Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

“There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” – (Joshua 21:45)

God’s Faithfulness in Joshua

In the Book of Joshua, in chapters 19 – 21, we see the continuation of the division of the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. Chapter 20 specifically deals with the six cities of refuge and chapter 21 reveals the 48 cities that were to be given to the Levites. These cities were to be given from within the borders of all of the other tribes so that the priests and ministers of the Lord would be nearby all of the people of Israel. The Levites were not really given a possession of land but they were provided cities to live in and suburbs for their cattle to graze in. This is probably where we got the idea of the church parsonage, and it is probably also why the United States Government does not tax these dwellings. God made sure that His ministers were well taken care of by receiving cities and provision from the other tribes.

The verses that really captured my attention, however, from this morning’s reading was in chapter 21, verses 43 – 45. Here, it says that God held up His end of the bargain. He did everything that He said He would do. He promised them a land and He delivered. He promised them victory over the inhabitants of that land and He gave it. He promised them provision all along the way and they were provided for. In fact, the only time that things did not work out as they were supposed to was when the people did not listen to God’s instruction and acted outside of His will.

What This Means for Us Today

We can trust in the promises of God. There are many promises for us in the New Testament as well. Some of them are unconditional, like our eternal security once we’ve placed our faith in Christ.

Our Part In God’s Promises

Many of His promises, however, are conditional upon our obedience and faith. God says that if we will follow and obey Him, He will do certain things for us. For instance, He says that He will provide for us and protect us and give our lives purpose. These are only a few general samples of what God promises His children today. And God will keep up His end of the bargain. He will do what He says He will do. The question, however, is will you follow Him? Will you trust Him and do what you’re supposed to do? If things don’t turn out as He promised, it’s not because God slipped up. It is because we haven’t done what we are supposed to do.

Consider just a few of God’s Promises:

• Regarding God’s Provision

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33)

“6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6–7)

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19)

• Regarding God’s Peace

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isa 26:3)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer 29:11)

• Regarding Purpose

A Timeless Reminder: The Rainbow

By the way, the picture of the rainbow at the top is a reminder of one of God’s promises. He promised back in Genesis that He would no longer destroy the whole earth with a flood. There has been flooding at many times and in many places, but the water never again engulfed the entire earth. He told us that He set His bow in the clouds to remind us of that.