Joshua 3 begins the story of Israel preparing to cross the Jordan River in order to enter the promised land. In chapters 3 and 4, the Lord gives various instructions pertaining to the process, and Joshua in turn passes these instructions to the people and to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant. The priests lead the way, and the moment their feet touched the water, the Jordan stopped flowing and the waters rose in a heap very far away in the city of Adam. The priests halted in the middle of the Jordan, and they stood there bearing the ark the entire time as millions of Israelites crossed over the Jordan on dry ground. Not only did the priests wait for the crossing, but they watched while twelve large stones were gathered for a monument on the other side and while Joshua gathered twelve stones and erected a monument within the Jordan. Once all this activity was completed, did the priests in their fatigue decide to set out and finish the crossing? No, they waited to hear from the Lord as depicted in our verse today.
It would have been entirely obvious to them what was to occur next: They would finish crossing the Jordan River. It had been a long day, and they would have wanted to finish up the process and get some rest. It would have been so easy just to assume what was to happen and begin to move. Yet they did not, but instead waited for the command to move from the Lord, even though it would be considered a minor detail. Do we do that in our lives? Do we seek the Lord for not only the big things, but also for the little and seemingly inconsequential things? Lord, may we seek you first in all that we say and do, glorifying You as we seek to do Your will.
Jeff Mericle
In Romans 8, Paul gives the church some massive truths to undergird our faith, especially in times of stress and trial. Some are tempted to bitterly resent the pruning of our Heavenly Father that is intended to make us more fruitful (John 15:2). In Romans 8, Paul makes it very clear that suffering is an integral part of God’s plan for each believer: we are “joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).
Paul gives valuable encouragement to all who might feel unloved in suffering. Who of us have not thought, “If God loves me, why would He allow this to happen?” Here the message is loud and clear: nothing at all shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus—nothing. Paul does not give an exhaustive list when he mentions tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. To this, we might also add our own list of horrible experiences including rejection, depression, loss of a spouse, a miscarriage, a cancer diagnosis, a wayward child, or job loss. Yet… in all these things, we are not just conquerors, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. They may overwhelm us and make us feel our weakness, but they will not conquer us if we know that, in the middle of them, we are greatly loved by the most powerful Being in the universe: the One who holds all things together by the word of His power.
Tom Day
This proverb speaks to the issue of integrity. So many people bow down to the almighty dollar and do some outright questionable things to obtain riches. Others however will just do slightly questionable things to obtain money and find a million ways to justify it. I’ve learned throughout the years that being greedy never pays off because you will reap what you sow.
I remember bumping a car in a parking lot once and my first reaction was, “It’s hardly noticeable, no need to leave my contact info, they’ll probably never even see it.” The only reason I felt that way is because I didn’t want to pay the money to fix it. Well, the Lord stepped in real quick to remind me that was a stupid idea, and I provided my contact info. The person ended up calling me and telling me not to worry about it, which was awesome and I was reminded that is exactly how I would like to be treated if it were my car that was scratched.
Being greedy, taking bribes, all these things never pay off in the end. It’s always wiser to do the right thing, forsake the dollar, and go for the greater reward of integrity which pleases and honors the Lord!
Pastor Jason Witt
The consequence of Israel’s rejection of God was described back in Hosea 4:6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea recognized that the Lord’s true love for the wayward soul made it possible for the deserters to return to Him, if only they would repent and follow Him.
Hosea’s call to action was right on the mark for the Israelites and it is also the right call today for any believer whose wandering heart has put distance between themselves and God. Actively pursuing the knowledge of the Lord brings us closer to Him. Our relationship with Him is strengthened as we endeavor to know Him.
As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, God’s unchanging promises of mercy and grace are ours if we would simply place our trust in Him. The Lord will water our thirsty souls not only for the seeds of His word to take root, but also to nourish us in preparation for the good harvest to come. Today, let’s pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
Jeff Deal
It is easy to say that you love the Lord, but love is more than words. You cannot say that you love the Lord and walk in disobedience. When you love someone, it is not a chore to do things for them. I think of Jacob when he saw Rachel for the first time; it was love at first sight. Jacob agreed to work seven years to take Rachel as his wife. The Bible says that he served seven years and it only felt like a few days because of his love for her.
If you love the Lord, keeping His commandments will not be a burden to you, it will be your natural response. My question for you this morning is, do you love the Lord?
For the King,
Pastor Daniel Batistelli
We set our minds on a lot of things. What I mean by that is we are always focused on something. If you set your mind on yourself, you will serve yourself. If you set your mind on what you want, you will be completely disappointed when you don’t get what you want. But if you set your mind on Christ, not only focus on Him, but seek to share in His thinking, you will be joyful beyond anything you ever thought possible. When our minds are so set upon Jesus, there is only joy and fullness to be had!
Resting in Him,
Pastor Sean Boehm
We have all had to tackle difficult tasks by ourselves. In the middle of it all, you find yourself saying, “I wish someone was here to help me.” Certainly two can get more done in a shorter period of time. And it’s much easier to do difficult jobs together.
This is probably most true when it comes to marriage. I’ve noticed that when I’m in a weak moment, my wife is usually strong and clear-headed and when she’s hurting, the Lord has often enabled me to be the strong one. And when we are both weak, Jesus becomes that third cord that wraps around us and keeps us from falling apart. So stick together and keep Him in the center.
Looking to that third strand,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
There comes a point where we get comfortable with the Christian life. We’ve lived it for so long, we feel we know what the Lord wants at all times. In this comfort, we feel we don’t have to read the Bible as often or pray as much.
David’s a great example to us in the above verse. He prayed to God to ask Him if he should attack the Philistines. We might read this and think, “Why would he need to pray? The Philistines are the enemy of Israel, of course he should attack!” The Lord did tell him to go after the enemy and God would give them into his hands.
In 2 Samuel 5, David again prayed to attack the Philistines, but God told him to wait. If David would have assumed he knew what to do without checking with the Lord, his army would have been defeated.
If you’ve been saved a while, don’t get comfortable. Do those things the Lord would have you always do and continue to pray and read His word daily. Don’t start slacking off in church attendance. Tell others about Jesus. The Lord wants to continue to use you and bless you.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
We know from our chapter that King Lemuel (v1), who wrote Proverbs 31, was blessed with a great mom; she was a queen and he a prince. This happy mother wanted to impart words of counsel to her son; the son of her womb and of her vows (v2). Her son had been the subject of many vows to God, and much prayer, like Samuel born to Hannah. But notice her prayer was accompanied with instruction and action. We read she (v2) taught him. The practical side of godliness is a faith that vows and prays and a diligence that instructs. So she taught him about moral living for a king (vv. 3-9); and shows him by example the model woman, wife, and mother (vv. 10-31).
To whom are you imparting God’s Words and what impact is it having on them? Praying for you today to be the kind of influence that King Lemuel’s mother was!
God, use me to touch others with Your Word,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
In this chapter, God is prophesying punishment for Assyria, and He is calling out the arrogant heart of the king. Today’s verse describes the relationship of the king of Assyria and God, equating Assyria as being a tool in God’s hands.
The arrogance and pride of the king blinded him to the source of his blessings. As Christians, we know who the source of our blessings is, but sometimes pride can creep slowly into our hearts, causing us to put more stock in our abilities rather than on Him who bestowed those abilities on us in the first place. God has given us everything that we need to sustain our physical existence here on earth, and we should be grateful in every aspect so that we do not lose sight of the Sustainer. God is in the big things like our paycheck, our abilities, and our talents, as well as the little things like laundry detergent and toothpaste. Lord, give us hearts of thankfulness filled with appreciation for all of your provision in our daily lives, and may we cultivate an attitude of constant thankfulness that will grow our awareness of our absolute dependence on you.
Jeff Mericle
