July 16

JOSHUA 23
When he was sixteen, my grandfather, George Washington Chaffin left home near Pratt, Kansas and headed west for Liberal, Kansas. He left with a buckboard and a dog. When he arrived in Liberal, he still had the buckboard, but not the dog. Apparently the dog caused some problems for which he did not survive. I cannot imagine leaving home for good at 16. That must have taken a lot of courage. When I was 17, my older brother dropped me off at Market Hall in Dallas for registration at Explo ’72, and said, “I’ll see you in a week.” There were some problems with registration on my own. I had questions concerning lodging and transportation. But the Lord provided, in spite of my fears, and gave me three great roommates from Boston. When I was 19, I boarded a flight for Atlantic City, New Jersey. My final destination was Ocean City, New Jersey. All I had was an address and a phone number. Landing in Atlantic City, I had no idea where Ocean City was, nor how to get there. The Lord provided a limousine driver who was a Christian. It cost me almost all I had, $10.00. He should have been paid more, but he was willing to do it for $10.00. It was kind-of scary until I was situated in my room and had a job. The Lord provided a job the very next morning. At 25, I remember quitting my job in Stillwater, OK and leaving for seminary in Portland, Oregon. As I pulled on the highway with my wife, 10-month-old, my dog & U-haul trailer, I remember thinking, “What in the world am I doing?” But the Lord provided all along. And all along He seemed to provide in ways that made me realize that it was His provision not mine. Sometimes what I did required courage. Other times I did what I had to do because I had no choice. Courage had nothing to do with it. But usually, when I had no choice, It was because of an earlier choice which I had made. The earlier choice was made with the courage that God would provide in whatever situation may arise, if I stepped out now in faith. What produced the courage? I believe it was seeing the glory of God, in His provision for me earlier in life, which led to progressively larger steps.
When Joshua was 85 years old, God told him that he was old and advanced in age (13:1; 14:10). He had just finished 5 years of battle campaigns. Through his leadership they had broken the backs of the Canaanite resistance. It is not clear how old Joshua is when he makes this farewell speech to Israel’s leadership. In tomorrow’s passage, he addresses the whole nation. So what is the theme of his speech to the leadership? In verse 6 he tells them, “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses.” That seems to be Joshua’s life verse. The command is given to him by Moses before he died. Five times in the first chapter, Joshua is commanded to be courageous. Thereafter, he gives the command to others.
Many times it takes more courage to be a leader than to be a follower. A leader not only makes decisions for himself, but he also makes them for the good of the corporate body which he leads. A leader holds the well-being of the people who follow him in his hands. That is a really scary thought, and no true leader takes it lightly. Dictators do not care, but leaders find it burdensome, especially when one considers that one must give an accounting to the Lord for the way one has led. Only with eyes set on the glory of Jesus can one have the courage to do what must truly be done to follow Him. He ever goes before us leading the way. He demonstrates how it is done. He empowers us to do as He lives within us.
At 85 years of age Joshua had lived 72% of his life. (He was 110 when he died.) If I live to the average age of my grandparents and parents (mom is still living and turns 91 next week), then I have lived 62.59% of my life. Joshua lived his most challenging time as a leader from 80-85 years of age, or during the 72%-77% of age of his total life span. If I remain, perhaps some of my greatest challenges lie ahead. Much courage will still be required of me. How can I face the future? Only by remaining steadfastly focused upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the commander of the Lord’s armies who meets me/us to prepare us for battle in invading enemy territory. He empowers us and leads us from victory to victory as He led Joshua. May I and you continue to hold fast to love the Lord God. May we see Him fight for us as He did for Joshua! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 15
“Can I come over to your house?” I heard that a few times when I was a kid. Usually I was delighted with the prospect of a friend coming over. However, I remember one occasion when a friend came over. It was fun at first, but for some reason he kept purposely doing things that he knew would irritate me. I would tell him to quit, but he would ignore it. Finally, I had enough. I told him to get out of my house and go home. We still played together, but not at my house. Who can come to my house? Those who don’t purposely do things to irritate me may come.
Who may dwell in the tabernacle of the Lord? This Psalm is basically a list of what it means to walk uprightly. Those who walk uprightly may go to God’s house. The problem is that, as we saw in Psalm 14, none of us does any good. We all walk not-uprightly. (Would that be downrightly, or upwrongly?) We all at one point or another purposely do things that irritate the Lord. Usually those irritations are directed at other people. Once again we are reminded of the wonderful mercy of our Lord. Although we do not deserve to go to His house, He cleans up our walk. His grace changes it from a downright walk to an upright walk. By His power we can become people that He enjoys dwelling in His house. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 41
Where is the glory of the Lord in this swine pit of murder and intrigue? Matthew Henry has this to say concerning the swine pit:
It is hard to say which is more astonishing, God’s permitting or men’s perpetrating such villanies as here we find committed. . . . But God permitted it for the completing of the ruin of an unhumbled people, and the filling up of the measure of their judgments, who had filled up the measure of their iniquities. Let it inspire us with an indignation at the wickedness of men and an awe of God’s righteousness.
After all the judgment through the Babylonians, Gedaliah does not take time to seek the Lord concerning aligning with Ishmael, even though he has been warned by Johanan. Johanan knew of Ishmael’s intrigue, yet he and his fighting force did not remain to protect his governor, but conveniently left allowing Ishmael to destroy his master. The men of Samaria, Shechem and Shiloh arrive bringing gifts for the house of the Lord, but the house of the Lord has been destroyed. Jerusalem is gone and they are bringing it to Mizpah. The law was clear that sacrifice should only be made at the place where the Lord had set His name. That place was Jerusalem, not Mizpah. This was typical for the northern kingdom. Once the captives of Ishmael were rescued, Johanan was bent on going back to Egypt like his forebears 800 years before him. I think Matthew Henry has something here. Indeed they after all of this are still unhumbled people. Lord, let me walk humbly before You! Let me stand in awe of Your righteousness. Let me not walk in my own designs! Help Lord for I am week, and I need Your mighty power to change me! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 20:1-16
Paul’s traveling group at this point has increased to 8 in addition to himself, Silas and Luke, almost as large as the discipleship group of Jesus.
It was Sunday evening in Troas. They were gathered together to break bread in the upper room of the house. Paul ‘prolonged his message until midnight.’ (Man! And some people say I speak too long.) As Paul ‘kept on talking,’ a young man was overcome by sleep, fell out of the window sill and died on the pavement below.
Wasn’t the glory of the Lord enough to keep him awake? Couldn’t Paul have said everything that needed to be said in 20 minutes? Shouldn’t the boy have been prevented from sitting in the window sill? Shouldn’t there have been some kind of rail on the window to prevent the boy from falling out? They are all questions that would have been asked now-a-days. There surely would have been angry feelings from the family toward Paul. Most likely there would be a lawsuit.
There was sorrow expressed. They were troubled. But the glory of the Lord was present. The glory of the Lord is often present in the midst of trouble. Paul embraced the boy. He was brought back to life with no damage done to him. They went back inside. Paul talked until daylight. They broke bread together again. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted. What comforted them, just that the boy was alive? The boy would die again. He might be an old man, but he would die again. What comforted them? They had seen, heard and experienced a foretaste of the glory of Jesus. For those who know Jesus, even death is not victorious. We don’t die until He is ready for us to die. And when we die, we know there is a resurrection awaiting us. That is all because of our glorious Lord! Such knowledge reorients our lives and provides great comfort as we live them and experience the hardships around us. We must focus on His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John