First, God wants them to know that the promises He made to Moses are still good. God wants us to know that His promises are still good today.

I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Joshua 1:3

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

God commanded Joshua and his people to stay in the Word of God and obey the laws written there. God commands us to do the same.

…do not turn from it to the right or to the left… meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Joshua 1:7-8

Three times God commanded the Israelites to be strong and courageous, not terrified and discouraged. God reassured them yet another time that He would be with them always.

Read these words today from God to you -

Be strong and courageous… Joshua 1:6

Be strong and very courageous… Joshua 1:7

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Believe it - the LORD your God is with you.

So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’ ” Joshua 1:10-11

No good work is accomplished without God. He even takes our not so good ones and works them for good.  And when you and I  travel through the valleys, through the fire and through the rivers, you better believe it -  God is right there with us.

I love the New Testament. I’ve got my gospel shoes on right now. But I also need to stay grounded in the Old Testament; those accounts of the faithfulness, patience, mercy and enduring love of my amazing God.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah words engraved upon my heart -

…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3

I still remember as a little girl seeing “The Ten Commandments” on the big screen. Wouldn’t you love to see Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea with today’s special effects technology? Back then, they gave it all they had, and I remember how impressive it was on my little heart. I remember thinking, Wow! That’s my God, and He can do anything!  But how many times since then have I doubted that very fact? Will I doubt today?

Back to the Jordan - And just in case His beloved Israelites had any doubts, God is about to perform another miracle with the waters.

Stay tuned! As Joshua said to the Israelites, “…tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5

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Jesus said

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Luke 10:2

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation.” Mark 16:15

His disciples’ hands were not yet dry from their fishing nets when Jesus first sent them out. Their eyes were barely dry from mourning tears when the risen Jesus commissioned them to go out into the world, to teach, baptize and heal. “Go!” was His very last command to them before He ascended into heaven.

Jesus only defined the goers, the harvesters, the ones to spread His Good News, as “workers”. Who are these “workers”? Jesus never used the words “missionaries, clergy, trained, certified, educated” or “graduated”. So who are these “workers”? Got a mirror handy? It’s you and me! We are all God’s workers - His hands, His feet and His voice in the world. Are you a follower of Jesus? You’re a sent out worker! Do you believe the words written in the Bible? You’re a commissioned disciple! Do you love God more than anyone or anything?  Well then you, my friend, are a missionary!

I looked up the definition of the word, “missionary”. American Heritage - “one who is sent on a mission” Merriam Webster - “a person undertaking a mission” You and I don’t become missionaries and then go somewhere to do missionary work. We are, by virtue of our belief in God and our decision to follow in His path, missionaries. It is not an optional field of endeavor. It is not even our endeavor.

We open our hearts and minds to God’s will and power. We tell Him He can use us to do His work. We get out of our beds in the morning, and through us, God does missionary work with our family. We turn on our computers, and through us, God does missionary work on the worldwide web. We walk out of the front door, and through us, God does missionary work in our neighborhoods. We get out of our cars, and through us, God does missionary work in our offices and in our grocery stores. We get off of a plane, and through us, God does missionary work in a foreign land.

First we go, and then we are God’s worker - His missionary force in the world. First we go! Go woman! Go man! Go teen! Go child!

“…go and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28:19

Music Video ~ Go Light Your World ~ Kathy Troccoli

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“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-15

After the disciples told Jesus the collective thoughts of the people of his time, Jesus asked His disciples -

“But what about you?…Who do you say I am?”

“Who do you say I am?”

With Jesus, it’s always personal - it’s always about our relationship. Does Jesus know my heart, my thoughts and even my words before they are on my lips? Yes, but He wants me to tell Him anyway. Jesus wants me to tell others.

Jesus did not ask, “Who do you think that I am?” Who do you feel that I am? It starts with Him and me, but ultimately must go beyond my thoughts and feelings, beyond me out into the world. It’s not about me - it’s about God and how He can use me to “say” who He is in the world. When I speak the truth about who Jesus is, He can mightily use those words to draw others into relationship with Him.

And it goes beyond words.

Who do your priorities and your deeds say that I am?

Who does your life say that I am?

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Who do you say Jesus is?

Put your Bible down - pretty sure I have never said that before! But this doesn’t need Peter’s words, or Paul’s, the words of apostles or prophets of old. Quiet all the biblical answers flying through your brain at this moment. Travel outside the box - all the words you have heard or read about Jesus. Leave them for now. And in the stillness, listen to who your heart says that He is to you.

Today, Jesus is asking you,

Who do you say that I am?

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Write it down. Read it often. Share it with others. Offer it up aloud as a prayer, a poem, a love song to Jesus.

Jesus, You Are

You are
My every good thought
Every pure motive
Every right action

You are
Source of my joy
Reason for my song
Purpose for my being

I am
Immersed in Your love
Cleansed in Your mercy
Healed in Your power

I am
Showered in Your grace
Assured in Your promises
Held in Your tender care

You are
Cause of my introspection
Inhabitant of my intuition
Dweller of my dreams

You are
My breath, my pulse
My Good News on my worst day
My blessing in the storm

Jesus, You are
More than anyone
could ever be
And nothing less
than all I need

Mary Graver

Photo 1 - public domain

Photo 2 by uncommonmuse on www.flickr.com

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”

Rebecca- age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”

Billy - age 4

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”

Terri - age 4

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”

Bobby - age 7 

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.”

Nikka - age 6

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot . People forget.”

Jessica - age 8

 A four year old child had a next door neighbor who was an elderly gentleman. The man had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the old man cry, the little boy went into his yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

“Nothing, I just helped him cry.”

Kids get it. Jesus knew that.

…”Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Jesus - Mark 10:14

 Jesus gave us the best definition of love -

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

It’s a love to stay - a love we cannot escape.

My little girl, Maya, handmade my Valentine card.

She wrote -

“You are my Valentine and nothing can ever change that.”

Paul wrote about the love of God -

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Here is the truth most simply put -

…God is love… 1 John 4:16

I join Paul in his prayer -

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Amen!

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threshold

when life’s undone
it’s all undone
just think what
GOD’s about to do

when you’re unsure
you’re so unsure
look to the ONE
who’s seen you through

when you are weak
you’re feeling weak
that is the time
HE is most strong

HE’s all that’s right
GOD shines HIS light

on every lie

and all that’s wrong

when you are down
you’re so far down
you know that you
are surely out

HE steps on in
GOD steps right in
HE steals away
your every doubt

when you give up
you’re giving up
GOD brings you strength
for one more try

when you can’t walk
you just can’t walk
HE gives you wings
so you can fly

GOD calls to you
HE cries to you
I’ve called your name
and you are MINE

when you feel lost
so very lost
just think what
I’M about to find

Mary Graver

 What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. Revelation 3:7

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Nearly every time I turn into our friends’ long gravel driveway, I run into goats. Well, I don’t actually run into them, I come across them in various places on their way to various other places. At the risk of setting you to an all day hum of “High on a hill was a lonely goatherd Layee odl, layee odl layee-oo”, I will tell you that there is no goatherd for these wandering little beasts, so they are nearly always where they should not be, traveling to dangerous places where they are neither welcome nor safe.

The largest goats can be found on their hind legs eating the leaves of the tallow tree, a snack of an invasive weed that no other animal or insect even cares to eat. None of the goats appear to have a lick of sense from the baby to the eldest, but they are for the most part in this thing together, with a few small stragglers in their big foolish family.

One day this herd preceded our vehicle nearly the entire way up to the house, over a bridge and down a long tree-edged road. My family and I were laughing hysterically as we crept along behind them. Another time we observed them visiting the nearby subdivision. And my friend, Allyson, along with my two children became their goatherds for a time one day, rescuing them from certain death on a busy highway.

Jesus said -

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” Matthew 25: 31-33

Jesus then explains to His disciples the difference between the sheep and the goats. The sheep are Christ followers who have done His will on earth. The sheep chose God’s path. They chose to be in loving relationship with the King, and in that time to come the King will invite them into the continuation of that union. He will welcome them into their eternal inheritance.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ Matthew 25:34-36

And the goats - they had all the same opportunities to choose Jesus, His abundant life and free gift of salvation, but they chose their own way instead. The goats chased after everything but the heart of God. They separated themselves from God on earth and in that time to come their separation will be made eternal.

To the lost goats, Jesus will say -

“Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.
Matthew 25:41-43

Today, because of the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament, we as modern day Christ followers know full well that every time we serve one of God’s children we are serving Him. We know that every time we turn our heads the other way - close our eyes to poverty, abuse, or injustice, we are turning our eyes away from God.

John wrote -

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:17-18

Jesus spoke in parables and used familiar references to bring His Good News - the free gift of salvation for all believers and the abundant life in Him. Jesus taught what it meant to truly love God and one another, and then He demonstrated it by following the will of His Father and laying down His very life for you and me.

Jesus told the disciples that His followers, the sheep, will ask, “When did we feed You, gave You a drink, clothed You, cared for You when You were sick, or visited You when You were in prison?” Jesus is not only teaching the disciples what it means to serve Him, He is painting a picture of a servant’s heart. The Christ followers in Jesus’ account were never in it for themselves or their eternal reward.

Every good work of the sheep was in response to the great love, mercy and grace of God. It’s not about heaven or hell - it’s about love. His followers are simply telling Jesus, “We love You. We love being Your sheep, filled with the Holy Spirit, living in Your Word, obeying Your commands and bearing fruit to Your glory. You are the source of our abundant life and our true joy. We gladly surrendered our earthly lives and placed them under the care and purposes of You, our Good Shepherd.”

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’
Matthew 25:40

Follower’s Prayer

I’m Your sheep
Dear Lord, each day
Take from me
My will, my way

Let my eyes
See what You see
Go where You
Want me to be

Guide my hands
In all they do
In the “least”
May I find You

Amen.

Mary Graver

Photo - The Lost Goats - by Allyson Tomkins

I carefully chose the perfect pair, and a week later my mom and I went to pick them up. After the optician made a few slight adjustments to my glasses, I was out the door to begin my new, much cooler life.

Then I looked up at the trees. My jaw dropped open. I was positively spellbound. I looked over at my mother and stated in amazement, “Look at all the leaves! There must be thousands of leaves on those trees!” My mother laughed at my revelation, and she still tells the story of the day I discovered leaves!

When I surrendered all to my Savior, Jesus Christ, He placed Holy Spirit lenses upon me.

Here you go, daughter - enjoy the view!

In one instant, nothing looked the same again. I began to see everything in a new light, living as a child of the light. In Christ, even the darkness is as light to me. Whoa!

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… Ephesians 5:8

The great apostle, Paul, once persecuted Christians. He lived to eliminate those who followed The Way. He believed the teachings of Christ were false and that he was doing right in the eyes of God. That is, until one day when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus - a light and a voice -

“…I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Acts 9:5

Paul fell to the ground and was blind for three days. After receiving his sight, Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, was baptized and -

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.  Acts 9:20

In an instant, one of the church’s greatest opponents became her most zealous advocate, for Paul was not given his original sight back. He was given new vision - Holy Spirit lenses. Paul saw everything in a new light - the light of Christ - the inextinguishable light that shone even in his darkest, dankest prison cell. In Christ, even the darkness was as light to Paul.

And so it goes, for each and every one who calls upon the name of the Lord, who falls at the foot of His throne and surrenders all.

Beloved, enjoy the view!

Thanks be to God, we can in all circumstances, with new vision, live as children of the light. Amen.

Your Light

You’ve made me

A child of the light

You’ve called me

Given me new sight

You’ve blessed me

With vision in the night

You’ve armed me

Spirit, truth and might

You’ve taught me

Your way is good and right

You’ve sent me

To shine - shine Your light

Mary Graver

Music video ~ Open the Eyes of My Heart

Michael W. Smith

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Do you want to know your credit score with God? Do you wonder what it is, but often feel you do not know? Do you think your eternal life hinges on it and that God will judge you by it? Are His benefits adjusted to it? Is it the reason for your good deeds, the impetus of your morality and character? Is it judgemental and unforgiving, difficult to change, and time-consuming to correct? What is your credit score with God?

Jesus said -

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners’, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Luke 6:32-36

Jesus was not simply introducing a new and radical way of living - He was painting a picture of how our heavenly Father acts upon His love for us, His children - loving without being loved, blessing without being blessed, giving without an expectation of thanks or repayment. In Jesus’ own words, our Father God is “kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”  God is merciful to the unmerciful.

Paul wrote -

What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  Romans 4:3, 23-25

John wrote -

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

We who believe that Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification have eternal life, and are credited by God with righteousness!

I have a credit score with God that I didn’t earn.

Not because of who I am

But because of what You’ve done

Not because of what I’ve done

But because of who You are

   ~Casting Crowns

Paul wraps up this gift in these beautiful words -

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. Romans 3:21-25

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Music video ~ Who Am I? ~ Casting Crowns

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Staff members rushed out to the preserve after the storm to see how the animals made out. As they drove up the road to the visitor’s center, they did not see one animal. They feared that many had not made it through the storm and that the survivors had fled to nearby forests. They were prepared to go on a search and rescue mission.

But they soon learned that the rescue was not necessary, for as they drove up to the crest of a hill, there they were, every animal, shoulder to shoulder, standing together on the high ground. Every single animal was accounted for - not one perished.

Jesus calls us, as His church on earth, to stand - stand together against the enemy. Christ did all the offensive work for us on Calvary. We need not march and invade - we are to stand and defend the redeemed ground our Savior won and gave to us.

God gives us everything we need to stand.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10-11, 14-17

God gives us everyone we need to stand - a family of believers. Did you know that wherever you go, you have relatives in town?

Jesus set this up for us. Jesus was in a house with a crowd gathered around Him when His mother and brothers came to see Him. They sent someone into the house to announce their arrival.

The Message translation -

Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you-my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:33-35

They say that blood is thicker than water. We, as believers and family of God, by our faith and obedience, share in the blood of Jesus, and that blood is thicker than any earthly blood that bonds us one to another.

Jesus never sent any of His disciples out alone. I walk as an alien on this earth, but not without my fellow aliens. Jesus taught that we are in this Christian life together. 

I call my spiritual family my God Squad. Side by side, we persevere through many battles and together we share sweet, sweet victories in Jesus. We stand in faith, shoulder to shoulder; arms linked on the high ground of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:2-6

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Come to church this Sunday - your family is waiting for you!

Photo 1 - Giraffes - by ricko on www.flickr.com

Photo 2 - Praying in Unity - by delvc on www.flickr.com

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Watchman Nee writes -

“Sitting describes our position with Christ in the heavenlies. Walking is the practical outworking of that heavenly position here on earth.”

The Christian’s secret is his rest in Christ. His power derives from his God-given position. All who sit can walk…We sit forever with Christ that we may walk continuously before men.”  Watchman Nee

How are we to walk in Christ?

Paul writes the Ephesians -

…Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2

Jesus said -

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.  John 13:35

By this all will know…

The following is a true story that happened while my husband, Matt, was on his first mission trip to Louisiana two weeks after Katrina hit.  It was told to Matt by a fellow chainsaw crew member who experienced it firsthand.

A crew made up of Christian men, were clearing trees and cleaning debris from a yard. Across the street, they noticed an angry and frustrated man. The man was trying to do the work of many, alone. He was not on the crew’s schedule. He probably never even knew about the necessary paperwork to get on a cleanup list. He was visibly and vocally distraught.

The men crossed the street and began helping him. His anger turned to disbelief and then to gratitude. When the crew was finished with the job, the man told them he had no money to pay them. The crew informed the man they didn’t work for money. He then offered them alcohol. Again they refused. “I can get you hookers.” the man said.

It was time for the crew to tell the man why they did what they did and Who they worked for. It was time to tell the man about Jesus. Upon hearing the Good News of salvation, the man wept. This man came to believe in Christ that day because he experienced Him firsthand in the love of these hard-working disciples. The crew prayed with the man. As they left, one of the crew members carved a cross in the stump of a tree in the man’s yard.

Matt puts it this way - “We could load up buses full of every member of every church in Kansas City and go down to the Gulf Coast to muck out and rebuild homes. The physical difference those hundreds of people would make would be a mere drop in the bucket, the destruction is so vast. The important thing is not the numbers or even the amount of physical labor accomplished once we are there. What matters to the people who have lost everything is that we are simply there.”

The look on their faces when they consider that we put our lives on hold, left our families and jobs to travel nine hundred miles to be with them, is a look of amazement. In that moment in their upside down lives, the truth of the love of God rights their every wrong. They want to know why we do what we do. Who guides our foolish to the world path? In that God-given moment, we take up the saw of His love and carve Jesus into broken lives.

 By this, all will know…

Walk on!

Walk on with Jesus
There’s no bad news
Only situations
That God can use

Walk on with Jesus
It’s all for gain
A hurt never wasted
Joy out of pain

Walk on with Jesus
A pilgrim’s song
To God be the glory!
Walk on! Walk on!

Mary Graver

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