Monday, October 31, 2011

It’s All About Jesus

Eph 1:10 "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him." NKJV


 

As I read this morning I realized something as I read this verse: "It is all about Jesus."


 

When it is all said and done, when what we know as this life is over, when God determines that He is going to come and set up His kingdom here on earth, when the fullness of time is here something is going to happen. He is going to gather together in one all who are Christ's…those who are in heaven and those who are in earth. We are all going to be brought together as one. OT saints are going to be there. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be there. Moses will be there. Joshua will be there. Guys like Peter and Paul and John and all the apostles will be there. Luther will be there. Spurgeon will be there. Moody will be there. My Mom and my Dad will be there. And I will be there with my wife and kids. We will all be gathered together as one. How does this happen? Why does this happen? Because it is all about Jesus. We are "in Christ". We are "in Him".


 

This verse does not say that all those who did good stuff will be gathered together because of the good stuff they did. This verse does not say that only 144,000 will be there…we all will be. As I prayed this morning I thought about how it seems Islam is sucking everything up in the Middle East. The thing is, those who trust in Mohammed for their salvation will not be there. There is only one way that we will be there, gathered together as one…if we are in Christ. Jesus is the only Way. Jesus is the only truth. Jesus is the only life. No one comes to the Father and is gathered together as one except through Him.


 

And if we are "in Christ" we have hope. We have this assurance. We have this confidence. When the fullness of time is dispensed, we will all be together with Him, because we are in Him. It's all because of Jesus.


 

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Predestination

Eph 1:4-6 "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." NKJV


 

Whoa. Choosing? Predestined? This is stuff that people don't want to talk about because it is so controversial. Is it really true that God determined before the world was ever made, that some of us would be His children? I guess if you take this verse at face value, yes. But what about: "Whosoever will may come"? What about: "Whosoever believes…"? What about: "God is not willing that any should perish…"? Doesn't man have the free will to choose or are we just robots?


 

I think the thing that we forget about in discussions like this is who God is. Is God God? What I mean by that is, if God is really God, then He has to be in control of everything. If God is really God, then He has to have determined before the foundation of the world how everything was going to play out, both in history and in who was going to be born and who was going to repent…because He is sovereign.


 

It is so weird that I would run into this now, because it is the very thing that the guys are studying about God in our men's Bible study. We are going through James MacDonald's series called: "Gripped by the Greatness of God" and what did we study this week? God's sovereignty. As he says: "God made all His moves in eternity past! We're stuck in time; God is not. He's not limited to our little life calendar. He is eternal. He completely controls the universe – with His feet up! He's not stretched or stressed in any way. That's what it means to be sovereign." If this were not true, God would not be God.


 

So what about "whosoever will"? The better question is: Who gives us the willingness? Who gives us the ability to believe? Who puts the desire to choose there? It isn't us. We are dead and dead things can't will or believe or choose. It is the Spirit of God who makes us alive. It is the good pleasure of His will, not mine. It is all God. And His will will always be fulfilled…so when it says He is not willing, then all He wants will come to repentance.


 

But wait, this isn't fair! Really? We humans are going to tell God what is right…that He is wrong…that He is unfair? Give me a break. Take a look at Romans 9 to see how Paul dealt with the "unfair" complaint.


 

When I think about this, it just makes me fall on my face in amazement. Why me? Why would God chose me before the foundation of the world? Why would He predestine me to be His son? To the praise of the glory of His grace. He is the One who gets the praise. If I was smart enough to make this choice, then the praise would go to me and I cheapen the character of God…but I wasn't. It was all God and He gets the glory. His grace is made preeminent. I am so unworthy…thank you Lord.


 

Friday, October 28, 2011

Blessed

Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places," ESB


 

This blows me away. What Paul says to this church in Ephesus applies to every believer today. In Christ I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing that is available in heaven. I am not even able to comprehend that. I don't even know what that means. I really don't have a concept of what all of those blessings are. An frankly, I don't think we are going to know what they all are until we get to heaven.


 

But for a starter, I thought that I would try to list a few of them. How about life that lasts forever…and ever…and ever. How about grace, and peace, and holiness, and love, and adoption, and acceptance, and redemption, and forgiveness, and wisdom, and insight, and knowledge, and purpose, and an inheritance, and security, and hope, and riches, and power. These are just a few. These are the things that Paul outlines in the first chapter…and there is more to come. When I think about people, and the things that we need, I mean really need, it isn't money or stuff, it is the things that God freely gives us in Jesus, and it only come from Christ. I can't get eternal life, or forgiveness, or wisdom, or be a child of God, rescuing or any of these other blessings any other way. There is no other source. These are all blessings that come when we are in Christ.


 

No wonder Paul says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." He is the One who set all of this up. He is the One who makes all of this available. He is the One who deserves our praise and adoration.


 

As a believer, how can I be discontent? I should be forever thankful because look at how rich I am. I have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. There is more to come.


 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Good Stuff

Eph 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:"


 

My wife and I have been reading Ephesians for a couple of weeks now. I think it is an amazing book. It has so much in it that is rich. As a result I decided that I was going to do a study on it again during my morning time with God. It may be that I may not do one chapter a day. It may be that I may get through one verse a day, but it has so much in it, I want to spend some significant time there because it is really good stuff.


 

And where better to begin than the first verse? Who wrote it? Paul. Where did he write if from? Prison. Who did he write it to? Believers in Ephesus. What was Paul? An apostle. What is an apostle? Basically a messenger who has seen Christ. So this would include the twelve disciples, Paul, Timothy, Barnabus…some of those guys. The weird thing about Paul is that he did not see Christ like these other guys did. He did not live with Jesus when He was here in the flesh. Instead, Paul was knocked off his horse on the way to Damascus. It was there that Jesus first spoke to Paul and it was after that time that Jesus taught Paul.


 

The point? Paul was chosen to be an apostle by the will of God. This was God's desire. This was God's decision. Paul didn't decide to do this. In fact, he was totally against it. But one thing he learned very quickly, you can't avoid the will of God. What God wants is what God wants and what God will do. This was true for Paul, it was true for the first Apostles, it has been true all through history, it is true for our world today, it is true for me. The sooner I realize that God works all things according to the purpose of His will, the better off I am. Why? Because I can rest. I can relax. I can be still in the hands of a sovereign God who has everything under control.


 

This letter was written "to the saints who are in Ephesus". Saint. What a cool term. There is one religion who believes that sainthood has to be bestowed on people. That you have to be voted in to become a saint by the hierarchy of the church. I wonder what they would say about the people who were believers in Ephesus? They were all saints. Saint simply means "holy one"…set apart one. This can be anyone. Anyone who is set apart to live for God and not the junk in this world…what every Christian should be. Sometimes I wonder. I believe that I am a saint, but many times I find that my mind and my desires run in the opposite direction. Sometimes I get wrapped up in the stuff that this world has to offer and my focus gets off.


 

That is where the next term comes in: Faithful in Christ Jesus. Consistent in Christ Jesus. Stable in Christ Jesus. Steadfast in Christ Jesus. This is a long term thing. This is a lifelong thing. The emotionalism is gone. The reality is there. Slow and steady growth is seen. This is what I want for me. This is what I would love to see in people that I have a chance to impact with my life. The thing I have to realize is that the faithfulness is not achieved by me, but it is because of who I am…in Christ. It is His work. It is His doing. It is because of who He is.


 

Like I said: Ephesians is good stuff.


 

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tough

Ezra 10:4 "Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act." NASB


 

It's tough to be a leader. Ezra knew that a bunch of the people sinned. He took this upon himself and repented. As people saw his act of repentance, they realized that something had to be done. So they went to Ezra and acknowledged his leadership and this acknowledgment presented him with a problem. He had to do something. These people noted that this was his responsibility. He had to make some decisions. He had to figure some things out. He had to determine how to resolve this situation. What was he going to do with so many people who had intermarried and who now had to divorce their wives and say goodbye to their children? No matter what, no matter the course of action Ezra decided to take, these people said that they were behind him. They would follow him. They would be with him. They only wanted him to arise, be courageous and do something.


 

I think of the decision that Ezra was going to force these people to make. Divorce your wives. Give up your kids. Unbelievable. No matter how stupid it was for these guys to marry women who were not Jews, they still loved them...and they loved their kids. That is only natural. Yet they were going to have to make some tough choices. Not everyone was in favor of this decision. There were a few guys who disagreed, but the majority understood that this sin had to be eliminated. Tough stuff.


 

That is the way it is sometimes. Leadership faces tough situations. You hope and pray that things don't happen, but if certain circumstances play out, then leadership has to arise. Leadership has to have courage. Leadership has to act. Decisions have to be made, leadership has to take a stand, and if that happens there may be fallout. Not everyone will agree. It would always be our prayer that people would say: "We will be with you, be courageous and act.", yet I know that when unpopular decisions are made, people react. Leadership has to do what is right no matter what the consequences. When tough things hit the fan, leaders have to be leaders "for this matter is (our) responsibility".


 

What should go into it before then? As we saw yesterday: Much prayer. Much confession. Much repentance. Then when tough decisions have to be made, be courageous and act.


 


 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Repent

Ezra 9:15 "O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this." NASB


 

Cool things were happening. A pagan king got a vision, shared the vision, people's hearts were stirred, they gave, they prepared, they worked as one man, they stopped, they started again, the temple was finished, the people came to Jerusalem and there was a problem. I hate that. Everything seems to be going so well, everyone seems to be on board and it seems like you can just hear the machine smoothly purring away and here comes a problem. The problem? The leaders, the rulers, the princes, even some of the spiritual leaders did not pay attention. They didn't obey. To be honest, they took God for granted and did not consider His righteousness.


 

Look at the beginning of Ezra's prayer: "O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous...". That is foundational. God is righteous. What God says is right. What God does is right. His word and His commandments are right and true and pure. These people lost sight of God's righteousness and when they did they disobeyed. They intermarried with women from other countries. This was something that God told them not to do. He knew that if they did, they would be divided in their loyalty. They would not seek solely after God. They would have a divided heart because they might want to please God, but only when it did not offend their pagan wife. Compromise entered and with it came sin.


 

Ezra's response? Repentance. Huh? Ezra didn't do this. It wasn't his sin. He did not disobey God. Why would he have to repent? Why would he have to humble himself and tear his clothes and fall on his knees and stretch out his hands and be ashamed and embarrassed? He didn't do this stuff. No. But he was a leader. He took this personally. Who knows, maybe he felt that this was a lack of his leadership that lead to this. As a result, he went to God in confession. He went to God and admitted guilt. He went to God and declared God's righteousness and his and the people's inability to stand before Him.


 

That is so true. God is so righteous, there is no way I can stand before Him. Even if I think I am living a holy life, I'm not. I am so inadequate in my obedience. I am so inadequate in my following. I am constantly drawn away. Repentance should always be on my lips. And if I lead anyone, either my family or a group of people, I should stand before God on their behalf as well.


 

Take this particular problem: Intermarriage. God told Israel not to do it and He tells us not to do it. Why? First, He is God. He can do this. Why would He do it? Because He knows what is best. I love what James MacDonald says. "When God says 'Don't' He means: 'Don't hurt yourself.'" God only loves us. He cares about us. He created us and He knows how everything works and He knows what is best for us. When He says: "Don't" He says it so we don't screw our lives up. When He says not to marry an unbeliever, He says it because He knows that it will only cause division, and compromise and heartache. God really does want our lives to be lived well. After all Jesus said that He came to give us abundant lives. When we step outside what He wants that abundance decreases.


 

So what do we in leadership do when people intermarry? What do we do when people date others who are not believers? Do we warn? Do we teach? Do we pray? Do we repent? Maybe we should.


 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Pay Attention

Ezra 8:22b "The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him." NASB


 

This is a verse that every human needs to consider. This is a verse that can be a blessing, or it can be a curse. Really, this is nothing to play with. It is extremely serious stuff. We have to pay attention.


 

Ezra and the people were about to take all kinds of gold and silver and bronze up to Jerusalem for the temple. They had to go a distance to get there from Babylon. This is the distance from Iraq to Israel. Ezra was concerned about protection along the way. Things were not so different then than they are now. If you travel from Iraq to Israel, you have to be careful...especially if you are carrying goods that an enemy would want. That is what happened in Ezra's day. He was afraid to take this trip with all of these people and all of the valuable things that were to be dedicated to God. He, however, had a dilemma. "Do I ask king Artixerces for his help, or do I trust God alone to get us through?" After all, he had told the king: "The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him." Did he really believe this? You bet. As a result, he did not ask for the king's protection. He could have. It would have been the humanly prudent thing to do. The king wanted to help, but when Ezra really thought about it, he did not need the king's help. Why not? Because God's favor is on those who seek Him. And anyone who thinks that they can oppose Him or forsake Him, are just fooling themselves and they will be in a world of hurt.


 

This truth was not a temporary truth. This truth is truth forever. It was true then and it is true now. If we, if I seek God...if I go after Him and who He is and desire to know Him and His heart, God's favor will be with us/me. God is on our side if this is our attitude. This is the blessing found in this verse. When you think about it, who would not want this? Who would not want the favor of God? It is pure stupidity to reject this, but people do. People forsake Him. People are even bold enough to oppose Him. Man verses God. Guess who is going to win? His power and His anger are against those who forsake Him.


 

I do not want God's power against me. I do not want God's anger unleashed on me. I don't think any human would want this. But many humans are inviting it because they think that they know what is best and that God is either non-existent, or uncaring, or apathetic. Nothing can be further from the truth. God exists. God cares. God is involved and men need to pay attention.


 

And when it comes to tough situations, when it comes to challenging times, when it comes to engaging the enemy, when it comes to some of the things that I think Christians will be encountering in the not too distant future, we have to remember, we can't rely on the arm of man because the "arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust your own" but the arm of God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him so "let courage rise with danger, be never wanting there".

Friday, October 21, 2011

Seek, Do, Teach

Exra 7:6, 10 "This Ezra come up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given...For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." NKJV

Guys like Ezra challenge me. His life and his heart challenge me. He was a skilled scribe. The actual translation or that is a ready relater. He was always prepared to share the Law of Moses, the word of God with others. He knew what it said and he was able to relate it to others in various situations. How did he get to be like this? His prepared his heart. He readied his inner man. He established his will to do three things: Seek the word. Do the word. Teach the word. I love the progression of this guy.

First, he sought the word of God. He made personal inquiry of it. He spent time in it. He learned what it said. He knew God's heart because He knew God's word. He didn't just leave it at that, however. He did the word. He worked the word. This was not just an educational exercise for him. He didn't get into the word just to be smarter so he could impress others with his knowledge, he did it so he could do it. Ezra was an Old Testament James. "Be doers of the word and not merely hearers." He obeyed. He was an example. He practiced what he read. He didn't leave it at that, however. He taught the word. He trained others in the word. He spurred others on to get into the word and learn it for themselves so they could do it and teach it.

I would love this to be me. I want to seek the word of God. The question that I have to ask myself is "do I really?". I mean, I get into it in the morning, I dig, I study, but is one-half an hour a day really seeking the word? Sure, I go to Bible Study. I listen to it preached. But is this really seeking the word of God? How intense is this desire? I believe it needs to be more passionate. Then do I obey it? Do I do what it says? Am I an example? Forget the next step if I am not doing this. And then, when do I teach it? How do I teach it? How do I declare it? Am I a ready relater?

First step…more of it.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Start Again

Ezra 5: 1,2 "Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them." NKJV

A vision is shared, hearts were stirred, people gave, they were one man, the work stopped…and then it started again. Why? Because of a couple of guys who did not forget the vision. Because of a couple of guys who kept their eye on the ball and did not let the delay impact them. Because of a couple of guys who came to the people "in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them." These guys did not come to the people in their name with their authority. I suppose they could have since they were prophets…but they did not. Instead, they came to the people in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. They refocused the people. They made sure that the people understood that this was not all about them, this was about the God of Israel who was over them.

Like I said yesterday, stopping stinks. But starting again is amazing…especially when the start is for the right reason, with the right motivation, in the name of the God who is over us. I have had a chance to experience this too…and it is a wild ride. The key, however, is to keep our eyes on the God who is over us. We have to acknowledge that it is all about Him, not about us. We have to say what our church's theme verse says this year: "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You." God is the focal point. Christ is the reason. He is the One we need to pursue. Not a project. Not a method. Not a program. Not a building. Our focus needs to be Christ. When it is, people and prophets will rise up. The physical and the spiritual will work together to accomplish only what God intends, with the end result – His glory.

Don't forget the vision with a clear view to God.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Stop

Ezra 4:24 "Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia." NKJV

The vision is shared. Hearts are stirred. People give. They come together as one man. And the work stopped? Hey, this is not how it is supposed to work. Shouldn't it be that they lived happily ever after? Not here...not always. The work on the house of God ceased. It was discontinued...for many years. History says that Cyrus died in 530 BC and Darius came into power in 522 BC. We aren't exactly sure when the work stopped, but if it stopped when Cyrus died then it stopped for around ten years. Ten more years of waiting. Ten more years of looking at an unfinished foundation. Ten more years of wishing. Why? Because of opposition. Because of intimidation. Because people did not have the fortitude to look their challengers in the eye and move forward. Where was God in all of this? Why did it have to stop?

I have asked this question before. When things seem to be going well, why do we hit speed bumps that slow us down? It seems like you have the momentum and all of a sudden you hit a wall and come to a screeching halt. What is with that anyway? Where is God in all of that?

The answer is He is right in the same place He always was: On the throne and in control. The thing that is hard when you have momentum is making sure that you don't rip control away from God. Of course, that would never happen. We humans are not that powerful. But many times we have a tendency to grab something, even a good thing in ministry and start to claim it is our own. We start to grab the credit. We start to think that we are all that. When that happens, look out. It is time for a time out, a slow down, maybe even a discontinuation. I don't know that this is what happened in Ezra's day, but I do know that it happens today. I have seen it and personally experienced it...and it is no fun. Marking time is no fun. Waiting is no fun...but sometimes it is necessary to get our attention. To bring our focus back on the One who instituted the vision to begin with. To rely on the One who brought it all together to begin with. To acknowledge the One who will make it all happen.

Sometime this realization takes time. God has all the time in the world. He knows what He is doing. He is in control of it all anyway. I have to remember that He is more concerned with our character building than building a building. I have to be open to the concept of waiting because that is when God shows up.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

One Man

Ezra 3:1 "And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem." NKJV

The vision is shared, the people's hearts are stirred and uprooted, and money is given for the building of the temple. Everything seems to be ready to go. What else is needed? What else is absolutely necessary for this work to proceed successfully? Unity. Everyone has to have one heart. Everyone has to have one goal. Everyone has to have one focus. Everyone has to be on board…and these people were. They were in the cities and they all came to Jerusalem as one man. This was a group of people who all came together for one purpose, to rebuild the temple.

I love the passion that is in this chapter. First, an altar is built. Even though there were threats all around them, these people were committed and they moved forward to build an altar to God and to regularly present their sacrifices on it. Then they kept going and built the foundation for the temple. When this was completed all kinds of emotion broke out. The people joyfully celebrated. They shouted. They sang. They praised God. And some of the old guys who had seen the original temple cried. These were tears of joy because they knew that this was happening again and they got to see it. They were able to experience the rebuilding of this vision.

How did this happen? Vision. Heart. Unity. If we want to see anything accomplished for God, we have to have all three components. The vision has to be shared so that the hearts of people are stirred to take action and we all have to be in this thing together. No opposition. No doubting. No undercurrent of dissatisfaction. The working out of God's vision must be done by a unified group of people who present themselves as "one man". When I think of one man, I think of seeing one individual. This one individual only does one thing. This one individual only has one body. This one individual only has one mind. This one individual only has one spirit. I mean, a man's leg can't fall off and walk over to another area and do something that is different than the rest of his body. It all works together. It all works in harmony. It all goes after the same task. When I drive to Youngstown today to argue my cases, my brain does not stay home. (At least I hope it doesn't.) It comes with me. My body will work together to get me to my destination and accomplish the task that is ahead for today.

This is the way the church must be. We are one body in Christ. That is, we are one man, with the same vision, with the same heart, running after the same purpose.

God help us to do this.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Field of Dreams

Ezra 2:68 "Some of the heads of the fathers' houses, when they came to the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:" NKJV

"Field of Dreams" is a great movie. Kevin Costner plays a guy who got an idea…who had a vision…who wanted something to happen. The guy loved baseball. He loved baseball history. Why? Because his Dad loved baseball. He was really into Shoeless Joe Jackson and some of the guys who played ball. He had one simple idea: "If you build it, they will come." Now, this is kind of goofy, but he decided to build an amazing baseball field in the middle of nowhere…in fact in the middle of a cornfield. When he did this, a bunch of the old players walked out of the cornfield to play baseball…and he got to play catch with his Dad. The concept: "If you build it they will come" meant that these old guys would return. But more than that happened. People started showing up from all over the place. Cars lined up for miles to come to this field.

Now this is just a story. It is a figment of some writer's imagination. Ezra is not just a story…it really happened. But Cyrus did not build it first…he just shared the vision…and the people's hearts were stirred and they came. When people's hearts were stirred what happened next? They started to come. In fact, this entire chapter is dedicated to outline who came and how many came. When it was all said and done 42,360 people's hearts were stirred. 42,360 people decided to uproot themselves from where they were and move. 42,360 people made the decision to get out of their comfort zone and come back to a place where God would use them. 42,360 people brought their servants, and horses, and mules, and camels, and donkeys with them. And the heads of these 42,260 people brought their gold and their silver and offered it freely to build the house of God.

Vision from God is power. That vision communicated properly is stirring. People respond. They respond by coming. They respond by moving. They respond by giving. I think that we can change Costner's line to say: "If you communicate it, they will come." It happened in Ezra's day. It can happen today.

Question: What is God's vision? What does He want? How do we communicate it? We must be sure…then we have to open our mouths.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Progression

Ezra 1:5 "Then rose up the heads of the fathers houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem."

Progression. It is an interesting word. The word itself says progress. It implies movement. It implies going from one step to the next. It is what is seen in the first chapter of Ezra...and it all started with one leader with a vision.

Cyrus was king of Persia. God had been working in his heart. The first verse of the chapter says: "the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus...". God woke up the inner man of Cyrus. God placed a desire there. And that desire was to build the temple in Jerusalem. Now this was a formidable task. This was not something that he could pull off by himself. He needed to place this desire in front of a group of people. He had to cast the vision and see what happened...and this is what he did: "Whoever is among you...let him go up to Jerusalem...and rebuild the house of the Lord." v3 This was not very complex but it was clear. It was not like he had to lay out every detail initially but he had to tell them what the end result would be. He simply had to cast the vision. The result: progression. This vision was cast and who caught on? Initially the leaders...the heads of the father's houses. Then who caught on? The priests and the Levites. Then who caught on? "Everyone whose spirit God stirred." Then what happened? "And all who were about them aided them...". v6 I am sure that this did not happen overnight. It is something that developed. As Cyrus got excited, the head of the father's houses got excited. As they got excited the spiritual leaders got excited. As they got excited and challenged the people from a spiritual perspective, the people got excited.

This point can't be lost. Not only was the vision cast in terms of the physical (the heads of the father's houses) but also in terms of the spiritual (the priests and Levites). When a vision is cast, both perspectives have to be communicated. When that happens God does the same thing in the hearts of a group of people that He did initially in the heart of one leader: He stirs up our spirits. (Compare verse one and verse five.) When that happens, look out.

This verse is not being lost on me. I need to be open to hear what God is doing in my pastor's heart. When we combine a physical vision with a spiritual vision (what he shared last week) let God stir my spirit. Then that needs to spread. Watch the progression.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Repetition

Josh 23:11 ""Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God." NKJV

Joshua is old. He knows that his time is short, so he is loading up on giving advice to the nation of Israel. He either says the same thing in chapter 23 as he said in chapter 22 because he is getting old and repeating himself, or he is saying it because it is huge and needs to be cemented in these people's lives and hearts. (Actually he says it and repeats it because it is straight from God and God wants these people to grasp the urgency of what Joshua is saying.) What does he say again? "Keep and do all that is written in the Book of the law of Moses." V6 He said that earlier. "Hold fast to the Lord your God." V8 He said that earlier. "Take careful heed." V11 He said those words earlier. And…"Love the LORD your God." V11 He said that exact thing before.

I know sometimes I am dense. Actually, most of the time I am dense. My wife has to tell me things more than once in order for it to sink in. I think we are all like that. It has been said that in order for something to register with people, it has to be told to them three times in three different ways. That is just the way we are. God knows this. Joshua knew this. And this is what was important: Obey God's word, cement yourself to the Lord, be careful and watch yourself, and love the LORD your God.

The idea of being careful is huge. It is so easy to get distracted. It is so easy for me to run after other stuff and spend my time on things that are not important. It is so easy to lose my focus. But when it all boils down to the basics this is it: Love, obey, and hang on. And if this were to really boil down to one thing it would be: Love the LORD your God. Love covers it all for if we love, we will obey. If we love, we will serve. If we love, we will hang on. If we love, we will walk with Him. If we love, we will cling to Him. If we love, we will not run after other stuff, we will not get distracted, we will not set our affections on other garbage.

And to be honest, this advice needs to be repeated to us over and over and over again. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment." Jesus knew it. Joshua knew it. Do I? Really?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Good Advice

Josh 22:5 "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Joshua was giving the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh a pep talk before they left the other tribes and went to possess the land that they had been given on the other side of the Jordan. They had been faithful in helping the other tribes fight their battles in order to possess the promised land. Now they were being released to go back and inhabit the property that God gave them. The pep talk…the final words…the charge, here it is: Be careful to obey God's word. Love God. Walk in His ways. Obey His commands. Hold on to Him. Serve Him with all that you are.

Not bad advice. In fact it is advice that we should still listen to now.

To take careful heed actually means take exceedingly much observance of God's word. Sometimes I wonder if we do that? Those of us who say that we are believers, that we are part of the family of God, that we are Christians…are we diligent to pay attention to the word of God? Or do we yawn? Do we go to church and listen to the preacher preach and find fault in what he says, or do we go out of obligation, or do we hear but don't really listen? I mean, if you were to ask the average church goer: "What did you hear on Sunday?" I wonder if they would remember? Why don't we? Because we are not exceedingly diligent with God's word. Beyond that, however, what about getting in it? What about studying it? What about meditating on it? The one thing Joshua charged these people with was to pay attention to God's word. Great advice.

Then he said: "Love the LORD your God." Jehovah, the existing One, the eternal One, the One who made it all and is orchestrating it all…Love Him. Have a relationship with Him and not just a casual one. A close one. An intimate one. A personal one. Spend time with Him. Talk with Him. And…

"Walk in all His ways". This actually means to walk down His road. To follow His direction. To do what He does. I wonder, do I? Or do I go down my own road, do my own thing, follow after my own desires? And…

"Keep His commandments". Keep is the same word as heed earlier. How about this one: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." John 14:21 How do I really know whether I love God? If I obey Him. If I do what He says. If I pay close attention to His word and then do it. I fear that many of us show that we really don't love God because we don't do the things that He says. And…

"Hold fast to Him". I love the KJV word: "Cleave to Him" Stick to Him. Stay close to Him. Be one with Him. I wonder if I can say this about my relationship with Christ. Am I so close to Him, am I so stuck on Him that I move with Him? Where He goes I go. What He does I do. What He says I say. What He thinks I think. What a challenge. And…

"Serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul". This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it all shakes out. Serve Him actually means to work. Do the work. Work hard. "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." The Christian life is not for the lazy. We should work. We should get tired. We should work for Him with all that we are heart, soul, mind, strength. I know that I have been guilty of wanting to get lazy. To take it easy. To chill. This is not Biblical Christianity. We need to serve Him in whatever capacity He calls us, in whatever way He has gifted us. Don't turn down opportunities to serve. Run after it. Be a servant.

Good advice. I need to listen.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Faithful and True

Josh 21:45 "Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." NKJV

As I sit here and read and re-read this verse, I am impressed by the truth and faithfulness of God. God made a promise to Abraham. His promise was: "To your descendants I will give this land." Gen 12:7 I think about this promise. It was a promise that God made but it was a promise that was for the future. Abraham was not going to see it. Instead, his descendants would see it. Abraham had the word of God. The promise of God, and that is all. He did not have the land. His descendants would get the land. He would not see the fulfillment of this promise. That was for some time in the future. Instead, all Abraham had was the promise of God…and that was enough for him. Why? Because he knew that God was true. He knew that God was faithful. He knew that God would keep His word.

I know that I get impatient. I want to see things happen now. I want to see things happen in my lifetime. I want to enjoy the fulfillment of God's promises. I am blessed as I am able to say that I have seen God's faithfulness. I have seen God's truth. I have seen how God keeps His word. Every time I look at my family, I am reminded of this. I know, however, that God has made promises that I may not see fulfilled. Does that mean that God is not true? Does that mean that He is not faithful? No. It means that He is patient. It means that His timing is perfect. It means that He knows what He is doing because He is God.

The point is: "Not a word failed…all came to pass." God's words are true. God's words are trustworthy. God's words are faithful because He is true and trustworthy and faithful. Every word, not just few of the words, not just a majority of the words, but every word that is laid out in the Bible will come to pass. Not one word will fail. When He says that things will proceed from bad to worse, He means it. Watch it. It will happen. When He says that men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, proud, He means it. Watch it. It is happening. When He says that men will hold to a form of godliness but deny its power. He means it. Watch it. It is happening. When He says that someday there will be a one world government, with a one world economy, that people will not be able to buy or sell without a certain number, He means it. Watch it. We can see it going down right now. When He says that He is returning and He will judge the world, He means it. Watch it. It will happen. When He says: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.", He means it. Watch it. It happens.

God is true. He is faithful. We can trust every word that He says because "not a word (will) fail…all (will) come to pass.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Too Comfortable

Josh 18:3 "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?"

Joshua had a question for seven of the tribes of Israel…"what is taking you so long?" Only five of the tribes had inhabited the territory that had been given to them. The rest were kind of sitting around doing nothing. Now you would think that since they had crossed the Jordan and gotten to the promised land that these people and their leaders would be anxious. I remember when Georgann and I built our house. It seemed like almost every night we were out here looking at what the builders had done that day. We could not wait to get the keys and move in. This urgency did not seem to hit these seven tribes. Why not? Were they comfortable where they were at? Were they nervous? Didn't they know what to do or where to go? I have a feeling it was a little of all three. The result was neglect. The word for neglect actually means to let drop, to slack, to relax. Frankly, they got lazy.

That is the problem with getting comfortable. We let our guard down. We start to relax and take it easy and forget about the fact that there is more out there…more land to get, more battles to fight, more victories to achieve, more that God wants us to possess. We get nervous because we think that we are going to lose what God has already given to us so we want to hang on to it and not venture out any further. And then sometimes, we simply have no direction. We don't know what it is that God has for us and we stop asking. Those who are there to help us fail to show us what to do…so we get like these seven tribes and get fat and comfortable and lazy.

Not Joshua. He got in their face. He said: "What is the deal with the laziness? This is what you need to do. Three guys from each tribe go out and survey the land and then bring a report back to me. We will have a lottery to see who gets what." Joshua had a challenge and he had a plan. When the people saw the challenge, when they embraced the plan, they did it. No more laziness. No more neglect. No more couch potatoeing. It took a leader…it took a challenge…it took a plan to overcome nervousness and comfortableness.

I know that we have some challenges ahead of us as a church. We can't stay where we are forever. We are growing too much and there is a limited amount of time on our lease for the property that we are renting. We have to do something. Oh, it would be easy to be comfortable and lazy. The property that we have rehabbed is very nice, but it is not the "…land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you." God has something else. What is it? We need to find out. We need to have a group of guys survey the land and bring us back a report. Thankfully, that is what we are in the process of doing. When the results come back, put out the challenge. I know that I can't allow myself to get comfortable. Neither can the people of Lake Ridge.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Daughters

Josh 17:3 "But Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters. And these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. " NKJV

This is a weird verse to pick today. What is it about this verse that could hit me? I am like Zelophehad. I have no sons, but only daughters. Back then and in many societies today, sons are it. I know that the one child policy in China has resulted in forced abortions. These forced abortions make people choose the sex of their child and guess what…China has way too many men. They say that there are going to be 40 million men in China who are going to be bachelors because the Chinese are choosing to have boys not girls. From my perspective, not only is this shameful but it is just plain dumb. Why? Because girls are a blessing…I know…I have two of my own who have been nothing but a joy to their Mom and me.

I have heard: "Well, the Richardson names stops with you." My response: "If that is the way it is, that is the way it is." I would not want my family to be anything other than what God has made it and that is filled with estrogen.

This verse makes me think about my girls. Michelle and Elise are really the best gifts that God could give us. They are fun, energetic, smart, wise, helpful, loving, beautiful…and godly. That last characteristic is the biggie. My desire has always been for my girls to walk with Christ. To have a real faith, not something that Mom and Dad shoved down their throats, but something that they claimed and lived as their own. And now they are adults with lives of their own and what are they doing? Living their faith. I love it when they come to me and say: "Hey Dad, what do you think about….?" and the question is about the Bible or how to handle a situation in a Christ honoring way. They care about their relationship with God. They care about His word. They care about living exemplary lives in front of others and doing what is right. I remember when they were little I used to say to them: "Stay sweet." They have…and their husbands and kids (Maddie now and others someday) and their friends are the beneficiaries of what God is doing in them.

I bet Zelophehad felt blessed with his five girls. I am blessed because of my two. They are what 3 John says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." They do.

Mich and Elise…I love you. Thank you for the blessing that you are. I would have it no other way.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Giants

Josh 15:14 "Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak." NKJV

This is where words actually resulted in action. Back in Numbers 13, the twelve spies came back from taking a look at the land and their report was: "Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there." V28 Caleb's response: "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." V30 The ten's response: "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants) and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." V33 The people's response: "Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword…?" 14:3 Caleb's response: "…the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." V9 Caleb's eventual action: "Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahian, and Talmai, the children of Anak." Caleb got it. He knew that no matter what the odds, no matter what the obstacle, no matter what the opposition, God was over it all…and he put his action where his words were.

I know that I can talk a good game. But when the going gets tough, what do I do? Do I bale? Do I doubt? Do I hesitate? Do my actions back up what I say? If I really believe that God is behind something then they better. If I am convinced that God has directed and God has orchestrated then the challenge is to go forward no matter what the giants may look like. It may not be comfortable and it may not be prudent, but if it is from God then I have to not just talk a good game, but I have to live a life that backs it up. I have to go forward and watch God destroy the Anakan giants.

I can think of all kinds of challenges that may be facing me/us in the future. The garbage that is hitting our country is going to result in challenges for believers. The question is: Do we really believe? Do we really trust that God is in control? Can we move forward with confidence knowing that God is directing the affairs of this world? As I think about this, I think about my church…what is God doing there? We are also going to have to make some pivotal decisions in the near future. Where is God? What is He doing? What does He want? Move forward with confidence. And my family. How is all of this stuff going to impact us? I know this: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" No one. Live it. Trust it and slay those giants.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Melters

Josh 14:8 ""Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God." NKJV

Anyone remember the name of the guy who went with Joshua and the others to spy out the land when the children of Israel were in the wilderness? Caleb. He is the one who is speaking in this verse. He and Joshua were the only guys out of twelve, who came back and told the people that God had given the land to them. They strongly believed that they should go up to possess it. The other ten were nay-sayers. The other ten doubted God. The other ten discouraged the people so that their hearts melted. The word for melt means to liquify, to vanish, to intimidate. And that is what happened. Moses sent these guys out to check out what they needed to do and the majority came back with a bad report. Just goes to show, the majority is not always right. The problem is, this melting thing. This intimidating thing. This discouraging thing. This negativity thing.

I know that I can go down that road sometimes. Something is placed in front of me, and I tend to think critically. When I do that the first thing that comes out of my mouth is: "Yes, but...". I need to stop that. I need to sit, listen, consider, weigh, talk about the good with the bad and not cause people's hearts to melt. I need to allow myself to dream a little. Joshua did. Caleb did. And when they knew that God was behind it, they said that they could not be stopped. The only thing that stopped them was unbelief.

The key is God. "But I wholly followed the LORD my God." Once Caleb knew that God was in this, he ran after it. He "wholly followed". He was filled with going after what God wanted. He did not waver. He did not hesitate. He was totally and uncompromisingly in favor of going into the land, even if there were giants there. Nothing could stand in God's way and because of this, nothing could stand in Israel's way...except the melters.

I don't want to be a melter. I just need to always ask: "Is God in this?" If He is, go after it full bore.

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Tangible

Josh 13:33 "But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them." NKJV

Property. It is a big deal. At least in America it is. Everyone wants a piece of property. Everyone wants a part of the American dream and desires to own a piece of property with a house on it. This desire is what got our banking system, our government, our economy in such a mess. We want property even if we can't afford to pay for it, and the government pushed the banking industry to give loans to people who wanted property but could not hold up their end of the bargain. When we look at the mess that we are in, we are all to blame. The people who bought the property, the banks who loaned the money and the government who strongly encouraged it.

Property was a big deal back in Joshua's day as well. Just look at all of the property that the children of Israel conquered and distributed to the eleven tribes. They all got a nice chunk to build their homes and businesses on. They all got a nice chuck to raise their families. They all got a nice chunk to put their farms to grow their crops and feed their livestock. All of them, except one. The tribe of Levi. They did not get a piece of property. They did not some land that had borders. They did not receive the "American dream". I wonder if they felt cheated? I think that this might be my reaction. I definitely believe that this is how an American would respond. "What? No inheritance? No property? No money? No stuff?"

Instead, what did the tribe of Levi get? God. At first glance you would think: "Sure...sounds nice, but not very tangible." That's our problem...that's my problem. We are stuck on the tangible. We are stuck on the physical. We are stuck on what we can see. We are stuck on the here and now. What the Levites understood and what those of us who claim to know God need to understand is this: The eleven tribes actually drew the short straw. The tribe of Levi got everything because they got the very presence of God. I know that this is hard to grasp, but when we really think about it, God vs. Property...which is more valuable? Which can meet your needs? Which can give you peace? Which can give you strength when you feel weak? Which can give you mercy and grace and forgiveness? Which can love you with a never-ending, never changing love? Which can teach you and direct you and give you wisdom? Which can provide life and not just the life we have here where we grasp for the tangible, but life forever where the tangible will be put in its proper perspective? Does property do this? Does property change lives? Does property heal relationships? No...only God does all this and more.

I need to be more like the Levites...centering what I do and what I strive for on God, then the rest will come. Sounds kind of familiar:
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well." Matt 6:33 We need to focus on God, His Kingdom, His righteousness...not property.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Thirty-one “Ones”

Josh 12:1 "These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain:"

This doesn't sound like a very inspiring verse at first…but then keep reading. The word that sticks out at me as I read this chapter is the word "one". There were thirty-one "ones". There were thirty-one kings that the children of Israel defeated. There were thirty-one places that that the children of Israel re-possessed. Each king was named. Each piece of land was identified. Why? Because of this: "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." Gen 12:7 And, "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Gen 17:8 No "one" gets in God's way. What He says He will do He does and it does not matter how powerful, how mighty, how elevated, how strong, how political any "one" might be. God's will and God's way will always be accomplished no matter what the current condition may look like.

I am sure that these kings were pretty secure in their positions. I am sure that as they took over their respective areas of land, that they were entrenched in their authority. That did not matter to God. He made a promise to Abraham and He was going to keep that promise.

And now? That promise still stands. As the Palestinians think about splitting up Israel, as they discuss splitting Jerusalem in two, as much of the land has already been taken over and has become other countries, it doesn't matter to God. He did it once…He can do it again. The "ones" who threaten Israel now will meet the same fate as those kings in Joshua's day.

As I look at the political landscape in the United States, I can rest in knowing that God is over it all. God rules the affairs of the nations. No "one" can stand in His way. No matter how powerful. No matter how connected. No matter how much money they raise. God rules…Just ask thirty-one kings.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

God is in Control

Josh 10:42 "All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel."

When you look at Josh 9 and 10 you realize that this was not a pretty thing. Joshua was told the conquer the land and he did it by killing thousands of people. I hate to say it, but this is similar to what radical Muslims are doing today…taking over areas and telling people that they should either swear allegiance to Mohammed or die. There is one big difference, though. The God of all creation, the God who sees everything, knows everything, who has orchestrated all of history, who is in control of everything, the God who is just and true and totally righteous was behind this. He is the One who fought for Israel. He is the One who chose the nation of Israel to be a people for His possession. He is the One who promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation. He is the One, who from the very beginning, promised this land to Israel. The problem is, others had come in and possessed the land that God had promised to His people.

Fast forward to 2011. Israel is surrounded by her enemies. Ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Assad wants the U.N. to recognize a Palestinian state. Egypt is threatening. Turkey is threatening. The Saudi's are no friend. Syria is no friend. Frankly, Israel does not have any friends in that part of the world. Their very existence is constantly under attack. Guess what? God's promises still remain and the Lord God will still fight for Israel…and frankly, I would not want to be any country that comes against Israel because they will be fighting God. I know to some that this sounds radical. It sounds like crazy talk. Everyone wants peace. Everyone wants a two party solution. Everyone wants everyone to get along. If I read the Bible correctly, though, this is not going to happen until a peace treaty is made that will last for three and a half years and then it will all blow up. The world will fight against Israel and God will win.

The point: God is in control. He was in control when Joshua did battle. He was in control in 1948 when Israel became a nation. He was in control during the six day war. He is in control now. He will forever be in control. If He is in control of the affairs of the world…I know He is in control of the affairs of my life.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Victory

Josh 8:34, 35 "And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them."

After a great victory, what do you usually do? Celebrate. Have a party. If you watch the World Series you see the guys in the locker room pouring champagne over each other's heads, shouting and hugging and all that stuff. Later the city that they represent holds a big parade where they can celebrate together. Frankly, if the any of the major three teams in the city of Cleveland won anything, I think the city would shut down for a week because of the euphoria that everyone would experience.

After a great victory over Ai, what did Joshua do? Throw a party? Have a parade? Take a few days off from work? No. This is what he did: "And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law…(to all) the women, the little ones and the strangers…". You would think that after the children of Israel defeated Ai, a city that had just embarrassed them by killing some of their people and causing their army to flee, that they would have a celebration. Instead they built an altar, gave a sacrifice and read God's word.

This was the leadership that Joshua exhibited. He knew that this victory was not something that came about as a result of his abilities. He knew that this victory did not come about as a result of the army of Israel's power. This victory was from God and he wanted to keep all the people grounded. Not just the army, but the women, children and others who lived among them. He wanted to remind them of the fact that God was in control. God did this. "The horse is prepared for battle, but the victory comes from the Lord." Prov 21:31 Did they have to prepare? Yes. Did they have to make plans? Yes. Did they have to get ready? Yes. Did they have to do something? Yes. But the result was in God's hands and the celebration was acknowledging that.

I have to remember that when anything good comes, when anything successful occurs in my life, when any victory enters my sphere, it is all God. The result should be praise and worship and acknowledgement of who He is and His faithfulness…and a reminder that God's word stands. It is true. It will not ever fail.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Dads

Josh 7:24, 25 "Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, this donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that he had and they brought them to the valley of Achor. And Joshua said: 'Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.' So all Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones"

As the Dad goes, so goes the family. If the Dad screws up, then the entire family is impacted.

I am sure that Achan did not even consider this as he coveted the stuff that he saw in Jericho. God specifically told Joshua to destroy everything in the city of Jericho. He told him to only keep the gold, silver, bronze and iron for the treasury of the Lord. everything else was to be destroyed. No one was to take any spoils. This was clearly communicated to the people, but there was one, Achan, who didn't think that this applied to him. As he admitted, when he saw all of the stuff, he coveted. And when he coveted he took, and he hoarded, and he hid and people died. When the children of Israel went to fight in Ai, several of them died and they ran. Joshua went to God with a complaint...a very similar complaint that he had heard the people voice in the past: "If we are going to come here to die, we might as well have stayed where we were." God's response? "Get up. Why are you lying on your face?" In other words: Pay attention to what is going on around you. There is someone in the camp who did not follow My direction and took some of Jericho's stuff. When Joshua heard this, he had to get the families together and figure out who did it. I am not sure how he was given the discernment to know that it was Achan, but somehow he narrowed it down. The result? Achan was put to death, but not just Achan, but his sons and his daughters and his livestock and all that he owned was destroyed. All because he wanted a little gold, a little silver and some cool looking clothes.

I wonder how often we as Dad's lead our families down the wrong path because of the junk that we want? How often do we ignore our wife and kids because we want to make a little more money, or we want a bigger house, or we want the newest and hippest electronic toy, or we want a little more prestige? How often are our families hurt and our kids sent down a path of sin because we are enslaved to something? This responsibility that God has given us is actually kind of scary.

A bunch of guys spent the last 24 hours fasting and praying. I had never done that before. The thing that came out of it? We need to love our wives better. We need to disciple our kids. And we need to pray. When we fail to do this, our families take the hit. We may not feel it. In fact, we may get away with our laziness, but it all comes out in the end. We decided that we can't be like Achan. (He was even mentioned this weekend.) We have to be vigilant because our families are at stake.