Saturday, March 13, 2010
March 14 ... Joshua 12 - 15 "Never Mistake Canaan for Heaven"
Joshua 14:14 A portion of the Promised Land belongs to Caleb because he gave himself totally to God , the God of Israel.. "I'm as strong as ever in battle, whether coming or going." 40 years since the wilderness and he's still battling well the inner battles and the outer battles. Giving himself totally to his God meant "letting go" of his demands that Canaan be heaven on earth. When will the battles stop God? A friend just asked me this week: when can I have some rest---meaning: when is God going to stop sending all these conflicts and circumstances that deter my peace. I face the same daily wrestle within. Is peace only when the circumstances are removed, resolved, recessed? Problems solved. Yes, Caleb and the Israelites had peace on all sides but it involved "exhuasting battle and humbling failure" (66 Love Letters.). And it wasn't the resolution of their problems. A trouble free life. It was peace in the midst of pressure and a hard life.Giving themselves totally to their God Who is working all things together for good. So what results in my life when I face the battles within and without? Learning to live in a little more rest in the midst of disturbing news once again.
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As I read today's selection, I thought of "Peace in the midst of the Storm." That takes me back to Hurricane Ike a couple years ago in Houston. Though Houston has had hurricane warnings and scares it has been years since we have experienced a hurricane like Ike. This was my first Hurricane.
ReplyDeleteI remember waking up in the middle of the night hearing the roar of the winds and Casting Crowns song kept reverberating in my heart and soul and my mind kept playing the song, "I will Praise You in the Storm" for I know God will never leave me nor forsake me.
At the time I keep reminding myself God is with me in this storm. I will be just fine. Yes, it is that Peace that calms. Trusting God results in a sometimes moment by moment trust in him.
Les and I were only without power for five days. Valerie & Ryan, our daughter and son in law living only 15 minutes away had power and immediately invited us to stay with them during this time.
After we returned home we started calling our clients to see if they were ok as we have a guest bedroom available. An older couple did not have power and we were able to invite them have them stay with us for a week before their power came back on.
Though we all experienced some difficulites at the same time, we all gained rich blessings during this time as relationships grew deeper and sweeter with everyone.
Only Elohim and a trust in His Amazing Grace and Mercy can do that. What an INHERITANCE as a Princess of the King I am blessed to enjoy as an Alien on this planet. Praise the Lord, no matter what I am learning today.
A Song of Love to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings I must Sing for the Inheritance He brings to me.
Sylvia
My thoughts this morning are on my little one year olds Sunday school class. One of our songs we sing is "I've Got Peace like a River." Not, I've got peace like a glassy lake, or peace like a rock, but peace like a rumbling, often raging river. Don't get me wrong, I love peace in my circumstances especially within my family. But I KNOW it's His Peace, when it totally doesn't make sense to be at rest in the middle of the battle. I see it as His power, I see it as His provision only then. And I'm really trying to not see it as entitlement but privilege and gift. Recounting each battle in the readings, the battle was for Israel to have rest. Blessed EARLY Sunday to each of you!
ReplyDeleteJoshua 13:33
ReplyDelete"But Moses gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. God, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as he told them."
I don't know about you but I am traumatized by all of these battles. I have been terrified to fight the king whose bed was over twice as long as I am tall.
And being circumsized by a stone knife...and crossing over the Jordan River...and shouting down the walls of Jericho. Mercy, mercy but the battles were hard and bloody!
But the verse I kept going back to was Joshua 13:33. The Levites inheritance is God. God gave all these cities to Israel. He fought by the Captain of GOD's Army, fighting on GOD's side. And every enemy was either destroyed or put under them.
GOD gave Israel their land.
GOD = Levi's inheritance.
Israel has a rich past and an even richer future.
I would rather be on GOD's side today than anything else. Especially today. It was important then and it is important now.
Caleb gave his daughter as a bride - as a gift of battle. This warrior received honor, a bride, desert land and she encouraged him to ask for more. Caleb gave her pools of water.
What on earth does that mean to me today???
Jesus...he fights our greatest battles...we are His bride...in our desert paths He provides living water...
Thankful today to be saved and have the honor of knowing that I will serve GOD in heaven as a priest of God. My inheritance is the LORD. And I am His inheritance. True and Faithful is His Name. Our True Love. Our Faithful Freedom-Fighter. He sets me free every day from the bondage of sin. Thank You, Lord, for this sinner's Victory. My purity is through Christ's Blood.
Revelation 1:5-6 (The Message)
His Eyes Pouring Fire-Blaze
4-7 I, John, am writing this to the seven churches in Asia province:
All the best to you from
The God Who Is,
The God Who Was, and
The God About to Arrive,
and from the
Seven Spirits assembled before his throne, and from
Jesus Christ—
Loyal Witness,
Firstborn from the dead,
Ruler of all earthly kings.
Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us,
who blood-washed our sins from our lives,
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father,
forever—and yes, he's on his way!
Riding the clouds, he'll be seen by every eye,
those who mocked and killed him will see him,
People from all nations and all times
will tear their clothes in lament.
Oh, Yes.
What an incredible inheritance the Lord is providing for His chosen people.
ReplyDeleteA few seemingly random sentences in today's reading stood out to me:
Chp. 13 "The People of Israel never did drive out the Geshurites and the Maacathites - they're still there, living in Israel."
Chp. 14 "The People of Israel followed through exactly as God had commanded Moses. They apportioned the land."
Chp. 15 "The people of Judah couldn't get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living in Jerusalem."
Not long before all of this, in Deuteronomy 7, Moses tells the Israelites:
"When GOD, your God, brings you into the country that you are about to enter and take over, he will clear out the superpowers that were there before you: the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Those seven nations are all bigger and stronger than you are. GOD, your God, will turn them over to you and you will conquer them. You must completely destroy them, offering them up as a holy destruction to GOD. Don't make a treaty with them. Don't let them off in any way."
He even NAMES the Jebusites specifically! "Don't let them off in any way." The Israelites completely disobeyed God in this. They "couldn't get rid of the Jebusites." Really?? God said He would turn them over to them! And then the Israelites obeyed God exactly in apportioning the land.
With all of the battles they were fighting, maybe this seemed like a small thing. I don't know. Sometimes they obey (when it's easy?) and sometimes they don't. In doing so, they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction by allowing these pagans to live around them. And Moses had just warned them about it.
So convicting. It's making me think - when do I obey God and when do I not? What are the seemingly insignificant areas in which I'm not fully obeying? It's very easy to make excuses and rationalize why I "couldn't" obey. Through Christ, I can. And I must.
This reading definitely helps as I think about my relationship with my sister. I'm waiting to hear back from her on when we can meet. Hopefully in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted. Will definitely be asking for your prayers.
I wonder what sustained Caleb all those years in the wilderness? Did he ever want to give up? Did he harbor resentment because he believed he was a "victim"? Did he whine or worship?
ReplyDeleteScripture tells us he had a "different spirit".(Nu.14:24) He knew that it was the LORD that had kept him alive all those years and he remembered Moses' promise:..."surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance"...(Joshua 14;9)
"NOW THEREFORE, GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN OF WHICH THE LORD SPOKE"...(Joshua 14:12)
I love the boldness! "LORD, GIVE ME...YOU PROMISED!! He wholly followed his God. The memory of what he had seen 45 yrs. earlier, and the promise that it was his, had sustained him in the wilderness.
"A different spirit"..."wholly followed the LORD"...There was no disconnect between head and heart with this man. He didn't just see with his physical eyes.
First things first. I'm getting distracted. What will I do about it?
CiCi, one thing I will do is keep praying for you and your sister. I love your desire to reconcile that relationship.
Blessings,
FG Forever Grateful
2 Thes 1:11 - May God fulfill every desire for what is right that you have Cici! He's doing some things for you in the heavenlies that you just don't even know right now. He will bring it to pass. May HE fulfill your desires and work a work of faith with power. You so honor Him! Love you! Let's have lunch soon...
ReplyDeleteI so love doing this with all of you! Your words grab me, disturb me, encourage me, and love me! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
ReplyDeletePlease pray for my daughter Blair. She had a second biopsy on Friday and the pathology comes back tomorrow. They may proceed with surgery. Pray for God's wisdom and His Hand on her! Thank you so much. Bev
ReplyDeletePraying for Blair this morning, and for you, dear Bev, for peace in the storm! Love you.
ReplyDeleteCici, I join the others and pray for the relationship with your sister to be restored. God sees your desire and will help you through this.
Angie is on her way back from S. Carolina today, so if you get a minute offer a prayer for her safe travel as well.