Joshua 3-4
Joshua 3
There is something in this I've never seen before. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Joshua moved the entire nation 7 miles and they camped out near the Jordan. They moved those 7 miles with no clue as to how they were going to cross the Jordan. It was March, just before the Passover, and apparently that was the rainy season and the river was overflowing its banks. This shows how much the people had changed and what God had been doing in them for 40 years. This generation of Israelites might have been the godliest generation that ever represented the nation. They didn't complain and make problems when faced with "impossible" circumstances. They simply followed and waited. Now they waited 3 days, getting organized, but waiting for God's provision.
As disciples, following isn't easy, and that's why many don't follow in the harvest. What if God doesn't do His part? Why get so "uncomfortable" for nothing? God will love us anyway. But it is only in sacrifice and following and depending and waiting in this harvest that we really get close to God. It is in the impossible that we see His power and bear fruit for God. But it all comes down to faith and following, absolutely convinced that even a "dead end" has meaning and will lead somewhere. It didn't make sense that God led 2 million + people to the edge of a swollen river. But He did. It doesn't make sense for us to follow from day to day without security for the sake of the Kingdom and the Harvest and the Lord. But we do. And if we have a very big God, we don't have to complain.
Philippians 2:13-16 for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, …..
Note that the priests stood in the river bed the entire time as the people passed over the Jordan. The Ark represented the presence of God among the people. This was not only a big day for Joshua, but also for the priests representing God and leading the people.
Joshua 4
There are a lot of things that can feed your heart in this passage. How incredible that God fulfilled this incredible promise. They were in the Land.
Notice the monuments for remembrance that God had the people make. One was in the middle of the Jordan and the other was where they camped on that first night in the land. I don't think God is into "scrapbooking," but He does go for remembrance and education of the next generation. What items of remembrance do you have at home, in your family, in your office, that remind you of God's faithfulness? It is something that disciple makers / leaders do for a group as you work together in the harvest making disciples who make disciples. I have a couple "stones of remembrance" in my office right now that remind me of God doing great things when it seemed like the doors were shut. By the way, those stones that Israel moved, were big stones. Those guys must have been strong, or were made strong in a way they didn't realize.
Vs. 19-24 are really great verses and 23-24 explain something important in our own lives. God leads us through tough times, so that when He delivers us, He can use His work in our lives as an example to others. He strengthens our faith in following and shows others that He is mighty.
Luke 14:7-35
Luke 14:7-24
It appears that when Jesus was invited to a party by a Pharisee, He was a real party-pooper. Talk about having guts. Anyway, these lessons were for the twelve, and for us as His disciples. If you live your life to receive the recognition of men, you cannot be a disciple. In another conflict with the Pharisees, Jesus said to them in John 5:44, "How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?"
I think that verse puts this section together pretty well. They looked to each other for recognition, but, in the parable, when invited by God, well, they were busy.
Luke 14:25-35
This section shows that Jesus used the above occasion to train His disciples.
How do you boil this section down as a simple statement for discipleship? What is more important for you and me, is that it has to be true of us if we really want to serve Him in the harvest and make disciples who make disciples. The disciple is not greater than his teacher. We have to be totally His.
Notice the two times it says, "..you cannot be my disciple." Jesus wants our primary affection and our primary commitment in life. A partial commitment to Jesus makes us unworthy and unsalty.
The video below is Steve Camp's "Consider the Cost." This is a great song and one that kept me motivated during one of the hardest years of my life following Christ. Actually, it would be fair to say that the Spirit used this song to heal my heart. There were dark hours when I'm sure I shed a bucket of tears listening to this description of what it means to follow Christ in the harvest. There is a very simple explanation of the Gospel in this song, which is definitely expressed in this section of Luke, and that I hope is being expressed more and more as I mature in Christ in the harvest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8InK4-Jjgqo
Psalm 80
This looks like another post-exile psalm. This psalm echoes what Moses / God said would happen. The people would be removed from the land because of their sin. The appeal made to God is to His faithfulness and His glory, to remember His promise to their fathers.
Look for the repetition of the main appeal of the psalm. Actually, you can't miss it.
Notice also the reference to bringing Israel into the Promised Land.
It is also interesting to find portions of Scripture that inspired songs. I missed mentioning one in Matthew 9:28, when Jesus asks the two blind men if they thought He could heal them. They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." You know what song that's in, right?
The main appeal of this psalm, I think, is responsible for the title and first verse of this song. This is a video where you will definitely enjoy the images. And it's a very good song.
Proverbs 12:27-28
I agree with the other reading of verse 27. Diligence is the reward that makes a man rich. And to make the connection to verse 28, the righteous are diligent to live in following the Spirit, following Christ, in His Word, in His harvest.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
No comments:
Post a Comment