Inside Out Living

“If you just ignored your family you would have time to get it all done.”

As I thought about this comment my wife jokingly made to me as we talked about the disheveled state of our van, I realized that she was right. I could accomplish a lot more in life by ignoring all of the people that I cared the most about. And in reality many people achieve success by this method, but at what cost.

Today you read a brief statement about the man who rebuilt Jericho. Certainly it must have been a proud accomplishment for him. The only downside was that it resulted in the death of two sons because of the curses spoken by Joshua son of Nun (Josh. 16:34).

Achieving success in life is a driving force for many people. However, at what point do the costs associated with that success become too great. We may not cause someone to lose their life because of our success, but if we ignore loved ones or neglect relationships, the pain and hurt we can cause is immeasurable.

(Because devotionals didn't get posted over Labor Day weekend, this is the second devotional for today)

“I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” – John 17:14-15

The Israelites failed to fully wipe out the Canaanites from the land. Thus the survivors of these nations were living amongst the Israelites. Joshua warns them in 23:12 to avoid marrying any of these survivors because they would be a snare and a trap, making it difficult for Israel to follow God.

As children of God who are in the world but not of the world we face similar difficulty. The relationships that we form with people, both Christians and non-Christians alike, greatly impact our life. The more intimate the relationship, the more impact it will have which is why Joshua knew to warn the Israelites not to intermarry.

Because we live in this world as foreigners, we must exercise wisdom in the formation of our relationships. Consider your relationships. How are you currently being influenced by these relationships?

(Because devotionals didn't get posted over the Labor Day weekend this is the first of two devotionals for today)

Our God is a god of justice and righteousness who cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This has been very evident in the readings of the law where we see God’s high standards of holiness and moral living. However, our God is also “the merciful and gracious God.” He is “slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). I think that the concept of the cities of refuge is a wonderful example of these character traits of God.

In the Noahic Covenant in Genesis 9, God declares that anyone who commits murder must be killed (Genesis 9:5b-6). Now in Joshua 20 we see God exercising grace and compassion on those who have killed unintentionally.

As Christian brothers and sisters we continue to live with a sin nature that creeps up on us now and then. Fortunately the Merciful and Gracious God who established the cities of refuge is that same God whom we can go to for grace and forgiveness when we sin.

Right now you and I are living as foreigners or aliens in this world. We long for the day when our Savior will call us home. The Israelites taking possession of the Promised Land can be viewed as a picture of our future entrance into Heaven. Their time in the wilderness then would be parallel to our time in this broken and fallen world. Their crossing of the Jordan River the image of Christian baptism, and then the receiving of the Promised Land is like our receiving of God’s blessings in Heaven.

In today’s reading we see how the remaining tribes of Israel receive their allotment of land. It was not based on their requests or wishes, but it was solely based on God’s guiding of their casting lots.

As I ponder how this parallels the blessings God has in store for us, his children, I realize three truths. First, I will not be able to tell God what blessing or reward I want. Second, the decision to bless is entirely the Lord’s sovereign choice. And third, no matter what blessing the Lord gives, it will be absolutely amazing and perfect in every way.

In Joshua 17:14 – 18, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who are descended from Joseph, come to Joshua to complain about the amount of land they have received. To me it seems as though Joshua is very considerate in his response, giving them a couple of options and then encouraging them to drive out the remaining Canaanites in order to receive more land.

I don’t think my response would have been as understanding as Joshua’s. When it comes to receiving God’s blessing it seems rather presumptuous to complain about the amount that God gives. This attitude represents a lack of contentment with God’s provision and blessing.

Even though this world is not our home, God’s blessings and provision in this world are very real. Do you sometimes find yourself ill content and complain to God regarding his provision for you? If so, remember these two things: first, as co-heirs with Christ, our full inheritance is not in this life but in the life to come; and second, God’s provision in this life is real and is fully sufficient for all our needs.

The theme for this week is ‘living as foreigners.’ In John 17:14, Jesus says that we who are His followers are not of this world. We are going to explore some of the ways in which Israel’s early years living in the Promised Land parallels our experience of living as God’s children in a broken and sinful world that is not our home.

Devotional for today:

45 years after giving a positive report on the Promised Land, Caleb finally has his opportunity to conquer the land that God had promised to him (Numbers 14:24). In chapter 14 Caleb senses his opportunity to ask permission to take this land. It is not a simple task, though, since the Anakites (a race of giants) live there. However, Caleb’s faith at 85 years old is still as strong as it was at 40, and he knows he will conquer if the Lord is with him.

Caleb did not fear the giants that stood between him and God’s blessings. He knew that his Lord is a mighty warrior and greater than the Anakites.

What are the ‘giants’ in your life that must be defeated in order for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessing? Maybe it is lust or pride or selfishness that has you defeated. Caleb had faith that when the Lord was with him there was no enemy too great. We can approach our ‘giants’ in the same way.