Who Lives That Way? (Personal)

"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it...  (Genesis 3:4-6 NLT)

Sometimes our temptation to leave God is not global, national, or general.  Sometimes the reason is just personal.  The reasons are personal.  The struggles are personal.  The thoughts are personal.  So, we turn away from God and think that "no one understands."  But it's simply not true.  God understands.  Not only does He understand, He is ready to provide you all the help you need to fight off those personal "reasons" to leave.  He wants you to stay with Him.  He wants to help.

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility-- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. (Daniel 1:3-4 NIV)

Daniel and his friends were not just a part of a global situation.  Their role in this was personal.  They had been defeated.  They had been captured.  They were being selected, groomed, and taught to go against everything they believed.  They were being trained to walk away from God.  But they wouldn't do it.  Perhaps they remembered their forefather, Joshua, as they were facing overwhelming personal pressure.

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)

Whatever the reason, they did not succumb to personal pressure.  Pressure from the King of Babylon wouldn't do it.  Pressure from his workers wouldn't do it.  Pressure from peers or "that woman" or friends wouldn't do it.  Daniel made his choice.  He was going to walk together with God no matter what.  How about you?  Have you made your choice?

Big Enough for Both of Us

"So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the LORD at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no claim to the LORD.' "If they say this, our descendants can reply, 'Look at this copy of the LORD's altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the LORD.' (Joshua 22:26-28 NLT)

Have you ever watched an "old western" style of movie or show.  The good guys usually wore the white hats and the bad guys wore the black.  That's how you could tell them apart.  Somewhere in the show, you would hear the line, "This town aint big enough for the both of us."  Then there would be some kind of a showdown, usually at sunset.

The passage above is an interesting part of the story about the Israelites and the promised land.  They've finished taking the promised land, so the tribes who will live on the South-East of the Jordan River are going home.  Before crossing the river, though they build an altar.

The rest of the tribes of Israel hear this and are quite angry.  There's only one place prescribed by the LORD where we can worship Him - the tabernacle (tent) which will become later a temple (building).  Building another altar for sacrifices and worship is going directly against His instructions.  They must be stopped!

So, the tribes North of the Jordan come down with their armies, ready to destroy those who are mocking God with their actions only to find out it was a misunderstanding.  The altar, you see, was not created for sacrifices.  It was created as a reminder to both sides: the LORD IS big enough for the both of us.  Everyone in Israel is not only welcome, but called to worship the LORD.  Never forget.

It's a good thing for us to remember even today.  No matter who we meet or talk with today, God's Church is big enough for both of us.  You may not be comfortable with the idea that someone you don't like is actually welcomed, and even called, by God into His Church.  You are on His welcoming team.  Never forget.

Promises, Promises

So the LORD gave to Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true. (Joshua 21:43-45 NLT)

Have you ever dealt with someone making a promise and then they didn't keep it?  How about with God?  Do you ever feel like God makes promises and then doesn't keep them?  I've struggled with this at times.

Now that I'm a little older, though, I'm starting to see things with a little more perspective.  When I was a baby, keeping a promise meant someone responding to me immediately when I cried.  When I was four years old, "forever" meant waiting an hour or two.  As a teenager, I hated waiting for a day or a week for something I wanted.  And in my twenties, I found it unbearable to think about waiting yet another year to get married to the woman of my dreams.

Now that I'm in my forties, I have an easier time seeing life changes over time, "seasons" of life, and how some things simply take time.

Scripture teaches us the same thing.  The Israelites have finally moved into the land God promised them long ago.  God made good on His promises to them.  But look how long it took: a lifetime - Joshua's lifetime.  

Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land West of the Jordan.  He led the armies, fought the battles, and settled in peace when it was all over.  Joshua also lived through the 40 years in the wilderness, ate manna off the desert floor, quail given by God, and drank water from a rock.  Joshua also lived in slavery in Egypt.  He watched as God brought ten plagues through Moses, parted the Red Sea, and walked through it on dry land.  

Joshua experienced it all.  And he wasn't the only one.  This generation of adults were comprised of the children and teenagers who left slavery in Egypt not all that long ago.  And now, they see the fulfillment of God's promises.

Do you trust that God is good for His promises?  Do you look at it like a baby, a four year old, a teenager, a young adult, or an older adult?  Do you look forward to God's answer with eager anticipation?  I do. God is always good for His promises.

Where's God?

They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, however, so the people of Gezer live as slaves among the people of Ephraim to this day. (Joshua 16:10 NLT)

I've found myself asking people this question a lot more and more lately.  They're struggling with an issue or problem in their lives and they are trying to decide what to do about it.  It seemed like a natural question to ask, since the mission of our church (and my personal mission) is to empower one more to walk together with God.  You can't walk with God if you don't know where He's walking.  So, I ask the question.

"Where's God in all this?"

"I don't know" is the most common answer I receive.  They tell me about their times in prayer but no clear answer comes back.  They struggle over the "silence" they seem to be receiving.  Is God giving them the brush-off?  On the contrary.  He just hasn't changed course.

When we're working with our children, sometimes the only thing we have to go off of is our latest command to "train them up in the discipline and instruction of the LORD" and "do not exasperate" them in the process.  When it comes to our parents, we know we are to "honor our Mother and Father in the LORD."  I'm reminded to "rejoice in" and "remain loyal to" the wife of my youth.  The mission is the same.  The rest is just details.

The Israelites started to lose sight of God's last set of orders for them.  They were supposed to wipe out all the people in the promised land because they were wicked and would cause the Israelite nation to start following other gods.  This would mean great trouble for them down the road.  At first they did well.  Then they "did not" drive the people out.  Finally, they believed a lie.  They "could not" drive them out.

But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns. They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there. (Joshua 17:12 NLT)

This is the beginning of the end for Israel.  It starts small.  It will take awhile before they see the negative results.  But they will come.  They stopped following God's last set of commands.  His prophecy about the results will happen...and it won't be pretty.

Do you know where God is?

Wholeheartedly Following the LORD

A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, "Remember what the LORD said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the LORD, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.' (Joshua 14:6-9 NLT)

Caleb has been one of my heroes for as long as I've known his story.  Twelve spies were sent into toe promised land to scout things out.  Ten of the twelve came back and gave bad reports, frightening everyone.  Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, disagreed.  We hear quite a bit about Joshua.  His role was to lead Israel after Moses passed away.  He even led the armies when Moses was alive.  Caleb, however, was simply there...in the background.  He, too, was a mighty warrior - even though he was over eighty now.

"Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as He promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. (Joshua 14:10-11 NLT)

That's the way I want to be at eighty five - still fighting as a part of the LORD's army.  He wasn't asking to retire.  He was asking for more assignments.  He just kept going. 

So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said." So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. (Joshua 14:12-13 NLT)

He wasn't asking for a retirement village.  He was asking for the inheritance for his family.  The land he asked for wasn't conquered yet.  He would need to conquer it, leading his troops into battle.  This was a man of God.  He followed all the way into his golden years.  God honored him for it.

Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. (Joshua 14:14 NLT)

Consult the LORD

But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us." The Israelites replied to these Hivites, "How do we know you don't live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you." They replied, "We are your servants." "But who are you?" Joshua demanded. "Where do you come from?" They answered, "Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the LORD your God and of all He did in Egypt. We have also heard what He did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth). So our elders and all our people instructed us, 'Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them, "We are your servants; please make a treaty with us."' "This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey." (Joshua 9:3-13 NLT)

The Israelites are moving into the promised land.  God commanded them to wipe out all the people in this land because of their wickedness.  They were going to receive justice at the hand of God and His army.  This frightened the people of Gibeon.  They knew they were next.  Their armies weren't big enough to fight God's army.  They only had one play left: deception.

Have you ever tried to deceive God?  It doesn't sound like a very optimistic plan.  Think about it.  God really does know everything.  It's not like it would be easy, or even possible, to pull the wool over His eyes.  But, that was their best shot.  They took it.  How did God's army respond?

So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. (Joshua 9:14-15 NLT)

Walking with God really is easier than we realize.  All we need to do is understand what God wants, then do it.  God cannot be overpowered.  God cannot be deceived.  God's plan is perfect.  It keeps in mind all the options, alternatives, and situations that will arise.  That means we have but one job to do before we take any steps.  Consult the LORD.  Had Joshua done this, he wouldn't have been deceived.  But he was.  He made an oath he shouldn't have.  Now, he has regret and a constant reminder of His failure as a leader.

So Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them. But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodcutters and water carriers for the community of Israel and for the altar of the LORD—wherever the LORD would choose to build it. And that is what they do to this day. (Joshua 9:26-27 NLT)

Are you being deceived by an enemy who wants you hurt or even worse?  Consult the LORD.  He has a plan.  You'll never regret it.

Complacent with God

Forty years is a long time to be eating manna off the ground.  This was their staple, their main meal.  Every day they would go out to the desert floor and look for their daily rations  of manna.  There was enough for everyone.  Larger families could gather more.  Smaller families could gather less.  Everyone had their fill.

They couldn't gather more than one day's worth of food.  When they tried to do this and "hide it," it didn't work.  The food would spoil and be filled with maggots.  On Friday, though, it was different.  Enough food was on the desert floor to supply two days worth for each family.  The food wouldn't spoil this night.  Tomorrow was the Sabbath.  No work was to be done.  No manna would be found on the desert floor either.

For forty years they followed this pattern, until they entered the promised land:

While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan. (Joshua 5:10-12 NLT)

It all stopped.  The food was no longer found on the desert floor.  It was found in trees and plants and crops and livestock.  It was all around them.  In their rush to move forward with the new blessings from God, I wonder if they even paused to thank Him for the blessings He provided for them every day, every week, every month and every year for forty years.  Sometimes we can see God's miracles happening around us for such a long time that we become complacent with His Majesty and Glory.  We forget His provision, every moment of our lives.

Take some time today to remember what He's provided for you - what He's already done - rather than just asking for more.  Enjoy Him today.  He's right there ready to walk with you.

Leadership and Short Memories

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." (Joshua 4:1-3 NIV)

Joshua is the new leader now.  Moses has passed away and God selected Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land.  He does it with flare, just like their departure from Egypt.  The Jordan river is not an insignificant body of water.  To make things worse, it was "overflowing its banks."  The water is high and it's moving fast.  God stops the water so they can walk across the river bed on dry ground.  It reminded them of the Red Sea crossing that took place when they were little children.  This was a great day - a real God Sighting.

We have real short-term memories, though, when it comes to God.  A great chorus of praise one day turns into worry the next.  We forget that He is ALWAYS powerful, ALWAYS providing, ALWAYS sustaining the very lives that we live.  Sometimes we need a reminder.  So, God gave them a reminder.  Take stones from the middle of the river bed and create a pile as a memorial.  That way they would remember what God did for them that day.  Joshua selected on man from each tribe of Israel to select these twelve stones.  They gathered the stones.  They left the river.  The water returned.

That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. (Joshua 4:14 NIV)

The people are listening to Joshua now.  He's their new leader.  God just confirmed it.  The greatest confirmation, however, of Joshua's God-chosen leadership is not in the miracle that took place in the Jordan river.  It comes in the phrase, "just as the LORD said."  Joshua did everything just as the LORD said.  He understood that leadership was not about power or position.  It's about walking with God, and helping others get there.  God is the One we ALL follow.

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." (Joshua 4:20-24 NIV)