Devotional Thoughts

Joshua 5:5-9    "Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.  (6)  For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.  (7)  And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.  (8)  And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.  (9)  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of th

In the previous two The Word Revealed devotionals we explored four of the five essential principles of worshiping our Lord with the totality of our being.  Corporate worship should always involve the one worshiping in a very personal and intimate manner which involves the worshipper totally.  Today we explore the fact that worship, which involves the worshipper totally, must include how we worship the Lord with our Bodies. Worship with our Bodies Romans 12:1 identifies believers’ bodies as living sacrifices to the glory and praise of God.  In a worship service we are to express our love for God with our bodies as we stand in reverence, bow in humility, kneel in prayer, and shout out an Amen.  Psalm 95:6, “ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. ”  Psalm 96:1-2. “ Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. ”  Psalm 47:1-2,

Joshua 4:14    "On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life." Joshua 4:22-24    "Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.  (23)  For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:  (24)  That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever." The people are now in the Promised Land. They have finished their journey through the wilderness. The Lord has replaced Moses with Joshua and in this action of going across the Jordan River, the people now realize Joshua is indeed their leader. Joshua did not have to prove himself unto the people. God did that for him. As Joshua was "magnified in the sight of all Is

Joshua 4:9-11    "And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.  (10)  For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.  (11)  And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people." This is a second memorial that was placed. The first one was placed where the people slept the first night in the Promised Land. This second was placed in the middle of the Jordan River at the place where the priests' feet stood while the people crossed the river. So a memorial was placed where the miracle began and another was placed where the miracle ended. In the book of Revela

Ecclesiastes 3:17 – I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. By faith, we understand that God, the Creator, the LORD of Lords, presides over the universe as Judge of all, discerning right from wrong, good from evil. He will not neglect to do so for He is faithful. For this reason we should fear and love the Lord. With so many injustices in the world and such pain, it is often difficult to see how good can overcome it all. This is why we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He gave us truths to live by and an example to follow. Moreover, the Resurrection demonstrated that death, the ultimate tribulation, is no barrier to fellowship and life with God. “For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will” (John 5:21). “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any

Joshua 4:4-7    "Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:  (5)  And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:  (6)  That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?  (7)  Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." The people had passed over the river and are now standing on the side of Jordan where God had promised the land to them. The Word of God says that the people were "clean passed over". That is every one of them walked acros

Joshua 3:15-17    "And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)  (16)  That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.  (17)  And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan." We used these same passages yesterday, but today we show a continuation in the steps of obedience unto the Lord. We began this process with practicing the art of listening to the Lord. Then we saw the people removed themselves from their tents. As we would say t

Joshua 3:14-17    "And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;  (15)  And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)  (16)  That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.  (17)  And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan." God's promises are true. How many times can we repeat that? I think most of us need reminding on a r

Proper worship of God is worship that involves the worshiper totally.  When we worship the God of our salvation with our all, we see the greatest benefit and blessing in our love relationship with our Lord.  Worship which involves the worshiper totally is composed of worshiping our Lord with our Mind, Heart, Will, Possessions, and Bodies.  Today we ponder worshiping God through our will and with all of our possessions. Worship through the Will Our will should be involved in every time of worship.  Our will is involved when we have confidence in all that God has done for us and all that He promises to do in the future.  Our will, as well, is the source of confession of sin.  Our will is convicted through the Word and the Spirit and then our wills humbly express that sorrow for sin.  This sorrow for sin and confession of sin, leads us in the path of repentance.  Repentance is a sure sign of our will striving to be one with God’s will.  Psalm 32: 3-5, “When I kept silent, my bo

Joshua 3:13-14    "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.  (14)  And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people" This may seem like an odd place to begin and end the Scripture for our devotion today, but I want to stop and meditate on something found in these two verses. First, I will say that we already know the waters are going to stand on a heap and the people are going to cross into the Promised Land. We will look at that on another day, but right now there are three things in these two verses that I believe are very important in the life of the Christian. We read in verse 13, "And it shall come to pass." The

Joshua 3:9    "And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God." We touched on this aspect of our daily walk with God a few days ago. Now I want to cause myself to stop and listen. When God first brought Israel out of Egypt, He provided visual effects for them to know His presence was with them. He went before them in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He literally guided them for forty years; but now, it's time to go deeper into the arena of faith. Yes, there will be miracles that follow. They will see the waters of the flooded Jordan River parted and they will walk across on dry ground. They will see the walls fall of the great walled city of Jericho. But the most important thing they must learn is how to listen to God. Thus we see Joshua saying to them, "Come hither, and HEAR the words of the LORD your God." It is important for us to understand that God speaks to us. There was an upr

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. –  Genesis 11:4 With the rise of influencers and social media, making a name for yourself has become an industry in itself. Branding and image management have become synonymous with reputation building while character has been largely sidelined. Is this okay? Proverbs 22:1 tells us, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” So should we, like the people following Noah’s flood in Genesis 11, “make a name” for ourselves? What does this mean? If we equate “name” in the Bible with reputation, then yes, we should work to have a good name. We are encouraged in many places in Scripture to live honestly and peaceably. This is the basis of a good name or reputation as a Christian. On the other hand, we often see where someone becomes famous or

Joshua 3:6-9    "And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.  (7)  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.  (8)  And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.  (9)  And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God." It is amazing to see the Lord in action as He deals with His people. For forty years, the people had followed Moses. They had heard him as he relayed the law of God to them. They had seen him in his dealings with the people. They were accustomed to his way of doing things. Now there is a new leader. In my thoughts, this is the reason God h

Joshua 3:1-3    "And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.  (2)  And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;  (3)  And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it." The people of Israel are being taken into the new land that had been promised to them.  For forty years, they have seen and followed the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Although that was removed at the death of Moses, the presence of the Lord was still with them. Now, instead of watching for the pillar to move, they were to watch the priests, and more specifically, they were to watch for the ark of the covenant. When they saw the priests carrying the ark, they were to be ready to go. They were

Corporate worship of the great God of our salvation should always involve the one worshiping in a very personal and intimate manner.   Therefore, proper worship of God is worship that involves the worshipper totally.  This “involve the worshipper totally” principal is the worship principle where we see the greatest benefit and blessing in our love relationship with our Lord.  In this and the next devotional I will note five aspects of how worship should involve the worshiper totally.  Each of these aspects will lead us to a more vibrant love of our Lord.  Worship which involves the worshipper totally is composed of worshiping our Lord with our Mind, Heart, Will, Possessions, and Bodies. Worship with the Mind Every time of worship should be filled with the Word of God which engages the mind through theological content.  As the mind is engaged, the mind, through the work of the Spirit, is changed, instructed, or edified.  The Apostle Paul calls this process the renewing of the

Joshua 2:22-24    "And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.  (23)  So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:  (24)  And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us." Without going back and placing the verses in this devotion, I would encourage you to take a moment and read the portion of Numbers chapter 13 when forty years earlier the 12 spies came back from this same land. Their report was quite different than the report given this time by these two men. The ten spies gave a report that caused many of the Israelites to faint. These two men gave a report that told of the Canaanites fainting. Both reports were the result of the

Joshua 2:18-21    "Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.  (19)  And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.  (20)  And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.  (21)  And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window." This morning, we look at the scarlet thread. Rahab had hidden the two spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. They made an oath that because of her faithfulness to them, they would be faithful in spar

Joshua 2:9-11    "And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.  (10)  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.  (11)  And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." Part of Joshua's preparation to go into the Promised Land was to send two spies into the land. It is interesting that they first came to the great walled city of Jericho. That is an interesting point because forty years prior to this Moses had sent twelve spies into the land. Part of their report concerned the "great walled cities&

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:40 The Word of God is described as a double edged sword. It can cut in two ways. Such is the revelation of today’s passage from Matthew. In stressing the need to show love to the downtrodden and needy, Jesus Christ tells the disciples that doing good or evil to them is equal to doing the same to Him. Love God. Love neighbors. Love enemies. Nowhere does Jesus command us to despise others. Love is challenging, and it is often met with resistance. However, loving Christ’s creations is the best way to love Him. We will not be rewarded for how well we hate but rather how well we love one another.

Joshua 1:17-18    "According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.  (18)  Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage." Joshua had begun to prepare the people for the next leg of their journey which would begin with crossing the swollen Jordan River. This morning, I would like for us to be reminded of the goodness and mercy of our Lord. When He is preparing us for the work to which He calls us, He gives reassurances. Sometimes those reassurances are simple things that we might overlook and other times they might be a bold declarative reminder of His presence and grace for our strength. At the conclusion of chapter one, God gave Joshua an assurance that might very well be overlooked. There were certain tribes of Israel that had been promi

Joshua 1:10-11    "Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,  (11)  Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it." The people of Israel had been mourning the death of Moses for forty days. They had stayed in that one place. God had allowed them that privilege to do that, but now it was time to go forward. Moses had been an excellent leader for them for all these years. They loved him, but now Joshua was the leader. This would be the first test for Joshua. Would the people listen to him? Would they follow him? Would they insist that he do it a certain way, as they had been accustomed to doing? God not only called Joshua, He also equipped Joshua with wisdom. He had experienced, through Moses, the manner in which the people had been responding to a change of location. He knew God had been faithf

Joshua 1:6-9    "Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.  (7)  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  (8)  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  (9)  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." In these four verses, God tells Joshua, "Be strong and of a good courage." Joshua is about to embark on a new leg of this journey. F

Joshua 1:1-5    "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,  (2)  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.  (3)  Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.  (4)  From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.  (5)  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Today, we start a study of the book of Joshua. This book has always fascinated me from early in my ministry. Perhaps it is because I was assigned this book for a prese

A Christian worship service is a formal gathering of the redeemed to personally express their love and adoration toward God.  In these services we declare the “worth-ship” of God.  In worship, we see, hear, and understand how God reveals Himself as deity; we agree with God’s assessment of Himself; and we give God what He is due, our full-fledged love and devotion, all praise, honor, and glory.  Worship is essential for our love of God to become more passionate, intimate, and fulfilling.  God’s Word communicates the principles of how to properly worship the Lord.  Those Biblical principles are:  Worship is to be God-centered and God-directed, Worship is to be Christ-focused, Worship is to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, Worship is to be according to and filled with the Word of God, Worship is to embrace every aspect of our life.  Today we explore the principles of worship being According to the Word of God and Embracing Every Area of Our Lives. Worship is to be According To and F