Joshua 2:15-16

Joshua 2:15-16 

English Standard Version

  Oh, look, another 3 day time frame where people will go wait and then return with good news.  What a surprise...

  The Old Testament is constantly looking ahead to the New, anticipating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  There are signposts throughout the journey to Bethlehem that help us see and understand how God is going to liberate the people from sin.  God didn't come up with Jesus as plan B -- God had been planning this all along, preparing for it, so that the whole world would eventually learn the Good News of Jesus Christ.

  So may we be students of the Old Testament, learning the history of the people who made a way forward -- they couldn't see everything, but they continued to press forward, continued to strive to be faithful, and in so doing, they help us understand even more clearly the grace and love of God.

Joshua 2:8-14

Joshua 2:8-14 

English Standard Version

  I'm willing to bet at some point this week, somebody will tell you about some extraordinary news story or some outrageous viral clip, and you'll go seek it out, because it sounds too amazing to be true.  We do this all the time -- it's the heartbeat of a viral social media-driven world, where people do wild things for likes and shares.

  Rahab and the people in Jericho had heard about the Israelites.  They'd heard stories and they heard rumors, and it changed the way they acted because of the stories that were told.

  So friends, tell your stories about what God is doing in your life.  Share the news of how God is at work in you.  Let these get out into the world around us, changing the world and changing lives and changing hearts and minds of people who hear about the things that God is doing.

Joshua 2:1-7

Joshua 2:1-7 

English Standard Version 

  What does courage in action look like?

  Rahab could've easily been killed for her actions.  She had no power in such a society.  Had she been found out, or even if they suspected deceit, she would've been cast aside, and many probably wouldn't have given her a second thought.

  But in the midst of the crucible, she protected Joshua's spies.  She was willing to stand up for what she believed was right and take a huge risk because of what she believed.  There was a great potential cost for her to pay if she was wrong, and yet she did not hesitate.

  Not many of us will have moments like this, but may we be in prayer for our brothers and sisters around the world who have such strength and courage to stand up for what is right, even as great personal risk, and help the church continue to grow and spread throughout the world.

Joshua 1:6-9

Joshua 1:6-9 

English Standard Version 

  We like to teach our children to be strong and courageous, just as Joshua is instructed here, but I wonder if we always make the link between strength, courage, and meditating on Scripture.  Can we be truly strong and courageous without a thorough knowledge of God's Word?  Without that knowledge, you might always be worried about a stronger force, or about your own weakness coming through at the worst moment.  But with a knowledge of Scripture, you'll know that your strength and courage don't depend on you, but rather on what God has already done for you on the cross.  You can hold onto strength and courage in the midst of the trials of life because they don't depend on anything within you -- they depend solely on the God who exists outside of time and space, but who enters in so that you might know the fullness of God's love.