Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Caleb drove out the giants

"Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak." Joshua 15:14

The Anakim were giants - men of great stature and strength. These were the giants seen by the twelve spies forty-five years earlier; the giants that had made ten of the spies tremble in their boots.

Caleb not only said he would, with the help of the LORD, drive out the giants, but he actually did drive them out - an old man, 85 years of age. I wonder what it looked like, to watch the battle.

This just shows us what can be accomplished if we have faith in God.

Are there giants in your way, preventing you from moving forward? Pray and ask God to give you the strength to drive them out. Then get on with the task!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

God is our source of strength

"Here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in." Joshua 14:10b & 11.

When we investigate the source of Caleb's strength-filled statement in verse 12 ("Give me this mountain") we notice that he said of himself "but I wholly followed the LORD my God."

He (forty years old, at the time) and Joshua had been part of the band of twelve spies whom Moses sent to spy out the land of promise. They came back with their report.

Ten spies had negative reports, saying that they were not able to take possession of the land, due to insurmountable obstacles. But Joshua and Caleb brought positive reports and urged Moses to move ahead and occupy the land.

Forty-five years have passed, and Caleb now talks to his leader, Joshua. He reminds him of Moses' promise to the two faithful spies, that they would inherit the land they spied out. He tells Joshua that he is presently eighty-five years old, and is as strong now as he was on the day that Moses sent them. He is strong and ready for battle - and that's why he asks for the mountain where the giants live.

Caleb did not plan to sweet-talk the giants off their hill fortress. He was ready to fight! He was ready to go out to battle and to come in (to return in victory). He trusted God for his strength.

May God grant us the strength and grace, whatever time span our days may have, to wholly follow our Lord, and be ready to battle the enemy at each stage of our lives.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Lord, give me this mountain

"Now therefore, give me this mountain." Joshua 14:12

This was the mountain of the giants. Caleb was making the request of Joshua, when it came to dividing the inherited Promised Land. He had seen them before - forty years before, when he was one of the twelve spies. And he was eager to drive them out and take over their mountain.

Are there mountains you and I face?

This can be our prayer, as we go forth in the battle of life: " Lord, give me this mountain."

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

To Him who washed us from our sins

"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood … " Revelation 1:5b

The book of Revelation reveals the love of Jesus for a sin-saturated people living on Planet Earth!

The more we study this book, the more this theme is revealed.

Our verse today is part of a greeting. John (the penman of the book of Revelation, and the disciple "whom Jesus loved") writes a message to the seven churches in Asia. The message brings heaven's grace and peace to us, the people of earth.

Verse 3 of Revelation chapter 1 pronounces a blessing on those who read, as well as those who hear the words of this prophecy.

So the message of grace and peace is for all, and comes to us, firstly, from God the Father, then from the Holy Spirit, mentioned here as "the seven Spirits who are before His throne", and lastly, from Jesus Christ, who is the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from the dead, and the Ruler over the kings of the earth (see verse 5).

Our verse, in its entirety, reads: "To Him who loved us and washed (freed) us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

From being degraded, devastated and polluted by sin, Jesus embraces us, washes us from our sins in His own blood, and raises us to positions of honor and dignity. Stop and think about this.

In gratitude and humility, all we can say is "Amazing grace!"

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Call upon Me in the day of trouble

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 50:15

Call upon Me - The Psalmist tells us 'my help comes from the L

ORD, who made heaven and earth.' (Psalm 121:2) Our help is from the Creator of the Universe. When there's no one else to whom we can turn, He is there for us.

In the day of trouble - We live life one day at a time. Jesus tells us each day has enough trouble of its own. The Hebrew word 'trouble' in today's verse is translated 'a tight place.' If any of you have been caving, you will know there is usually at least one place in the cave that is a tight place - a difficult place to get through. It may be a tunnel, or a chimney, or a difficult spiral in the pathway. If you have a guide, someone who's familiar with the path, they will be able to advise you how to position your body, and where to place your feet, to successfully negotiate the tricky obstacle. The above illustration gives us a better understanding of the word 'trouble'. The word is further translated to mean adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation. Life is full of these troubles. Jesus, speaking to His disciples, says: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

I will deliver you - The word 'deliver' appears more than 260 times in the Old Testament, with various meanings, but in only 5 places, including its appearance in today's verse, is it translated from the Hebrew to mean: equip for a fight, strengthen, draw out. This portion of the verse now takes on a new meaning. God is speaking: I will equip you for the fight, I will strengthen you to fight, and if the fighting gets too tough for you, I will draw you out of the battle. Is this not awesome! Jesus taught us to pray, Deliver us from evil. In this verse the Greek translates as 'rescue'. So, whatever way we look at it, God is making victory available to us.

And you shall glorify Me - Note the positive! You shall glorify Me (honor, NIV) This is my response when He delivers me. I give Him the glory, the praise.

Remember, if you should find yourself in a tight place today, call on Jesus. He will never turn a deaf ear!

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Eternal God is your refuge

"The Eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, 'Destroy!' " Deuteronomy 33:27

Our verse today is part of a final blessing pronounced upon the tribes of Israel by Moses before his death.

The Eternal God - The God who has no beginning, and no end. Jesus said of Himself, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev. 1:8). This is the God who is our refuge; the One we can run to for safety and shelter!

Underneath are the everlasting arms - This gives the thought of being held from beneath. When you want to fall, His arms are there, holding you. His arms never fail; they are everlasting - always there for you.

He will thrust out the enemy from before you - The Hebrew words "thrust out" are translated 'drive out from a possession, expel, cast out, drive away.' The Hebrew word "enemy" is translated 'adversary, hating (as to hate one of an opposite tribe or party).

In the context of our verse, Moses indicates that those who came to God for shelter would see Him drive out the enemy from before them and make a safe place for them to live. What a picture of a defeated foe!

And will say, 'Destroy!' - the thought is of God commanding His army of angels to destroy the enemy. This application is for all time.

If the enemy is standing in your path today, turn him over to the Lord to thrust out from before you. Rest in the strong Arms that are there to carry you.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Do not be anxious about anything

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7

Do not be anxious about anything - It seems so easy to sit and worry! This is the same anxiousness that Martha had when she asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her serve the guests in her home. It is translated as worry or distraction. In Martha's case, Jesus invited her to choose rather to sit at His feet and learn, as her sister Mary had. Paul, in our verse, is admonishing us to turn to God in prayer, instead of worry about the distractions of life.

by prayer and petition - To pray and to ask. Jesus said "ask and you will receive."

with thanksgiving - Remember the one leper of the ten, who returned to say thank You? We have so much for which to be thankful. Our requests to God should be made in the spirit of thankfulness.

the peace of God - Jesus tells us about a peace that only He can give. (See John 14:27)

will guard your hearts - Literally, God's peace will stand guard at your heart and mind, so that evil cannot enter. No wonder prayer is so powerful!

Do you want heaven's peace? Come to Jesus in prayer right now.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6:8

This is the first time "grace" is mentioned in the Bible. The original Hebrew word comes from a root word, meaning "to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior".
But Noah found grace - The word 'but' tells us something had happened prior to this verse in the story of Noah. When we go back and read the preceding seven verses of chapter 6, we see a documented history of what people had become at the time Noah lived. Verse 5 tells us that God saw the great wickedness of man, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. This seems incredible! Only 10 generations from perfect Adam and Eve to the days of Noah, in which people had all but forgotten God. God shared with Noah His plans to destroy the earth with a flood, and indicated the part that He intended Noah to play.
Noah 'found grace' - The original word means "to attain, to acquire, to take hold on." Grace is something that's given. God stoops in kindness to an inferior and makes an offer.
In the eyes of the LORD - Everything is open to the eyes of the LORD. He sees all that's done in His entire Universe. But what are God's eyes like? There is grace (kindness that leads God to do incredible things for His creatures) in His eyes.
It is of interest that Noah is one of three mentioned by God in the Bible as being righteous. Ezekiel 14:14 tells us of a time when God named three righteous men: Noah, Daniel and Job.
At the end of the flood, we read in Genesis 8:1, "Then God remembered Noah." He stooped in kindness to one of His creatures. Could it be that Noah understood the meaning of grace?
Amazing grace!

Monday, March 9, 2009

A worker who does not need to be ashamed

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15

Who are you trying to please? So often we look for man's approval of our work, but Paul's advice to Timothy was to live in such a way that God approved of his lifestyle.

Have you ever done a job well, and looked back on the task with satisfaction? We have each been given our work for today. Do it in such a way that you will not be ashamed.

And then, when it comes to God's word, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you study. Then share what you've learned with others, again asking the Spirit to give understanding of the Word to your listeners.

Go forth into this day with confidence - you are a child of the King!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…" Hebrews 12:2

Today's verse is part of a section in which Paul challenges us to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

We're all runners on the track of life. There are things that hinder and entangle as we run.

Paul tells us to throw them off, get rid of them, just like the pilot of a passenger jet, who, when making an emergency landing, dumps the excess fuel while in the air to make the landing safer. Fuel is necessary for flight, but at that moment it's a hindrance to getting the plane down safely, so it is dumped.

There are so many things in life grabbing for our attention. Some are urgent, others are important. Don't let the urgent things of life consume you, and crowd out the important issues.

Life's a race, not a ratrace. Today, as you run the race, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Monday, March 2, 2009

By His wounds we are healed

"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Jesus was pierced - so that we could be cleansed of sin.

Jesus was crushed - so that we could be set free from the slavery of sin.

Jesus was punished - so that we could walk away from the penalty of sin.

Jesus was whipped - so that we could be healed from the disease of sin.

What made Him walk the path to His death?

Love. Love for a world that had little love.

It is hard for us to understand this kind of love. The songwriter says:

"When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride."

When you think you can't go another step, look to Jesus. Gaze at the cross and let His incredible gift sink into your mind. Something happens when we look at Jesus. Surely He taught us the meaning of love!