(Joshua 5:1-12) Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.
8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.
10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 Then on the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. 12 And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
What sets Christians apart from others? How should the world recognize that we are believers who are led by an all-powerful God? It is our heart that needs to be circumcised, and only God is able to do that when we repent and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this, our sins are forgiven and He takes away our shame. In this, we are reborn and become children of God. In this, we are made new, because it is the Lord who changes us from the inside out. By continually walking with the Lord in His way, we will be continually renewed and refreshed in our hearts! Still, it isn't anything we do, it is what God does for us as we allow Him to work in and through us.
As we journey forward in our relationship with the Lord, He wants us to call on Him for everything! It is He who is more than able to go before us and fight our battles. And it is He who is more than able to provide what we need in life. In Him we can trust! Everything we have is from the Lord!
It is also in the Lord and all that He has done for us, all that He is doing for us, and all that He is going to do for us, that we can come together and celebrate! Why get together with other believers? For the simple fact that we all have this amazing bond in God's Holy Spirit. We are a spiritual family!
Can we really, properly celebrate something like a birthday or a victory all by ourselves? It is far, far better when we are able to get together with others who share the same love! And what better love to celebrate than the love that Jesus has for each and every one of us in that He willingly died in our place and rose again to have victory over death!!!
Are we perfect? NO! As children from the same family, we will squabble, but let us keep going back to our heavenly Father for guidance! In His wisdom and truth, He will equip us for each and every circumstance. And in His love and grace, while applying His instructions, we will grow closer to each other. And in this, we will be able to encourage each other to continue growing closer to the Lord! We can share in this victory, all to His glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment