It's that time of year. Time to trim the tree and deck the halls.
Time for Fa-la-la-la-la's and jingles all the way.
But…
What IS the purpose of Christmas?
Is it the beautiful evergreens that light up our family rooms
or the snowmen decorations that sit on our mantels?
Is the purpose of Christmas to see just how many lights we can hang from our rooftops
and blowup Santa’s we can adorn our yards with before the breaker blows?
Could it be that the true purpose of Christmas goes much,
much deeper than the beautifully wrapped presents that sit beneath our trees
and the stockings that hang strategically by the chimney?
Could it be?
Yes, indeed!
I do believe it could be…in fact, it IS.
The purpose of Christmas?
A promise,
made by God
to a sinful people.
A promise,
that from the woman
a Seed would come.
A Seed that would
heal mankind of the
disease of sin.
Christmas is
God's promise fulfilled
through the Seed,
His Son,
our Savior,
Jesus Christ.
Christmas IS the promise of healing for all those who believe.
“So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
Joshua 21:43-45, NKJV
Upon the completion of the distribution of the Promised Land to the twelve tribes of Israel they could then settle in and become the nation God intended them to be. They could practice the laws and the statues God had given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and they could live out those laws, being an example to other nations, reaping the benefits of a life of obedience.
"The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He has sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand." God was faithful to His people. He provided for and He fought for His cherished treasure. He never one time failed them.
"Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." All came to pass…all that God said He would do, He did. Because He is trustworthy and can, without a doubt, be taken at His word.
His spoken Word penned to paper by His chosen.
His Word. Living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword.
His Word. It revives the dead. Heals the wounded. Binds the broken-hearted.
His Word. Restores the lost. Redeems the sinners. Transforms the wayward. Grants hope to the hopeless.
His Word breathes life. Rains grace. Gifts mercy.
God's Word is perfect (Psalm 19:7a). It contains no error (Romans 7:12).
God's Word is sure (Psalm 19:7b). It is absolute. IT.IS.TRUTH (Psalm 111:7).
God's Word is right (Psalm 19:8a). It is in no way wrong (Pslam 119:160).
God's Word is pure and enlightening because it flows from One who is the essence of holiness (Psalm 19:8b; 1 Peter 1:15; Psalm 119:130).
God's Word is true and righteous (Psalm 19:9; John 17:17).
God's Word is worth more than gold (Psalm 19:10; Psalm 119:72; Proverbs 8:10-11).
And because God's Word is perfect, sure, right, pure and enlightening, true and righteous, worth far more than gold, and living and active it will…convert us from sin to holiness (Ephesians 5:26; 1 Peter 1:23); give us wisdom in knowing how to handle situations (Hebrews 6:18-19); cause our hearts to rejoice (Psalm 119:111); shed light on our sin and give us light for our journey (Psalm 119:105); endure forever and ever (Hebrews 4:12); give us warning and keep us from destruction (Psalm 17:4); and bring eternal reward, blessed salvation (2 Timothy 3:15).
God's Word never fails. All that He promised His people He'd do, He did. And all that He promises us today, He will do!
Today, may I encourage you to read through these application questions/activities and consider sharing with us in the comments section what God is speaking to you? If you'd rather not share, please feel free to email me at [email protected] I'd love to connect with you, pray with you, walk with you, answer any questions you might have, and encourage you any way that I can.
Do you believe God?
Do you believe God's Word?
Do you trust that God will do what He says He will do?
My friend, people will fail us. They'll go back on their word. They'll lie to us. They'll manipulate us with words. But God…He will never go back on His Word. He will never manipulate us into anything. And He will never lie to us. That goes against the nature of His character. You can trust Him!
Take the brave step today of trusting God and His Word.
Downloads for Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living: a study of Joshua, week 13
Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 13 Guide
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 1 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 2 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 3 here.
Diving Deeper into Intimate Relationship
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 4 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 5 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 6 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 7 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 8 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 9 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 10 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 11 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 12 here.
“And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?”
Joshua 18:3, KJV (emphasis added)
There remained seven tribes who had yet to receive their inheritance; they had yet to lay claim to the land God had promised. Why? Why had they not taken possession of what God had already declared their own? Why were they “slack”?
Slack is a transliteration of the Hebrew word, râphâh. It means to be slack, be remiss, be idle; to be weak, be feeble; to desist; to sink down; to be despondent, be disheartened; to be lazy. (Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study of Old Testament: Bringing the Original Text to Life (New King James Version). Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1994. Print.)
Lazy. It stands out to me. Because so very often, I find myself being lazy in the work God has called me to. And in my laziness I fail to lay claim to the life of abundant living He has for me.
Joshua spoke into their slackness, their laziness, and encouraged them to get up and get busy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was definitely not my intention. My plan was to drive; to stay in the truck and enjoy the cold A/C blow on my face. My skin was already sun burned from the previous day’s swim club adventure with my kiddos, so to be out in the sun again wasn’t the wisest of choices. And, I was certainly not dressed for the occasion. Wearing a white tank underneath a cute little jacket, comfy Capri lounge pants, and black flip flops isn’t the usual attire one would wear for an undertaking of this magnitude. BUT, my daddy needed help and when daddy needs help- well, what’s a girl to do? So I took off my cute little jacket and all my jewelry, and with already fried skin joined him in the middle of the hay field.
The field was ready to be harvested. The hay had been cut, dried, and made into rectangular bales which were tied off neatly with two twine strings. Rows and rows and rows of hay bales lined the field with just enough room between each row for a vehicle to drive through.
“Let’s go to the end of that row over there,” my dad pointed as he surveyed the best place for us to begin. “We’ll pick up where the last group left off.”
And so it began, the tedious task of heave-hoeing 50 lbs. bales of hay and strategically placing them on the trailer so every one would fit and stack neatly.
One hundred and thirty something bales of hay were loaded onto the trailer that day. And by the time we were done I was disgustingly nasty and smelled of sweat mixed with scents of stale hay and a hint of the freesia deodorant that I'd applied to my underarms MANY hours earlier. My burnt, crispy skin was now blistered and very painful. My white shirt wasn’t so white anymore and was covered and filled with hay. And now, not only were my flip flops black, both of my feet were black from the dust in the field. But the day had been a complete success; the task that had been set before us had been accomplished.
Our Daddy, God Almighty, has set before each of us a task, a field that is ready to be harvested; a land that is ready to be conquered. And there's no room for laziness in the mission before us.
You and I must get up and get busy!
Your job is a field. The gas station where you fill your car with gas is a field. Those restaurants you frequent are fields. Play groups, kids sports teams, those moms you sit with while your girls practice dance; your church, home, and circle of friends are all fields God has placed you in for such a time as this. These are fields God has given you the job of claiming and conquering, working and cultivating for His glory.
God has strategically placed within each of our lives “hay bales” that are ready to be picked up and loaded onto the trailer of eternal life. We must be purposeful about investing time into these persons. It will require sacrifice on our part and quite possibly will stretch us beyond our comfort zones. There'll be times when we’ll pick up where others have left off, but there will also be times when we’ll begin our God given task on uncharted land; we’ll be called to start something new, traveling by faith alone into fresh soil that has yet to be sown into and harvested by His worker-warriors.
Just as the rows of hay bales had exactly enough space for a vehicle to travel through, God will give us exactly what we need to travel down the paths He's set before us. Yes, the task will be tedious. And yes, it will be hard work. It will require that we get our hands dirty and maybe even our feet a little dusty. But, in the end, when His task has been accomplished and our work on earth is done, it will all have been worth it- even if we do come out a little smelly and exhausted.
Pray for the individuals God has placed in your field. Pray that their hearts be opened to Him. Pray they are receptive to the Gospel message. Pray for lives to be changed. Pray that you would be faithful to the work God has called you to. The work of planting, cultivating, and harvesting souls for the Kingdom of God.
“Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come
the crop on earth is ripe.”
Revelation 14:15b, NLT
Today, may I encourage you to read through these application questions/activities and consider sharing with us in the comments section what God is speaking to you? If you'd rather not share, please feel free to email me at [email protected] I'd love to connect with you, pray with you, walk with you, answer any questions you might have, and encourage you any way that I can.
Does today find you in a place of slackness, of laziness, of being idle in your walk with God and the work He's called you to?
Friend, get up and get busy! Take the brave step forward and lay claim to your life of abundant living; plant, cultivate, and harvest your land of abundant living!
Downloads for Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living: a study of Joshua, week 12
Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 12 Guide
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 1 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 2 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 3 here.
Diving Deeper into Intimate Relationship
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 4 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 5 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 6 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 7 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 8 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 9 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 10 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 11 here.
Thank you to our friends at Zondervan, for offering an awesome giveaway last week. Lucie is the winner of the NIV Thinline Bible. Lucie please choose which Bible you'd like (Chocolate/Copper Flowers, Cherry Quilted, Zebra, or Woolen Gray) and email me at [email protected] with your physical address.
"…I wholly followed the LORD my God."
Joshua 14:8, NKJV
We live in a day where waiting is something we aren't very accustomed to doing. There's just not much that you and I have to wait on or for these days.
For instance…
~Need something for dinner? Just go to the nearest fast food restaurant or pop something in the microwave, and ta-da… dinner is served.
~Out and about and need to call a friend? Never mind waiting until you get home, just pick up your cell phone, hit #2 because you have her on speed dial, and talk until your heart's content.
~Forgot that your mom's birthday is tomorrow and now it's too late to send her a card through snail mail? Don't panic! Send her an e-card, with music, for free!!
Are you with me here? Waiting has become a lost art. And while I am thankful modern technology has afforded us the freedoms to hurry some things along, I'm afraid an attitude of impatience and dissatisfaction has been birthed in our hearts.
In this week’s lesson we learned of the land Caleb inherited; a land that he waited 40+ years to claim as his very own. Forty years people! Forty years, he waited for God’s promised land. And for forty years—through years of wilderness wandering, complaining of the people, unknowns, enemies, and battles—Scripture tells us that Caleb continued to wholly follow the LORD.
Wholly is the transliteration of the Hebrew word mâlê' mâlâ' which means to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively): – accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X draw, give in, go) fully (-ly, -ly set, tale), [over-] flow, fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume, replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a [hand-] full, + have wholly.
Satisfy. That word messes with me. In Caleb’s waiting he wholly followed God; and he was satisfied. He was satisfied with where God had him. He was satisfied to wait as long as the waiting lasted because he believed God would do what He’d promised He’d do. He was satisfied with God.
Which begs the question…
Am I satisfied with where God has me?
Am I satisfied to wait for God’s best?
Am I satisfied with God?
I so want to say yes. But to be completely honest, I’m struggling with that ‘yes.’ Because there are dreams in my heart, dreams that I have no doubt God has conceived in me, but they’re dreams that aren’t being birthed as of yet. I’d love to grab the closest genie in a bottle, release that genie, and have her grant my dearest wishes, make my dreams come true. But I’m learning that genies in a bottle don't exist; they aren't God's way. And God planted dreams only come true in God appointed time; not a minute sooner or a minute later.
I’m learning to be content, to be satisfied in where God has me in this moment. To say ‘yes’ today, daily surrendering my selfish desires. To live in today’s God moment and trust Him for all my tomorrows. To help people follow Jesus today and be excited about tomorrow’s opportunities to do the same. To be satisfied with God alone, because He is all that I need. To wait patiently and well for His timing and His perfect plan.
To wholly follow Him in the hard and the easy; in the mundane and the interruptions; in the small and in the large; in the spotlight and in the background; in the dish washing and toilet scrubbing; in the burnt dinners and the mountains of laundry; in the workplace and in my home; in the bill paying and the balancing of the checkbook; in seeing the hurting and in extending a helping hand; in listening and in speaking, and in taking brave steps forward.
I’m learning to wholly follow and be satisfied with God as I wait for His dreams in me to be birthed.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:14, NASB
Today, may I encourage you to read through these application questions/activities and consider sharing with us in the comments section what God is speaking to you? If you'd rather not share, please feel free to email me at [email protected] I'd love to connect with you, pray with you, walk with you, answer any questions you might have, and encourage you any way that I can.
How long are you willing to wait on what God has for you?
Are you willing to wait on His timing?
And, in the waiting, will you continue to follow Him, trusting His plan, His way, and His timing, believing He will do what He said He would do in and through you?
Are you satisfied with God alone?
Downloads for Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living: a study of Joshua, week 11
Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 11 Guide
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 1 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 2 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 3 here.
Diving Deeper into Intimate Relationship
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 4 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 5 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 6 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 7 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 8 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 9 here.
Find Taking BRAVE Steps into Abundant Living- week 10 here.
