10 Wednesday Apr 2013
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In today’s reading we continue to see how deliberate God is. He knew exactly how much land was left to be conquered, how much land each tribe should receive, and when it was time to let the land rest from war. God knows exactly what we need. He never leaves us wanting more if we trust He will provide for us.
09 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
God never leaves us on our own to accomplish anything according to His will. He expects us to do our part, but He is always there for us if we allow Him to work with us and through us. A great example of this is in Joshua 10:12-14, 12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! This miracle literally stops the earth from spinning for 24 hours. God promises He will be there for us when we act according to His perfect plan and this is a prime example of how He can show up in a very big way.
08 Monday Apr 2013
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As we continue our reading in the book of Joshua, we see the Israelites continuing their siege on the people living on their promised land. I have to admit, this is a very harsh scene to read about. It is difficult to imagine what it would be like to be commanded to eliminate and entire city and its inhabitants. But this is what God required. Don’t get me wrong, God is not in the business of destroying entire countries simply for His pleasure, but He is in the business of taking people over completely. God requires us to share who He is and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to everyone and He requires us to be righteous in the process. Thankfully He provides righteousness through the blood of Christ and constant leading through the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We must be open to this and we must allow His plans to be accomplished through us completely, just as He did (in a very different way) in the book of Joshua.
07 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Reflection
I had a friend this past week who called me up and said they were struggling and were simply worn out with the grind of this life. A few hours later when I was reading through my Twitter feed I came across someone who posted this video with the caption, “If you are feeling worn out, I hope this help.” I immediately sent my friend the link. A few minutes later they responded and said this song expressed exactly how they felt. If you are feeling worn out, I hope this helps you too.
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06 Saturday Apr 2013
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In today’s reading, I love the scene in Joshua 5 where the Israelites are camped on the plains of Jericho and are getting ready to begin conquering the promised land. They begin by celebrating Passover, just as they did before leaving Egypt, and they enjoy the fruits of the promised land for the first time. The food God had been providing the past 40 years, the manna, also stopped. It is a good reminder to us that God will always provide for us when we are in need, but He also provides the means for us to provide for ourselves. Having a strong faith in God is important, but it is not excuse for assuming we don’t need to do our part. Just as prayer is not an alternative to preparation and execution with our God-given abilities and talents.
05 Friday Apr 2013
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Today we begin the book of Joshua. This is one of my favorite books of the Old Testament. There is a lot of drama and there are many lessons we can learn. One of the things that always stands out to me in this book is how God uses everything to fulfill His plan. The bottom line is that God doesn’t really need us; He chooses to use us. In these first few chapters God even uses a prostitute to fulfill His plan. The point I’m trying to make is He doesn’t need us to be perfect or holy or clean, smart, or even called. He simply wants us to be obedient and willing to be used in any way He asks.
04 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
A couple of things stood out to me this morning in our reading. The first verse is about wisdom and made me consider if the wisdom that comes from me matches what comes from heaven. James 3:17 says, But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. If my wisdom is truly from heaven it will exhibit the characteristics described above.
The second verse that stood out to me is Psalm 51:10, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. This verse matches up well with the verse in James described above. We must allow God to create a pure heart in us so we can identify and accept God’s wisdom from the proper perspective.
03 Wednesday Apr 2013
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Today we start the first of two days in the book of James. This is a letter written by Jesus’ half brother James who became one of the leaders of the early church. James wrote this letter to expose hypocritical behavior and to teach how believers should live their lives. The letter also tells believer they should expect trials and they should consider it a privilege to know they are found worthy to have their faith tested. James 1:2-3 says, 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
02 Tuesday Apr 2013
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Today we finished the fifth and final book of the laws. There is so much information to grasp, but the big message I kept hearing over and over was how much God loves His people. I know it sounds like a ton of death and destruction and consequences, but the main message to me is that God never leaves His people. He even told Moses in Deuteronomy 31:16, And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. Even though God knew these people would turn their backs on Him repeatedly, God never left them. The same thing goes for us; God will never leave us no matter how bad we are or how far we stray. He loves us and wants nothing but what is best for us.
01 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Welcome back after a couple of days off from our reading plan. I hope you were all blessed by celebrating our Savior’s sacrifice and resurrection.
The verse that caught my eye today was Psalm 48:14, For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. God wants to lead us if we will allow Him to do it. His plan is perfect. We just need to humble ourselves to His leadership.
Daily Devotion 