Posts
timewithgod.blog-city.com — May 2007
Joshua 13-14 Remaining young and strong
Caleb got that as a gift from God
I wonder how Caleb felt about his fellow countrymen? Was he exasperated by their unbelief that had caused him to wait for so long to claim what was his?
He'd left Egypt at age 40. You'd figure that he'd have been old before his time because of the backbreaking work in Egypt, but he seemed full of vinegar and ready to tackle a bear. He'd gotten a scouting tour of the new land courtesy of God, as had eleven others, and he'd been thrilled with what he'd seen. He'd returned with a "Let's kick some butt!" attitude, but only Joshua agreed with him.
The Israelites had the opposite reaction as fear set in. Caleb had replied, "If the Lord is pleased with us, He WILL lead us into that land and give us that fertile land. Don't turn against the Lord! Don't be afraid of the people in the land! We'll chew them up!"
When the other people didn't buy into his belief, I imagine he was sick to his stomach. Forty years he'd have to trudge through the desert and wait in order to possess what he'd seen! It was a case of deferred rewards. Thankfully he had the patience to wait it out.
Then there were the five or six more years of securing the land -- removing its inhabitants. The mopping up operation wasn't yet complete and would be left to each tribe.
Caleb was ready and he was 85! His land still hadn't been fully conquered. He'd have to go after the Anakim -- the giants in the land, supposedly the descendants of the "sons of the gods who'd married the daughters of men". At 85, he's facing his toughest challenge yet. But it's his land he'll be fighting for -- not someone else's. That made it worth the fight. And because of his faithfulness, God had insured that his "physical age" didn't match his chronological age. His body had practically stopped aging when he left Egypt! "He still saw things through the eyes of faith and not as they appeared outwardly," my commentary said. "This was the secret of his abiding strength and amazing success. He was not about to retire until he possessed his possessions."
Father, I too got started later in life with my boys, but I listed in faith to You as well when You sent me to get them. I know it was all in Your timing. Please help me to have Caleb's strength and youthful vigor so that I can remain an energetic dad for them, and so we can continue to do things together that we enjoy now, even when they're out of college. Preserve for us the years we were not able to be together and many more after that. I know that I too saw things through the eyes of faith. Give me abiding strength as well.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Joshua 15-17 and the cost of not following through
you lose it all
At first glance, these seem to be victory pages -- they've conquered the land and are dividing the spoils. But it wasn't all victory. Caleb seems to be the only one who consistently wins and obeys God. He cleared his area of the pagan inhabitants.
The rest of the tribe of Judah weren't as faithful and the results tell the story: "The tribe of Judah got the land God promised them .... The army of Judah was not able to force out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem."
My commentary says that the upper part of the city, Mount Zion, was not taken until the time of David! The lower city, Jerusalem, was taken by Judah, then recaptured by the Jebusites. Of all places, the capital was a problem spot!
It read the same for Ephraim: "So Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, received their land... The Ephraimites could not force the Canaanites to leave... [the Canaanites} became slaves of the Ephraimites."
And for Manasseh: "The land was given to the tribe of Manasseh.... Manasseh was not able to defeat those cities, so the Canaanites continue to live there."
With perfect 20/20 hindsight, we are able to see the consequences of their failures. The Canaanites led the Israelites to worship idols and sin. Ultimately, they lost all of their land -- the land promised by God slipped right through their fingers because they didn't follow through.
Father, help me to be careful about everything You give me. Give me diligence in taking care of it so that none of it will be wasted. Help me to make sure that I give a tithe back to You. Help me never to fail to root out of my life the enemies who will strive to pull me away from You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Joshua 18-19 The Importance of Remembering
It brings us back to humbleness before God
After Joseph's brothers had sold him into slavery, Jacob had clung to Benjamin, his youngest son who was born as his beloved wife Rachel was dying. Now, hundreds of years later as the land was being divided, my commentary noted what Benjamin's family group received:
"Benjamin's portion was small, but it was choice. It occupied the heart of the land and possessed within its borders the firstfruits of Israel's labors in Canaan. [It included] Gilgal ... the first campsite west of the Jordan. The memorial stones were there to bear witness to the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. There the people kept the first Passover in Canaan, and began feeding on the produce of the land. There the nation was once again circumcised and the reproach of Egypt was rolled away..... no other place taught so many spiritual lessons. The ruins of Jericho were still visible....The portion of the walls belonging to Rahab's house remained standing as a testimony to the grace of God, which always responds to faith. A Benjamite could always visit here whenever he needed a fresh reminder that the battle was the Lord's ... Jerusalem was destined to be the capital city, but it was not until David that the Jebusites would be driven from their mountain fortress.... many signs of past, present, and future blessings."
This week I happened upon old emails I'd sent and received while I was in Ukraine getting Josh. How powerfully the memories swept over me as I read again the things God had done to clear the path for me and support me -- the love He showed me through people, many I barely knew, who sent emails to me. And I saw again the way what He was doing in my life was impacting others as they watched from a distance His might works.
Those remembrances are good, and like the tribe of Benjamin, I need to keep them ever present whenever I need a fresh reminder that the battle is the Lord's.
Just last night, after I'd prayed for Josh, he called me back to his room and said, "Dad, for the last two nights I've been praying and I think God wants me to have more of Him in my life." I explained about giving the Holy Spirit full control -- like switching places on a bicycle built for two -- and he said he understood. We're beginning to see our trip to Ukraine this summer as a mission trip.
Father, I have no way of knowing how many people You have impacted by my adoptions. Amazingly, You continue each day to send people into my path that I can touch with the story of Your love for Josh, Joseph, and me. Ready us for this trip. As we meet "family" we don't yet know, open their hearts to You and let our reaction to them exemplify Your grace. Bring healing to these families separated by sin and by miles. Shake Ukraine with this, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Joshua 20-22 New meaning for the cities of refuge
their names signify what Christ offers
My commentary had an interesting take on the cities of refuge. I'd heard parts of it before, but some was new:
"D.L. Moody saw a connection between the names of the cities of refuge and Christ: Kedesh (Holiness), Shechem (Strength), Hebron (Fellowship), Ramoth-Gilead (Uplifting), Golan (Happiness), Bezer (Safety). Christ provides every blessing suggested by those names."
In order to make certain that people needing refuge had no trouble finding it, the roads leading to them had been widened to 48' and were well maintained, with all obstacles removed and no river crossing left unbridged. At every turn, a sign was put up with the word REFUGE and an arrow pointing the way. Similarly, the road to eternal life is well-marked, so none would make a mistake and lose his life. Just as the cities were not more than 30 miles from any part of Israel, Christ is accessible to all men. Just as crisis drove people to those cities, so a crisis is often needed to drive people to the Lord Jesus. Just as there was no neutral ground for the guilty person -- he was either safe or subject to the wrath of the avenger -- so too each individual is either safe in Christ or under the judgment of God.
Father, thanks for showing me how everything in Your grand design continues to point to Christ. You've made the way so clear -- how can anyone miss it?
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Joshua 23-24 Victory Yet Failure
they had no hope in Christ as we do
Joshua was delivering his farewell speeches to the leaders, then to the people. To the leaders, he recounted everything God had done, then said, "Every good promise that the Lord your God made has come true, and in the same way, His other promises will come true." What other promises? They weren't good ones, because they had all come true.
"He promised that evil WILL come to you and that He will destroy you from this good land that He gave you. This will happen if you don't keep your agreement with the Lord your God. If you go and serve other gods and worship them, the Lord will become very angry with you."
It sounds as though God has already made up His mind that this is going to happen. He's promised it. The promise sounds unconditional. The "if's" were only on Israel's side. So why would Joshua say this? The clue comes in his next farewell speech to the people.
Joshua said, "Now respect the Lord and serve Him fully and sincerely. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt."
So wait! Where'd they get these gods? They'd carried them with them out of Egypt over 50 years prior -- they'd gotten them from their parents -- they'd inherited them. All the time that God had been amazingly at work freeing them, feeding them, and giving them the Promised Land, they'd carried them!
What about the other gods from beyond the Euphrates River? They hadn't traveled there. Centuries before, when Jacob and his family had left Laban on the other side of the Euphrates River, Rachel had carried off her father's gods (the ones Joshua was speaking about). The place where Joshua was delivering his farewell address was the place where Jacob told his household to "put away these strange gods", and he hid them under an oak tree near where they were. Had some distant ancestor failed to follow Jacob's advice? Had someone been carrying them for thousands of years? Or had someone recently dug them up? We'll never know.
Joshua flat out told them, "You are not able to serve the Lord, because He is a holy God and a jealous God." Joshua knew those idols were out there and that the hearts of the people were tugged toward them. There were a lot of "if's" here that seem to indicate a conditional promise, but the conditions had apparently already been met.
When the people proclaimed their allegiance to God again, Joshua said, "Now throw away the gods that you have." There is no record that they did.
It's not enough to just decide to follow God. It must be backed up with action. Israel's actions indicate a besetting sin. That's what we struggle with, too.
It's interest that the actual choice he gave them in verse 15 was to either serve the idols of Egypt or the idols of the land east of the Euphrates. He was going to serve God. The land was conquered, but Joshua recognized already that all was lost.
Father, I know that because of what Your Son did for me on the cross, my victory is assured. Yet I also know that I too struggle to give You all of my heart at times. Help me when I struggle to give up that which is not of You -- those worthless "treasures" from long ago that hold no eternal value and drag me down by their weight. I don't want to carry them for as long as these people did. Release my steadfast grip on them and help me to let go and let You be God in my life always.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Peter 1:1-12 Motivation to persevere
a persevering manual coming up
Peter understood something that is only just dawning on many of us: "Christianity is counter-culture," my commentary says. And Peter wrote a survival manual for our use as we begin to experience the persecution that being counter-culture brings.
A fourfold progression of our faith is given here:
1) God chooses us in a past eternity to belong to Himself
2) Before we are converted, the Holy Spirit sets us apart to belong to God
3) We respond in obedience
4) We receive all the benefits which flow from Christ's shedding of His blood on Calvary"
Yet even after all this, day by day, we'll need "grace or strength for the Christian life and peace in the midst of a turbulent society," my commentary says. Sounds like Peter knew about my day yesterday!
We have an inheritance in Heaven that is being guarded FOR US, yet also we are kept or guarded for it. "In this life an heir may die before an inheritance is divided. But the same grace that preserves the heavenly inheritance preserves US as heirs to enjoy it."
My commentary mentioned the three tenses of salvation:
1) A Christian was saved from the penalty of sin the moment he first trusted the Savior.
2) He is saved daily from the power of sin as he allows the Savior to live His life through Him.
3) He will be saved from the presence of sin at the time of the Rapture.
As far as persecution, it says that we can find joy in knowing that our troubles are only for a little while, and that they are neither purposeless or fruitless. Instead, they test the genuineness of our faith. "God will reward every instance of faith that stood the test."
Peter noted that those of us who have not seen Christ, as he did, have a better faith for having not seen yet still having believed.
Father, thanks for pointing out the benefits of believing in Your Son first, to give us the motivation to persevere through the persecution we are meant for. Thanks for testing and proving that my faith is genuine. Now show me how to persevere.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Peter 1:13-25 Turning off the antivirus, firewall, and spyware protection
we set ourselves up for sin infection
Just as my PC follows a daily boot-up routine intended to bring it back each time it's turned on to the correct operating state with full protection, there are steps our lives should regularly follow to recheck and realign our thoughts with our new purpose as Christians.
"Prepare your minds for service" is the way Peter put it. My commentary says that means to make them "strong, composed, cool, ready for action, and unimpeded by the distraction of human fear of persecution."
That sounds doable so far. Then those three words pop up that sound so limiting to humans, but which are of vital importance: "Have self-control." In computer terms, limit the ability of any process to effect a change in the protection that's been put in place. Don't allow a virus to overwrite parts of the protection system.
Self-control isn't easy or fun in the beginning, but regularly practiced, it becomes a habit more than an unlikely ideal.
Verse 14 almost sounds like an oxymoron: "Now that you are obedient children of God, do not live as you did in the past." We can't be called obedient children of God if we aren't being obedient!
Being obedient means leaving our pasts in the past -- not trying "just because" to boot-up under old rules again. "Be holy in all you do," it says. It's like a spiritual antivirus program running to prevent bad behavior from taking hold in our lives.
"Live with respect for God." If we try to start booting up under our old systems, living as the world does, we show terrible disrespect for the One who died to give us this new life.
We heard the truth about God through Christ, and that believing in Him made our souls pure when we obeyed the Truth by believing in Christ. The end result is that we can now have true love, with all our heart, for our Christian brothers.
My commentary noted that "if a believer is ever tempted to return to worldly pleasures .... he should remember that Christ shed His blood to deliver him from that kind of life. To go back to the world is to re-cross the great gulf that was bridged for us at staggering cost. But even more -- it is positive disloyalty to the Savior. Reason back from the greatness of the sacrifice to the greatness of the sin. Then determine to be done forever with that which cost God's Son His life."
Father, too often I find myself wanting to skip steps in this holy boot-up process each day. When I'm tired or distracted I find myself turning off vital steps that You intend for my protection. Help me not to do that. Show me the incredible cost of disarming the protective systems You've put into place in my soul. Remind me that I am Yours and that You are infinitely worthy of my respect.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Peter 2:1-10 Prime uses for a warped board
Jesus makes our service acceptable to God
Peter listed several sins that stunt spiritual growth (this is from my commentary):
--Malice: the harboring of evil thoughts against another person
--Deceit: any form of dishonesty or trickery
--Hypocrisy: insincerity, pretense, or sham
--Envy: bare-faced jealousy
--Evil speaking: back-biting, malicious gossip
Needless to say, anyone exhibiting that behavior wouldn't be reflecting Christ in their lives. Rather than doing things that stunt our spiritual growth, Peter stay that we should have an insatiable craving for the pure spiritual milk of the Word. It nourishes our spiritual growth instead.
In verses 4&5, Peter shows us how humans don't "naturally" want what God wants. It's only through Christ that we are able to receive His desires into our hearts. And once He's in control, we each become integral parts of what God is building.
My commentary said, "If we are going to be used in God's building program we must come to Christ. Our only suitability to be building materials is derived from our identification with Him. We are only important as we contribute to His glory."
Verse 5 also mentioned us offering up spiritual sacrifices. My commentary lists 5 of these:
--presenting the body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)
--the sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15)
--the sacrifice of good works (Heb 13:16)
--the sacrifice of possessions (Heb 13:16)
--the sacrifice of service (Romans 15:16)
My commentary added: "It is only He who can make our offerings acceptable to God. All that we do -- our worship and our serve -- is imperfect, flawed by sin. But before it reaches the Father, it passes through the Lord Jesus. He removes all the sin and when it reaches God the Father it is perfectly acceptable."
Father, help me to be alert to sins that might stunt my spiritual growth, and give me an insatiable thirst for Your word. Thank You for making me suitable building material for what You've been planning since before the Earth began. Help me to be used by You in any way You wish. Let my will conform to Yours.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Peter 2:11-25 The costs of our sins
to Jesus AND to us
Wow! Peter puts so much into so small of a space! It's tough to decide exactly what God is emphasizing today!
Remembering that Peter is speaking to Christians, it's almost embarrassing that he has to write: "I beg you to avoid the evil things your bodies WANT to do that fight against your soul."
But that does show us that so long as we inhabit these bodies of sin, there will be struggle and even war. There's a popular song out now that says, "But we're all guilty of the same thing. We think the thoughts whether or not we seem them through." I don't know of a single Christian who wouldn't want God to simply take away that which he struggles with the most, for Satan tries to cry "Hypocrite!" every time we succumb to it.
Peter says that our main motivation for "keeping on keepin' on" is that our lives are such examples to others, and giving in both dishonors God and serves to make unbelievers think that if we do it, it must be alright.
My commentary said our first inclination is to think of sexual sins when we read this verse, but it actually refers to any strong desire that is inconsistent with the will of God. Not only is our witness corrupted, but our communion with God and our spiritual growth is hampered.
In verse 17, Peter urged us to respect or "fear" God. My commentary spoke about what we should fear: "We fear doing anything that would displease him and we fear misrepresenting Him before men."
Verse 24 says, "Christ carried our sins in His body on the cross so we would stop living FOR sin and start living for what is right." My commentary had something worth considering: "Because He suffered for our sins once for all, we should never allow ourselves to get into the position where we have to suffer for them too. The fact that He died for them should cause us to die to them."
Father, help me, even when no other human might know about my sin, to understand what it cost Your Son. Help me to die to it. I want to fear doing anything that might displease You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Peter 3:1-9 How we dress and act
makes an impression on nonbelievers
There were things my commentary brought out, within the verses regarding husbands and wives, that speak volumes even to single people.
First is the fact that our own lifestyles speak volumes to others, and if they can't see Christ in them, then something is wrong, on our part.
It also mentioned Christian dress. Quoting from here and other Scriptures, it mentioned:
--Expense: 1 Timothy 2:9 forbids expensive clothes. "It's not a matter of whether or not we can afford them. It is a sin for a Christian to spend money on expensive clothes because God's word forbids it." In compassion, we should instead put that excess to work for God. This applies to quantity as well as quality, it says, and it's a reflection of the sin of pride.
--Modesty: Paul somewhere describes dress as "decent" in several verses, it says. That includes revealing clothing as well as worn-out clothing. Generally, we must avoid "fashions that attract attention to ourselves", which would include even "old-fashioned, uncommonly plain, loud, or odd" clothing, including provocative clothes, which can cover the whole body but still arouse unholy lust in others. "The believer should never wear clothes that incite passions or make it hard for others to live a Christian life."
What makes us attractive should be the inner person.
Verse 8 deals with our actions and thoughts as a brother in relation to the fellowship, it says. "Being of one mind doesn't mean Christians are to see eye-to-eye on everything. That would be uniformity, not unity. The best formula is contained in the well-known expression: In fundamentals, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in everything, love." We are to have compassion for one another, loving as brothers, having a heart sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Courtesy is demanded and includes humbly thinking of others, putting them first, and saying and doing the gracious thing, serving others before self, jumping at opportunities to assist, and expressing kind appreciation for kindnesses received.
Wow, how different our church might be, and how inclusive of those in our community we might seem if we just put this to work!
Father, as a man I know that I need to work on this a lot more. As a church, we also need to take stock of where we fall short in this and how Satan can use it to hinder our ministry.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
No comments:
Post a Comment