Category: 260 Devotional

 

Read chapter in full: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/ephesians/5/cuvs/

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 5  (ESV)

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

 Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

 

Reflection

1. Paul continued on the subject of walking in a manner worthy of the calling, he urged them to follow God’s example and live loving (v1), holy lives (v2-14), responsive to the Holy Spirit (v15-18) and to one another (v19-20). Christlikeness is especially to be demonstrated by mutual submission in the Christian home (v21-33).
2. We are encouraged to follow the example set by God himself. This would be impossible if it were not for the fact that we are his “beloved children” (v1). As God’s children, his own life is planted deep within us. Because of this new life, it is now possible for us to actually be like God or to become like God. Therefore, we are to decide if we will become what we are in Christ, or if we will settle back down into living a mere human life.
3. Stay quietly for a few moments dwell on the words “imitator of God”. What comes to mind, Excitement? Joy? Shame? Disappointment? Frustration? Fear?  Talk to God about it. 
4. Talk to God as a child to a father. Tell him how you would like to imitate him.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you. 

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible. If your children are younger, you may read vv1-2 only.)

 Paul encouraged Christians to follow God’s example.  Play the “Mirror Game”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeCR6-hGx0Y Talk about the game and what each has learned about it.  Pray that Holy Spirit will help each one to follow God’s example in your lives.

 

Proverbs for Today 21:29-31

²⁹ A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright gives thought to his ways.
³⁰ No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the Lord.
³¹ The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but the victory belongs to the Lord.

 

Read chapter in full: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/ephesians/4/cuvs/

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4  (ESV)

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

 Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

 

Reflection

1. Paul encouraged them to preserve unity (v1-3), he laid down the foundation for unity (v4-6), listed the many gifts God has given to the church (v7-11), and explained how to use these gifts in love and truth in order to build up the body of Christ into maturity (v12-16). Starting verse 17, Paul began to admonish believers who have put off the old self and put on the new self to start living the new life in true righteousness and holiness. The last part of this chapter, Paul encouraged believers to live a holy life.
2. The church is a diverse body composed of many different people who must give attention to preserve their unity. The Spirit gives gifts to every believer so that, by all of us exercising these gifts, we will build each other up to be more and more like Christ, thus to preserve the unity of the church.
3. This list of gifts (v11) is by no means exhaustive. Similar lists appear in Paul’s other letters.  Here, Paul says that the purpose of these gifts is “to train Christ’s followers, so that the body of Christ may be built up”. 
4. What gifts has God given you? How are you using them?  Thank God for the gifts he’s given you and other members of the church.  Pray that you will do your part to help build up the church.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you. 

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible. If your children are younger, you may read vv11-13 only.)

 In v11, Paul identified five things God prepares Christians to do. What are they?  What other kinds of work might God prepare Christians to do? (Check Rom 12:4-8) What do you think God may be preparing you to do with your life?

 

Proverbs for Today 21:25-28

²⁵ The desire of the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
²⁶ All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
²⁷ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
²⁸ A false witness will perish,
    but the word of a man who hears will endure.

 

 

Read chapter in full: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/ephesians/3/cuvs/

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3  (ESV)

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

 Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  ²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

 

Reflection

1. In the second half of the previous chapter, Paul looks at the salvation for the Gentiles. Through Christ’s dying on the cross, Gentiles and Jews are reconciled and became one in the new community – church. In this chapter, Paul explained that the goal of his ministry is to display God’s wisdom in bringing different peoples into a unified church (v1-13). Since God has blessed us so greatly, Paul prayed that believers (and all Christians) would comprehend fully the extent of God’s love for them (vv. 14-21).
2. Paul repeatedly mentions “love” and “power” in this passage. He earnestly desired that God’s people be “rooted and established in love” in order that we have power “together with all the saints” to grasp and know the love of Christ (vv18-19).  How can we grasp or understand love?  By experiencing the width and length and height and depth of the love of Christ.  What do you learn about power and love in these verses?
3. The mark of a truly spiritual church is still, “See how they love one another.” With today’s passage in mind, pray for your church that you, as a church family, may bear the mark of “loving one another” and may experience deeply the love of Christ.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you. 

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible. If your children are younger, you may read vv16-18 only.)

Read the following and discuss how each of you can be Jesus’ hand, feet, eye, etc. to show God’s love to people around you, or in your community.

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
Yours are the only hands with which He can do His work,
Yours are the only feet with which He can go about the world,
Yours are the only eyes through which His compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world,
Christ has no body now on earth but yours” – Teresa of Avila

 

 

 

Proverbs for Today 21:21-24

²¹ Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
²² A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
²³ Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.
²⁴ “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
    who acts with arrogant pride.

 

 

Read chapter in full: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/ephesians/2/cuvs/

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2  (ESV)

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

 Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

¹ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

Reflection

• Paul explained how all spiritual blessings given by God (ch 1) actually became reality to each believer. He contrasted what the believer was before regeneration with what he or she is after. All the glory for the change goes to God who provided salvation for people. God gave us life and called us to good works, that his grace might be displayed. We do not need to do good works to merit salvation.
• One of the best-known verses in the book of Ephesians is 2:8, “By grace you have been saved, through faith.”
• Focus on God’s graciousness to you in the past days, weeks and months. Allow yourself to experience the depth of his goodness. Respond to him in prayer and praise.
• Sing “Amazing Grace” meditatively and continue conversation with God.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snare, we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far and Grace will lead us home

When we’ve been here ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’ve first begun.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you. 

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible. If your children are younger, you may read v8-9 only.)

 Talk about what grace is. “Grace is kindness from God we don’t deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God.” Sing together “Amazing Grace” in praising and thanking God for His Amazing Grace to each one of you.

 

Proverbs for Today 21:18-20

¹⁸ The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
    and the traitor for the upright.
¹⁹ It is better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
²⁰ Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
    but a foolish man devours it.

 

Read chapter in full: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/niv/ephesians/1/cuvs/

 

EPHESIANS

Introducing Ephesians

Let’s face it. Most of us are problem centered. How will I get all my work done on time? What can I do to be a better witness? Why do I get angry so easily?

Solving all these problems is good. But so often we lack a broader perspective. We put Band-Aids over gaping wounds instead of looking for long-term solutions. We lack vision, so we fail to ask why we are involved in certain activities at all.

I have enjoyed going back again and again to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians because it communicates the Christian vision more powerfully and succinctly than any of his other letters. Most of Paul’s other letters are directed to the particular problems of a given church. For example, he wrote to the Galatians about the threat of legalism. He addressed a variety of problems at the church at Corinth. But his letter to the Ephesians is blissfully free from turmoil.

Some believe the letter has this quality because it was not written solely for the church at Ephesus. Rather, it was probably a circular letter sent to the Christian communities of Asia and other provinces, especially where Paul was not personally known. While most of his letters are full of personal greetings, no individuals are mentioned here or greeted by name. In fact the oldest and best manuscripts even lack the words in Ephesus (1:1). They are addressed generally “to the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus.” But at an early date the letter became associated with the Ephesian church, so most later manuscripts have “to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.”

Ultimately, however, this letter is written to us, whoever the original readers were. It enables us to see the full sweep of God’s program from before creation to the ultimate union of everyone and everything in Jesus Christ. It puts our problems and our entire lives in the context of eternity.

May Ephesians expand your vision of what God is doing in history and give you wholeness in this broken world.

http://www.ivpress.com/bible/ephesian/

 

CHAPTER 1 (ESV)

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

 Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

¹⁵ For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

 

Reflection

1. Paul began the body of his letter by revealing the spiritual blessings that God has planned for believers in His Son. (v3-14) He then prayed that they would appreciate and appropriate these good things in their own lives. He moved from benediction to intercession.(v15-23)
2. Paul’s prayer for the believers is that they might come to know God intimately (v17). This is so that we might better appreciate all spiritual blessings God’s given us:

the past: calling to salvation that gives us hope (v18), the future: inheritance that we constitute for God (v18), and the present: power of God available to us (v19).

God manifested this power in the past in Christ’s resurrection and ascension (v20-21). He will manifest it in the future by making Jesus Christ the head over all creation (v22). He is now manifesting this power in Jesus Christ’s headship over the church (v23).

3. When you pray for fellow Christians, how do you usually pray for them? In what ways would you like your prayers be more like Paul’s?
4. Use Paul’s prayer in vv17-19 to pray for the individuals in your church. How does praying this prayer affect your appreciation of God, yourself, the individuals you are praying for?  What will happen if your group prayed these verses every week for each other? Try it and see.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you. 

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Family Time (Begin this time by reading the passage above using a children’s Bible. If your children are younger, you may read vv15-17 only.)

Paul knew Christians and he wanted to pray for them. Who are the Christians that are special to you? Write thank-you notes to each of these people.  End your family time by praying by name for each person.  Record these names in your Family Devotional Journal.

 

Proverbs for Today 21:15-17

¹⁵ When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.
¹⁶ One who wanders from the way of good sense
    will rest in the assembly of the dead.
¹⁷ Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

 

 

 

Joshua Chapter 24 (ESV)

 

Choose Whom You Will Serve

¹⁴ “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Joshua’s Death and Burial

²⁹ After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. ³⁰ And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

³¹ Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

 

MEDITATION:

Joshua gave his people the choice to serve the God who had chosen, liberated, and provided for them or to fall back into worship of the false gods of their ancestors on the side of the Euphrates before God called Abraham. In v15, Joshua declared his intention to serve the Lord and told the people to choose whom they would serve. This choice is the one for us as well; we must “choose this day whom we will serve”. If we choose false gods, such lapses today are a reversion to what we too had once been but for the grace of God.

Meditate on the phrase, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What does it mean for a family to “serve the Lord”? Where should we begin? When? How? Use this song Hi-Ne-Ni as your response to God’s calling you through Joshua.

PRAYER: 

The Lord is my portion and my inheritance. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. You will honor those who honor You, but those who despise You will be disdained. (Num 18:20, Josh 24:15, 1 Sam 2:30)

 

 

Joshua Chapter 23 (ESV)

 

Joshua’s Charge to Israel’s Leaders

¹ A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, ² Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. ³ And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. ⁴ Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, ⁷ that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, ⁸ but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. ⁹ For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. ¹⁰ One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. ¹¹ Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. ¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

¹⁴ “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. ¹⁵ But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, ¹⁶ if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

 

MEDITATION:

Once again, Joshua called the nation in his farewell speech to keep the law, just as he too was challenged in his commissioning service (1:7-9).

God has promised Joshua, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (1:5). Joshua confirmed it in this passage, “One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you” (v10). The presence of God had made such a powerful difference that even the weakest of the Israelites seemed to be an unmatched hero.

PRAYER:

God, I thank you, for I am confident that “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Just as you fought for the Israelites, you will grant me strength to face my challenges today if I obey your will and live accordingly.  (ref. Phil 4:13)

 

 

 

Joshua Chapter 22 (ESV)

 

²¹ Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, ²² “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today ²³ for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance. ²⁴ No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord.²⁶ Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, ²⁷ but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ ²⁸ And we thought, ‘If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, “Behold, the copy of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.”’ ²⁹ Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. ³¹ And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

³² Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. ³³ And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. ³⁴ The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”

 

MEDITATION:

The tribes which had been given land on the east side of the Jordan had fulfilled their commitment to the rest of Israel. They had entered the Promised Land and fought with rest tribes. Now it was time for them to return to their own homes. But since the Israelites would be living on both sides of the river, the Jordan Rift Valley became a natural barrier which hindered the unity of the twelve tribes.

When the returning tribes built an altar by the Jordan, their brothers interpreted it as an act of rebellion against the Lord, and they were ready to go to war rather than risk divine punishment (vv19-20).

The eastern tribes then explained their reason for building the altar was to be a memorial.  This explanation was accepted by the western tribes. A potential conflict and division was resolved.

It is easy to misunderstand another person’s actions. Both groups acted wisely. The western tribes decided to talk before acting. The easterners didn’t take offense, but instead humbly explained what they had done.

It’s good to remember that before we accuse, we need to go to the persons involved and talk about what has happened. And if anyone misunderstands an act of ours, rather than be upset, we need to be humble and willing to explain.

PRAYER:  Is there an unresolved conflict between you and another person?
Lord, when I am ready for worship or to serve in the church, help me to examine my heart. Prompt me to seek reconciliation before coming to worship/serve. For I know that if I have cherished in sin, the Lord will not have listened. But you have indeed listened and have heard my prayer. (ref. Matt 5:1-5, Ps 66:18-20).

 

 

 

 

Joshua Chapter 21 (ESV)

 

⁴¹ The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasturelands. ⁴² These cities each had its pasturelands around it. So it was with all these cities.

⁴³ Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. ⁴⁴ And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

 

MEDITATION:

This passage concludes the first two main sections of the book, the conquest and the division of the land. God had proven Himself the faithful God who had not forgotten any of the promises made to the patriarchs or Moses. Moreover, God had also given the people “rest on every side” (v44). In principle, everything promised had come to pass.

God has accomplished all that He has promised the Israelites in bringing them in the Promised Land. Do you think God always do what He promised? What promises of God do you have?

How does faith differ from wishful thinking? Why should we expect God to answer our prayers, to provide us with food and clothing, or to be involved in jobs or family? How do we know our faith isn’t simply foolishness?

Scripture tells us that true faith must be grounded in God’s promises. If God has promised to do something, then we can trust Him wholeheartedly. If He has not promised to do something, then all the faith in the world won’t make it happen.

PRAYER:
Invite the Holy Spirit to remove any obstacle in you so that you may see God’s unfailing love and praise with the Psalmist in Ps 73:25-26.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[b] of my heart and my portion forever.

 

 

Joshua Chapter 20 (ESV)

 

The Cities of Refuge

¹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴ He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. ⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. ⁶ And he shall remain in that city until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.⁸ And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

 

MEDITATION:

Cities of refuge are places where someone who killed another person accidentally might flee to. God deems it important to protect the innocent when dealing with criminal matters. We need to be careful that in our concern for justice, we do not violate the rights of the innocent.

Verse 6 describes what an accused criminal had to do to gain protection from an avenger. One had to stay in the city of refuge for protection. Leaving the city meant leaving the protection of the law.

What are some areas of our lives in which limits are set for our protection? Who sets these boundaries? Why?

Where do you go (or to whom do you turn) when you feel in danger?

In what way could your church be like a city of refuge for the needy?

PRAYER:

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God. (ref. Ps 31:1-5)