promise land

Entering In

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Joshua 3:4
“. . . that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

Sometimes, our Christian life takes us down roads we have not traveled before. The Lord desires to take us to new heights in our relationship with Him, and to use us for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Joshua’s leadership, as he takes Israel across the Jordan, illustrates some very important principles on how to follow the Lord.

Joshua 3:5
“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

“Sanctify” means to set apart. It carries the idea of being set apart from sin, and to the Lord. Sanctification happens when a person recognizes they belong to God, and they surrender to His ways. Their sanctification involved faith. They were to give themselves to the Lord now, trusting He wanted to accomplish something, through them in the future. Often, we remain unprepared for the day of battle, because we neglect to set ourselves apart to the Lord today.

Joshua 3:16
“. . . the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam . . .”

Since the waters stopped a great distance north of the camp of Israel, it appeared that nothing happened when the priests put their feet in the Jordan . God promised the river would part, yet the waters seemed to remain unchanged. However, as time moved forward, they would see that God kept His promise. Many times, we fail to see what the Lord is doing until we keep moving forward, as He commands.

Joshua 4:10
“So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished… and the people hurried and crossed over.”

Hundreds of thousands of Israelites crossed the river that day. This process would have taken hours. Meanwhile, four men stood holding a large, heavy wooden box. The initial excitement of carrying the Ark, and watching the waters subside, would soon be replaced with pain, as their shoulders, arms and legs began to ache. As hour followed hour, these men continued to hold up the Ark. They would learn ministry is not as glamorous as it sometimes appears. Often, we fail to see results because we fail to be steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord.

Joshua 4:20
“And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.”

Their first act in the Promised Land, was to make a crude altar with the stones they removed from the Jordan. This altar was not designed for sacrifice, but as a simple reminder of what the Lord had done. Future victories would be ensured by remembering what God had done in the past. If God could part a river, what obstacle would be to much for the people of God. It is good to remember what the Lord has done for us, and how He has worked in our lives. The only danger is that we become people who live in the past. Take what God has done in the past as motivation for how He wants to work in your life today.

Pastor Jim

 

What Did You See?

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Deuteronomy 11:7
“. . . but your eyes have seen every great act of the Lord which He did.”

There is no question, the children of Israel made mistakes. Their years in the wilderness were marked by complaining, doubt, fear and outright disobedience. Yet, things could have been worse. They could have remained in Egypt, never experiencing any of the great acts of the Lord. Moses reminds the people of what they saw because they were willing to follow the Lord. He recalls the parting of the Red Sea, their provision in the wilderness, and the judgment of those who rebelled.

I wonder, what does your list include? When you look back over your Christian experience, where has your willingness to follow the Lord led you? Can you remember times when you stepped out in faith to serve or follow the Lord, and found that He was faithful to His promises? Can you think of a time, when your heart was beating through your chest, you were being prompted by the Lord to share the Gospel with someone, and when you did, they received Christ. Can you remember setting aside your vacation time to go on a mission trip, and bring Christ to those in another land? What does your past say about your experience of Christ?

Whatever your past might say, it is important we do not live in the past. The great works God did in the wilderness were not the end of His works. In Israel’s future, was the parting of the Jordan, the walls of Jericho, defeating giants, and becoming a great and mighty nation. Whatever your past might say, your future remains filled with opportunity to serve and follow Christ. Be sure, today, to walk in the ways of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Follow The Leader

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Numbers 13:2-3
“. . . you shall send a man, every one a leader among them. So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.”

When Moses chose the men to spy out the land, he chose the leaders. Sadly, we know how that turned out. These supposed leaders, came back with an evil report, and stirred the hearts of the people against the mind of the Lord. I think there is a danger for someone who is naturally a leader; that danger is when they are not subject unto the Lord. I talk to my kids often about leadership. “Guys, you need to be leaders.” Then I’ll ask them, “What’s the most important thing about a leader?” I’ve trained them to respond, “To follow Jesus, Dad.” That’s the most important thing about a leader.

For example, if you are going to lead a group to an untraveled destination, the most important step for you to take, as a leader, is to follow the map. You can’t just do whatever’s right in your own eyes. You can’t be Sam the Toucan and “follow your nose.” If we are going to be godly leaders, we must follow Jesus. Do you remember the Roman soldier who came to Jesus and wanted healing for his servant? Jesus said to him, “I’ll come to your house.” The man responded, “Aw, you don’t need to come to my house. All You need to do is speak the word; because I’m a man in authority and I’m under authority.” You see, he said, “I know how to both give orders and receive orders.” (Matthew 8:5-13) He was a good leader because he was a man who knew how to follow. He knew the direction to go. The problem with ten of the twelve leaders chosen by Moses to spy out the Promised Land, was not that they weren’t leaders. The problem was an inability to follow. They were not subject to the real Commander-in-Chief. They had not put themselves under the authority of God.

Do you want to lead? Follow Jesus. If you want to lead people in the proper direction, to see people join forces in this furthering of the Kingdom, then follow Jesus. The most important thing about being a leader is to follow Christ. The key is, submitting to Christ and going wherever He is going. Ten of these men refused to do that, and led a nation into despair.

Pastor Jim