Reflection

God’s plan for Israel was that they would get rid of everyone living in Canaan, but by the end of Joshua’s life, there remained pockets of Canaanites living among the Jewish people.  Joshua warns Israel not to get involved with them – not to intermarry or to take on their cultures and religions.  In Judges 2, we learn that Israel did exactly what Joshua and the Lord told them not to do.  Because of the people they let influence them, Israel stopped serving the Lord, lost their identity as a holy people to God, and they were never able to win on the battlefield.

In my own life, there have been times where my failure to walk with the Lord can be directly tied to the people I’ve hung around with.  It’s not to say that they are to blame for my lack of spiritual discipline, but it speaks to the power people have of influencing others.  Someone wise once said, “Show me a man’s friends, and I’ll show you his character.”  It is so important to teach our children this lesson, because friends have such a powerful influence.  We must say to them, “Choose friends that you want to emulate, because spending time with them will cause you to be like them.”  At some point, children will make decisions for themselves, and we can only hope and pray that they will adhere our counsel and choose godly friends and a path of following the Lord.

This is also a warning for us adults.  It is a reminder to be careful of the people we spend time with.  The tough part about our “grown-up lives” is that most of the time, we don’t get to choose who we spend time with.  We take jobs where we are surrounded by all sorts of people.  Some have terrible attitudes, foul mouths, licentious behavior, and they live for the drunken stupor they will experience on the weekend and complain about how miserable they feel on Monday.  We must not let their contagious behavior affect us, so therefore, we must be suited with the full armor of God.  Sometimes, we may even need to make the tough choice of leaving jobs infected with such behavior.

Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in Heaven.  – Matt 5:16

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Prayer

Ask God to help you find godly friends in your workplace.  Ask the Lord to bring people in your life who can have a godly influence on you, and who you can also encourage to walk with God.  Ask the Lord about ways you can be connected to people at church so that relationships can develop and grow stronger.  Pray for strength and wisdom in sharing about the peace you have in Christ.

Reflection

In Joshua 24, even at the end of his life, Joshua declares, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”  Certainly Joshua is appealing to the parents standing before him.  He is pleading with them to live lives that follow the Lord and to teach their children who God is, what He has done, and the shalom that comes from walking with God.

There are two temptations that we as parents often face.  First of all, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that “our children will learn on their own.”  Sometimes we may feel awkward about really talking to our kids about the Lord and following Him.  So, it’s easy for us to just think that they’ll pick up on little hints here and there, and that will help them in their decisions to walk with God.  Children need instruction.  They need intentional talks and activities and constant reminders about the omnipresent, loving, and awesome God we serve.  We have an awesome responsibility to teach our children about the Lord.  Whether it’s through verbal teaching, modeling prayer, devotion in our own walks, discipline, forgiveness, or love, children will begin to understand the Lord through the way we present Him and model our relationship with Him.

Secondly, there is a temptation in our day and age to rely on others to raise our children.  People send kids to Christian schools in order to get a Christian education and Sunday School and Children’s Church to learn about the Lord.  Those opportunities are great supplements, but they do not replace the instruction of godly parents.  The person who will have the most profound influence is you as a parent.  No one can teach them how to be a man or woman of God better than you.  And so it is up to us to recognize that awesome responsibility and say like Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Prayer

Take some time to praise God for your children and grandchildren (if you have them) and the children at New Hope Chapel.  Ask God to help you in teaching your children to follow the Lord.  Ask Him to reveal areas in your life where you can be a better witness.  Ask Him for the courage and the wisdom to make a home that follows the Lord.

Reflection

In Joshua 23-24, Joshua gives his farewell words to the people of Israel.  He instructs them to follow and love the Lord and not to fellowship with the Canaanite natives still living among them.  In Joshua 24, he says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”  Joshua wants the people to make a decision and not to waffle based on circumstances.

Every day we wake up, we need to make a choice.  Are we going to walk with God or are we going to live for this world?  We all face spiritual battles ahead.  Some are intense struggles that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.  Others are a momentary flare that we have to extinguish.  How will we deal with them?  Will we fall into temptation?  Will we give in?  Will we handle it the way the world would handle it, thereby losing our witness?  Or will we be strong to overcome it and deal with it as the Lord would want?

A good soldier is never caught off guard.  Whether they are going to a scheduled battle or under surprised attack, they are trained on how to react.  Part of our spiritual warfare means waking up and saying, “I will choose to follow you Lord.”  Certainly there’s a moment in our life where we make that initial commitment to follow the Lord.  But in reality, it’s a commitment we need to make every day.

Prayer

Think about the ongoing struggles that you deal with – is there something that keeps coming up?  Maybe something internal, at home or at work?  Ask God to help you with those struggles and to deal with them as He would want.  Spend time with the Lord and listen to His heart, especially in light of those battles.  Thank and praise God for always being there and going before you.

Reflection

Joshua 7 demonstrates not only the consequences of sin on a person, his family, and a whole community, but it speaks to the importance of accountability.  God set up tribes not simply to be divisions of Israel but to be communities of accountability.  In order to narrow down Israel to find the offending sinner, Joshua has all of Israel pass in front of him, then the Tribe of Judah, then the Zerahrites, the the family of Zimri, until he gets to Achan.  It was a way of saying, “These are the people who should have been accountable” – starting with Achan and going all the way to Judah and all of Israel.

The purpose of accountability is not to show how we’re better than others, it’s not a way to pass judgment, but it’s a way to protect others and the community.  When we confess our sins to each other, it helps us in breaking bondage of sin that we may be struggling with and gives us someone who can hold us accountable.  But how can this happen?  Does it happen on Sunday mornings?  Generally no.  These relationships of accountability can only happen in tight, trusting relationships.  They don’t happen overnight.  They happen as we build a relationship with a person and feel comfortable revealing some of our deepest struggles.

Prayer

Thank God for His amazing grace that makes us white as snow.  Ask for forgiveness in areas of your life.  If you don’t have an accountability partner, ask God to bring someone along so you can help each other in your spiritual walks.  Ask God to help you identify and make connections with this person.