Joshua 9:3-10:43 + Luke 16:19-17:10 + Psalm 83:1-18 + Proverbs 13:4
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~
Old Testament – As we read about the Gibeonites deception today, Joshua chapter 9 verses 14 & 15 teach a valuable lesson for each of us: “So the Israelite leaders examined their bread, but they did not consult the LORD. Then Joshua went ahead and signed a peace treaty with them, and the leaders of Israel ratified their agreement with a binding oath.” They did not consult the Lord – and thus signed a binding oath based on a deception. How about you in your life today? How often do you consult God on major decisions in your life? Even minor decisions? I know that I don’t do this enough. I do know that more and more I have found myself praying “thy will – not mine – be done” when major decisions are before me. I am seeking God’s will and guidance in my life. But, I’m not sure that I’m really consulting God all that often. And I’m afraid when I don’t I can rush into quick & bad decisions… I pray each of us will consult God with all of our plans & decisions in our lives – be they major or minor. Bible.org’s commentary on our Joshua chapter 9 readings today titled “The Peril of Walking by Sight” is at this link.
Today in Joshua chapter 10 we read about the day the sun stood still! Have you ever received the email about this chapter titled “NASA and the Bible?” – basically the email goes into how a man from NASA proved that the sun stood still. I have received this email a bunch of times over the past 5 years or so. I have read many commentaries on this chapter and do believe that a miracle took place, as we read in verse 13: “So the sun and moon stood still until the Israelites had defeated their enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.” Do you believe this miracle took place? Do you believe in miracles? Here’s a great stained glass image below from Duke University Chapel with Joshua and the son and the moon:
Bible.org’s commentary on our Joshua chapter 10 readings today is at this link.
New Testament – Today in Luke chapter 16 we read about the rich man and Lazarus. I have always found verse 31 to be such a great reflection on what it means to have having a soft heart and a strong faith – “”But Abraham said, `If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’ “” Basically, Abraham is saying that people whose hearts are hardened to faith will not even believe it if a dead man returns to them and tells them to repent. They still won’t repent even with this miracle. And I believe this is true. Let us pray that our hearts are soft and open to faith and that we can share the Good News of Jesus with others in our life whose hearts may be becoming more and more hardened with each passing day…
Bible.org’s commentary on our Luke Chapter 16 readings today titled “The Rich Man and Lazarus” is at this link and commentary titled “Death: The Door to Eternity” is at this link.
Wow. I love Luke 17 verse 10 – “In the same way, when you obey me you should say, `We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.'” I wonder if sometimes we do good works for Jesus expecting some praise or return on our works? This is obviously not a good motive. We should simply be obedient to Jesus and not expect praise for our obedience – from Jesus or from others. It is simply a blessing for us to be called to Jesus’ service. That is more than enough.
Bible.org’s commentary on our Luke chapter 7 readings today titled “Taking Sin Seriously” is at this link.
Psalms – Ever feel like the Psalmist in Psalm 83 verse 1 – “O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive!” I think the beauty of the Psalms is seeing some of our human emotions expressed so well. Considering this verse – I don’t think that God is ever sitting idly by, silent or inactive. I believe God is a Living God who is always with us. But, perhaps sometimes God’s perceived silence in our lives is for a purpose that we may not fully understand now, but will later. If God seems very “silent” to you now, I would encourage you to pray to God – and really listen in your prayers – don’t just speak. I believe you’ll soon hear Him…
Proverbs chapter 13 verse 4 is brilliant – “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied.” Hard work pays off. It really does. I do thank God for the blessing of work in my life. I pray you do to. And I do thank him for occasional vacation days too! 🙂 But – overall – I honestly cannot imagine a life of just “vacation.” It would be a bit of a hell for me personally…. I do love and appreciate the opportunity to work!
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Francesca Battistelli’s song, “Write your Story:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBmDCDbmtpc
Has God written His story on your heart? Click here for your story!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” Proverbs 13:4 NLT
Prayer Point: Pray that you are a hard worker for the Lord, who prospers in your work. Pray that you are not lazy, wanting much but getting little.
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Do you agree with today’s Proverb that hard work brings prosperity and satisfaction? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )
======= Ramona:
Joshua 9:3-10:43
Israel begins to embark on that slippery slope of compromise as they continue their “walk” with God. They seem to be aiming for God’s Permissive Will instead of His Perfect Will. It doesn’t take much to go off on a tangent. Start out being just one-half of a degree off the “mark” and by the time the week is out you will find yourself way off the target, let alone the bulls-eye. They began to walk by sight, sense and circumstance instead of by faith, Spirit and the Word. Not learning the lesson from the Ai disaster, they failed to seek God’s insight before they made covenant with people of Gibeon.
Israel was warned by God to completely remove all the people of the land, ” ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. (Num 33:55)
We are warned to put away evil but we convince ourselves that certain evil we can keep because, “Well it ain’t that bad. Ya know it kind of looks like something we shouldn’t be doing but it isn’t really because it look. See it’s all dried up and moldy, this sin ain’t dangerous.” I wonder if this is somewhat like the Parable Jesus told that states while men slept (emphesis on the word slept), the enemy sowed tares amongst the wheat? Cleary Joshua and the leaders were sleeping when they failed to 1) consult God, 2) made their decision about the Gibeonites based only on the information given to them by the Gibeonites, and 3) failed to acknowledge again that it was God who gave them their victory and not their own strength and military brilliance. So too it is with us, it is all about God and nothing about us.
Luke 16:19-17
29 “But Abraham said, `Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to.’
30 “The rich man replied, `No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’
31 “But Abraham said, `If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
All of us probably can be divided into two groups, a Lazarus group and a rich man group. We either is or we ain’t going to be at one of two locations when we die, and the choice is ours to decide where we will go.
I’m not so sure that it is hardness of heart that stops us from hearing the Words of Truth. I think it can be that we have heard the Words of Truth and ignored them for a long time causing our hearts to become hard, like the sun constant rays backing soft soil into hard dry clay.
Several years ago a passage from the Book of Job, spoken by Job, caught my attention because I believe it speaks of our ability to know truth when we hear it spoken,
“Is it not the task of the ear to discriminate between [wise and unwise] words, just as the mouth distinguishes [between desirable and undesirable] food?” (Job 12:11 AMP). In the first chapter of Romans, Paul writes in several places about “exchanging the truth for a lie.” (Rom 1:25) In order to exchange something one must have possession of it in order to participate in a swap. The Rich Man thought that Lazarus’ coming back from the dead would convince his brothers. Jesus said no it wouldn’t because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God not seeing the things of God, or miracles. The Rich Man and and his brothers heard the truth, they simply chose to ignore it.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
======= Anka:
“14 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD”…The Israelites grumbled against Joshua for not making the right decision(ie asking God 1st)…God says nothing…still goes ahead with Israel and fights for them…Even leaders get it wrong sometimes…it’s good God also looks at our hearts…knows when we go wrong not because we’re rebelling but because we just didn’t know any better….
Thank God for leaders,authority and discipline…we really need that in our lives especially when we forget the “love one another bit”…God bless you all and happy Easter to everyone who’s celebrating Easter this weekend…the greek orthodox church celebrates it next weekend so most of the former communist countries are still a week away from Easter:))I’m glad we can all celebrate Christ daily by encouraging (and admonishing one another)in love so we may all be useful members working together for the glory of God.I have to say I am really awed at the fact that on this blog we can share and grow…so many different people and cultures all coming together to a feast (feeding on the word)…It sure will be great to meet up in Heaven:))…God REALLY REALLY bless you all..and have a wonderful week.
Anka
======= Johnnie:
Just last night my wife and I were talking at dinner and I relayed to her how I thought we needed to be like Joshua… and have a mission in mind… We are not to be sitting idly by watching the world and satan take souls to damnation… We are to be in the battle… On GODs team… doing the work of the LORD… Rescuing souls… Introducing them to our Passover Lamb… The King of Glory!… Who is this King of Glory! The LORD strong and Mighty! JESUS is HIS name!
Glory… have a Blessed First Fruits, this weekend…
Johnnie
======== Rosemary:
Dear Mike,
I have been disabled since I was 22, and I simply despise it. I had a stroke, so I know there must be a reason for it, but I cannot sit around and do nothing!
I may not be getting paid for the work which I do now, but I LOVE it! I am writing everyday. I am involved. I am reading Pakistani papers, Chinese papers, ME papers, Jerusalem papers, European papers, South American papers, and African papers.
Much of the news we receive is deceptive and false. I am getting off the point, aren’t I? lol.
Before the internet, I was laying around waiting to die. I had no hope of ever contributing, and I was devastated.
Hard work, whether voluntary or paid, is very good for the soul.
Rosemary
======= Gina:
Hmmm…probably not a coincidence that at my bible study tonight we all made a list of those people who are in our lives, that are not saved, that we are going to begin ernestly praying for as a group. Then the question coming out of the the Luke reading for today is about us praying for God to soften our hearts towards those who need to hear the Gospel…I love it when God confirms like that!
We also talked about the sovereignty of God…and I think that goes right along with the Psalm reading…God is always working…even though we may not “feel” or experience Him sometimes, he does not just “sit idly, silent and inactive” – He is always doing something in our lives…He is in complete control…always!
Gina
======= Angelo:
What’s sad is that people do not realize that God speaks to us through His Word. I mean 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that “all Scripture is God breathed.” People so often want God to actually speak to them. I wouldnt want to, because the Israelites were so frightened by His voice that they wanted God to just talk to Moses (Exodus 20:18-19 All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!”) But God speaks to us through His Holy Word; its called the Word of God aka God’s Word. Dont get me wrong, sometimes God does respond to us verbally; I guess you could say that He speaks to our souls. But the Holy Bible is always there and it contains all the answers to any problem/question/request that we might have.
Angelo
======= Jim:
Dear Angelo,
“People so often want God to actually speak to them. I wouldnt want to”
The book of Acts contains the stories of ten conversions (Acts 2:22-41=Jews from Pentecost, 8:5-13=Samaritans, 8:26-40=Ethiopian eunuch, 9:1-19 and 22:3-16=Saul, 10:34-48=Gentiles, 16:13-15=Lydia, 16:16-34=Jailer, 17:22-34=Athenians with Dionysius and Damaris, 18:7-8= Crispus and Corinthians, and 19:1-7=Ephesians). In these conversions, audible instructions from God, the Holy Sprit, or an angle were core to a genuine conversion process. For example, in Acts 8:26-29, the Holy Spirit instructs Philip to go to the Gaza Road and join the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip did that and won the eunuch to Christ. In Acts 9:10, Ananias has a vision and a conversation with God in which he receives explicit instructions from God about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. In Acts 9:4, Jesus speaks to Paul (then Saul of Tarsus) from a cloud after knocking him off his horse, blinding him, and says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” In Acts 10:11, Peter falls into a trance and has a vision in which the Holy Spirit gives him explicit instructions relating to the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentile Cornelius. In Acts 10:22, the Gentile nonbeliever Cornelius is directed by an angel to give an audience to Peter. In Acts 12:7, an angel speaks to Peter in order to rescue him by leading him out of jail. In Acts 13:2-4, the Holy Spirit speaks with clear instructions for Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. In Acts 16:6, Paul is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word in Asia. In Acts 16:10, Paul has a night vision of the Philippian jailer beckoning him. Therefore, the next day he goes to Macedonia and wins the jailer to Christ. In Acts 18:9, The Lord speaks to Paul in another night vision at Corinth, encouraging him not to be afraid but go ahead and preach the Gospel with boldness. In Acts 22:16, Jesus appears to Paul in a trance while Paul is praying and has a detailed conversation with Paul, instructing him to leave Jerusalem to avoid capture, which Paul doesn’t do and then gets captured. In Acts 23:11, Jesus appears at Paul’s side to encourage him and tells him he will witness in Rome just as he has in Jerusalem. Paul, Peter, Philip, Annanias, and even Cornelius all had clear and ubiquitous communications from God (Cornelius and Saul even as non-believers). The Spirit did not only speak to Philip, but also “beamed” him away from the Gaza Road. The New and Old Testaments often record thunderous spiritual voices that made it unquestionable that truly godly works were being done. Do your conversations with God compare well with these examples in Acts? Hebrews 3:7-9 reads, “As the Holy Spirit and Scripture says, ‘If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn. Don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled and tested me in the desert.’” Verses 9 and 10 add, God speaks, but they can no more hear Him than can a man lying in the gutter in a drunken stupor. The writer of Hebrews understood we have access to the very voice of the living God. To quote Francois Fenelon, “How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”
Being called untalented, unintelligent, unattractive, unfaithful, or unpleasant seems naturally far more offensive to us than hearing we are unsure of our beliefs, unclear of our goals, disorganized in our efforts, uncertain of where we would stand, are without a long range plan, or incorrect in our world view. Those things we hold most personal are only those things we had no control over. We can read self-help books, have the fat vacuumed out and the bones broken and reshaped, memorize great quotes, do good deeds, and work to be more agreeable, yet still know that underneath it is not the “us” that God intended. Regrettably, it’s far easier to impact our fragile self-esteem by calling us stupid, ugly, and mean than by pointing out we have failed to develop and verify a Holy mission, lack a valid 5-year plan to achieve such a vision, and have surely failed to perform miracles greater than Christ (as per John 14:12). Time to change?
Jim
======= Jenny:
Wow, the readings in Joshua concerning how they did not consult the Lord are powerful. Its a great reminder to consult God in everything! Oh course I believe the sun stood still, I believe everything in the Bible and its just one of God’s many miracles! Some of these things we find difficult to rationalize, we must just accept by faith, a child-like faith. I grew up in sunday school and I tons of kids books on different stories/miracles of the Bible, i remember as a kid, i just believed it. I had faith without question. We need to hold on to that child-like faith in the things of God.
The rich man and Lazarus is always a powerful reading. I read a bulletin recently, it was a letter from an atheist. He said basically he couldnt believe in God, heaven, or hell because if Christians, knowing that people go to hell every day, they would be much more fervent. they’d run up and down the streets screaming the news. But since many dont do this, he could not believe….something like that. at first i felt guilty, but God reminded me of the rich man/Lazarus…If ppl do not believe all God has shown man, wouldnt believe a man arising from the dead, they wouldnt believe Christians running up and down the streets screaming. Some ppl do, but they are written off by many as crazy, fanatically Jesus freaks. If they rejected Jesus Christ Himself, screaming Christians wont be listened to. So after thinking this over, I realized satan is an accuser of the brethren. This atheist was copping out that he couldnt believe bcos of Christians…with all the efforts of missionaries, all the ppl who have died for their faith.
Its a very poor excuse on his part!
Regarding Luke 17:1-4 my study Bible says: ‘It is expected that those in the world will cause Christians to be offended, stumble, and sin, and they will be judged for it. But it should not be that fellow believers lead others into sin directly and indirectly. One would be better dead.’
…whoa, heavy!
Luke v 10 is very good! More heavy stuff.
Proverbs is referring to the soul as much as the physical, but the KJV is a direct translation and it says soul. there are ppl who say they want to know God, but are just lazy and dont truly seek God. the bible says if you seek God with ALL your heart you will find Him. not..if u casually seek Him. Many believers are spiritually lazy, i sure can be, we want wisdom and God’s love n peace and blessings in our lives and we want to be used by Him, but thats it…we want.
We need to be diligent. We need to be in the word everyday. as much as is possible, we need to attend church, fellowship with believers, pray without ceasing. Be diligent in seeking God. If we dont have this and we find it hard to get into, PRAY for a hunger and thirst for Him. You’ll be AMAZED at the change in your life wen your heart truly pursues the things of God!
Jenny
======= Luch:
Thanks for posting the stained glass painting of joshua, the sun and moon, from Duke University chapel. Nice visual to reinforce the story.
Luch
======= Skip:
This is the first time I’m reading the book of Joshua and although I’m enjoying the book I’m having a problem with all of the fighting and violence. My problem is trying to understand how a God that I’ve been taught is a God of love would order Joshua and his army to not only kill the opposing army but to also kill all the women and children.
It’s really bothering me. Why kill the women, but more so, why kill the children?
Yours in Christ
Skip
======= Andrew:
It was incredible to read through your words on Joshua today. I too am working my way through the bible and documenting what God is saying to me through his word. I loved your comments on coming before God when making big decisions to allow him to work his plan in our lives. Thank you and keep up the Blog, look forward to reading more.
Andrew
======= Elizabeth:
Hello All,
Ramona, thanks for sharing your thoughts today…good stuff to dwell upon. I am fascinated by the way that people so often believe what they wish to believe. Outward circumstances and the deceitfulness of our own hearts lead us to become overly (or underly) confident.
I can relate to Joshua neglecting to consult the Lord. His initial impulse is to get things done, trusting in his own ability to size up whatever lies in front of him. This is SO like me! I want to get going and tackle the problem…
All the more reason for me to dwell upon this insight from Bible.org’s commentary:
“Our need is to always commit our way, our objectives, our pursuits, and our responsibilities to the Lord for not only His will and wisdom, but for His enablement.” -Keathley
Whatever am I thinking to step out without His leadership and enablement? I also found this familiar well-worn verse referenced there:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” -Proverbs 3:5
It’s hard for me to even hear this verse because I THINK I know it. But do I LIVE it??? How often I am guilty of constructing my own understanding from scratch! Then, I might “lean on” or check in with the Lord to approve the deal. This is all so very backwards! Lord, forgive me for putting you at the end of the process, and for believing the lie that my own understanding and abilities are sufficient.
Elizabeth
======= Raeann:
How is everyone doing? I am Sorry to have been gone for so long, my internet crashed and the computer technician just left a few minutes ago. When I moved, I had NO computer for a week, I got it back then the internet crashed the VERY next day and I had to wait another FOUR days before someone could come out here to fix it again. Hopefully I will be able to be on the blog once again on a daily basis,
Raean
======= Dee:
The first verse that stood out to me was in Joshua 9:14-in my amplified version bible: So the [Israelite] men partook of their food and did not consult the Lord. When we lose sight of the wisdom that comes only from God and go about on our own defenses and strength, we come up empty handed and get the short end of the stick. (I’m from the South, excuse my word usages), Here the men have come across some apparent strangers and from the beginning in verse 7-they first were speculative asking the strangers, “Perhaps you live among us; how then can we make a covenant with you?” I feel like the Lord gives us hunches, or those umphs’ from the Holy Ghost, to use as dissernment to tell good and evil, and when we don’t step away and think about a situation and become impulsive it sets a trap for the enemy to catch us off guard and we fall!
This is also a good way of showing that God rewards the diligent and that vingence is of the Lord, and every “dog has his day”. Because the foreigners (neighbors) lied to Joshua and the leaders of the congregation, they were subjected to become slaves for the rest of their lives and be hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly. I feel like this is a lesson for us to learn and live by. We can do our tricks and act dishonorable for a season but whatsoever you reap that is which you will sow!! Gal 6:7, God cannot be mocked. Always remember that..
I think it is awesome and sometimes overlooked how powerful Joshua, son of Nun was with God’s power working on his behalf, in 10;12, He spoke to the sun, said to be silent and still, and the moon to do the same, until vengeance was taken over the enemies. In verse 14, There was no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man. For the Lord fought for Israel. May we be like Joshua, where a mere human with human strengths and weaknesses spoke to the creation and commanded to be still, only written once more in the Bible, and that was with the voice of Jesus, Matthew 8:27, Mark 4:41, Luke 8:22-25, Jesus was no ordinary man, He Was God!!
God will also show you things and give you wisdom and insight without anyone even speaking a word: Verse 17: And it was told Joshua, The five kings are hidden in the cave at Makkedah. It didn’t say that a mere human spoke these words, it said “it” was told Joshua, who was the “it”..perhaps the great I AM..
when you follow God you will have peace.. verse 10:21, after the people returned to the camp with Joshua at Makkedah, they had peace.
verse 24, Joshue through the wisdom of God said, Fear not nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage..these verses are in the Bible several times, 2 Chron 20:17, Gen 26:24, Deut 31:6, 2 Chro 32:7, and several more..God is telling us, Fear not, nor be Dismayed!!
From the words of Joyce Meyer, Confront fear in prayer and take whatever actions God leads you to take..
in verse 26, Joshua smote and slew the five kings and hung them on a tree. it reminds me of the verses in Galatians 3:10-14, “For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” comes from Deuteronomy 21:22:23(NASB).
A flashback from Deut. 20:16 come to life in Joshua 10:40..”But in the cities of these people which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes.”
“So Joshua smote all land, the hill country..He left nothing remaining, utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Lord, the God of Israel commanded..”
Remember to keep your joy, The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength!! Nehemiah 8:10,, be of good courage and joy like Joshua!!
Luke 16:19-17:10, The Rich Man and Lazarus..the verses that I got alot out of were 16:25 for one, amplified version, “But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime full received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. The first thing I noted is, that this mere man, was supposed to be so important and had so much richs on earth, but is nameless in the kingdom, the Father of the multitudes, Abraham, only called him Child, he acknoledged with a capital C, that he indeed come from the Father, because our Father created everything live creature, man, woman, child, animal, from the beginning of creation, but he didn’t grow up in the things of God, only stayed as but of a Child, a man without a name, because he only thought to have and gain what his flesh wanted on earth and neglect the things of God, while Lazarus, was named by his Covenent name, because he was a Child of God, through and through and I see the contrast of the two, The Rich Man here today gone tomorrow, has eternity in distress, dis-ease, dis-comfort..the same that Lazarus suffered for a time that he had on this short lived earth, and now he has, Ease, Comfort, Joy, Peace..for eternity!! It sure makes me think and take a step back and remember that we have to look outside of our self and see the hurting, dying, desperate world and challenge ourselves, better yet, Do not Fear, Do not be dismayed, Be of good courage, and fight the good fight and keep our faith, win souls at any cost!! We are fighting in the name of the Lord!!
Ps 83:3, co-incides with Joshua 9/10 today where the neighbors-enemies of the Lord, “They lay crafty schemes against Your people and consult together against Your hidden and precious ones.”, verse 5, against You, they make a covenant.. and end result, verse 16 of Psalm 83: “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek, inquire for, and insistently require Your name, O Lord.”
Proverbs 13:4 A person who works at the labor of his hand will be diligently supplied and the lazy bones person will get nothing..!! That speaks to me today..if I want my house clean I have to put effort into it and work to produce an end result! Faith without works is dead!!James 2:17
Dee
======= Marabel:
In Joshua today we read: On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on[c] its enemies,
NASA had to figure out this problem of missing this day on the calendar by consulting Harold Hill, scientist and biblical scholar. More information on this can be found in Harold Hill’s book, How To Live Like a King’s Kid.
Marabel
======= Molly:
About Luke 17:10 and expecting praise from our good works…. I would like to share a proverb:
Proverbs 27:21 (NIV)
21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but man is tested by the praise he receives.
I believe God tests us over and over. We need to be careful we are doing everything for HIS glory and not our own.
Molly
======= Lily:
I am still disturbed of the killing of the inhabitants by the Israelites for them to inherit the promised land. I understand that we have to face the consequences of our actions. The inhabitants of the promised land worshipped other gods and not the God. For that I suppose they have to perish. In like manner we will perish if we do not repent of our sins.
Lily
======= Debbie:
Your comments on the Psalms today made me think of a quote and saw on FB today:
“When you are going through a difficulty and wonder where God is, remember the teacher is always silent during a test.”
Debbie
======= Bob:
Joshua 10: 12-13: This concept of the earth standing still is an interesting Bible/Science topic that if you have time makes for interesting contemplation. Again we are called into a faith question that God always puts in front of us. Quote from Snoops.com.
“Authenticity matters little, though: our willingness to accept legends depends far more upon their expression of concepts we want to believe than upon their plausibility. If the sun once really did stand still for a day, the best evidence we’d have for proving it would be the accounts of people who saw it happen. That is what the Bible is said to offer. Some people accept that as sufficient proof, and others don’t.”
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/religion/lostday.asp#59WBmvOdaeW4Sk8I.99
Bob
======= Chris:
Bob,
I thought of that concept as I read it. Then I thought of many other instances in Scripture that seemed difficult to grasp. And I was encouraged when Jesus spoke of the faith of a mustard seed, because that is really what it is about, isn’t it? Faith. If we consider the enormity of God even putting this world together, of Noah and his family when people didn’t even know what rain was, and building an ark for 120 days. Then the idea that people like Elijah never died, but simply was lifted up. And Jesus. That precious life-giving soul, Jesus, dying on that cross and being resurrected on the third day. Lots of things just must be taken on faith. Actually, it all does, because who would have even thought the internet could have existed just 30 years ago…I come from the time of portable typewriters. We didn’t have a spell check. So many things have occurred that didn’t seem possible.
I’m yammering. I just really believe we must be so prayerful about all we do, and I was reminded when Joshua and the elders made an agreement with the Gibeonites. We have the potential to do things that can cause us great harm, or may be able to solve many problems regarding health and food and warmth. I believe God is letting us fall on our own petard if we fail to consult him before we get ourselves into a big mess…and yes, I am talking “conspiracy theories” now…I think the more we mess with God’s laws in now allowing the land to rest, altering our food, and spraying the sky in an attempt to “play God” with geoengineering, may come back to bite us, and our failure to teach our children as Moses taught the Israelites before turning his leadership over to Joshua, will result in our own demise though it has been told to us through Daniel and John’s Revelations.
Chris
======= Robert:
Lying
I have made it a practice to skirt around lying point blank by simply not telling the whole truth. So before I say something I look at how I can say it in a way that is not false but doesn’t bring on hurt or convey conflict or even an obvious sin. It may not be an obvious black and white lie but said in a way one could even compare to a parable. (chuckle). Since this method tries to take into an account all the factors around the “lie” it may involve leaving out certain information or changing the mood or even delaying it for a better time and space. I guess we all handle lies in our own way but I know we all have them and isn’t it wonderful we can leave them at the cross at any time.
Robert
======= Dee:
Lying is a hard one. Um..we kind of do that when our kids are little..Santa, Easter bunny, tooth fairy..because tradition of man became kept for some sacred reason. Foolish really. But who are we really lying to? Ourself, God, who is getting hurt..kids when finding out..that is touchy. I pray the more we emmerse in the Word, more convicted we will be to be on fair and simple lane..not play fast and slick, but honor amd dignity, be of integrity. Love it. Thanks for the Word and encouragement Mike
Dee
======= Ramona:
Joshua 9:3-10:43
The writer of Ecclesiastes states that there is nothing new under the sun so being bamboozled is not a new to this century or decade and not even new to you or me. So, John’s advice is for the ages:
BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.(1 John 4:1 AMP).
What happened to Joshua and Israel, I believe should be studied so we don’t fall into the same trap. We get a tremendous victory, then we operate out of presumption, thinking that our next move, which hasn’t been directed by God, must be the one to make ‘cause we’re all that and a bag of chips, with a sneakers bar thrown in and a can of coke. When we find out we have been hoodwinked, because we haven’t discerned the situation, we get angry and the party who deceived us and we fail to realize that we became a willing player in our own deception. Those of us in leadership position must be careful because our choices and decisions will have to be served by those who we have charge over.
Yet, despite our missteps, despite walking out of God’s perfect will into His permissive will, God’s mercy and grace still flows to us. Because of a promise to one man, Abraham, God does not abandon His people even when they are wrong.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
Leave a Reply