Joshua 23 - 12.24.21
Scripture
Joshua 23:14
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
Observation - What does it say?
As Joshua neared his death he assembled all the leaders of Israel to give them final instructions. In this, he reminds them of God’s faithfulness and challenges them to be faithful as well.
Understanding - What does it mean?
God is faithful.
Every action of God is not just a stand-alone act, but a revelation of his character. The fact that God was faithful to fulfill every single promise he made to Israel is a revelation of his character. In these acts of faithfulness, God was communicating to Israel that inherent in his character is faithfulness. He wanted his people to know that he is always faithful to fulfill his promises.
Because God is immutable (constant and incapable of change), we can count on him being faithful to us. Whatever promise in scripture we read, whether one of the following or one of countless others, be filled with faith today that God will be faithful to fulfill it:
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:8
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Life Application
Stand on God’s word, with faith that he will honor it.
God, I choose to come near to you because I’m confident you will come near to me. I choose to seek you and hunger for you because I’m confident you will reveal yourself and fill me. Thank you for always being faithful! Thank you for never giving me reason to worry or be anxious! When doubt or discouragement creep in, may I be reminded that you are absolutely faithful, all the time. Amen.
- Levi Thompson
Matt 27:50-51
SCRIPTURE
“And when Jesus cried out in a loud voice [It Is Finished], HE gave up His Spirit. At that moment the Curtain of the Inner Temple was Torn in Two from Top to Bottom” Matthew 27:50-51a
OBSERVATION
There were many miracles that accompanied the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Two of these miracles stand out to me as they have such profound meaning to us Today. One, being Jesus last words “It of s Finished” as recorded in the book of Luke (23:46). I read that it is very common during crucifixion for a person to become unconscious before death. But in Jesus case, He demonstrated supernatural strength to be fully alert to cry out LOUD the reason He came, It IS Finished! Our debt is paid in Full! Also, by doing this He demonstrated that He “gave” His life—no one took it from Him.
The second miracle I want to point out from the many miracles is the inner curtain of the Temple being Torn. It had to be stunning! At the point of Jesus death, there were countless priests and thousands of pilgrims at the Temple celebrating the Passover sacrifice. In an Instant—The 60-ft high-mostly blue and ornately decorated-extremely thick and heavily woven curtain—was supernaturally ripped from Top to Bottom.
UNDERSTANDING
Previously, only once a year a high priest was selected on the day of atonement-to go behind this inner curtain to a have a very brief opportunity to sprinkle blood on the altar for the sins of the people.
It was a fearful thing to be selected because as a priest you were never sure if God would accept you. There was a very real fear of death behind the inner curtain.
Now, that Jesus has paid our sin debt, we have FREE entrance to God without ever fearing death—not once a year---but every single day---every hour---any time! And not only that…God’s Grace and Mercy are assured!
This is a True Miracle that I never want to take for granted!
LIFE APPLICATION
Thank You Jesus for Granting me direct, unwavering, and immediate access to God’s Throne of Grace and Mercy.
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
All Glory to God and to Jesus Christ who Is and Was and IS to Come!
Matthew 26-12.22.21
Scripture
Matthew 26: 7-11
a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.
Observation
While Jesus is visiting a home during His last days as a free man, a woman comes to visit Him in which she pours an expensive jar of perfume on His head. This action is taken as sacrificial and Jesus states that she is preparing His body for His soon to be burial, however it may be even more sacrificial than just that.
Understanding
You can have it all, Lord.
A dangerous prayer, but one that this woman so willing offers to Jesus in this moment. It may just be an expensive jar with expensive perfume, but it represents so much more than just that. This jar and the perfume represent this woman’s livelihood, all her money in a certain sense, because she could have so easily done what the disciples said and sold it to obtain said money. Something that it is interesting though: the disciples see and even validate the value of the perfume, but still ask: “Why this waste?” Shouldn’t they be inspired that she would even sacrifice this for Jesus? Instead they somewhat mock her and make fun of the fact that she gives it all freely to Jesus.
Not everyone will understand your sacrifices to God. Some may think it’s a waste of both time and money, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sacrifice it anyway. Without the sacrifice and surrender you can not experience the victory. I know that sounds extreme in the case of perfume, but she offered everything she could even when others did not understand it. Sacrifice to God is never dependent on the consensus of opinion, but oftentimes we worry about what others might think or say when we offer everything to our Creator. Lavish God with gifts of your sacrifice continually.
Life Application
So what is it? What haven’t you surrendered yet? I had a realization about two weeks ago about a certain breakthrough I have been praying about for some time, and I felt God say “but have you surrendered it to me yet?” So here it is, all of it. This is no sacrifice God, here’s my life (the expensive and the trivial).
-Allison Khan