God Is In Charge

Reading 27: Joshua 6

This is the verse that stands out to me today:

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.


Jericho was tightly shut up, but the next thing God says is "See! I have delivered Jericho into your hands." It's just like God to see the bigger picture. Sometimes I look at a problem that's all "shut up" no way in, no way out...but God is there and He sees the whole picture. He knows the whole story, and He says "See, I have already taken care of everything". All I have to do is trust His lead.


New blogging plan (if anyone is reading): Blogging about the reading every day was getting entirely tedious and was sucking the "joy" out of my 180 days....so I decided to cut back to just a few times a week, and continue to read on the off blogging days from my physical Bible.

Time for Action

Reading 15: Exodus 3

I'm not sure that my first response to a burning bush would be to rush over and look at it. I'm pretty sure, I'd have panicked probably thinking of ways I could put the fire out. But Moses rushes over to this miraculous bush, and recieves a direct and personal word from God.

What are the "burning bushes" in my life? What miraculous signs has God placed around me that I am running away from? I don't think my instinct to run is limited to physical fire. I often run away from spiritual fire, emotional fire,...anything that has the capacity to burn or hurt me.

But what if instead of running away, I did like Moses and ran towards it? Think of all the possibilities that this "burning bush" holds! I think that in every 'burning bush' we will hear a direct and personal word from the Lord, but too often we are running away, afraid of getting hurt.

Final Exam

Reading 9: Genesis 22

Both times that the Lord called to Abraham there was an immediate response of "Here I am." Both times. Even at the point when he had the knife in the air and was prepared to do as God had commanded him earlier, he paused to respond to God's call.

When God calls into my life is there an immediate response? Am I quick to say 'Here I am', or "Just a minute..." "Let me finish this one last thing..."

These past two readings have contained two very different responses to God when He speaks into your life. Lot hesitated and bargained. Abraham responded, obeyed, and was blessed.

May I always remember to obey and be blessed...so I may fulfill God's covenant with Abraham and bless others;

"I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

The Catastrophe Sent By God

Reading 8: Genesis 19

Lot hesitated twice. Twice. And he still ended up in the mountains. He lost a wife, 2 son-in-laws, and who knows how many friends and colleagues.

What a tough moment. Once again, God has become so fed up with a portion of His creation that His choice is to do away with it. To utterly destroy it.

I don't find Lot (or his family) to be the most positive of role models. Lot offered his daughters to be violated, his wife clearly disobeyed the angels, Lot's son in laws don't take the threat seriously, Lot argued with the angels (who argues with angels???), and his daughters decided to empregnate themselves through trickery. Interesting bunch, aren't they?

Yet the poinangt part, for me, is the fact that God kept to His promise. He promised Abraham that He would not destroy Lot, that Lot would be spared this catastrophe of raining sulfur. (Unfortunately, Lot created his own personal catastrophe, even as the angels personally escorted his family to safety)

How often do I hesitate to heed God's protecting command? How often to I shamefully beg for a different decision? Really, am I any better than Lot and his family? Sadly, usually not. But the magnificent part is that God is always the same!

The Crash

Reading 3: Genesis 3

I was just thinking today that one of Satan's most powerful tools against the children of God is: doubt.

The serpent simply suggested to Eve (which wasn't even her name yet...) that perhaps she misunderstood or misheard God. Doubt. "Does God really want to keep you away from that tree?" Doubt. "Do you think God is just trying to keep something really good away from you?" Doubt.

Perhaps part of the lesson of the mere existence of a tree that was to be untouched is the need we have to trust God's plan. We won't know all the reasons, but we know God.

This is a true lesson in my own life currently. It seems as we begin to embark on a new ministry, a chance to gain more ground for the Kingdom, the enemy begins his attack of doubt. "Is this really what you should be doing?" "What if no one comes?" "What if, what if, what if" Doubt.

Trusting God's guidance contains a lot more possibility than the results of taking things into my own hands.

Man & Woman, Male & Female, He created them.

Reading 2: Genesis 2

It is in the second chapter that we get more details on exactly what happened in regards to the creation of man and woman. We get specifics in the story line.

So, we're brought into the whole of creation and we're the only ones given a task to accomplish. The birds were never sat down (at least it's not recorded) and told what to do. The shrubs didn't get a growth plan and goals and objectives. But man was endowed with a task. God created us in His image, and that included accomplishing something beyond 'surviving'.

So what's our job??

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Our job is to take care of the creation. All of the creation, and encouraging the creation to meet its potential by caring for it.

We're also the only part of creation that received an explict rule. (seemingly arbitrary (specifics about its reason to come, I'm sure))

you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die

Honestly, why the rule? Why even put us near the tree if we can't eat it? .... a question for all time... I mean I know the theological responses, but deep in my heart I can still ask "Why?"

Anyways, I kept coming back to verse 6:

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground

Just thinking in line with my whole "perceive the stream" topic...it's just like God to keep reminding me that I'm on track. The stream came up whether man was there or not. God's will was accomplished, with or without our help and yet He still decided to create these finicky, problematic, troublesome creatures...and still called them GOOD.

In my own ministry, it's a reminder that God doesn't necessarily need me to get His will accomplished, but He's chosen me to be a part of it. It also forces me to recognize that God's been at work in the various situations around me LOOOOONG before I ever showed up, and well after I move on.

God is the stream, not me.