BEING PREPARED

 
 Image result for CLIP ART SHOWING BEING PREPARED.
It has been a long 11-12 day trip which ended up 40 years in length because of unbelief and constant rebellion on the part of the Israelites.  Not only was the trip long, but circuitous, for they have made the trip around Mt. Sinai too many times!  (I hope that we can see our own disobedience has been costly and time consuming with some insanity thrown in the mix!) All of the adults who came with Moses from Egypt have died off with the exception of Joshua and Caleb.  This new generation is positioned to enter the Promised Land under the new management of Joshua.  Moses has died and it is time to MOVE ON and take possession of what had been promised.

Joshua is no kid!  He has faithfully walked in and with Moses in his sandals and has shown military and spiritual leadership.  They are camped at Shittim (long i!) and not far from the Jordan River which they must cross to enter into the land promised.  Joshua knows the first fortification that must be taken is Jericho.  He sends out two spies to get the information before he commands them to move forward.  They return to Joshua with a great report and so the command is carried by officers to the camp to move when they see the Ark of the Covenant and the priests move, they are to fall in order and go forward.  Joshua gives them an encouraging word, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3:5. 
  
I wonder? Do I anticipate today as I sit here typing and considering my day, do I believe that the Lord will or can do amazing things?  Consecrate yourselves has the meaning: sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.  Could it be that the Lord is saying, "Cheryl, be prepared for I am going to do some amazing things among you."?  Amazing may NOT mean sensational and dramatic with the emotions on full throttle.  It could mean that I am willing to be in His Word and hear Him quietly speak to the chaos or the boring quiet routine that may be going on in my life.  I don't recall any time in Scripture that when God speaks to an individual that HE is screaming to be heard.  Am I willing to anticipate and be expectant in expressing my prayer concerns to Him knowing that HE, alone, is ABLE? Like the puppy dog that is "on watch",  do I have my ears preened and my heart fully receptive to HEAR HIM?   Am I willing to push back against all the "clutter" which impedes my hearing and obeying?  Have I set my heart apart from all the concerns and cares so I can seek first His kingdom and His agenda rather than mine? Is my heart set on purity of mind, will, and emotions?  To say as young Samuel said, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." (Hearing/listening in the Old Testament is always coupled with hearing the Word spoken and obedience to it.)  SHHH...do you hear HIM?  #I HAVETHREESONS
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

LAST THOUGHT ON LEVITICUS

Image
  For the first time in many years, I have enjoyed reading through Leviticus.  I have skipped it several times and read on.  This go round, I have sought to focus on some thoughts, words, phrases, or practices that God had instituted for the Israelites and their physical and spiritual well-being.  The Ten Commandments and many of the laws have real practical value for society and the Christ follower today.  The Lord God gave them a standard, a commandment, which is applicable for today, "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees.  I am the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim).  Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.  I am the LORD."  Leviticus 18:4-5   My concluding thought from Leviticus is this admonition or commandment:  " You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."  Leviticus 20:26.  Even though spoken to Israel, the truth of being holy is directe
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more