Joshua 22-24

We finish up the book of Joshua today as we read chapters 22-24.  Joshua commends the eastern tribes (Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh) for a job well done and sends them home to the other side of the Jordan.  They make a memorial to God as a symbol of unity between the western and eastern tribes.  Joshua is 110 years old, but before he and Eleazar die, Joshua calls the entire community together to help them remember God's promises across generations, His wonderful works, and their responsibility in following Him.  

There is hope and encouragement in Joshua's words that lives on in our lives today.  He says,

10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

Joshua 23:10-11

Joshua wants us to pause and think about all the things God has done for us.  He wants us to find strength in the fact that God is not confined to numbers and logic.  We can do so much more with God in control of our lives.  The impossible is possible with God.  

My love for God needs to come first in my life, not my own "to-do" list.

And that brings me to one of my favorite verses in the Bible...

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for keeping Your promises and always fighting for me.  I am so thankful for all the blessings You work in my life.  I am especially thankful today for the way You are _______________________________.

I love You, Lord, with all my heart.  Forgive me for focusing too much on things I need to get done and not enough on Your love and who I am in Christ.

Lord, please help me be a blessing to others, today and always.

In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, I pray,

Amen

Peace of Christ,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.

Joshua 17-21

Joshua finishes distributing the Promise Land to the twelve tribes of Israel in Joshua 17-21.  God's boundaries are well-defined and Canaan is a giant puzzle, with all the pieces fitting together to form a great nation of God's people.  Each of the eleven tribes share a portion of their land with the Levites, giving them 48 towns.  They have also established several cities of refuge for those who are accused of accidental murder.  God is good for His Word, every single bit of it.

44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemieswithstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Joshua 21:44-45

God's promises for the Israelites are overwhelming and amazing all at the same time.  A light bulb started flashing in my head as I read today.  

Even though God is so good, and everything He promises comes true, the Israelites flounder in realizing the full potential of God's promises for them.

God has given the Israelites the land, hands down, no question   Yet, we see the Israelites struggle to drive out the Canaanites despite God's promise and instruction to do just that.  "They subjected the Canaanites to forced labor" instead. The battle has already been won, and there is hesitation on their part to trust and follow through completely with God's plan.  

It's as if God's promises are so good, they are unbelievable, too good to be completely true.  We know better than that, but God's people settle for less than the best God offers them.  Sound familiar?

I can't help but wonder how that will impact the Israelites' lives later on.       

And here's the thing I know about me...  I look back on my life and realize I have done the same thing!   God's promises for my life are so good.  I know God is true to His word.  I know His plan is best.  But, I make the mistake sometimes of settling for less than His best for me because it seems easier at the time, even logical.  Later, I am able to recognize that I made things a lot harder on myself than they needed to be.  

So when it comes to God and His promises...I have to keep reminding myself...

Following through, completely with God's will, is really important to our futures.  There's a reason for God's details.  We can't give up.  God wants so much more for us than we are even able to imagine, things outside our own realms of thought.

When we give our lives to God and trust His promises, things that seem too good to be true, are true.  That's the reality with God.  That is exactly what happens when His Spirit, His Hands, and His feet are at work in us.

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

I thank You for Your perfect plan for my life, and all the details You work out for Your glory.  Forgive me for the ways I give up too soon and for all the ways I fail to follow through.  I pray for the determination and wisdom to persevere for You in all that I do.

In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,

Amen

Blessings,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.

Joshua 14-16

Following seven years of battle, Joshua and Eleazar the priest divide up the Promise Land among the eleven tribes of Israel just as God has instructed in Joshua 14-16.  The boundaries are very specific.  The Levites, remember, take their inheritance from the Lord Himself, not the land.  God wants them to spend their time serving His people, not themselves.  Israel controls Canaan, but there is still work to do.  Each tribe is responsible for clearing out the remaining enemies in the land it has been given.  And remember Caleb, the faithful spy with Joshua who went into the Promise Land just prior to  spending 40 years in the wilderness?  Caleb's strong faith carries him, some 45 years later.

At this point, Caleb is 85 years old, and his faith is still amazing.  He knows what God promised him many years ago, and he holds on to that.  I can hear Caleb's strength and zeal for God as I read his conversation with Joshua today.

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! 11 I 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. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

Joshua 14:10-12

Caleb is a real spit-fire.  Age is nothing to Caleb.  Instead of retirement plans, Caleb is ready to continue fighting for God, even against giants like the Anakites.  It's clear that his faith keeps him going.  The man depends on God, and God does not disappoint.  

Caleb follows God wholeheartedly.

When you think about it, what does following God wholeheartedly, like Caleb, mean in your life?

What promises come to mind?

It's a life-long job, following God.  It's a job that is full of promise, blessing, adventure, challenge, even struggle.  It isn't an easy job, and there's no time for retirement.  But if we will hold on to our faith, it will save us and continue to bless us.  Following God is the most rewarding job any of us will ever have.

13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

I thank You for pouring Your promises into my heart and into my life.  Thank You for being forever faithful to me and for sustaining me with Your grace through Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Lord, as I get older, may the days, weeks, months, and years strengthen my faith and deepen my understanding of You and Your unconditional love.  Grant me and my family, for generations to come, the discernment and the wisdom to follow You wholeheartedly.

In the name of Jesus I pray,

Amen

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.



  

Joshua 11-13

Joshua is on a role for God in Joshua 11-13.  The Kings of Canaan realize that God means business, but despite their best alliance efforts, the Israelites conquer city after city (take a look).  The extensive list of defeated kings is quite impressive.  Joshua is getting old though, and God tells him that there is still large areas of land to be taken over.  But at last, the twelve tribes of Israel are finally getting the shares of land God has promised them for so long.

Love this verse from today.

15 As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

Joshua 11:15

God's purpose is being passed down across generations.

Joshua leaves nothing "undone."

That makes me think about my own "to-do" list.  When I weigh my "to-do" list in light of this verse today, considering that I don't want to leave anything "undone" for God, it really changes things.  It shifts my focus.

It's an "ah-ha moment" as Oprah would say.  

My "to-dos" seem so insignificant in comparison to that which I don't want to leave "undone" for God.     

How about you?  Do you have an "undone" list?

My "undone" list of all God asks me to do is where my time and attention really need to be.  Those are the things I need to be sure to write down and check off each day. 

Hmmm.

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for speaking to my heart through Your Word.  Thank You for using me for Your great purposes each day.

Forgive me for focusing too much on my own "to-do" list instead of those things You are calling me to work on each day.  I do not want to leave anything "undone" for You, Lord.  You come first in my heart and in my life.  

Guide all my list making.  Help me to focus on the things that are important to You and Your kingdom.

{Spend some quiet time listening to God for anything He needs You to do for Him today.}

Lord, may Your kingdom come and Your will be done.

In the name of Jesus I pray,

Amen

Grace,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.

    

Joshua 8-10

In Joshua 8-10, the Israelites are burning it up in the Promise Land.  They are conquering cities right and left for God, just like He said they would.  Once the Israelites deal with the hidden sin among them, their second attempt to defeat Ai is successful.  Even though Joshua makes a mistake in dealing with the Gibeonites, God doesn't give up on Israel, and the sun literally stands still in their favor.  Joshua continues to be faithful in giving God all the credit for their success.  He gathers the entire community to read and remember the Book of Law and God's promises for His people.

Joshua is doing such a good job following in Moses' footsteps.  He is really trusting God.  His relationship with God is strong.

Yet, Joshua messes up and makes a peace treaty with the Gibeonites in today's reading.  He seems like such a smart, faithful man.  How does he get deceived so easily?

This part in God's story is standing out to me today because I feel like we are all at risk for being deceived.  And the problem with that is that it takes us off God's course for our lives.

I think it's important to note that self-interest and fear drive the Gibeonites.  They go out of their way, pretending to be a people they aren't in order to get what they want.  Joshua doesn't see this at first.  He is fooled by appearances.

Here's where Joshua and the Israelites go wrong.

14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peacewith them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

Joshua 9:14-15

In other words, God's people had an error in judgement.  They were fooled by appearances.  The Israelites got so caught up on on how things looked, material possessions, that they didn't stop to talk to God about what their next move should be.

In hindsight, I have the privilege of learning a lesson from this situation.  When we have God's plan in our hearts, and we face any decision that will impact that plan, we can't make assumptions that we know what to do next, even if the next step seems simple and obvious.  

Taking time to stop and seek God's advice can save us a lot of grief and grumbling in the future.  

It's always better to be safe with God than sorry without Him!  

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for always hearing my calls for help and advice.  Please forgive me for all the ways I fail to seek You first before I act.

Give me the patience and wisdom I need to make all my decisions with You in mind, no matter how things appear.

________________ is facing some big decisions.  Please guide him/her in Your will and way.

I pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus,

Amen

Peace,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.

Joshua 5-7

In Joshua 5-7, Israel's new leader is really making a name for himself because God is on the job!  After crossing the Jordan River on dry ground, the Israelites take a break from their conquest to get circumcised and celebrate the Passover.  It's a weird combination of events, I know, but circumcision was a symbol of the Lord's covenant with His people.  God wants to renew His vows with the Israelites since a brand new generation is about to enter the Promise Land.  God's people get to say good-bye to manna as they welcome fresh food from the Promise Land.  Things are changing for the better.  The walls of Jericho come tumbling down, and a man named Achan teaches us the hard way that we have to deal with the sin in our lives.

I want to focus on the walls of Jericho today.  Jericho was the oldest city in the world at the time.  It was well-established, heavily protected, and surrounded by huge, thick fortified walls.  The walls were tall and intimidating I am sure.    They were a huge obstacle. 

The walls separated the Israelites from God's best for them, the heart of Jericho, His Promise Land.

6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Joshua 6:1

And wherever there's a wall, I am willing to bet there is fear.

Remember, forty years earlier, the Israelites didn't have a enough faith in God to break through those walls.  They didn't trust God enough to reach God's best for their lives.  They were too afraid of failing, focusing way too much on their own limited capacities.  

Now, after forty years of total dependence on God in the wilderness, the Israelites know God better than that.  This time, things are different for the Israelites.  They face Canaan with new strength and renewed faith, and it makes all the difference.

2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

Joshua 6:2

Instead of focusing on the problems in front of them, they focus on God.  He tells the Israelites exactly what to do, and they do it.  Obeying God guarantees blessings in the future, even when we cannot see beyond the huge impending walls right in front of us.

Here's the other thing I noticed today in my reading... 

Often God's way of doing things, the way breakthroughs happen, what we are called to do, how we are called to do it, and how long it takes seems crazy.  Just look at what God asks the Israelites to do for seven days in order to conquer Jericho.

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city...

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

Joshua 6:12-16, 20

Who would have ever thought that marching around the walls of the city with the priests carrying the ark of the Lord and blowing trumpets for seven days would lead to those giant, strong walls collapsing!

God is full of powerful surprises for us, y'all!

That brings me to one more awesome lesson I noticed in the reading today.

Obeying God empowers us.  It allows God to use us, and to transform our hearts.  It also gives God room to work in the hearts of those around us, even our enemies.  The people of Jericho were so terrified of the Israelites and God that they did not fight back.  

When we choose to live in God's purpose and let Him help us in the situations we face, He is able to breakthrough the strongest of barriers and the most established of stubborn people that stand in our way.  

God has a personal best for each of us, a Promise Land.  He will fight for us if we will walk with Him like Joshua and the Israelites at Jericho!  That's when we find ourselves on Holy ground.

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”And Joshua did so.

Joshua 5:15

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for leading me and fighting for me.  

Forgive me for all the ways I lead myself with my own imperfect thoughts.  I am sorry, Lord, for allowing walls and barriers to build up in my heart and in my life that keep me from Your personal best for me.

_____________ is a wall or obstacle that is weighing heavily on my mind today.  The situation seems and feels impossible.  It's been there a long time.  I give it to you, God.  I pray You will tell me what to do and exactly how to do it.  Be with me and all those involved.  Work in our hearts.  I pray for the walls to come tumbling down!

You are my Rock and my Redeemer.  

In the name of Your Son, Jesus, I pray,

Amen

Blessings,

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more. 






     

  

Joshua 1-4

Today we begin reading the book of Joshua (chapters 1-4).  Joshua has been Moses' aide for 40 years, and he has also served as the general for the Israelite army.  Joshua is one of the only eye-witnesses to all that went on during the exodus from Egypt.  God has chosen Joshua to take over right where Moses left off, and we can tell that Joshua has learned from the best.  He is ready to faithfully continue carrying out God's plan for the Israelites.  

I can't help but think, Joshua must be a little scared and overwhelmed at this point in God's story.  He's had his "burning bush" moment, like Moses, and now it's time to get started.  He's in charge of leading more than two million people into a huge, strange Promise Land, and he has to fight for it.  He has to win. 

Maybe you've been there too.  God has made Himself known to You.  God has your attention.  You've had a "burning bush" moment, maybe several if you can be hard of hearing like me.  What next?

We can learn so much from Joshua today.

• He believes God's promises for his life, and he relies on Him for his strength and courage.

3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses...

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.”

Joshua 1:3, 9  

• Joshua doesn't just run and dive into the situation with his head first.  He spends a lot of time listening to God and preparing himself and his crew for what is ahead.

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Joshua 3:5

• Joshua walks faithfully with God and trusts Him to work out the details, even that which seems and feels impossible.

10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you...

13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.

Joshua 3:10-11, 13

• Joshua expects God to work a miracle; and when it happens, Joshua is intentional about giving God all the glory for generations to come.

5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Joshua 4:5-7

I love how God loves to tell a good story through His people.  Like Moses and Joshua, that burning bush in our lives is only the beginning of God's power at work.  When we follow Him, there's so many more glorious things to come!

A prayer for today-

Dear God,

Thank You for filling my life with Your love and Your purpose.  Thank you for all the amazing things You have done and all the amazing things You will do in the future.

Lord, be with me.  Help me know when to prepare for what's ahead in my quiet time with You.  Give me the strength and courage I need to walk with You and glorify You.

I pray that my life will be a reflection of Your love story forever.

I also pray for ________________ today.  Prepare him/her for the next step in Your perfect plan.  He/she needs Your loving arms and guiding hands.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus, I pray,

Amen

*This post is part of A Mind-Maker-Upper's Everyday Reading Project.  Click here to read more.