Key to Success

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:1–8)

In this study of ‘therefore’ as a word about consequences, God is showing me how the OT points to Jesus and NT truths. That is, the OT events point to a greater reality. This passage is another one of them.

Moses and Law remind me of the promise of a Messiah and that God’s people wanted to obey but continually failed to keep the law. Then the death of Moses changed leadership. Joshua. Because Moses died, Joshua was given leadership into the land of promise. And I know this does not point to heaven but to a difference in their lives.

Joshua means “Jehovah saves” — another phase in the history of redemption. If I look at it as part of a salvation journey, it points to being set free from slavery to sin and learning how to walk in that redeemed freedom. It takes a lifetime and without the power of Christ, I cannot do it, just as the OT people of God struggled in their battle to live out the will of God in the land He gave them.

Again, this is not heaven. If it were, there would be no enemies and no battles, no lessons in how to live in total surrender to the God who saves. This is why He told Joshua and He tells me that He will be with me. All blessings are mine, and no one can take that from me. Obedience is vital to my success. So is reading and thinking about God's will day and night.

Fear and becoming down-hearted are my enemies so He adds: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9–10) This is not about emotional stability but about remembering and knowing that He is with me — all the time and wherever I am.

Jesus, Your presence is always with me, like the air around me. If I forget that, my life goes sideways or upside-down. It is never Your fault for You are faithful to Your word. May I alway be mindful that You never leave me alone. You are my strength and my obedience, my Savior and success.

The bigger picture. . . .

 

On television, world leaders can look smug or confident, worried or perplexed, grim or determined. Their faces sometimes belie their words or reveal their hearts, yet do any of them read passages like this and take it to heart?

Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah (Psalm 49:7–15)

Everyone is terminal, even those who make a great mark in the world and their names are remembered for generations. As the Word of God says, we are like beasts that perish and those who want to ‘rule the world’ will eventually be overruled by the grave.

Why do I write about this? Because so many are watching the wars and rumors of wars with fear and trepidation, and just as many have shut their ears to all dangers and are not prepared for what may come. 

We have family living in tornado zones. People in such places prepare for the worst even as they hope for the best, but not all of them. Some assume they can ‘stick it out’ regarding hurricanes and such. Others assume they will always be okay, and have no plan if a tornado  or wildfire bears down on them.

Does this mean living in fear of what might happen? When our children were small, my hubby refused to let them ‘what if?’ But that does not include keeping property in good order, knowing where to go for shelter, buying a fire extinguisher, or preparing for retirement. Prudent people consider what could happen, do what is necessary, but are not obsessed or overcome by fear. Nor are they like some of our world leaders and billionaires who live as if they will never die.

The rest of the psalm speaks to those struggle with the shenanigans of the rich and powerful. Then only a page or so later, God tells me to focus on Jesus who died and then whose body began to breathe:

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:16–20)

Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (Psalm 50:22–23)

Thinking people who consider the realities of life — and death — and who want truth to govern their choices are the most apt to be shown what really matters. A saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ puts all of human ambition in its proper faith and puts my eyes on eternity. Yet even before doing that, He reminds me every day that trusting Him  means that I will also conquer death. No, money or anything else I might gain here will go with me, but when I go, I will spend eternity very much alive with my Savior.

PRAY: Jesus, these are good thoughts for a Monday morning and the challenges of the week ahead, and the challenges of watching the senseless sparring out there for power and more money and more stuff. I’m so thankful for eternal life and the great contentment that goes with it. Not only that, You provide every need and guide my steps through this complex maze of life on this messed up planet. One day all struggles and fears will vanish into the glories of eternal life!

Why are men happy? because they cleave to God. Why are men miserable? because they recede from God. It is then our own fault that we are miserable; God cannot be charged with any injustice if we be miserable, since his goodness gave means to prevent it, and afterwards added means to recover us from it, but all despised by us. — Charnock.

Hearing God Speak…

 

Years ago two cult members came to my door. They were interested in what I believed, but they insisted that someone must have taught it to me. When I told them that I learned about God by reading His Word and by the things He revealed to me, they insisted all that I knew must have came by teaching from someone else. Eventually I realized that this was the only way of learning that they knew; a revelation directly from God by the Holy Spirit and through what the Bible says was foreign to them.

Faith is an important part of how everyone lives in ordinary life, not only in spiritual matters. If I believe something, I act upon it in little matters like turning on the lights or running water into the sink. Because I believe my children are capable of doing many things, I don’t worry about them all the time. Because faith tells me the sun will come up in the morning, I’m not looking for a flashlight to get me through the day. All sciences and activities are based on faith also. Those engaged in anything must believe something about it or they would not do it.

I read this morning that God made us like that. However, in matters related to faith in Him, it isn’t about some idea or proof or evidence that I come up with, or that someone else teaches me. This does not negate Christian teaching, but if that is the only ground for faith in God, then I could change my mind if something else is more appealing to me.

The nature of true faith depends on God revealing it and giving me the ability to believe what God says, not the content of what He says so much as that fact of who is saying it. When God speaks to me through His Word and His Spirit, and I hear it, I cannot deny it. That is faith.

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:15–17)

However, the Bible is clear — merely hearing the Gospel does not automatically result in saving faith; I must hear God speaking in whatever form that hearing happens, either in reading His Word, or hearing it preached, or when someone says His truth and God uses it to speak to me. It is the Word of Christ that produces faith, not the words by themselves.

My experience verifies this, even though it needs no such proof. After many years of daily Bible reading without understanding it, I was reading a non-Christian book and God spoke to me through a verse of Scripture quoted in that book. This time, I heard God and faith happened. In that instance, He changed my life to one of faith in Him instead of trusting myself or my own judgment.

Lately I’ve noticed that many who call themselves Christian have not really heard God. They have had much Christian teaching, but like the cult members who came to my door, hearing it from others, even if what others say is true (not so in the cults). That alone does not create belief in what they say. To have genuine saving faith means hearing the Lord speak. When that happens, so does obedience and a change of life.

Merely hearing it from a human source without the voice of God may produce a form of believing, but it does not change lives nor does it last. The idea of “I must be good enough” remains, the idea of “I need to earn it” remains and motivates.

Once I asked a different member of that same cult mentioned above to read this aloud to me:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Then I asked her how a person is saved according to what those verses say, and she replied, “By doing good works.” She did not hear God speak nor even understood the words and remained in spiritual darkness.

PRAY: Lord, I know too many who never hear You or expose themselves to hearing You. Some of them go to church and will say, “Oh what a good speaker” about the sermon and yet their lives are not changed. I know that it is possible to shut my mind and at times put faith in myself. I need You to speak to me, even now as a saved person. My heart aches for those who think they must earn salvation and for those who are not at all interested. Speak, Lord. We all need to hear You.

 

Peace has a caveat

 

Do not, as children do, keep digging up your plants to see if they are growing. Trust the divine Husbandman absolutely and always. Accept each moment’s dispensation as it comes to you from His hands. Say a continual yes to your Father’s will. Finally, in this, as in all the other cares of your life:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

Doing this is easier in some instances than others. Suppose I’m anxious about giving a lesson next week and anxious that I will do it with the Spirit’s fullness. Next week comes, it happens and God blesses it. But what about the salvation of a grandchild who lives far away and there is little interaction with him or her? I am hearing that this child is far from loving and living for Jesus. No good news, ever. Can I experience the peace of God in that situation that seems to have no light at the end of the tunnel?

The context of these verses offer a few clues. It speaks of agreeing with those Christians that I serve God alongside. It says to rejoice in the Lord making Him my source of joy. It also says to let my reasonableness or gentleness be visible to everyone. It also tells me to think of good things and put into practice all that God is teaching me. This ‘peace of God that surpasses understanding’ is not for those who fight with others, find joy only in circumstances going their way, are harsh, and have a mind filled with garbage. Disobedience is certainly a barrier to peace.

These things, when present in my life, are indications that I’m not trusting God. How then can I pray for someone in faith? It is impossible. It goes without saying that faith can be described as “surpassing understanding” similar to the peace of God. It is humanly beyond me that I can trust what cannot be seen and to be certain to the point that I have no worries about the issues at hand, yet…

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

This is like being blind and stepping off solid ground without seeing the suspension bridge across a chasm. It is like putting my fork into the plate in front of me without seeing what will go into my mouth. Faith cannot see what I hope for, but knowing God is good and will take care of me is my assurance. It is not assumption that ‘all will be okay’ with some sort of Pollyanna thinking at its roots, but faith that is rooted in God, in His power and His promises. If He says it, it will happen. Faith is not blind in the sense that it is ‘I hope so’ but that it is based on a real God who is personal and cares:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Believing He exists goes beyond a hopeful notion that there is someone out there. It is trust, not a notion. It is knowing something, not merely hoping. And rewards for seeking are real, not hope so. Seeking is about diligence, not a mere glance around for evidence but looking with an expectation of finding because the evidence is already there — in God.

God knows how to make Himself known. Many who live in places where missionary work is banned are having dreams and visions that God is using to show them that He not only exists but that Jesus Christ died for their sin and offers them eternal life. He can speak His Word, with or without a book.

That said, those who have the Bible are told to tell others about Jesus because “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) For this reason, Jesus tells me:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

Again, I am not given the visual results of faith, only the commands to do what God says and trust that He will grant faith to others as He sees fit.

PRAY: Jesus, in some ways praying is easier than sharing the gospel, yet either way, faith in You is required — and doing either one is impossible without it. Grant me the faith needed to be totally obedient, both in speaking to You and in sharing You with others.

Secure in Christ

 

 

READ Hebrews 1-4

Reading Psalms makes my heart sing. So does reading these chapters in Hebrews. This book was written to encourage Christians in trial by focusing on the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. As the words point me to Jesus, my heart is filled with joy!

God speaks. He says that Jesus is not an angel . . .

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs . . . . And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 1:1–4; 13–2:1)

He speaks. I must listen . . .

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3–4)

His message is clear . . .

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone . . . . Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:9; 14–16)

He speaks. He is much louder than the Law for He created that Law . . .

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:3–6)

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7–8) How can my heart become hard?

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end . . . . For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. (Hebrews 3:12–14; 4:2)

Faith means to cease striving to please God and resting in what Jesus has done. He invites me into this rest, first for salvation and always as a way of life. This is His Sabbath rest, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:9–10)

To do that, I need to discern what is from God and the ideas that come up from my sinful flesh. For this, He gave me His Word which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

And He gave me Jesus, my High Priest who sympathizes with my weaknesses because He was in every respect tempted as I am, yet without sin. For this, I can with confidence draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15–16) Because of all this, because of Jesus, my heart rejoices. My sins are covered and being conquered, and my eternal future is secure! Praise His Name!