Honest Reflections

“The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” (Joshua 6:16 NIV)

You win the battle when you’re obedient to God.  Today’s scripture comes at the end of the battle of Jericho.  An epic story that begins with Joshua having a candid conversation with an angel of the Lord.  This video depicts the passage beautifully.  God orders Joshua and the Israelites to march around Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant for 7 days.  He has told Joshua that He has already given them the city. In order for Joshua to have victory, he must do what the Lord has told him to do.  In order to win the battle, you have to be obedient to God.

In order to win the battle, you have to be obedient to God.

God told Joshua exactly what he needed to do to claim victory over Jericho:

“Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.” (Joshua 6:2-3 NIV).

Joshua didn’t gain the victory until he did what he had to do.  Often, in our own lives, God has told us what we need to do. We need to forgive our enemies (Luke 6:35-36 NIV).  We are to go the extra mile for people (Matthew 5:41 NIV).  We are to speak uplifting and encouraging words at all times (Psalm 19:14 NIV). Those are just a few of the more well known commands of God. God will give us victory if we are obedient to His ways.  But first we have to do the work.

Joshua and the Israelites marched around Jericho for 7 days in full gear, carrying the Ark in the hot sun.  The first six days, they did one lap around the city. On the seventh day, they walked around it 7 times. The distance around the city is estimated at 2000 ft, or about a ⅓ of mile.  One lap would take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on speed.  That means, on the last day, they walked for approximately 7 hours before the wall fell.  Their obedience required work.

Our obedience requires work.  We can do what Joshua did if we’re not sure what to do.  We can seek God in prayer and supplication, asking Him for direction in our lives.  We can lift up the battles we’re fighting and ask God for victory. And then we have to do the work.  We have to pick up our cross and carry it with us (Matthew 16:24-26 NIV). Trusting God for the victory, as we are obedient to Him.

Question of the Day:

What battle do you need to lift up to God today and seek His guidance?

Further Reading: Joshua 5:1-7:15 NIV, Luke 15:1-32 NIV, Psalm 81:1-16 NIV, Proverbs 13:1 NIV

 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” (Luke 14:28 NIV)

If you don’t count the cost, you won’t know what you need.  Have you ever had a great idea? But then you start to put your plan  into action and quickly realize, it is way more involved than you thought?  I have. About 10 years ago, I decided I was going to start my own business.  I was going to create resumes and business cards for people. It didn’t take me long to realize I had a problem.  I couldn’t compete with larger companies. There was no way I could charge their prices and still make a profit. I simply could not purchase the paper cheap enough to compete.  I may have had the talent, but I didn’t have the physical resources I needed. If you don’t count the cost, you won’t know what you need.

If you don’t count the cost, you don’t know what you need.

Jesus is asking us to count the cost of what it means to be a disciple in the parable this verse comes from:

“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27 NIV)

When we count the cost of being a disciple, Matthew sums it up for us:

“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV)

When you look at it through the lens of losing your soul or gaining it, the cost doesn’t seem that high, at least not to me.  I’d rather have the peace of Jesus than the chaos of this world. I’d rather experience His unconditional love rather than the hatred that permeates society.  I’d rather receive His grace and mercy, than hold onto the offenses of this world. I’d rather be unified to the body of Christ than one with the world. The cost of following Jesus, we give up death for eternal life.  

What is our cost as Christ followers?  We do what Jesus did. We forgive those who hurt us.  We love those that are unlovable. We pass peace to people, not chaos.  We follow in His steps. We first realize our need for Jesus is greater than any cost.  Then we share the love, mercy and grace we receive from Him with others. When we count the cost, we find Jesus is what we need.

Question of the Day:

Have you counted the cost of your need for Jesus in your life?

Further Reading: Joshua 3:1-4:24 NIV, Luke 14:7-35 NIV, Psalm 80:1-19 NIV, Proverbs 12:27-28 NIV

“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.” (Joshua 2:1 NIV)

There’s no right answer to this question, but one of my favorites is Rahab.  She is in the lineage of Jesus. She is a heroine who saved the spies Joshua sent into the land.  She saved her family with her heroic actions. She was a prostitute who was wiser than anyone else in the city.  She was following God. I’ve always thought Rahab was cool. Rahab, the prostitute, was a woman of God.

Rahab, the prostitute, was a woman of God.

Of all the people Joshua could have sent the spies too, he sent them to Rahab.  Joshua was chosen by God to lead the Israelites after Moses died. Therefore, we can assume, Joshua was a man of God.  So Joshua, man of God, sends the spies to the only woman of God in the entire city, Rahab the prostitute.

The reason why I love Rahab, and all prostitutes, is because I’m just like them.  I’m an imperfect woman. I’ve made bad choices at different points in my life. But praise Jesus, He loves me anyway.  I may not have done what Rahab did for a living, but that doesn’t make a difference. We are all sinners in need of redemption.  

We all have done things in this life we regret doing.  We’ve made choices we wish we could take back. We will make choices in the future we will regret.  But when we begin to comprehend the love Jesus has for us, we’ll begin to follow Him more. As we follow Him more, we’ll start to do what He did.  When we begin doing what Jesus did, we’ll start making better choices. Just as Rahab and the sinful woman did.

Rahab understood God’s love for her.  She did what He wanted her to do. She hid the spies and helped them escape.  She made a good choice for her life and the lives of her family. She saved them all with  her obedience to God. The sinful woman understood Jesus’s love for her. That is why she fell at his feet, wetting them with her tears, anointing them with expensive oil, and drying them with her hair.  She was preparing her Lord for what was coming, His death.

Question of the Day:

Do you understand the depth of God’s love for you today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1- Joshua 2:24 NIV, Luke 13:22-14:6 NIV, Psalm 79:1-13 NIV, Proverbs 12:26 NIV

“Anxiety weighs down the heart,  but a kind word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).

Anxiety weighs you down. Anxiety is defined by the American Psychology Association (APA) as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”  I’ve struggled with anxiety, sometimes more than others.  In this time of social isolation and coronavirus, it’s a constant battle for all of us.  But God has an answer for our anxiety, Him. We can give it all to Him. We can let His kind words be the first to cheer us up:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” (Phil 4:6-7 NIV).

I can not tell you how many times I have put these verses into practice in my life.  I’m learning to recognize my anxiety. When I do, I know Who can handle it. Anxiety weighs down the heart, but God lifts it up.

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but God lifts it up.

About a year ago, I had a situation occur that took me completely off guard.  Anxiety immediately reared its ugly head in my life. One of my friends gave me wise advice in dealing with it.  She challenged me into determining whether it was a problem or a predicament.

A problem can be solved.  Action can be taken to fix whatever the situation is.  A predicament cannot be solved, we have to find a way to cope with it.  The coronavirus is a predicament. There is nothing we can do to stop it, we have to let it run its course.  Therefore we have to learn how to cope with it. 

The first thing we can do to cope with our anxiety is talk to God about it in prayer.  Honestly, openly, pouring our hearts out to Him completely. We can thank Him for what He has done and is doing in this situation.  Then we can ask Him for His strength, His love, His mercy to carry us through. When we do, His peace will be upon us, and we will be able to share it with others.

When we have the peace that surpasses all understanding, we’re able to let it overflow in our words to those around us.  We’ll have kind words to lift the anxiety others are feeling. We’ll be able to cheer up those who are downtrodden with anxiety.  We’ll be able to share God’s love with them. When we do, we’ll cheer their anxious hearts.

Question of the Day:

How can you share God’s peace with someone today?

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 33:1-29 NIV, Luke 13:1-21 NIV, Psalm 78:65-72 NIV,  Proverbs 12:25 NIV

“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” Proverbs 12:24 NIV

The reason it’s important to have diligent hands is because they rule.  Diligent is an adjective that means having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.  Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3 NIV).  Scripture doesn’t say this definitely, but I think He was a Master Carpenter:

A master carpenter has reached the highest designation available within the carpentry profession and indicates possession of the requisite skills, training and experience to perform any carpentry task. 

Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father, was a carpenter.  He is who taught Jesus the trade from a young age.  Working with wood takes diligence. The little experience I have with carpentry has taught me this.  Carpentry takes skill that is acquired over a long period of time. Jesus wouldn’t have had the tools we have today.  Everything He did would have been done by hand. Carpenters in Jesus’s time built doors, lintels (supports for the door), shelves, tables and cabinets.  All by hand, all diligently. When I think of Jesus doing woodwork, I think of His hands lovingly running over His finished product, not a blemish to be seen.  Slowly, patiently, He worked to create His masterpiece. Diligent hands will rule.

Diligent hands will rule.

Jesus does the same thing with us.  He is the master carpenter of our lives.  Diligently, every day He works with us. He teaches us His ways.  He gives us opportunities to follow Him deeper into a relationship with Him.  The circumstances we find ourselves in, He uses to mold us into who He created us to be.  Gently, lovinglingly, He keeps us moving forward to the finish product:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Every day, the Master Carpenter is whittling us into who He created us to be.  Some days He’s sanding us for a smoother surface. Some days, He’s pounding us together with others, creating friction that grows us into better disciples.  As we learn to deal with the friction that is normal in human relationships, we become better lovers of people. We learn quickly, we can’t love others without Jesus’s guidance.  Sometimes, He cuts off people from our lives for one reason or another. When He does, we shouldn’t try to chase after them, but trust that He knows best. In all things, He’s working to create the masterpiece each of us is to Him.  With diligent hands, Jesus rules our lives.

When we draw closer to Jesus, we’ll have diligent hands.  We’ll diligently spend time with Him daily, which will overflow to those around us.  We’ll learn patience, endurance and perseverance as we follow Him where He wants to take us.  With diligence our hands will rule.

Question of the Day:

How can you diligently follow Jesus today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 32:28-52 NIV, Luke 12:35-59 NIV, Psalm 78:56-64 NIV, Proverbs 12:24 NIV

“They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.” (Psalm 78:35 NIV)

God is your rock in time of need.  My prayer, as we move through the days of social isolation, is that God will be who you cling to in your time of need:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;  my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”(Psalm 18:2 NIV)

What does it look like for God to be your rock?  My mind immediately goes to the end of the movie Titanic.  Filmed in 1997, it is a love story filmed around the tragedy of the Titanic sinking.  A British passenger ship that the builders thought foolishly, even God couldn’t sink. They were wrong.  On April 14th, 1912 the ship struck an iceberg, causing it to sink. Of the 2,244 people on the boat, over 1500 died.  Turns out, the ship was sinkable. In the movie, after the ship has sunk, the survivors are clinging to whatever they can to stay afloat.  In a poignant moment, Rose, the heroine, clings to a board that Jack, the love of her life has found for her.  When I think of clinging to God as my rock in times of duress, that is one image that comes to mind.

Life can be overwhelming.  I have felt like I was Rose, drowning in the sea of life, the only thing keeping me afloat is God.  As the waves of life roll over me, God keeps my head above water. He will do the same for you. God is our rock during times of need.

God is our rock during times of need.

In this time of pandemic and economic uncertainty, God is our rock.  He is not surprised by the coronavirus. He is not surprised by the economic uncertainty.  He is our rock as we maneuver through these days. Here are His promises you can cling too:

He will provide:  “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”  (Phil 4:19 NIV)

He will protect: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

He will deliver you: “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;” (Psalm 34:19 NIV)

He has a plan: “The LORD works out everything to its proper end” (Proverbs 16:4 NIV).

God is our rock in our time of need.  We can cling to His promises to carry us through the uncertainty of our days.

Question of the Day:

Who are you clinging to today?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27 NIV, Luke 12:8-34 NIV, Psalm 78:32-55 NIV, Proverbs 12:21-23 NIV

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7 NIV)

How do you know how important you are?  Because God knows exactly how many hairs you have on your head.  According to Bauman medical, the human head has an average of 100,000 hairs.  Depending on hair color people have more or less hair.  For instance, blondes have 150,000 hairs on average, while redheads only have 90,000.  Black or brown haired people are the ones who have 100,000-110,000 hairs on their head.  And God knows everyone of them, in everyone’s head. You are so important, every hair on your head is numbered.

You are so important, every hair on your head is numbered.

God knows if you’re a redhead or a brunette.  For some reason, He gave redheads less hair than everyone else.  Maybe it had something to do with His numbering system. Because every hair on every head is numbered.  We are that important to God. For us, from our human perspective, we can’t really understand how God could possibly know that about us.  But He does. This is where faith comes into play.

Faith is believing what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).  We can’t see the coronavirus that has paralyzed our world.  Yet we believe it exists. We’re taking every precaution to not let it spread.  We are believing in what we can’t see with the coronavirus. That is a form of faith.  

Faith in God is believing what He says in His word is true.  When He tells us He knows the number of hairs on our head, we believe Him.  When He tells us in His word we’re to forgive our enemies and pray for them, we do it (Matthew 5:44 NIV).  When we actively work to forgive someone who has hurt us AND pray for them, we’re walking in faith.  We’re believing that we are doing what God wants us to do. We’re believing He will bless our efforts and use it to His glory.  We’re walking by faith.

But first, before God asks us to do anything else, He asks us to believe that He loves us.  He sent Jesus to die on the cross to show us how much. God loves us so much He sacrificed His only Son so that we could have eternal life with Him.  You are so important to God, He has numbered every hair on your head.  

Question of the Day:

Do you believe God has every hair on your head numbered?

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20 NIV, Luke 11:37-12:7 NIV, Psalm 78:1-31 NIV, Proverbs 12:19-20 NIV

“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?” (Psalm 77:7 NIV)

When you are in distress, God is with you.  But it may not feel that way, it may feel like God is rejecting you.  That isn’t true, it’s a lie. God never leaves nor forsakes us:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

This passage was spoken by Moses to Joshua when he was taking leadership over the Israelites in the desert.  Joshua was given the assignment of leading them into the promised land. Moses was encouraging him that no matter what Joshua faced in the days ahead, no matter how alone he may feel, he wasn’t.  God was always with him. Paul reiterated this in his letter to the Hebrews:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you,   never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

When you are in distress, God is with you.

Then why do you feel alone?  Why don’t you feel His presence all of the time?  There isn’t one answer for these questions, there are many.  One reason I have found is because I’m the one who moved.

My parents had a joke they shared.  They dated in the 1960’s when cars and trucks had bench seats, unlike modern cars.  Dad would drive his truck, Mom would sit next to him, his arm around her. As the years went by, kids were born and life happened, they stopped doing this.  One day, my mom said to my dad, “Why don’t you put your arm around me anymore when you’re driving?” My Dad replied, “I’m not the one that moved.”

We do the same thing with God.  He’s driving the truck, at first we’re nestled up against Him. But then life happens and we slowly start to slide away from Him. One day, we realize, we’re not as close as we used to be.  When that happens, God says the same thing to us, “I’m not the one that moved.”

The second thing I’ve learned to ask God in times of distress, “What are you trying to teach me?”  God is always teaching us something, and usually not what we think. God is molding us for His purpose, and often, our greatest lessons are learned during times of distress.  But fear not, God is with you. He will use it for His good if we turn our distress over to Him.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).

Question of the Day:

Are you as close to God as you once were?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-68 NIV, Luke 11:14-36 NIV, Psalm 77:1-20 NIV, Proverbs 12:18 NIV

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 NIV)

All you have to do to pray, is start an honest conversation with God.  None of us are hiding anything, God knows all. You don’t have to pretend with Him, you can be completely honest.  Some of my conversations with God have started with these words, “I know You already know, but I (fill in the sin), please forgive me.”  There is freedom when you’re completely honest about what you have done, to whom you have done it, and why you did it. Confession is freeing and God is all forgiving.  Prayer is starting a conversation with God.

Prayer is starting a conversation with God.

Jesus gives the disciples an example of prayer to answer their request in today’s verse:

“Father,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”

Luke 11:2-4 MSG

The Message translation gives a different perspective on the traditional Lord’s prayer.  The wording is more straightforward and a little easier to understand. First we acknowledge and honor who God is and ask Him to reveal Himself to us.  Then we pray for His will to be done and His provision in our lives. And we ask Him to forgive and protect us, from ourselves and the devil. If having a formula for prayer will help you start your conversation with God, this is the model to use for it.

I’m a prayer because I’m a worrier.  Worry is actually sin, it’s not trusting in God.  Worry, in my life, is my cue I need to pray:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV).

We’re living in a time of worry and fear, use it as your cue to pray.  Lift up your worries to God. Thank Him for what He has done in your life.  Give Him whatever is weighing down your heart, then ask Him for His peace. Let His peace guard your heart and mind.  Don’t allow the devil to steal your joy today, no matter what the focus is. Keep the Son in your eyes by giving Him your cares and worries.

Prayer is starting a conversation with God.  If you want a place to start, try this: “Hey God, it’s me.” Then go from there.  Pour your heart out to the One who loves you more than anyone. The One who created you, the One who calls you His.

Question of the Day:

What’s stopping you from saying, “Hey God, it’s me”?

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26 NIV, Luke 10:38-11:13 NIV, Psalm 76:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 12:15-17 NIV

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29 NIV)

When we want to justify ourselves, we get put in our place.  The gentleman speaking is a lawyer trying to justify himself.  He’s using his legal expertise to interrogate Jesus. He wants to know who he has to love and who he doesn’t.  He’s looking for a loophole in the greatest commandment:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

If we try to justify our actions, we get put in our place.

The lawyer doesn’t want  to love everyone. He wants to love those he wants to love. He wants Jesus to define clearly who his neighbor is so he knows who he has to love and who he doesn’t.  Jesus’ reply to him is the tale of the good Samaritan. Here’s a short video that is worth the 1:39 it takes to watch, a beautiful depiction of the story.  The Samaritan, who is despised in this culture at this time, is the only one who helps an injured man along the road.  Two other religious men had walked past and not offered to help. The Samaritan not only helped him on the road, but he took him to lodging and made sure he had everything needed.  He paid his bill with his own money. Jesus used this story to define, not only for the lawyer, but us, who our neighbor is: everyone.

This lawyer was looking for a pass on having to love everyone, Jesus didn’t give it to him.  He was trying to justify why he could treat some people differently than others, Jesus put him in his place.  There is no loophole when it comes to loving people. The fact that the lawyer was looking for justification indicates he knew he was wrong.  When we’re trying to justify our actions, it’s often an indication that we’re wrong.

Justification is trying to prove you’re right.  But life isn’t about right or wrong, it’s about loving God and loving people.  Jesus wants us to find a way to love everyone, no matter what the situation. Sometimes the best way to love people is from afar.  Sometimes the best way to love them is tough love. Sometimes the best way to love people is by saying nothing at all. But without a doubt, no matter who they are, the best way we can love them is praying for them.  We can pray they know Jesus.  

Question of the Day:

Who can you pray for today that needs Jesus?

Further Reading:  Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19 NIV, Luke 10:13-37 NIV, Psalm 75:1-10 NIV, Proverbs 12:12-14 NIV