WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Whose side are you on?  Who is on your side?  Whether an argument, a team sport, or problems in relationships, often we find a side to be for or against.

In Joshua 5, Joshua and the Israelites are getting prepared to go into the Promised Land, the final aspect of the Covenant that God made with Abraham--the aspect that had not yet been fulfilled.

As they did so, they got spiritually prepared--and remember this is a new generation--second generation out of Egypt.  So first of all, the act of circumcision for this new generation.  It represented to the Jew the acceptance of God's Covenant with them.  So this new generation had to accept it for themselves--they could not live on their parent's acceptance of the Covenant with God.

A second aspect we find here is that they observed the Passover.  It was remembering what God had done, in bringing them out of slavery into freedom.  It was a way of showing solidarity with their history, their past, and past generations.  They were to observe this each year, but had not for several, so this action on their part showed their obedience to God once again.

Not only had they accepted God's covenant, they also were showing their willingness to live in obedience to Him and His commands.  And these were part of the covenant God made with them.  These are important things for them, as they prepare to go into the Promised Land to receive what God had promised.  Spiritual preparation is always important--in fact, the most important for believers.

But then a curious passage (Josh. 5:13-15).  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, God's chosen man, goes near Jericho.  As he does so, a man with a drawn sword appears before him.  Joshua asks the man, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"  In other words, whose side are you on.  (Word had gotten around the land of Canaan that the Israelites were right near Canaan and things they had done already to other enemies--so fear was there among the people living in Canaan). 

The man's response, "Neither."  I am for neither you nor your enemies.  And he goes on to say, "As commander of the LORD's army I have now come."  Now wait a minute!  Wasn't the Lord behind Joshua and the Israelites taking over this land?  Wasn't He the one giving them this Promised Land?

Was this an angel of the LORD?  Was it the LORD Himself?  Joshua immediately bows down before the man in reverence and asks, "What message do you have for me?"  He recognizes this is either God or one representing the LORD.  So he asks a good question, "Why are you here?  What is the message you are to deliver to me?  (Angels or God doesn't just appear, it seems for no reason.)

The man before Joshua tells him to take off his sandals, because he is only holy ground.  You remember this was also said to Moses at the burning bush.  So it was a confirmation to Joshua that indeed "God was with him in the same way He'd been with Moses."  It should build up the faith--the strength and courage (chapter 1)--of Joshua on the eve of beginning the battles to capture the land.

But what other messages were probably here?  One, God is not on our side; He wants us to be on His side.  Now God loves everyone; sinners as well as believers.  He loves the sinner and hates the sin.

Is our side always right?  Of course not.  But is God's side/mind/purpose always right?  Of course.  So we need to come to God and listen to Him, not just ask God to "bless" our plans, our works for Him, our purposes.  We should get our marching orders from Him, not He from us.  A good reminder for Joshua and Israel as they enter the Promised Land.

That also says things should be done "God's way," not necessarily the way we think.  God would give His people specific instructions as they captured the land.  When they followed Him, they achieved success.  When they didn't listen or disobeyed, they found failure.  The battles were dependent on God and listening to His instructions/plans.

God doesn't need to know my plans and join me (whose side are you on), I need to know His plans  and join Him.

Be aware also that when God speaks, that is "holy ground."  When God chooses to speak to us, that is not the norm--the everyday--the common.  Therefore, that is holy ground--a message to be heard and heeded, not taken lightly.

The Promised Land was indeed holy ground, but it was only holy ground because of God, His blessing, His covenant, His choosing, His purpose.  Entering that land needed to be done in God's way and behind His leading, not just what they thought.

Are not our lives also "holy ground" as God communicates to us and wants us to "be on His side, not just He be on our side"?  I need to hear from God more than He needs to hear from me.  And then, I need to obey.

How might this apply to your life right now?  Where do you see yourself in this story about Joshua?

PRESENCE OR ANSWERS?

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after" ... the healing of my disease.  "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after" ... the wisdom to grow my church.  "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after" ... a new ... and a solution to my problem.

Let's be honest.  When do we really seek God, for God's sake?  To spend time with Him--to cultivate a relationship with Him--to just "be" in His Presence?

I am rereading Thomas Kelly's, A Testament of Devotion, a very tiny (less than 100 pages) but challenging book written by a 20th century Quaker.  There is lots of talk of the Inner Light, and other different terms for God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus being within our hearts.

As Kelly writes, I realize how I'm missing something--actually how I'm missing SomeOne.  I seek to pray to "receive things" rather than praying to "meet with the LORD," the Lover of My Soul.

I believe this is probably the case with many, many believers, including religious leaders, pastors (I are one), and people seeking to disciple others (surely not them).

Have you ever felt desperate for God, for His Presence--rather than what He could do in your circumstances?

Now, when we do this, we are going to the right place--to the LORD, but we're missing something.  I just got out of the hospital, being there some 7+ weeks.  The first four weeks, my wife stayed there all the time, day and night.  When she needed to get back to work, and was now 100 miles from me, what did I miss the most?  I did not miss the "things" she did for me--nurses, doctors, tech people basically could do those things--in fact I found that I could do some of those things for myself.

What I missed the most was my wife's presence--the ability to see her, to talk personally with her, to just be together and feel the assurance and love of her being there.  It just wasn't the same on the phone or texting, I have to admit.

But am I that way with God, the Inner Light, the Divine Presence?  Well, no.  I seek to meet with Him when I need something--a solution to my loneliness or my need for healing or more money for this bill or that want.  I don't seek His Presence.

But isn't that what the Psalmist, probably David, was seeking in Psalm 42:1-2?  He was wanting to spend time with God--the companionship, the assurance of Presence, the Person not the thing He could provide.  I think so.

Does God give answers to prayer?  Well, of course He does.  Does He give wisdom and solutions and ideas of how to grow our church or have better family life or healing for our diseases?  Of course.

But wouldn't it be refreshing if you and I just sought out God without an agenda of "getting something"  and sought just to be in His Presence, basking in the friendship, the companionship, the love He shows just by being with us, sinful creatures forgiven and made clean so we can BE with Him, a Holy, fully Righteous God?

My challenge in days to come is to seek the Lord for the Lord's sake--rather than just to come out of  need to find an answer or solution.

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for YOU, O God.  When can I come and meet with YOU?"

NEW CREATION

An old friend reunited me with an old friend who reunited me with an old friend.  Yesterday, I had a visit with a friend I went to high school with.  He brought a book by Thomas Kelly, titled, A Testimony of Devotion, in which reading brought me a very, very familiar Scripture verse.  (Do you see the three old friends here?)

By the way, if you have never read the small devotional book by Thomas Kelly that I mentioned (Testament), pick up or borrow a copy and do not read it.  Slow down and savor it--take it slowly, ponder it, meditate on what is within as God reveals Himself to you through this Quaker writer of the 20th century.

The third old friend, the Scripture verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, is what I blog about today.  I've read it, quoted it, thought about it (I guess not enough--though there is always more "meat" from Scripture, as we meditate further upon it.), and shared it with others.  But today, God brought new insights.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."  Another version says "new creation."

Creation--where God created "out of nothing."  Where God made things He'd not made before.  Where God uniquely made each thing upon this earth, including human beings--woman and man. 

Creation--where God brought order out of chaos--where He brought form out of nothingness.

2 Corinthians 5:17  We often think of this as a transformation of the person who accepts Christ as Saviour--but does that go far enough?  Think of the descriptions of creation and even creature.  Something unique to itself--something totally new--something unlike what it was like before.

When a person comes to Christ as Saviour, there is a total change, not a reforming of what was.  There is a creation out of nothing--a totally different creature unlike the one before--a bringing order out of the chaos of one's life.

I often just seek change without changing the inner core.  God seeks the total change--total creation of a totally different creature from the one before.  That is a much bigger change than most of us want or are willing to seek.

Are you a totally different "creature" than you were before accepting Jesus?  Are you totally refocused from self to Christ?  That's what God did in "salvation" and coming to be "in Christ."  Are you allowing Him to continue to do that process of "total creation" in you?

Don't get overly familiar with "old friends"--so overly familiar that you are not willing to be changed by new insights they may want to bring you--or that God may want to bring you.

"If anyone is in Christ, he/she is a totally new creature--totally new creation of God."

GREATEST PROVISION

What is the great thing God has provided for you?  And as you answer, I am going to say, "no, no, and no."

Some will talk about the physical--the family, the house, the money, etc.  But is that really the greatest provision you have received from God?

Some will get really spiritual and say, "salvation, heaven, being part of God's church?  But are those really the greatest things God has provided for you?

Think about Abraham's call in Genesis12, 15, etc.  Think about chapter 22.  Was it the ram--saving his promised covenant son--a test overcome?  No.

Think of anyone in the hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11.

Think of the prophets, the Apostles, Paul.

What was the greatest provision of God for all of them, and for you if you are a believer in Christ?  It was GOD HIMSELF.  He gave you Himself.

Jehovah Jireh--"The LORD my provider."

The greatest provision was, is, and will continue to be--Himself.

He pursued a relationship with you--you didn't pursue Him.  He offered you a relationship, a friendship, a covenant, an offer to communicate with Him through Jesus.  And He also provided Himself to dwell within the believer in the Holy Spirit--God living inside of you.

So when you thank God for His provisions, certainly thank Him for His physical and emotional blessings.  For heaven, salvation, life eternal, church.

But never forget to thank Him for the greatest Provision--that of Himself.  Amazing that a Holy God, a Perfect God, a God who is love, an All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Everything God would want a relationship--a friendship--a covenant, with you or me!

God's greatest Provision is Himself.  Bask in that today.

LIVES WELL LIVED

As a boy, I played basketball for my school, the Thompsonville Tigers.  In elementary, we played a much smaller town called Akin.  I don't remember whether we ever beat them or not, but one thing I remember is playing against two guys named Miller--brothers a year apart.  And in the stands watching was a husband and wife with two other little Miller clones--I mean, these guys looked alike.

During teen years, I visited a little church, I guess to do special music, called Steeleville Baptist Church (you would turn just before Benton, by a farm implement company.  By the way, later the daughter of that farm implement company was my pastor's wife in T-ville.

A little later, our church had a very active youth program and singing group called "The Happenings."  (Well remember, this was the 60's).  Eventually this family, the Miller family, came to join our church, and what a blessing to us they were.  Gene wanted to be sure he kept his boys active in church, and ours was the place for the time.

I was the age of Larry and Dennis, and then a few years younger were Rodney and Paul.  And they were active in the youth group--we went on mission trips (one time to Louisville Kentucky), other churches to sing, lock ins, retreats, and God used our pastor, Jerry Pyle, to bless the youth and grow the youth.  Three preachers, to my knowledge, came out of the group, but many, many serious commitments to Christ were made that influence the rest of our lives.

Eventually, youth grow up and go their separate ways and pastors go God's ways.  After Jerry was when a guy a year older than me, Richard Shaw (wife was the farm implement owner's daughter), and they were a great blessing to me as I finished college and had an interim time at home before I got my teaching job.

Had not seen Rodney Miller nor heard of him since, but had occasionally seen his older brothers--one of whom married a gal from our youth group.  They were very active in church (Gene and his wife passed along not just church going, but genuine faith, and it "caught." as they lived in the area.  But Rod has been, I guess, over many places, and to Georgia where he lives with a fine looking family.

Now he has begun a new endeavor called Small Town/Big Deal, where he is telling the stories of small towns and their peoples on RFD-TV.  (Also available on the internet--Google it).  When I came down with my leukemia, we got back in touch with one another.

In Proverbs, I believe 22:6, says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  I've heard it preached as a promise of God, but that's not really so.  It is wisdom literature--wise sayings that generally occur in life, but not a guarantee.  Many Christians would attest, sadly to the fact it is not a promise, but continues to be their prayer for their kids.

In general, if we train up a child God's way, and in the way the child should go, the child will follow that path through life, or return to that path at some point.

The Miller family is still being blessed through a hard working farm family that "trained up their children in a godly way," and they are still being blessed because of it.

Thanks Rodney for reconnecting.

One other thing I want to say, God's way for Rod and I have been different through life.  But that was God's intention and plan.  God used who we were and our faith to mold us into who we are today.  God wants to do that for you too.  So seek the Lord while He may be found, trust Him, and He will do it.

Shalom.

Do Something

A few months ago, I led a small group through a study, titled, "Real Life Discipleship Training Manual."  It was a workbook designed to teach groups principles to lead small discipling groups.

One of the things within that was that in the discipleship process, there was God's part, the leaders part and our part.  Each is important in the process of growing into a disciple of Jesus Christ.

In the late 1970's, when I was studying at Southwestern Seminary in Ft Worth, Texas, there was a professor of counseling called John Drakeford.  One of Dr. Drakeford's important statements was, "Act yourself into a new way of feeling."  There are times when we don't "feel" like doing something, following God, witnessing, getting out of bed.  But the point was, at times, we just had to overcome out feelings by taking action--doing something, and the feelings would follow.

In the Christian life, that is often the case, as it is with me now on chemotherapy.  At times, there seems to be no flavor to my food.  At times, to keep up my strength, I have to just force myself to eat something, even with no flavor.  But I know I have to eat to work though what is going on in my body right now.  So I do what I can to "act myself into a new way of feeling."

God's part is the healing, and the doctors/nurses are co-laborers in that process.  But also I am part of that too, as I do MY part.

Nike said in ads a few years years ago, "Just do it!"  And so often to grow in Christian discipleship, that is what's necessary.  I don't "feel" like it; but I must just "do it," following the Lord's instructions; even when I don't understand, don't want to, feel I can't.  The power is His; the motivation is His; but I am to follow to obey.

What is it today that you need to "act yourself into a new way of feeling," as you seek to follow the Lord and become His more fully committed disciple?

GUYS, GET REAL

Yes, guys, get real--be a man--face up to it.  You are going to die.  (Whoa, didn't like this beginning.)  But I'm going to get very practical at the end in "being prepared" (Boy Scout motto)

Experience tells us this.  How many people do you know who are over 100 years old?  What happened to all the others who did not live that long?  Get real, guys, get real.  Will you be the exception?  Why you?  How so?

Jewish Wisdom Literature tells us so. 

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3:3-8, NIV, biblegateway.com)

 

"A time to be born, and a time to die."  In the verses, a series of contrasts--but I really don't like the  pair with which he begins.  Couldn't he have eased us into it like a good modern author?  Nope, straight to the point.  Limits to our earthly existence--a beginning and an ending.

 

But guys don't really believe this?  Do they?  Nah.  I will beat the odds.  I will be the one exception.  Bee Gee's phrase from one of their disco songs, "I'm Gonna Live Forever."  (Maybe in the movie, "Saturday Night Fever.") 

 

So we go against experience and we go against 3000 year old wisdom literature, and say, "Not me."  Guys, get real!

 

So how do you prepare for death when you're fully alive--enjoying life?  Why even think about it?    Because we all have people in our lives who love us.  Because we all have people in our lives whom we love.  Because we all have purposes, things we want to achieve, but time is limited.  "A time to be born, and a time to die."

 

1. You quit thinking "I'm invincible"--nothing can happen to me.
2. You actually go to the doctor regularly (by the way, here I mean medical doctor not PhD).  As a boy, as a teen, as a 30's I can do it all guy, throughout life.   Diseases do not wait until we are 60 or 70 to hit us.  May I also add, you regularly go to your dentist for consistent oral care.  This way you protect those who love you and those you love.  Regularly may be defined by your doctor according to age.  Maybe a one year check on younger men, but every six months or so as we age.  Their the experts in medical areas--listen to them.  You're the expert in what YOU do.
3. If you're not sure the doctor is correct about something or if he doesn't listen to you, then seek a second or third opinion--another doctor, maybe in your city or a city nearby.
4. When a doctor gives you medications to take or things you are to do, follow them, unless they cause you complications.  If they do, call him back; tell him; get a change.  Everyone of us is uniquely made by God, and one medication doesn't work for us all.
5. Realize that God gave these physicians, nurses, medical people special knowledge, special education, special compassion to help us live life longer and more healthily.  I want life to be quantity, but I want life to be quality.  I want to live this life able to enjoy it to the utmost
6. Realize you are more than just a physical being.  You are also an emotional, social, spiritual being.  We all have emotions.  We all need friends and love and support.  And, I believe, strongly, we all need a relationship with the Creator of the first humans.  How did the first two humans get here?  Genesis says, "They were created by God; male and female, He created them." (Genesis 2)  For me, that makes sense that they had to have their start by Someone greater than they were.
7. As a Christian, that means for me, I investigate the truth claims of Jesus as found in the New Testament.  Could He really be the Jewish Messiah mentioned in the Old Testament that lived, died, and came alive again after death as written in the New Testament?  (That one's hard to believe--life again after dying!)

 

You are going to die.  But this God LOVES you.  He wants to guide you to make wise decisions in this life, even decisions about going to the doctor to love your loved ones better.  He would love to give you long life; but He is most interested about quality of your life.  A life that is really happy and fulfilled and productive.

 

But He also said, through Jesus in John 14:   “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  (NIV, biblegateway.com)

 

Jesus lived.  Jesus died. Jesus came alive.  Jesus will return for those who belong to Him.  And they will live with Him and God forever--eternally--no ending to that life.

 

Be prepared!  Death will come.  Young, 30 somethings, 80's; it will come.  Take care of yourself and your loved ones by being practical in the meantime, but also prepare that if that day came today, you are also ready to meet God and live with Him forever.  Check out Jesus Christ.

 

Be prepared!

 

(By the way, I note that of the followers of this blog, most are women or most "likes" on Facebook from it are women.  I guess my style is just better read by them or they tolerate long posts.  But maybe some of them need to read this to you, their man, their husbands, their lovers, their friends)