Wednesday, 3/25/2015

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” ~ Gustave Flaubert

JOSHUA 14, 15

Joshua goes out one last time...

10“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.

LUKE 4:33-44

Jesus is not consumed with fame...

42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

JOURNAL

How often are my actions the result of playing to the crowd or at least to those who will give me the most affirmation?  Jesus is concerned only in accomplishing his mission, not in staying content in the comfort of acceptance and fame.

 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Tuesday, 3/24/2015

“A great man is always willing to be little.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

JOSHUA 11-13

God provides rest...

23So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.

LUKE 4:1-32

Jesus is baptized and begins his ministry...

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted^a by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’^b ”

5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’^c ”

9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you

to guard you carefully;

11they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^d ”

12Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^e ”

13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

JOURNAL

Joshua never takes advantage of his position.  He is fully obedient and humble to do all that God asks of him without question or grumbling.  Here we also see Jesus fully obedient and never grumbling or taking advantage of his position.  How is it that both Joshua and Jesus never abuse their power?  Not once do either of them ever act out of bitterness or a sense of entitlement.  

Joshua I more understand but Jesus?   The Son of God, full of power and love and fully capable of changing the world in the blink of an eye.  He allows questions, he allows betrayal, he allows disrespect.  He suffers and walks through the struggles and heartaches of this human condition, willingly and without a single selfish moment.  He follows this all the way to the cross and does not die valiantly in the midst of battle...but the shameful death on a cross.  

Here is one of the key differences between the life of Christ and other martyr's...Jesus had absolute power and never used it.  Jesus was the King of Kings and chose to live as a servant.  He did this out of obedience...not because he had no other choice, but because he loved us completely and knew the only way to save us was to walk the road to the cross.

6Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature^b of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Monday, 3/23/2015

“A great man is always willing to be little.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

JOSHUA 9, 10

The Gibeonites shrewdly gain favor from Joshua

22Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way from you,’ while actually you live near us? 23You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

24They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”

26So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. And that is what they are to this day.

LUKE 3

Jesus is baptized and begins his ministry...

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

JOURNAL

It is interesting to me that Jesus' ministry does not start until his is 30 years old.  The last time we saw him he was 12 and was soaking in all the religious teaching.  So 18 years later he begins and it begins with being baptized...not that he needed it but because he loved us and lived life as we lived it.  

Jesus defaults to God constantly...he is always going to pray, moving away from crowds and "big" events in order to consult with his Father.  Jesus never seems to independently do anything.  

This is such a lesson for me.  I do not do this...often I make decisions, act and take action without ever consulting with God.  No wonder I consistently have regrets and doubts.  

6Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature^b of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Sunday, 3/22/2015

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”  ~ C.S. Lewis

JOSHUA 7,8

After the defeat of Ai, Joshua humbles himself and all of Israel before God...

34Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

LUKE 2:25-52

Jesus as a young boy...

 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^f 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

JOURNAL

There is never any doubt for Joshua as to who is his God.  He is obedient and humbled unto God in all he does.  The reading of the Law after the attack and victory over Ai is a great picture of how Joshua is devoted to God first and above all else.

At 12 years old, Jesus is drawn to the word and the prophets.  I can never imagine a 12 year old being content to hear and listen to scripture being read for 3 days.  How did he eat, didn't the teachers wonder about his parents?  In the end Jesus is obedient to his parents but their is never a doubt as to where his devotion is anchored.

In thinking about this in my own life it is apparent the lack of devotion to scripture, prayer and humility before God.  In success, I don't immediately turn to God and give thanks, I also find that I crave other things other than the teaching and hearing of God's word.  I realize that my heart is divided at times and I am always in need of a Christ to stand in my place as my own life can never stand to the scrutiny of perfection.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Friday, 3/20/2015

“This grace of God is a very great, strong, mighty and active thing. It does not lie asleep in the soul. Grace hears, leads, drives, draws, changes, works all in man, and lets itself be distinctly felt and experienced. It is hidden, but its works are evident.”   ~ Martin Luther

JOSHUA 1-3

The leadership of Joshua begins...

1After 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. 3I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4Your 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. 5No 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. 6Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

LUKE 1:57-80

John the Baptist is born and his Zechariah prophesies his future...

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit^d ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

JOURNAL

Joshua is now in charge.  He immediately sends 2 spies into Canaan.  God shows his grace and provision through the unlikely kindness and help of a prostitute named Rahab.  The spies return and are convinced that the city of Jericho is ripe for the taking.

The Biblical stories are fascinating.  There is so much hidden drama and unlikely heroes.  It is such good drama because...it is true.  It is the same reason we are fascinated by "reality TV".  The best stories are those that are true...and the best story in my own life is my own.  

I know sometimes it is hard to be grateful for our failures.  It is hard not to walk in shame for all the ways I fail to measure up.  However most of that shame is based on my comparison to the world around me...not out of repentance to God.  That shame can also have a way of robbing me of the amazing grace and redemption of God. 

32“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)