Category: Joshua

There’s an old song by Bob Dylan that goes,

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

It was true in 1979 when Dylan wrote that song.  It was true back in Joshua’s day.  And it’s true today.

Joshua reminded the people of all God had done for them.  But he warned them that if they turned their backs on God, God would punish them for it.

He then reminded them of how Terah, Abraham’s father had worshiped other gods, and how the Israelites themselves had followed other gods in Egypt.  Then he said,

Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 23:14-15)

We face the same decision today.  Who will we serve?

Will you serve God?  Or will you serve yourself?

Will you serve the idol of money?  Will you serve the idol of sex?  Will you serve the idol of power?

Who will you serve?

Joshua said he didn’t care what others did, he and his family would serve the Lord.

And for many reading this blog, they would say the same.  But what does that mean exactly, to serve God?

First, it means to put away all other idols in your life.  In other words, stop making them the most important thing in your life.  Instead, put them under the rulership of God.

Joshua said,

Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel. (Joshua 24:23)

This is not to say that we are to give away all our money, be celibate, and never take any positions of leadership, of course.

But it does mean that all these things must be done with hearts yielded to God.  A heart that says, “I make you God over all my life, including money, sex, power.”

And of course, if you have been worshiping other gods such as Buddha, Allah, or whoever, you need to leave that completely behind you.  You can’t worship two deities (although there is only one true Deity).

As Joshua said,

He is a jealous God. (24:19)

To serve God also means to love and obey him.  Joshua said,

Be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left…be very careful to love the LORD your God. (23:6,11)

Jesus himself said that if we loved him, we would obey him.  (John 14:21)

But finally, remember that we can’t do all this in our own strength.  Joshua told the people,

You are not able to serve the LORD.  (24:19)

I think he was actually just challenging the people and their commitment to follow God.  He was saying, “Are you really serious?  Do you really mean it?”

But his words were literally true.  It is impossible for us to serve God with all our hearts unless the Holy Spirit is working in us, and changing us from the inside out.

And so our prayer should be, “Lord, renew me day by day.  Forgive my sins.  And help me to become more like you so that I may serve you better.”

That’s what it means to serve the Lord.  Who will you serve?

Often times arguments happen because of bad communication.  We misjudge others and their intentions simply because we don’t communicate well.

And that’s what seems to have happened here in Joshua 22. 

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, with Joshua’s blessing, were told that it was okay to go back to their settlements across the Jordan now that the Israelites had come into their inheritance.

But before doing so, the three tribes built an altar. 

The other Israelites got really upset about this because God had specifically commanded that when they reached the promised land, they could no longer build altars just anywhere, but only in the place where God directed them to. 

And so they went to confront their brothers, ready to make war against them if necessary.

But the three tribes reassured the rest of the Israelites that they were not intending to use the altar for sacrifices.  Rather, it was a sign to them and their descendants that they all belonged to the same God.  And so a war was averted.

I think there are a couple of things we can learn from this.

First, communication is vital in order to avoid misunderstandings.

It would’ve been so much better if when the three tribes were leaving, they had asked the elders of Israel to come with them, and they built the altar in front of them while explaining why they were doing so. 

Instead, they built the altar with no explanations, leaving the rest of the Israelites to assume the worst.

I don’t know why the three tribes didn’t do this.  Maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing.  They didn’t think of it until they got to the Jordan. 

Or maybe they just thought the rest of the Israelites would understand. 

But whatever the reason, there was a failure to communicate.

One thing I’ve always told my wife is that I can’t read her mind.  And that if she wants me to understand her and her needs, she needs to communicate them.

Of course, on the flip side, that means that I actually need to listen to and remember what she says so that I can “read her mind” more effectively in the future.  And I’ve tried to do that.

We can’t just assume, though, that people will understand us and why we  do things.  If we want people to understand us, we need to communicate, and that’s what the three tribes learned.

The second thing to learn from this story is to deal with problems directly and swiftly.

When the three tribes built the altar, the other ten tribes leaped to the wrong conclusion and got very upset as a result. 

But one thing they did do right was to confront their brothers about it directly.  And because they did that, the miscommunication was resolved quickly.

How often, however, do we avoid confrontation, however, and just stew in our anger.  Doing so solves nothing.  If we’ve been hurt, or if we feel someone has wronged us, then we need to confront them about it.

By doing so, we can make right judgments about matters, and be reconciled with that person.  Or at least we have a much better chance to do so. 

Ignoring the problem, on the other hand, just leaves the relationship to fester, and that’s not what God would have us do.

How are your relationships?  Are you making right judgments?  Or are you making judgments on incomplete information? 

Are you communicating?  Or are you just stewing in your anger? 

What would God have you do today?

I love the final part of this passage.

So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands.

Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. (Joshua 21:43-45)

It was nearly 700 to 800 years before that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give them the land in Canaan.

God kept his promise, and over the centuries, one man Abraham became a great nation.

God then miraculously brought his descendants out of slavery in Egypt.

Then after leading them for 40 years in the desert, God brought them into Canaan. And after many battles, they were now settled in a land that they could call their own.

The only thing they had to do was believe God’s promises and act on them. 

But that is the catch.  If we want to see God’s promises happen in our lives, we need to believe them and act on them.

The first generation of Jews that came out of Egypt didn’t, and they all died in the desert except for Joshua and Caleb.

The Danites in chapter 19 didn’t and failed to take the land that God had for them.  What about you?

God has given us the promise of eternal life.  Do you believe it and have you responded to it. 

In John 3:16, it says,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

To receive eternal life is so easy.  All we need to do is believe in God’s promise and ask to receive it.  And Jesus said, “whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37)

And what of God’s other promises?  His promises of provision?  His promises of blessing?

Do we believe them?  And do we act on them?

Or are we like those who refused to believe?

Does God really want to bless me?  Does he really have something good in store for me?  Will he really keep his promises to me?

Sometimes, we really struggle with these questions, and it keeps us from taking hold of the good things God has in store for us, whether it’s a job, a husband or wife, or whatever it may be.

And that’s what the Israelites seemed to be struggling with.  They had won many victories.  But even after all those victories, they didn’t take possession of the land that God had intended for them.

It’s not clear why.  Perhaps they were satisfied with what they had.  Perhaps they were afraid of the unknown.  Perhaps they were afraid of the struggles ahead they would face as they battled people stronger than they.

Whatever the reason, they hesitated.  And so Joshua confronted them about it, and said,

How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? (Joshua 18:3)

He then gave them instructions to survey the land, and then to come back to Joshua so that he could start assigning them the land that they were to take.

How often are we like the Israelites, afraid to move forward in our lives to take the good things God has for us?  And so instead of moving out and searching, we sit and do nothing.

But if we sit and do nothing, basically nothing happens.  We need to move out in faith, believing that God has something good for us, and trusting him to guide us in the process.

For a long time, I was frustrated about finding a wife here in Japan.  I had certain ideas about how I wanted things to proceed, and things just weren’t happening.

Finally, I started making plans.  I started by making a list of the type of woman I wanted.  Then I refined that down to “What I need” and “What would be nice.”

Then I started “surveying” the field and narrowing it down to people that matched that list, and I decided on one of them to ask out.

The really weird thing was that at that point, God stepped into the process.  There was one other woman that I thought would be great, but she lived kind of far away, so I gave up on the idea and had selected someone else to ask out.

But before I had that chance, God brought the first woman right back to the front of the list.

We started writing.  Then calling.  Then she moved down to Kobe.  One year later, we were married.  We’ve now been married for six and a half years.  (I love you Satoko 🙂 )

But it all started with me making steps to take hold of the good I knew God had for me.  Had I done nothing, perhaps nothing would’ve happened.  When I started to move, so did God.

Are you frustrated by your life?  Are you frustrated that nothing’s happening?  Start planning.  Start moving.  And see what God will do in your life.

All of us struggle with sin.  And there are some sins that are very difficult to completely expel from our lives.  For guys, lust is a big issue.  (I’m not sure what women struggle with).

And it’s so easy to just say, “Well that’s the way it is.  There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Unfortunately, that’s the kind of attitude the Israelites had when taking the land of Canaan.  In chapter 17, verses 12-13, it talks about how Joshua told the Manassites which lands they were to take over.  But, it says,

The Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region.

However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. (Joshua 17:12-13)

They were able to make agreements with the Canaanites where the Canaanites would serve them, but the Israelites didn’t drive them out as God commanded.

We too sometimes face sins that are “determined” to live within us.  And instead of driving it out completely, we kind of make agreements with it.

“Okay, well, I won’t let you rule over me completely, but I’ll let you hang around.”

And from time to time, we dip into that sinful behavior.

In verses 14-18, the other Manasssites and Ephraimites complained that they didn’t have enough land.  But when Joshua told them some other places that they could take over, they replied,

All the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.  (16)

In other words, “We can’t do it.  They’re too strong.”

And often times we say the same when it comes to sin.   God says, “You can conquer this sin in your life.  You can have victory.”  But we say, “We can’t do it.  It’s too strong.”

But what did Joshua say?

You are numerous and very powerful…though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out. (17-18)

I think the key thing here that Joshua said was that when they fought together, they were powerful enough to defeat their enemies.

It’s the same with us.  When we’re struggling with sin, it helps when we have Christians around us join in on the fight, praying for us, keeping us accountable.

And by joining together with other Christians, we become powerful, and can drive the sin out of our lives.

How about you?  Are you fighting sin that seems determined to stay in your life?  Or are you making excuses for letting it hang around?

When I read Caleb’s story, it’s pretty amazing.  At 40 years old, he went to spy out the land that God had promised to give to the Israelites.  But he and Joshua were the only men to believe that God could actually give them the land.

And so while all the other Israelite men and women died in the desert, God kept them alive.  Not only that, he kept them remarkably healthy.

Now 85, Caleb said,

Here I am today, eighty-five years old! 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. (Joshua 14:10-11)

All through the years, God remained faithful to Caleb.  And in all that time, Caleb remained true to God.  Not only did his health remain strong, so did his faith.  He told Joshua,

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. (12)

Just as he believed God 45 years earlier, he believed God when the entered the promised land.  And even though attacking the Anakites seemed an impossible task, Caleb had no doubt that God would bring them victory.

Why?  Because God said so.  And Caleb believed his promises.

How about us?

Do we believe God is faithful?  Do we believe that he’ll do the things that he’s promised us?

And are we faithful to him?  Will we do the things he’s asked us to do, knowing that he will be by our side helping us?

I suppose for a lot of people, they look forward to retirement.  After years of working, they can’t wait for the day that they can finally rest and just do whatever they want.

But in the kingdom of God, there is no such thing as retirement.  We are always called to press on as Christians.  To continue to grow.  And to continue to make a difference for God in this world.

And that’s what God told Joshua in verse 1.  He said,

You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. (Joshua 13:1)

God didn’t say, “Okay Joshua.  You’re pretty old right now.  You’ve earned the right to just kick back and relax.  Take it easy.”

Instead he said, “You’ve accomplished a lot in your lifetime.  You’ve done well.  But you’re not finished yet.  There’s still lots to do.”

And he says the same to us.  I’ve been a Christian for about 30 years now.  And yet, I’ve not “arrived” as a Christian yet.

There are still sins in my life I’ve yet to conquer.  There are still areas in my life I need to grow.  I can’t afford to just kick back and relax when it comes to spiritual growth.

And though I’ve served God for many years, there is still much more to do.

I suspect even after I retire from work, I’ll still be serving God in some capacity.  Whether it’s preaching his Word.  Leading a small group.  Or just visiting people and trying to bless them somehow.

In Japan, the vast majority of the population doesn’t know Christ.  There is so much to do.  Hopefully we’ll make a dent in the next 40 years.  But until Christ calls me home, I can’t just kick back and rest.

And neither can you.  Let us always press on to be more like Christ, and to be his hands, feet, and mouth in this world.

I like what it says in verse 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)

I think that’s what I’d like on my gravestone someday (assuming I actually have one, anyway).

Bruce left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded him.

It’s so easy to waste time in our lives doing things that don’t really matter.  Or to let the urgent things of life overshadow the truly important.  I’m guilty on both counts.  And the thing is, it’s so easy to make excuses.

“Well, I need my down time, don’t I?”

Or, “I do need the money to live, don’t I?”

But if I’m truly doing what God has asked me to, won’t he make sure that I have the money that I need?  Won’t he make sure that I have the down time that I need.

Contrary to what some people believe, God doesn’t want us to burn out for him.  He wants us to burn brightly for him.

And God has told us that if we seek his kingdom first and his righteousness, that everything else we need will be provided.  So the two questions that I need to ask myself are:

1.  Do I believe him?

2.  Will I obey him?

This is one of the more remarkable miracles in the Bible taken at face value.  According to this passage, God “stopped the sun and moon” giving the Israelite army enough light to finish the battle against their enemies.

What does it mean that God made the sun stand still?  Obviously it can’t be taken literally because the sun doesn’t move.

Taken at face value, God either slowed or completely stopped the rotation of the earth, and had to compensate for all the physics involved with that (which quite frankly is beyond my capacity to explain).

Other people have tried to explain it by saying God refracted the light somehow to allow the sun to remain visible for a longer period of time.

Whatever happened that day, the key point is found in verse 14.

The Lord listened to a man.  Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! (Joshua 10:14)

Sometimes we go through tough times in our lives.

Perhaps we’re struggling with a difficult boss or a difficult marriage or some other kind of difficult relationship.

Perhaps we’re struggling with sin in our lives.  Or we’re struggling through depression or discouragement.

And sometimes we wonder as we go through these things if God really cares.  If God is really working.  But just as God listened to Joshua’s prayer and fought for Israel, he listens to our prayers and fights for us.

So whatever you’re going through right now, don’t get discouraged.  Remember that the same God that heard Joshua and fought for Israel hears you and fights for you.

Joshua was basically a good leader.  But there were two times he got in trouble.  And both times it was for the same reason.  He relied on his own wisdom and understanding rather than God’s.

The first time came at Ai.

Fresh off of their great victory at Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites were so full of confidence, that they never consulted God on the battle plan for Ai.

Instead, they said, “Hey we handled Jericho.  Ai is much smaller.  We don’t need to even send our full army out there.”

And so they went out to battle without asking God what he thought.  As a result, they didn’t find out about the problem with Achan until it was too late.

The second time came in this chapter.  Men from Gibeon, one of the lands that God had told them to conquer, deceived the Israelites into making a treaty with them by pretending to be from a far off land.

The key verse in this chapter is verse 14.  “The men of Israel …did not inquire of the LORD.”  Had they done so, they would not have been deceived.

Both times, their actions seemed right at the time.  But both times they were wrong.

How often do we make the same kind of mistakes in our lives?

We live our lives by our own wisdom, and make decisions that seem right at the time, but we fail to ask God what he thinks.  Or we know what he says in his Word, but we willfully ignore it.

The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  (Proverbs 14:12)

Let us not make the same mistake that Joshua did.  Rather, let us prayerfully make decisions in our lives, making sure to seek his guidance before we take action.

Can God still use me?  Or is it all over for me?

People often think these things when they fail, particularly when they sin.  And perhaps the Israelites were thinking the same thing.

They had suffered a devastating defeat at Ai because of the sin of one man in the camp.  Now, the sin was dealt with, but it’s possible there was still some lingering doubt in the minds of Joshua and the people.  “Is God still with us?  Or are his promises to us now void?”

And so God spoke to Joshua saying,

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. (Joshua 8:1)

In other words, “Joshua, you all messed up.  And you paid a price for your sin.

“But now the sin has been dealt with.  Get up.  Don’t be afraid that I’m still against you.  Don’t be discouraged and think that I’ve left you.  Go and do the things I’ve called you to do.  Get up and run to the battle.  You will find victory.”

And God says the same thing to us when we fall.  When we come before him and repent, we sometimes still wonder if we’re really all right with God.  If God could really forgive us.

But God tells us, “Yes you messed up.  But you’ve confessed it.  Get up.  I’m still with you.  Don’t be discouraged.  Now run to the battle and do the things I’ve told you to do.”

You may ask, “What battle am I fighting?”

The Bible says that we are in a spiritual war, fighting against Satan and his forces.  And we are fighting for souls, in order that those who don’t know Christ would come to know him in a personal way.

Satan knows this, and if he can’t prevent you from becoming a Christian, he at least wants to make you an ineffectual soldier.  And one way he does that is by discouraging us when we sin.

“You’re no good.  Look at that sin in your life.  How could God use someone like you?  You might as well keep your mouth shut about your Christianity.  Nobody will ever believe anything you say.”

But God says differently.  He doesn’t want us to wallow in our self-pity.  He wants us to know that he still loves us and that he can still use us.

So don’t get discouraged.

Don’t give up.

Get up.

And run to the battle.

In the area where I live in Japan, we speak Kansai dialect.  And one of those words unique to Kansai is “akan,” which basically means, “No good.”

Coincidentally, that’s how Achan’s name translates into Japanese.  Mr. “No Good.”  And he certainly brought about a lot of trouble upon the Israelites.

Basically, he took things for himself from Jericho, that God said was to be completely destroyed.  And because he did so, God was not with the Israelites when they battled the city of Ai and they were completely routed.

Joshua and the rest of the people were in despair, asking God, “What happened?”  But God said, “Get up.  Israel has sinned.  That’s why you lost this battle.  And things will not be made right until you get rid of this sin from your camp.”

And so, the people stood before God, and God brought out what Achan had done in front of all the people.  And only when his sin had been dealt with, could the Israelites move on with the plans God had for them.

The same is true with us.  Sometimes we hide sin in our hearts, and we think that nobody knows.  But no matter how well we  hide our sin from others, we cannot hide it from God.  Earlier on, God had told the people,

You may be sure that your sin will find you out.  (Numbers 32:23)

And it was certainly true in Achan’s case.  The problem with hidden sin is two-fold.

First, our sin does affect other people.  We may not think it does.  Achan certainly didn’t.  But it was because of his sin, that the Israelites were defeated against the city of Ai.

Second, hidden sin keeps us from seeing God’s plan for us realized in our lives.  God won’t leave us if we sin.  He’s made that promise.  But neither will he bless us.  And so if we want to see God’s blessing in our lives, we cannot leave sin hidden in our lives.  It must be dealt with.

The good news is that God is always willing to forgive.  It says in I John 1:9,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

So let us never hide sin in our lives.  Rather, let us bring it out before God that he might forgive us and bless us.

I’ve probably read this story dozens of times, but this time, it’s the last part that strikes me.  After all of Jericho was destroyed, Joshua pronounced a curse saying,

“Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son
will he lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
will he set up its gates.”  (Joshua 6:26)

And as it happened, that’s exactly what happened to the man who tried to rebuild it. (I Kings 16:34)

Why did Joshua pronounce this curse?  Perhaps because of what Jericho represented.  It was filled with evil people that were involved in things like prostitution, child sacrifice, no less worship of false gods.

One of the reasons that God sent the Israelites to take over the Promised Land was to get rid of all this evil.  And so Joshua basically said, “May this evil never rise again, and cursed is the person that tries to raise it up.”

What about us?  Do we rebuild evil in our lives?  The Bible says that when we become Christians, our old self, our old way of life was crucified so that we should no longer be slaves to sin.  (Romans 6:6)

But when we deliberately choose to sin, it’s as though we’re raising that part of us back to life again.  And when we do that, sin can destroy us.  It won’t destroy our soul.  God has already saved us from that.

But it can destroy our lives here on earth.  It can wreck our marriages, it can wreck our relationships, it can wreck our reputations, it can wreck everything we hold dear.  And in that way, we can truly say that cursed is the person that tries to raise up that sinful nature again.

And so Paul writes,

Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.  (Romans 6:11-14)

How about you?  Do you rebuild sin in your life?  Or do you keep it dead and buried, living for Christ instead?

Recently, Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has been a national sports phenomenon.  A very gifted athlete, but not a particularly good passer.  Still, he led his team to six straight victories with most of them coming in amazing fashion.

The main reason he’s gotten so much attention, though, is that he’s also a Christian and is very vocal about it, giving glory to God during every interview he gives.

That leads some people to criticize him, as if he’s claiming divine intervention for all his athletic feats.  Which I think he would tell you he’s not.

Frankly, I don’t think God worries too much about who wins games in sports (although I have been known to throw up a prayer or two for my favorite teams).  🙂

But I think even Tim Tebow would say it’s not so much that God’s on his side, as he’s on God’s side.

And that’s what Joshua needed to learn in this passage.

A man came before Joshua, and and when Joshua asked him, “Are you on our side or theirs?” he replied, “Neither.  But I have come as commander of the army of the Lord.” (Joshua 5:13-14)

Most people believe that it was actually Jesus himself that appeared to Joshua in this passage.  The commander then told him, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”  (15)

And when Joshua did so, the commander gave him his instructions from God.

So often, we ask ourselves “Is God on our side?”  And I suppose it’s a legitimate question.  God does often let us know that he is on our side.

But the real question that we need to ask ourselves is are we on his?  And are we doing the things that he’s asked us to do?

And that’s what the commander let Joshua know.  The question wasn’t whether God was on Joshua’s side.  But whether Joshua was on God’s side.

And it was because Joshua put himself on God’s side, and had a heart that was soft to Him, that God could use him.  The same is true with us.

How about you?  Whose side are you on?

In Japan, people often have parties called bonenkai. Literally translated, it means “Forget the year parties.” After all this time, I’m still not sure what that means. I’ve asked my English students:

“Was your year so bad that you have to forget it?”

“No.”

“So what are you trying to forget?”

(Shrug)

Anyway, for Christians, we have had our past rolled away by Christ. When God brought the Israelites into the promised land, he said,

Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. (Joshua 5:9)

In other words, “You suffered much shame and disgrace in the past. You were made to serve as slaves for years in Egypt.

“But now all of that is behind you. I have rolled away your past, and it is no more. Now look to the future that I have for you.”

He says the same thing to us.

“You were slaves to sin and the kingdom of Satan for so many years. You did things that brought you shame and disgrace. But no more.

“I have rolled your past away from you and that is behind you now. Now look forward to the future I have in store for you.”

In Isaiah 43:25, God says,

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

And in I Corinthians 2:9, Paul writes

“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”

Are the burdens of your past weighing you down? Are you feeling the weight of guilt and shame in your life because of things you’ve done?

God has rolled your past away. He no longer remembers your transgressions. And he has wondrous things in store for you that you can’t imagine.

So let’s turn our face from the past, and look towards the future God has for us.

Happy New Year all!

I can’t believe another year has come and gone.  And as always, when it comes to the future, we’re always facing the unknown.  We just don’t know what things we’ll face this year.  That can be exciting.  Or it can be scary.

That’s what the Israelites faced as they were about to cross the Jordan into the land God had promised to give to them.

They were probably excited to finally arrive.  But there was probably some, if not fear, then trepidition.

And so Joshua told them,

When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.

Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before  (Joshua 3:3-4)

He then told the people,

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”  (5)

The ark of the covenant was a symbol of God’s presence. The Israelites didn’t know where to go or what to do.  But God did, and so he told the people to follow him

In the same way, God is with us. And as we face decisions in our lives, we also don’t know what decisions are best or what we should do. But God does, and so he calls us to follow his leading.

He also told the Israelites to consecrate themselves.  The word consecrate basically means to set your self apart for something or someone.

In this case, God told the people to set themselves apart for him.  And as they made him Lord in their lives, he promised to do amazing things among them.

He says the same thing to us.  To set apart our lives for him.  To remember that we are not our own.  That we belong to him, because Jesus bought us with this blood.  And as we give our lives to him, he will do awesome things in our lives.

But there was one more thing that God told them to do.

After God had stopped the river so that that the Israelites could cross on dry land, he told them to take 12 stones out of the river bed and place them in a pile on the land.

And he told them that whenever their children asked about those rocks, to tell them what God had done for them that day.

In the same way, as God brings us through trials in our lives, it’s good to make records of what he did.

It could be in a diary.  It could be in a blog.

But make a record of what happened, so that when you face the unknown again, you’ll know that the same God that brought you through your problems the last time, will do so again.

How are you facing the unknowns of the coming year?

With fear?

Or with faith?

I’m fortunate to have been raised in a Christian family.  And because of that, when my dad passed away this year, our family had comfort in the fact that he’s with Jesus now.

But not everyone has that peace about their family.  And so they pray to God for their family’s salvation.

That was Rahab’s hope.  She knew that the Israelites were going to attack Jericho, and asked the spies she had protected to spare her life and that of her family.  And the spies told her,

This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house.

If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible.  As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.  (Joshua 2:17-19)

The spies made provision for the salvation of Rahab and her family.  She was to make sure that her house was marked with a red cord in the window and she had to make sure that her family stayed in her house during the attack.

God makes a similar provision for our salvation.  When we become Christians, God puts the seal of the Holy Spirit on us marking us as his.  (Ephesians 1:13)

But in order for our family members to be saved, they too need to be brought under his seal.  There is no other way for them to be saved.

Rahab had to tell her family about this provision in order for them to be saved.  And so do we.

We cannot just pray for our family and say nothing.  We can’t just stay safe in our own salvation, and hope that somehow our family is spared.  We need to tell them.

Rahab did and her family was saved.

How about you?  For some of your family members, you may be the only one they know who knows Jesus.

Will you tell them?  Will you bring them into the house of God?  Or will you just let them perish apart from Christ?

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:13-14)

Success.  All of us want it.  At least, I don’t know anyone who starts out by saying, “It’s my goal to fail!”

But while everyone wants it, it can be an elusive thing.  People have written entire books to show others how to achieve success.

But here, God shows us what it takes to achieve true success in our lives.

For many people, it’s a matter of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps and making things happen.  But God has a different perspective.

He told Joshua,

“I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous….

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5-9)

What is God’s key to success?

Rely on Him, not yourself.  Rely on his strength.  Rely on his wisdom.  Not your own.  He told Joshua, “I will be with you, so be strong and courageous.  Don’t be terrified.  Don’t be discouraged.  I will be with you wherever you go.”

So often, we try to gain success using our own wisdom and strength alone.  And because of that, when we see a task or a problem that seems bigger than we are, we start to panic.

But God tells us.  “I am here.  I’m on your side.  So put your trust in me.  You don’t have to be afraid.  You don’t have to be discouraged when things go wrong. I’m with you.  Just keep walking with me.”

God also told Joshua, “Don’t rely on your own wisdom.  Rather, meditate on my words and my ways.  Think about them throughout the day.  And obey.  If you do that, then you will be prosperous and successful.”

How often do we fail because we’re doing things in our own wisdom and strength.  Joshua would certainly find that out later when dealing with Ai.

Solomon certainly knew the secret of success.  He wrote,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.  (Proverbs 3:5-7)

How are you seeking success in your life?