Don’t hide it from the kids.

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Don't hide itA main focus of Joshua 4, which tells the story of the crossing of the flooded Jordan River, is a memorial of 12 stones taken out of the Jordan and set up as a reminder of this miracle. Repeatedly the Lord says ‘tell your children”, “tell your children”.

God wants us to pass on to our children a heritage of faith and one of the best ways to do this is through stories of his faithfulness to us and other heroes of the faith. Not every generation will experience the awesome miracles of a Red Sea crossing or a Jordan crossing.

Some generations will live during the 400 years that Egypt was in bondage and saw few, or no, miracles rather than the incredible days of Moses and Joshua. These generations must know of His power through the stories of others.  Continue reading →

Math and Muddy Shoes

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Stepping out or Stepping inWhen Israel was delivered from Egypt the people stood safely back while God dried the path they would use (Exodus 14:21). Now, 40 years later, another water obstacle, a flooded river, and God requires the people to step into the water before He takes any action.

Joshua 3:13 NLT
“The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord,… As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”

At salvation – which Israel’s deliverance from Egypt is a picture of – nothing is required of us. We cry out to God. He does a miracle. We stand amazed as He sets us free and we cross over to begin walking in a new land, a new life.

Entering the Promised Land – the fulness of God’s peace, joy, provision, etc – is another matter. That requires we step out of our comfort zone, that we obey the Lord even if it seems foolish or impossible. “Walk into a cold, muddy, raging river …. then I will do a miracle for you.” Continue reading →

What will people think?

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Luke 7:31-34 – “What can I say about such men?” Jesus asked. “With what shall I compare them? 32 They are like a group of children who complain to their friends, ‘You don’t like it if we play “wedding” and you don’t like it if we play “funeral'”! 33 For John the Baptist used to go without food and never took a drop of liquor all his life, and you said, ‘He must be crazy!’ 34 But I eat my food and drink my wine, and you say, ‘What a glutton Jesus is! And he drinks! And has the lowest sort of friends!’
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Though it was not His main message this reminds us of the futility of trying to please people. No matter what you do some will complain you did too much and some will criticize you for doing too little. “You should have danced when you were mourning” or “You were mourning when you should have been dancing.” You can’t please all the people all the time. Continue reading →

God blesses liars

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LiarThe story of Rahab the “harlot” in Joshua 2 is an interesting one that raises questions about honesty, lying and God’s perspective on this. Surely Rahab was doing right by protecting the spies thus aligning herself with God’s plan and God’s people. But she blatantly lied to do so. How is that commendable?

In our “safe” world it is difficult to understand such challenges, the same ones faced by those who hid Jews from the Nazis. I really don’t have a full understanding of it but I do see a beautiful truth in this story. Continue reading →

Am I too old?

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A work of art and beautySome time ago I was in a church where the music was abrasively loud.  I know, I know – “If it is too loud, I am too old.”  That could be true but that is a topic for another blog.

While trying to nonchalantly protect my ears – so it wasn’t obvious to everyone around me that I was “too old”, it suddenly occurred to me that in nature you rarely find loud noises.  A sudden explosion of thunder can jar you and make you jump but it isn’t abrasive or painful to the ears. Continue reading →

I wish I knew WWJD

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Call fire down on them!Luke 9:51-56
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. (Samaritans and Jews disliked each other based on their religious pasts.  Samaritans felt true worship should be at a location in Samaria so anyone going to Jerusalem was not welcome.) When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”  But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
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While I love the idea behind the WWJD concept (in every situation ask yourself “What Would Jesus Do?” and then do that) I find it interesting that the very men who walked with Him, talked with Him and lived with Him were often clueless as to what He was going to do. James and John were following a Biblical precedent of calling fire down on those who oppose the Lord (2 Kings 2:12-14) but they were rebuked for their suggestion.  Perhaps they asked, “WWJD when a town insulted Him and would not let Him stay there?” and, based on Scriptural precedent, they decided He would destroy these evil people.  They accurately understood the Word of God but they totally missed the Heart of God. Continue reading →

We should obey Mary

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Obey MaryMary, the mother of Jesus, was surely a wonderful young woman. God chose her as a special vessel to bring His Son into the world and to raise Him as a boy. There are those who venerate her beyond what Scripture teaches but in my zeal to keep Jesus as the only way to the Father – not by obedience to the church, not by keeping the law, not by any other name than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12) – I must be sure I do not denigrate the mother of our Lord, or for that matter, any other follower of Jesus.

I have decided a great way to bridge the gap between my view and those who overly venerate, perhaps even worship Mary, is to just encourage them to do what I do and “Obey Mary.”  Continue reading →

School Zone Ahead

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Slow Down!When driving, a “school zone” is a place we slow down. It is also a place of learning. In life, we often go through “school zones”, situations that come into our life to teach us to be more like Jesus. Often these are times of difficulty, loss or pressure. We are wise if we slow down as we proceed through these times.

We would like to rush ahead, go faster, get it over with but life lessons are not just about learning facts, they have to do with shaping character and that is not a quick process. If we hurry through the lesson, not allowing the situation to fully conform us to the character of Christ, we will have to repeat it later. Continue reading →

Jesus was rude to Mary

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STOP!

Luke 8:19-21 – Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”  He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
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What kind of son would not even help his family get through the crowd to be able to talk to Him? Sounds pretty rude and inconsiderate, doesn’t it. But this didn’t come as a surprise to the original readers. They knew something that Luke doesn’t record here. We have to go to Mark for the surprising explanation. Continue reading →

Don’t be silly

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Silly coltI heard a fellow tell the story of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem from the colt’s perspective. When he was returned to his owner he excitedly told all the other animals how warmly he had been welcomed in Jerusalem. “People were laying down branches and even their coats for me to walk on. They were shouting and cheering. They were all so excited to see me and have me come to town.” Continue reading →