Here's another tax cartoon for your enjoyment! Don't forget to have your tax preparer check the "Recovery Rebate Credit" on line 70 of your 1040 for you! You might get an extra stimulus bonus!Today's Bible reading reads like a novel! It sets a precedent for how God will easily use the Israelites to wipe out any city unwilling to leave. Even a song has become famous about today's story - "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho." Here are a few things to think about!
1) It's good to have physical reminders of God's goodness! As the 1.2 million people population of Israel walked through the Jordan river bed "on dry land", Joshua commanded that 12 stones (one from each tribe of Israel) be heaped up into a large pile in two different places - one at their campsite in Gilgal, and the other within the dry river bed where the priests stood holding up the Ark of God as the people crossed over. He did it for two important reasons:
A) So that future generations will have a physical reminder of what God did at the Jordan River (4:7). It was the pile of rocks set up at Gilgal that was for this purpose.
B) So that the nations of the world will know what God did at the Jordan River and realize just how powerful of a God He is (4:24). This was the purpose for the pile of rocks within the Jordan River.
So, my question to you is... "Do you have any physical reminders of God's goodness?" Years ago, I started recording within a notebook all of the miracles God had and was performing in my family's life. Today, it's fun to go back over some of those old notes, and it's amazing how many of them I've forgotten! I think that's exactly why God had Joshua pile up those stones. He knew that future generations would forget what God had done. How many great acts of God have you forgotten? Perhaps you could start your own "Notebook of Miracles" or some other creative idea that keeps the memory of God's power and goodness alive.
2) Have you ever wondered..."How YOUR life might have been different if you were only more obedient to Christ?" I certainly have wondered that about myself! As I read chapter 5:6-7, my heart breaks over the fact that the generation of Israelites who saw God's great power against the Egyptians did not get to see the fulfillment of their dream...all because they continually disobeyed God while in the desert. After all they went through, they never saw the fulfillment of the promise God made to them due to their own sinfulness. In fact, one good example of their disobedience is found in the fact that they didn't "circumcise" their children eight days after they were born. They knew this was a covenant God made with them through Abraham. They knew exactly how important this was to God. So, what happened? They got lazy with God! Their hearts became lethargic!
This attitude, however, is not unlike many Christians today. As I communicate with many Christians and preach in other churches, I see a serious lack of commitment and excitement about the Lord. It's even happening to people who've been very active in church all their life. And, it makes me wonder, "What if...? What if these people were excited about the Lord, how would their lives be different?" As I said before, I've also thought this about my own life! How much of God's rich hand of blessing are we missing because we fail to fully commit our lives, our trust, and our futures to Him?
3) How stupid are we as human beings? While reading chapter 6, I kept wondering, "Why don't the people of Jericho just simply slip out of town at night and run for their lives?" Think about this! When the two spies went to Rahab, she confessed how frightened everyone in the town was about the Israelites since they had heard of what their God did to the Egyptians. Now, faced with annihilation, why don't they simply run? They know that the battle is not about man verses man, but rather man verses the God of Israel! It's a no-win situation! Still, they shut and bolt up the gates and hide within the city walls. Seven times, Israel walks around the city. Six times, they give them the chance to avoid bloodshed. You'd think they would be a little smarter than that!
Can you think of some of the stupid things you've done? We all can!!! But, when it comes to God, it's best to use what I call "critical thinking." You see, our problem is - we don't think! For example, you know it's stupid to sin against God because of His retribution, so why do we do it anyway? You know we will all stand before God and give account of our lives one day, so why do we live our lives as though that event will never happen? These are "stupid human tricks" we all have a tendency to play. Practice some "critical thinking" today. What is it that you're doing in your life that YOU KNOW IS STUPID? Or as my friend Bob Corbet would say, "Stinkin Stupid." Well, you know what to do!
Have a wonderful day in the Lord!
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