Give Me This Mountain
Todays Passage – Joshua 13-15; Proverbs 16
(Second Milers also read 2 Timothy 1 – 4; memorize 1 John 5:7)
One of my favorite men in the Bible is Caleb. He had an unshakable and an unwavering faith in the Lord. He wholly followed the Lord his God, and there was no obstacle that was too large, and no enemy that was too powerful, to keep Caleb from fulfilling God’s will for his life. You will remember that when the spies were sent in to check out the land of Canaan there were only two of them that came back with a positive report; only two that knew that God was much bigger than and giant Canaanite. One of those two men was Caleb. Ten of those spies came back and said, “It can’t be done; it’s too hard; we’re not ready yet. Not Caleb. He and Joshua were ready for a fight:
“And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” – (Numbers 14:6-9)
In our passage today, it is now forty-five years after the spies came back, and Caleb is an old man; yet, he still has a lot of fight left in him. He is not thinking about retirement. He is still looking to conquer more giants for the Lord. We need more Calebs in the church today! Men and women who trust the Lord wholly to do “greater works than these”. We need people who are willing to fight for what is right; people who still see areas that need to be conquered for the Lord.
What does God want you to conquer for Him? What giant obstacle is in your path that God is waiting for you to trust Him to remove in His power? What neighborhood, or city remains unreached with the gospel? What are you afraid of. I know it’s not going to be easy. I know that there are giants trying to stop you, but your God is greater than any Giant. Trust Him and take the mountain!
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Redeeming the Time
Today’s Passage – Joshua 10-12; Proverbs 14
(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 6; memorize 1 John 5:7)
In Joshua 10 – 12 we have the nation of Israel now inside of the Promised Land, and they are in the process of ridding the land of all of the unwanted tennants. After the Battles of Jerich and Ai; and after the treaty made with the people of Gideon, it became clear to the people of Canaan that Israel was a powerful force and a threat that needed to be taken seriously. The kings of the land joined forces together to fight against Israel. They probably should have just moved out of the area, but instead they come out together to do battle. God, however, is once again with Israel and he defeats these kingdoms easily; but as these people are retreating, Joshua is afraid that the sun would go down before he got to all of them, so he asks the Lord to stop the earth’s rotation; and the sun and moon stand still until all of the enemies are defeated. The Bible says that there has never been a day like this before or since.
Have you ever wished that God would stop time for you? I know there have been many times when I was in school that I have wished that God would speed time up. However, except for this one time in the history of the world, God keeps time clicking away very steadily. The seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millennia just seem to fly on by. And the funny thing about time is that once it is gone, you cannot get it back. As I write this devotion I am 47 years old. It seems like yesterday when I was just starting out with my wife and family. It seems like just a few days has gone by since God brought us to Galloway, NJ to be the pastor of Jersey Shore. Where does the time go? I had all kinds of dreams and visions about what I wanted to do, about where I wanted to be by now; but many of those things never came to pass. There is so much more that I would like to do before I die.
There is one thing that we can learn from this passage of Scripture. It is that time is very precious. It is probably the most valuable thing that we possess, and we really don’t know how much of it we really have. We need to make the most of the time that we have left on this earth. What do you have left to finish in your life. What battles are you in the middle of fighting for the Lord. Get busy! The sun is beginning to set on many of us.
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” – (Ephesians 5:16)
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” – (Colossians 4:5)
This evening, sometime around 6 PM, take a look outside, and you will see the dusky colors of a setting sun. Night will be right behind it, and soon the day will be over. This is a miniature picture of our lives. Soon, the sun will also set on our lives, and time will be up. What will you leave undone of your goals and dreams? More importantly, what will you have left unfinished of what God has called you to do?
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Moldy Bread, Broken Bottles, and Old Shoes
Today’s Reading Joshua 8, 9; Proverbs 14
(Second Milers also read – 2 Thessalonians 1 – 3; memorize 1 John 5:7)
“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” – (Joshua 9:14)
In Joshua chapter nine, we see the children of Israel after their second successful battle in the land of Canaan. They had just destroyed the cities of Jericho and Ai, and they were on their way to conquer all of the other cities of Canaan that were in their path. The inhabitants of the land realized that this new nation coming in could not be beaten in battle, so they resorted to trickery in order to save themselves. The Gibeonites that inhabited four cities nearby that would have soon been destroyed came to the Joshua and the princes of Israel and pretended to be from a very far country, presumably outside of the land of Canaan. They even brought props with them in order to convince the Israelites that what they were saying was true. They brought with them mouldy bread, old and worn out shoes, and broken wine bottles; all designed to convince the Israelites that had travelled from far away. They were very deceptive, yet very convincing. They desired that Israel would make a covenant of peace with them, and Israel does. Without consulting the Lord, Israel takes the victuals that these people offer them, and promise them that they will not be destroyed.
The part about this story that I have the toughest time with is that even though the people of Israel were deceived, God still expected them to honor their covenant with these Gibeonites. It would seem to me that because the Gibeonites had not been truthful about where they came from, God would not expect His people to live up to their end of the bargain. I have struggled with this passage of Scripture for years, but I think I have it figured out now. You see, the people did not consult God before they entered into this covenant. Had they talked to God about it, He would have told them not to believe the Gibeonites. As a result, Israel makes a tragic mistake, and God is going to make them live with their choice.
By the way, this is the second time that the Joshua Administration has acted without consulting God first. Remember when they went into the city of Ai the first time? They were defeated. Why? Because Achan stole the accursed thing back in the battle of Jericho. Again, it almost looked as if God was punishing the whole nation unfairly for the act of one man, which nobody else in Israel even knew about. But God knew, and God would have told Joshua, too, had Joshua only prayed before going into the battle with Ai. It seems that God’s people have this bad habit of praying after tragedy strikes, rather than doing a little preventive praying. Have you prayed today? What decisions are you about to make without a consultation with God; or perhaps at least a look into God’s principles found in His Word? What actions are you about to take? You had better take them to God first. You just may be on the verge of making a tragic mistake. God knows, and He can help you prevent it, but He wants you to come to Him first.
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2nd Week of “Are You Happy Campaign?”
Today’s Passage – Joshua 5-7; Proverbs 13
(Second Milers also read – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5; memorize 1 John 5:7)
Last week was one of the greatest weeks in the history of our church. We saw several saved, one baptized, dozens of visitors, and record attendance. Please pray for us that God would do it again this week!
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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Joshua 1-4, Colossians 1-4, and Proverbs 12
Today’s Passage: Colossians 3:12-15: Be Ye Thankful
Good morning. “Did you thank God this morning for giving you another day?” This was a question that was asked by another Christian at the Home Depot I was working in Friday. And for some reason I did thank Him for another day that morning. Usually I don’t. I thank Him for the day, as you would thank Him for your food when saying grace, but I never really thought about thanking Him for giving me another day. Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” And just one verse away, verse 17, tells us: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Saying thank you to God, and to others, seems to be something we neglect to do sometimes. And as Christians, we should be a thankful people. Two simple words can go a long way. Saying thank you shows our appreciation. Saying thank you shows we are grateful. Saying thank you can build another person up, edify him. For instance, say God lays on someone’s heart to give you $20 to help you out. He’s not 100% sure, but gives you the money anyway. You say thank you to God, and to the person, for this gift. By you saying thank you and the Holy Spirit in his heart, he now walks away rejoicing and thanking God for using him to help you. And you walk away thanking God for that person, and using him to supply your needs.
I just took a minute to thank God for our Preacher in letting me do this blog. And thank you for reading it, I hope it will be a help to you.
Peace. (Colossians 3:15)
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Well Done
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 32-34; Proverbs 11
(Second Milers also read – Philippians 1 – 4; memorize John 1:1)
“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. … And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,” – (Deuteronomy 34:5, 10)
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” – (Hebrews 9:27)
“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:” – (Acts 13:36)
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” – (2 Timothy 4:7)
In Deuteronomy 34 we see the death of one of God’s choicest servants, Moses. Moses had served in the will of God for forty years, leading a stiffnecked and rebellious group of people through the wilderness, finally delivering them to the border of the land that God had given them. Moses had finished with what God had called him to do. God was well pleased with the service of Moses, and I am sure that he heard the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” – (Matthew 25:21)
I think if we look back on Moses’ life, we can certainly see that he had a fulfilling life. Most people never find that kind of fulfillment. They live their lives trying to accumulate toys, and experience all of the pleasures of this world; but in them they never find the fulfillment which fills that empty cavern in the center of their souls. Too often, people die today with many regrets, many unrealized dreams. They often wish that had a chance to do it over again, or at least were granted a little more time to make things right. I don’t think that Moses had many regrets. I am sure there are some things that he would like to have redone. I bet he wished that he had kept better control of his temper at Kadesh; but for the most part, I believe that Moses was ready to go home to the Lord.
Moses found the will of God for his life, and he fulfilled it. I think that statement really sums up the secret to living a life that ends without regret. By the way, he also poured his life into others before he left so that they could carry on the work when he was gone. What are you living for? I think most of who know the Lord really have a desire built in us to accomplish great things for the Lord, but we often put God’s will on the back burner so that we can do our own thing for a little while. The devil tricks us into thinking that there will always be time later on in life to get busy serving the Lord; but all too often the days just race by, and before we realize it, our lives are at the end. Time flies by, doesn’t it? Let me encourage you to not wait another minute to start the process of finging God’s will for your life, and then fulfilling it. What does God want you to do? Get busy! You will someday be on top of Mt. Nebo yourself, and then you will realize that your time is up. Like Moses, you will be able to see from that vantage point, not only what had been accomplished, but also what could have been accomplished. We will all have some regrets, but if we get busy now, we can die with the joy of knowng that we fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives.
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I Will Be With Thee
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 29-31; Proverbs 10
(Second Milers also read – Ephesians 1 – 6; memorize John 1:1)
“And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. … And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.” – (Deuteronomy 31:7-8, 23)
Perhaps no greater source of encouragement can be found for the Christian today than the words contained in these verses. In our passage today we see Moses in his final days upon the earth. He has fulfilled God’s will for his life by leading the people of Israel out of bondage, and has brought them to the border of the Land of Promise. He is passing the baton over to Joshua, who had faithfully served Moses for the forty years of Moses ministry. Joshua has an extremely difficult task in front of him. He is following behind one of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind, and he has been places in charge of a people that have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they can be very rebellious. In fact, on the very day that Joshua is appointed his new position God tells him that the people are going to rebel. How would you like to be given the job of leading people who you already know are going to eventually stop following. If I were Joshua I would not only be fearful of the task ahea, but perhaps even a little discouraged. However, twice in this passage Joshua is reminded that it’s going to be OK, because God will be with him.
What a blessing it is to know that as we serve God today in the center of His will, that He promises to go with us as well.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – (Hebrews 13:5)
Sometimes it can be very difficult living for the Lord in the world that we live in. It is not easy being a good, godly parent; a witness on the job; a servant in the church’ a light to the community: all of which God calls us to be. But God is with us. He goes before us, and then helps us as we strive to be His ambassador in this dark world. Sometimes, we may feel like we are all alone, but we are never alone, because God is always with us.
Did you recognize His presence in your life today? Did you talk to Hm yet this morning? He desires to have intimate fellowship with you, and to use you to fulfil His purpose in your world. What a wonderful and awesome priveledge it is to know and serve the King of the Universe! Lif your head up high. You’ve got connections. You know the right Person. You are personally acquainted with God, and you represent Him to those who don’t know Him.
Posted in Thoughts from Deuteronomy by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
What Do They See?
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 27 – 28; Proverbs 9
Second Milers also read – Galatians 1 – 6; memorize John 1:1
“And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.” – (Deuteronomy 28:10)
I was captivated by the verse above. Notice that it says that people will see that the Israelites were called by the name of the Lord. It does not say that the people will hear mere words. The people were not to just talk about their relationship with God, they were to live it; and live it so powerfully that the surrounding nations would fear them.
It is rare today that the world looks into the life of a Christian and sees the hand of God working so evidently and powerfully in them that they are actually feared. For the most part Christians today are mocked and made fun of, but not feared. Why are we the laughingstock of the world today? There are many reasons, but I believe the main one is that our lives do not demonstrate the power and abundance of the life of faith. We dabble in God, but we don’t let Him get all of us, and unless He has all of us He cannot demonstrate His power in our lives.
Christians should be walking billboards illustrating the power and blessing of an omnipotent God. People should be able to take one look at us and tell that there is something radically different about us; something almost intimidating. The story is told of the great preacher, Charles Finney, who visited a factory one day in New York, and after merely making eye contact with a woman in the factory, she began to weep uncontrollably. That is pretty powerful. Our lives should declare loudly and boldly that we are the children of an awesome and all powerful God. People may not agree with us, but if our lives are fully surrendered to the Lord, they should respect us. Do the people around you fear you because of the presence of God in your life, or do they mock you? Sobering thought.
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Have You Forgotten?
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 23-26; Proverbs 8
(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; memorize John 1:1)
“And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: … Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:” – (Deuteronomy 26:5, 13)
My thought this morning comes from Deuteronomy chapter 26. In this chapter God reminds the people of Israel that when they get into the land that He had promised them, and they begin to receive of the goodness of the land, they were not to forget to bring back to God the tithe of their increase. People do not like to hear much about tithing nowadays; but the real purpose of tithing is not for God (or the church) to get their money, but rather for people to express in a tangible way the fact that they remember that God has blessed them. The people of Israel were encouraged to bring their tithe basket to the priest, and then they were to publicly state their appreciation to the Lord by rehearsing the fact that God had brought them out of cruel bondage, and delivered them into a land of incredible bounty. The tithe was just a small expression of appreciation for what God had done for them.
Today, we are just as quick to forget about the goodness of God. We can see that fact demonstrated in the way people give today. Most Christians don’t tithe; and many don’t give anything at all. We sometimes try to justify this lack of faith by blaming it on rough economic circumstances, etc., which I am sure certainly plays a partial factor; but the real issue is a matter of the heart. When people do not give back to God, they are not remembering and appreciating what He has done for them. However, I don’t want the focus of this morning’s devotion to be on tithing principles. Our giving habits are but one indicator of our remembering. My challenge this morning is get you to think about the ways you express your appreciation to the Lord for what He has done in your life. Don’t forget to remember God. And don’t forget to remember the good things that people have done for you either. We tend to forget very easily,especially when a difficult circumstance arises in our life. Because our focus is on the new problem, we forget about (and lose appreciation for) all of the previous solutions and blessings that have been given us. We are no different from the little child who screams for a new toy, forgetting about all of the other toys he already has.
Do you remember the goodness of God in your life? Do you express your appreciation in words, and in other more tangible ways? We must be careful not to forget God. If we do, then we will gradually slip further and further away from the center of His will for our lives, and eventually He will be forced to correct us, which is never pleasant.
By the way, the picture on the top is of the Twin Towers. We vowed on 9/11 that we would never forget what happened that day. We said that we would not forget what was done to us, nor would we forget those who died. Yet, it seems like our nation is quickly breaking that vow, just as she has forgotten Pearl Harbor. We need to be careful to remember, and reflect on all of these things. Let’s not get so busy in the present, or so worried about the future, that we forget the lessons and the blessings of the past.
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Put Your Game Face On
Today’s Passsage – Deuteronomy 19-22; Proverbs 7
(Second Milers also read 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; memorize John 1:1)
“And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.” – (Deuteronomy 20:8)
In Deuteronomy chapter twenty, God gives instructions to the people of Israel regarding going into battle. Before going into the fight, God weeded out anybody whose hearts and minds would not be in the fight(vv 5 – 8). If these soldiers were not not fully committed and focussed on the battle ahead, they may be a danger to the other men. If they were consumed with fear, God knew that their fear may spread to the others and discourage them as well. God wants those who fight for him to be “in the fight”.
These verses bring several thoughts to mind, but the one I will share with you is one that I have given quite a bit of consideration to lately. In Christianity today, there is an awful lot of “half-hearted” effort in the battle to fulfill the Great Commission. So many are distracted, and so many more just do not seem to care at all. We need men and woman who are willing to give their all to and for the Lord. Consider these verses:
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” – (Revelation 3:16)
“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:62)
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – (1 Corinthians 10:31)
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
We are in a battle today: against the devil; against the evil of this world. We are fighting for the souls of men, and God needs us to be focussed and determined as we fight. We need to decide whether or not we want to be in the battle or not, because turning back is not an option. We need to get in all the way or get out of the way. By the way, I understand that there will be times when we need to break from the battle temporarily for rest and restoration, but that does not mean we give up altogether. Sometimes we will have to fight on even when we are weary, but we must keep fighting. The time of eternal rest will come soon enough, but right now we have something to fight for. Christian, put your game face on!
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