In reading the Pentateuch I was greatly blessed and decided to continue with the next historical book—Joshua. The movements of this Army and their responses to God’s commands say so much about what God had accomplished among the people. If you remember, shortly after leaving Egypt the people had complained about everything from lack of water to being sick of Manna without meat. They complained constantly right up the point they were to enter the land. Their lack of faith was evident in their response to the report of the spies, so God drove them into the desert to wander and die handing the promise to their children. Now, forty years later we meet the same nation, but a changed people. They have been fed by God for forty years and seen his provision over and over. As they come towards the land from a different direction God puts certain people’s into their hands and they conquer the lands northeast of the Jordan.

As they keep moving in obedience to God we see some amazing things. Their invasion force, including men, women and children, is not led by the infantry but by the ark of God. God’s presence must lead them into the land. As they progress we see another detail of who leads into battle. Those who had already been given land east of the Jordan—those already blessed by God—are to take the lead into the battle itself. This should speak to us today. When it comes to sacrifice and service, “who should act?” is answered by the question, “Whom has been blessed by God? We who have experienced the blessings of God in our lives should be the first to seek ways to pour these out on others.

In chapter 5 we see the people’s devotion exposed again. The children born in the desert had not been circumcised. Now the army was entering the field of battle, only a few miles from the enemy city, with no great terrain or river between them to stop an attack and the people stop to take flint knives and circumcise the entire army. The chapter says they stayed put until they had all healed. This procedure done on grown men would have left them in considerable pain and would have made defense very difficult—they were being left exposed to attack from a human standpoint. A cautious person would have put off circumcision until after they were secure.  Now this people who were unwilling to trust God to bring them into the land forty years before was willing to enter the land and right in the presence of the enemy put aside their ability to defend themselves, and do so in the name of God.

Of course we all know the praises for this people will not last. They will show their fallen natures before long, but to see their self-less obedience at this time is inspiring. They, whose parents crossed the Red Sea out of bondage, now crossed the Jordan into blessing. The desert lay between as a tool used by God to purify his people and prepare them for the blessings he was going to give them. So whether you find yourself in Egypt, in Sinai, in the desert, or crossing Jordan, keep walking in obedience of God’s Word.

Christmas, an important holiday in our country, has different meanings for different people. For retailers it mans sales and profits. For secular Americans it means family and warm feelings remembering Christmases of days gone by. For non-Christians it can be confusing as such spiritual significance is masked by materialism and greed.

Of course, for us who profess Christ, Christmas is a time to remember the greatest gift ever received—eternal salvation and cleansing from sin. We celebrate the babe in the manger, because he did not stay a babe. He grew to manhood and gave himself for our sins. For us, Christmas is a prelude to Easter.

Many Christians are concerned with the secular feeling of modern Christmas. There are calls to Keep Christ in Christmas. We often forget that it is only Christ’s people who can keep Christ in Christmas. The secular world, with its emphasis on Santa, reindeer and snowmen does not celebrate Christmas. Those who deny that Christ came in the flesh cannot celebrate the incarnation displayed in the events of Christmas. At best, such people celebrate a social holiday or a childhood recollection.

It is far more important how we as the church celebrate. Rather than following the world’s practices, overspending and rampant commercialism, let’s look for opportunities to share the gospel; to share the love of Christ, in spiritual and tangible ways.

People are far more willing to discuss Jesus and his message than at any other time of year. The babe in the manger does not frighten. The Jesus of Christmas is soft and cuddly—neither judging nor condemning. But Easter is coming. The babe swaddled in rags died on a cross and rose from the dead. He is seated at the right hand of majesty to rule and judge the world.

Look for opportunities this season to Keep Christ in Christmas. This includes far more than saying “Merry Christmas” in place of “Happy Holidays.” His people do this by sharing the meaning of the incarnation; what it means for us, and what it means for them. This year give the greatest gift you can—Jesus Christ: Savior, Redeemer, King, and Lord.

Have you considered what will be said about you after your death? Eulogies are an opportunity for family and friends to share impressions of your life. Great works are often inspired by the thought of being remembered and praised after death. We see this as a president nears the end of his time in office and questions arise about the legacy he’ll leave behind.  I remember one funeral that I did where no eulogy was offered by any of the family. This person had come to Christ late and had previously lived a hard, mean existence. None of the family had a single nice thing to say. Though it was good that this person had accepted the Lord it was sad imagining a life without praise. Other funerals left me thinking of eternity; this one left me thinking of life and how it’s lived.

Recently, after a brief moment of prayer, I found myself thinking again about life and what we leave behind. I had prayerfully said, “Lord, all I want out of life is to please you.” Immediately I felt a twinge of conscience and the thought came, “No, You are expending more effort building a life to please yourself than a life that pleases God.” I truly believe this thought came from the Lord to inspire me to refocus. This I am prayerfully doing. Though I do not expect this to change a great deal of what I am doing, it will shake up and realign my reasons for what I do and with that I expect a fresh energy in my life’s work.

If you find yourself wondering about the legacy you’ll leave behind, or the eulogy that will be spoken over your grave, I have the perfect one to hope for. Hopefully, when you pass on to the Lord those left behind will be inspired to say, “Your life brought honor to God.”

When discussing sin and righteousness the law quickly comes up. Many believe that one needs a certain amount of law to restrain sin and to bring to mind the consequences of disobedience. To imply that the law is no longer binding and has, as we are told in scripture, passed away inspires nightmares in the legalists among us. They imagine a church of no moral constraints and rampant debauchery.

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While studying for this Sunday I am reading Matthew 7:7-12. As I was reading about asking, seeking and knocking, a thought came to mind about the imperative mood used in commands. The imperative, of course, is the mood of command. The difference between “I go” and “Go!” is found in the imperative. Sometimes, in these studies I will look for quotes on Greek grammar to use in the message and this week a great thought came to me while looking at what Dana and Mantey had to say about the imperative mood.

“Where one will makes a direct, positive appeal to another the imperative finds its most characteristic use” (Dana and Mantey, p175).

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I was dumbfounded. For Wednesday Bible Study one older woman was dropped off weekly by her daughter. Bible study night, like most churches, is very informal and having moved to South Texas from colder climes I adopted the practice of wearing shorts and sandals for such times. I wear regular pants if the day includes a meeting or something where shorts are inappropriate, but I encourage those who come for Bible Study to make themselves comfortable, and I am a firm believer in doing what I encourage others to do. Read the rest of this entry »

This week in my devotional times I’ve had a recurring theme. Starting in 1 Peter 2:16 I was struck by the command to: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” In discussions, especially about politics, the idea of freedom is often the subject. As a free people who have never experienced slavery and as partisans who drove out the foreign tyrant over two hundred years ago, we often take our freedom for granted and misidentify what freedom means. To many freedom is the power to decide at all time and on all subjects. It is often seen as freedom from all outward direction. It is often assumed that when one’s life is lived truly free then it is lived for the individual alone, but this is the antithesis of biblical freedom. Read the rest of this entry »

The lives of past saints can be very inspiring, so reading biographies is a thrill. Whether we are reading about a recent saint, like Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and their partners killed trying to reach a stone age tribe, or those of the early church like Polycarp or Ignatius, we are inspired to handle adversity, to stand against persecution and to sacrifice all in service to our King. The danger comes when we take these stories that should empower and unfairly condemn ourselves, seeing these people as more endowed or having more of the Spirit, greater potential or ability than us. One example is Paul. What church planter has not looked at Paul planting churches, over an area of several hundred miles from diverse cultural and linguistic groups, and concluded that he was a sort of Über-Christian—fascinating but impossible to emulate? Read the rest of this entry »

Paul instructed the Thessalonians while he was with them—warnings against certain behavior and encouraging them toward others. Many of us would love to have been a fly on the wall to hear Paul teaching this church that became so dear to his heart, but, sadly, this is not possible. However, God preserved the words of Paul written to remind them of his teaching. This preserved letter teaches us about the life we are called to live. Read the rest of this entry »

The hardest part of being a pastor is the feeling that you are always on a stage; always on display. People come to you with problems, with bits and pieces of their life and expect that you will react a certain way. Often, when you do not respond as expected, they get offended because their image of what a pastor is or what he is to be does not match up to what they see. Read the rest of this entry »