Devotion Thoughts - 21/04/2011

Joshua 22:21-34


There was almost a civil war until the situation was clarified. We must always find out the facts before we try to assess a situation. The Lord's guidance should always be invoked (v.23). Explaining our misinterpreted intentions can be an opportunity to witness for the Lord (v.34). In fact, we must use every opportunity to glorify the Lord in the presence of others.


Joshua 23:1-16


In summing up what has happened in his lifetime, Joshua takes no credit whatsoever; he gives all glory to God as follows:


The Lord fought for you (v.3). The land is allocated as promised by God; the inhabitants driven out by Him (vv.4-5).


Now it was Israel's opportunity to do something for God, namely, obey His laws. That would be the smart thing to do, because it would mean ongoing blessings (v.15a). Having seen how greatly God had blessed them, to disobey was a bad option (vv.15b-16). Surprisingly, Israel did disobey.


Luke 20:27-47


The supposedly knowledgeable Sadducees misunderstood the scripture, so Jesus enlightened them. Such people, who are supposed to know better, yet who need enlightenment, surround us. Are we able to enlighten others? We will be able to if we allow God to use us for the purpose.


In verse 38 we read that God is the God of the living. That is, from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through David, and right up to ourselves. Believers are alive forever, for eternal life begins as soon as they are born again; the death of the body does not affect the life of the believer's spirit (2 Corinthians 5:8); we are not affected by the 'second death' (Revelation 20:6). Non-believers have to endure the second death.


Psalm 89:14-37


God is to be exalted for His power and mercy. He empowers His servants, like David (v.21) and us, for whatever He wants done.


It does not matter that there is no king sitting on Israel's throne at present. The Bible's genealogical records show that Jesus is a descendant of King David, the seed that shall be established forever (v. 36). One day, I hope very soon, Jesus is coming back to rule upon 'David's' throne - forever!


It should not really hassle us that we do not see hoped-for blessings right now; God has everything in hand, and His blessings will be ours one day! Hallelujah!


Proverbs 13:17-19


We have all met people who are nasty and intractable; working with such is a burden. What a difference when someone is F-A-T; that is: Faithful, Available, and Teachable. God loves having fellowship with him/her.

I made up this little line to encapsulate these thoughts:


"The unreliable are undesirable,


but what a pleasure to work with a treasure!"

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Devotion Thoughts - 14/04/2011

Joshua 9:3-27


'There are many deceivers come into the world...' How can we detect them? Don't do what Joshua and his elders did - they relied on their own abilities! The result? The Gibeonites deceived them. They worshipped idols, but that did not stop them from speaking about 'the name of the Lord' for their own ends. We can know deceivers 'by their fruits' - sometimes too late. When we are not sure about something, we must wait on the Lord to reveal the truth. This takes patience.


Joshua 10:1-43


Having been duped into accepting responsibility for the Gibeonites, the Israelites were obliged to protect them against their enemies. We can also be duped into having to fulfill obligations that we should not have taken on in the first place. Thankfully, even when we make mistakes, God can turn it to our good. The destruction of the Gibeonites' enemies required a miracle in the form of the sun being stayed for 'about' a whole day.


When we are obeying God's orders He will give us success (v.42), no matter how daunting the obstacles.


Luke 16:19-31


There are a number of lessons to be learned from this parable, especially about eternity. But one salient lesson stands out, the one encapsulated in v.31: "If they do not listen to God's Word ('Moses and the Prophets') then they will not be convinced [about God and the Good News of salvation] even if someone returned from the dead". The Bible, the Word of God, contains all we need to know about being right with God. If we don't heed its message we, like the rich man, will also end up in torment.


Luke 17:1-10


In these verses, the Lord gives his disciples and hearers some common sense about being in God's good books: do not cause anyone to sin; no matter how many times people sin against you, forgive them every time they repent; believe it or not, every one of us has enough faith to become great achievers in life; and, don't ever kid yourself into thinking that you have done your share for God!


Psalm 83:1-18


What's new about Israel's enemies trying to wipe them out (v.4)? That Arab nations are at it again shows that:

1. They are not led by the Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for God will not fight against Himself. Therefore Allah is not God.


2. Almighty God is Israel's Protector; they are His people; which is why, for all their bluster, Israel's enemies have not wiped them out.

Proverbs 13:4


In the approximately 1000 years that the Arabs ruled Palestine the place was unproductive. With Israel re-established as a state, the land has blossomed. This not only shows them to be diligent, it also confirms that God is blessing the land of Israel because He promised it to them.

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