ponder: God is with me. God is faithful to his covenant with me. I can stand tall. I can have faith. I can move forward. I can be strong and courageous! Remember there is no pain and no mistake that God cannot fix if we are walking with God. But just like Joshua had to move into the place of promise, so too we have to be strong and courageous to keep walking and keep doing those things God has called us to do.
Joshua is also probably my favorite person in the Bible to preach about so I will try to resist the urge to blog every day. (hopefully I won't have as long a blog post as today's either!)
So Why do I like Joshua? Simply put he was a man of great courage. He was a great leader. He was faithful to God. But also because he didn't run away from his fears.
Fear and courage are by no means opposites. The most courageous people are those who move forward and do the right thing despite their fears.
So why do I think that Joshua was afraid? For me it starts with the fact of how many times God and Moses tell Joshua to be strong and courageous. Moses had successfully led the children of Israel to the foot of the promise land. Joshua had been Moses right hand man and he would succeed Moses to lead this mighty nation of wanderers. Moses would help the people out of the place and the mentality of slavery. Joshua would take this free wandering nation and make it into an army and into a nation where they could put down their roots. Much is said about Moses exploits to free Israel from grip of the Pharaoh and to lead God's people through the wilderness but Joshua was equally as great a leader.
Joshua and the people of Israel now had to learn to fight. They had to farm the land. No one had done that in 40 years. They had to learn to be self sufficient. At the same time they needed to continue to be totally dependent upon the Lord. They had to be strong and courageous in the face of some of the greatest obstacles imaginable. Joshua knew it. Moses Knew it and God knew it so several times it is written in Scripture instructing Joshua to be strong and courageous. In Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses tells Joshua "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." In Deuteronomy 31:24 it says, "The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you." Just read our passage for this week. How many times does God tell Joshua to be strong and courageous and not be terrified or afraid. Why would God repeat this so many times and why would the author of Joshua write it so many times? Simply because Joshua was probably afraid and so he should have been.
My guess is that you have some pretty big challenges in your life. My guess is many of you have reason to be afraid. Being afraid is not a sign that you lack faith it says your human. God knows your human. However, notice that everytime God instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous he didn't just stop there. He didn't just say, "Come on Joshua take it like a man!" No God promised to be present each step of the way. Joshua could be strong and courageous because he knew that God went before him and no matter the struggles and the pain, God would never leave him or forsake him. And that my friends is the promise that each of us has today. Trust God! Life may be painful and I know it is for many of my friends but God is with you and God is faithful.
To Ponder: God is with me. God is faithful to his covenant with me. I can stand tall. I can have faith. I can move forward. I can be strong and courageous! Remember there is no pain and no mistake that God cannot fix if we are walking with God. But just like Joshua had to move into the place of promise, so too we have to be strong and courageous to keep walking and keep doing those things God has called us to do.
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