Changes

Joshua 1:1-2, 6-9 “After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ‘Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.’

“’Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’”

So many changes all at one time, both in the history of a nation and in the life of one man. The people had lost their leader of forty years and were having to adjust to having Joshua now to lead them. They had spent forty years wandering in the desert, following the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Now they would follow Joshua in a purposeful war against the inhabitants of the land God had promised them. And Joshua had to make the adjustment from being Moses’ assistant to being the military, administrative and spiritual leader of a nation.

My life is changing soon, and I’m finding strength in the first chapter of Joshua. For years I tried to figure out what I wanted to be when my kids grew up, and I kept coming up with a big blank. Then last year it came to me. I want to be a tour director. It’s a job that uses more of my strengths and my passions than any other job I’ve had. It’s also a job that I can’t do while I’m still raising my kids. But in a month my youngest will be graduating from high school.

And I’m scared to death of the career change.

I’m familiar with my old career. I’ve been doing it for over twenty years, and I’m good at it, but it’s become unsatisfying and draining. I’m excited about tour directing, about being able to make sure the tour members get what they’re promised, and also about telling them the stories that help make places come alive. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the challenges well enough. And yet I do believe tour directing is what I’m made to do.

So when the fears sneak up on me, I look to Joshua and the instructions the Lord gave him. “Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it.” This is the source of Joshua’s strength and success, and it will be the source of my strength as well.

What changes are you facing that have you overwhelmed? What scary or intimidating situations are you in? Seek the Lord and his Word and let him strengthen you. “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Brenda

Thieves on Crosses

Luke 23:39-43 “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

Two men hung on crosses, one on either side of Jesus. Thieves. Criminals. Men who were sentenced to die a horrible death. They were being punished justly, getting what their deeds deserved.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” These men hung where each one of us belong. “For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” We have all sinned, and so we deserve to die.

What was different about this day’s crucifixions from all the thousands of other days was that this time Jesus was there. And because he was there, for the first time mankind was given a choice. One thief chose to accept Jesus, and the other chose to reject him. One chose hope and eternal life, and the other chose destruction.

The same choice is ours today. We have been given these two thieves as our examples, and we get to choose the one whose fate we will share.

Have you accepted Jesus? Have you come to him, acknowledging that your sins deserve a death sentence, but believing that he alone can give you eternal life with him? Let your choice be life, and he will give it to you abundantly.

Brenda

Understanding the Times

Esther 1:13 “Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times…”

When I was reading through Esther, this verse really made me wonder. Is understanding the times a good thing or a bad thing for Christians? In this part of Esther, the king isn’t a godly man. He’s drunk and rash and capricious. His “wise men” are also self-serving, so the fact that they understand the times just contributes to the poor quality of their advice.

And yet, when Jesus sent out his disciples without him, he told them, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).” It’s hard to know what this means in practical terms. Snakes are predatory and secretive. Doves are trusting and defenseless. Sheep among wolves are usually doomed.

We need to be shrewd enough to understand what evil times we live in, to understand that we are indeed among wolves and to be able to recognize the dangers we face each day. And at the same time, we need to be innocent enough not to wrap ourselves in the culture with which we are so familiar. We step into that culture in order to meet people where they are, but we need to be different enough—innocent enough—so those people see something they want to have or want to be.

The difference is Christ. The innocence is the robe of His righteousness we wear because we are His. And it is His wisdom that lets us understand the times without surrendering to them.

In what ways have you become part of the world? How have you allowed it to entice you? To break free, read again the prayer Jesus prayed for you in John chapter 17, and hold tight to the knowledge that God can and will answer that prayer on your behalf.

May you have the full measure of Christ’s joy within you.

Brenda

Paying Debts

Proverbs 17:18 “It is poor judgment to co-sign a friend’s note, to become responsible for a neighbor’s debts.”

Proverbs 12:22 “The Lord hates those who don’t keep their word, but he delights in those who do.”

Proverbs 14:32a “The wicked are crushed by their sins.”

Last Memorial Day, my kids went with their dad (my ex-husband) and took some friends along as they went camping near San Felipe in Mexico. One of my daughter’s friends dropped out of the trip at the last minute but let them use the inflatable mattress she had planned to bring. Since I was the parent who knew the friend’s family, I agreed to return the mattress to them after the trip.

The problem is that I’m really horrible at returning things, which is why I make it a point not to borrow. If something isn’t right in front of my face, I don’t think of it. And the mattress was in my car’s trunk. Out of sight, out of mind, not returned. I would remember it at the worst times: 10:00 at night when I took the groceries out of the car, or 6:30 in the morning when I drove past the street that led to their house. But not when it would have been OK to bring it back to them.

Months went by, and then those times I remembered the mattress, I felt the added pressure of guilt and shame over having in my possession something that didn’t belong to me. I had taken on responsibility for my ex-husband’s debt (the mattress) and promised to return it, but I wasn’t keeping my word. And this was beginning to crush my spiritual life.

This past weekend, nearly a year after I put the mattress in my trunk, I drove to my daughter’s friend’s house and gave it back to them. I was ashamed to show my face to them but even more ashamed before God not to. They were gracious, and our relationship was restored. And I was overwhelmed with thanks to God for helping me to finally be free from that burden of debt.

How about you? Is there something you owe or a promise you’ve made that you’ve been having trouble keeping? Is it affecting your relationship with someone else and especially with the Lord? Come to Him for the courage to take the action you need to take. Let Him relieve the crushing burden, so He can take delight in you when you keep your word.

Brenda

Garbage Day

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.”

It’s Garbage Eve in my neighborhood, and I can hear the sound of garbage cans being rolled out to the curb. Some people take out the trash on Garbage Eve and others wait until the morning of Garbage Day itself. It’s a ritual that repeats itself every week, with people emptying the wastebaskets and the kitchen trash before heading outside with all their out-of-date papers and their food gone bad. We don’t do this because we’re forced to by law, but because we know the dangers of letting the trash accumulate in the house.

In our spiritual “house,” sin is the trash that needs to be regularly removed if we want to avoid the dangers its buildup will bring. But, unlike the trash, once a week isn’t often enough for clearing out the sin.

I pray daily, in the evening because my mind just doesn’t function well in the morning. But as I think back over my prayer life lately, it’s mostly requests for other people and thanks for the Lord’s blessings. There’s not much confession.

And I have to wonder, am I failing to confess because I’ve grown hardened to my sin? Or is it because I wait until I’m too tired at night to really give my whole self to prayer? It’s probably some of both. And what kind of effect is building up in my life because I let so much time go by without confessing my sins?

How is your spiritual “house?” Take a look at the trash you might be allowing to build up around you, and bring your sins to the Lord in confession. Let him purify you from all unrighteousness.

May we know, once again, his faithfulness and his forgiveness.

Brenda