Joshua 4 The Lord commanded Joshua to appoint 12 men, one from each tribe, to take 12 stones across the Jordan River and set up a pillar as a memorial. It was a sign for the future generations.. so that they would know how God led His people across the Jordan and into the promised land.  Joshua also set up 12 stones in the center of the river for the same purpose. They would be under water during the flood stage season.. but seen when the river was calmer. 

Joshua set up the 12 stones at Gilgal.  The people of Israel set up their first camp inside the promised land right there. In this place the nation would begin the conquest of the land that God was giving them.  Here, the men of Israel were circumcised and Passover was celebrated for the first time in a long time.  The manna no longer came and the people ate from the produce of Canaan. When the priests carrying the ark stepped on the shore of the Jordan in this place, all the water of the river returned to its place.

 Gilgal became a starting place for the nation of Israel and "all the peoples of the earth" would know "that the hand of the Lord is mighty".  The memorial stones were a reminder to Israel of the greatness of their God so that they would "fear the Lord [their]  God forever."

We also have a memorial to remind us of the way God has provided for our salvation. As the Passover is a reminder for the Jewish people of how God brought them out of Egypt, the Lord's Supper.. what we call communion..  is a reminder to us of how Jesus Christ brought us out of darkness and into His glorious Kingdom.. It is a reminder of His death... His body broken and His blood poured out..  as well as a reminder that He is coming again.  As the people of Israel taught their children the meaning of the 12 stones... that God brought them into the land.. we must teach our children the true meaning of communion.  It is a sacred reminder of the Lord's greatness and love.. for He gave His one and only Son.. so that we will not perish but have eternal life.  

Father in heaven, only You can hold back the waters of the seas and the rivers.. only You can move mountains and valleys..  and only You can bring us out of death and into life.  We praise Your holy Name.. Yahweh, the Great I Am.  Be exalted forever O Lord.  Thank You for loving the world and sending Jesus Christ to purchase us by His shed blood on the cross.  Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.. to receive honor and glory and power.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior.  Empower us, Holy Spirit, to love others and to remind them of all that Jesus did.  Let hearts receive the good news.. Jesus Saves!  Amen 

 Joshua 3 The day had finally come.. Joshua sent out officers through the camp to tell the people to get ready.. the Ark of the covenant would be carried out to the edge of the Jordan River by the Levitical  priests.. and the people would cross over as the waters were heaped up "a great distance away at Adam.. " 

The instructions for crossing were given:

The people needed to stay 2000 cubits away from the Ark. 

They needed to consecrate themselves the day before they left. 

The priests who carried the Ark would come to the edge of the water and then "stand still". 

Joshua spoke the Word of the Lord, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hive, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. Behold the ark of the covenant is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan." 

The priests moved out into the waters of the Jordan. As their feet touched the water the river stopped and "rose up in one heap". 

"And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan." 

They had all heard the story of the Red Sea crossing but now they experienced this new crossing for themselves. God Himself assured them through this that they would conquer the inhabitants of the land and that the "Living God" would be with them.

The Jordan River begins at Mount Hermon and flows 70 miles into the Dead Sea.  It goes from more than a thousand feet above sea level to almost 1300 feet below sea level.  It twists and turns so much that its actual length is closer to 200 miles.  It cuts through a valley and receives many tributaries on this long journey. The land was lush and fertile along its streams. Its banks were overflowing during the time of Israel's crossing.  This is the place that the Lord chose to bring His people into the promised land.  There would be no other way that all of these people could have gotten across the river except for the Mighty Hand of God. 

Father in heaven, You are amazing and Your ways are so far above anything we could ask or imagine.  You brought Your people into the land that You had promised to Abraham all those years before. We know that You are the same God and that You are at work in this world to bring Your children into the City built without human hands. Bring us through the waters, Lord God.. that we might always know Your Presence .. the Living God is with us! Thank you for such grace and love. Lead us on, King Jesus, we will follow You. Amen. 

 Joshua 2 Rahab lived "on the wall" of Jericho.  She was known to be a "harlot" but came to be known as a woman of faith. 

Hebrews 11:31 "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she welcomed the spies in peace."  and James 2:25 "And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?"  

The Lord chose Rahab.. a Gentile woman.. a woman known as a harlot.. to be His.  Rahab married Salmon and became the mother of Boaz.. the grandmother of Obed.. the great grandmother of Jesse, the father of David. 

Rahab had heard about the Lord.. and she believed.  She believed that the Lord had promised the land to the Israelites.  She confessed that "the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. " She believed and staked her own life on it.  

Rahab hid the spies. She tied the scarlet cord in her window. She gathered her family into her home so that they also could be saved from the destruction to come. Rahab sent the pursuers a different way.  James tells us that these actions were the "works" that testified of her faith. 

After the overthrow of Jericho, Rahab and her family were brought out. Joshua 6:23 tells us that Rahab's mother, father, brothers, and "all her relatives" as well as all her belongings.. were rescued and taken to the  the outside of the Hebrew's camp.   But, Rahab "lived in the midst of Israel"  for the rest of her life. 

This is an incredible picture of what God does for all of us.  He calls us out of darkness into light. He doesn't hold our pasts against us.  When we believe that God Is.. . that He is good, that He forgives.. and that He can use us if we act in faith.. He will save us from destruction.. and.. praise the Lord.. He will save those that we bring with us into that faith. 

Father in heaven, thank You for this lesson.. this picture of Your great love and mercy.  May we have faith like Rahab in Who You are.. and may we act in faith in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. Help us to share the love and mercy found in Jesus Christ the Savior with our families and others so that they can also be rescued from sin and shame.  Let the Light of the Lord shine through us who believe today. Spirit of Love, flood our hearts with the Love of God towards a world that needs salvation. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Joshua 1 Joshua was appointed leader of Israel after the death of Moses.  He was properly prepared for this position as he served Moses for those 40 years in the wilderness.  Born in Egypt, Joshua would have memories of slavery.. of the exodus.. and of the many wonders that God worked on their behalf.  He was also privileged to be a witness of God's presence on the mountain when the Law was given to Moses.. as well as in the tabernacle when Moses met with God.  Joshua was the right man for the job of taking the people Israel across the Jordan to conquer the promised land according to God's Word. 

The Lord spoke to Joshua with great promises.. all of which he received by faith.  Yet.. three times in this first chapter he is reminded.. "Be strong and courageous.. "  It was not going to be a walk in the park! This task that Joshua was assigned would be challenging on both sides.. against the enemy.. as well as dealing with his own people. These promises from God would be his foundation and strength. 

As God laid out the assignment, the first promise given was, " Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." 

God promised Joshua that He would not fail him.. think of that.  We know that we often fail the Lord, but the God of Israel pledged to not fail Joshua.  He never fails.  He doesn't abandon us.. He doesn't let go of us.. He doesn't drop us. He is not negligent, not slack, not feeble, and certainly not weak. Within His grasp we then can also be... "strong and courageous"! 

The one thing that the Lord required of Joshua and now requires of us is to  "Be careful to do according to all the law..  do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.. "    Knowing, meditating, and doing the Word of God is the only way for us to live successfully before the Lord. He is not talking about material success or the success of the world.. so let us not use this as a formula for that.  He is talking about success in doing what God has commanded you to do. He is talking about the success of living in obedience.. living in the power of God's Spirit.. living in strong, obedient, and courageous faith.. wherever we go. 

Father in heaven, You are great and glorious. You are faithful to us and Your promises are true.. You will not fail.  You are on our side and You have a plan for us.  We must have strength and courage to live in complete surrender and obedience to Your Word, so that we can be successful in this life that You have granted us. Hold us close to Your heart, Father, and fill us with Your Spirit so that we can be successful in a life of obedience to the command of Christ.. to love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and to love others as You have loved us.  Have Your way in us today we pray.. in the name of Jesus our Lord, Amen. 

John 21  John said that this was the third time that Jesus "manifested" Himself to the disciples.  According to verse 2 there were 7 of them present in Galilee at the lake.  Peter decided to go fishing and took the others with him in the little boat where they fished all night and caught nothing. It was in the early morning that Jesus appeared on the beach and called out to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?"   Sadly, they said "No".  

When Jesus told them to cast the net again on the "right" side of the boat they obeyed and instantly took in a haul of 153 big fish.  What a reminder!  Jesus had told them before that without Him they could do nothing... they were meant to catch more than fish. Jesus had made them fishers of men.. not just fish.  When John realized that it was Jesus on the shore, Peter jumped into the water to go to Him. The rest of the men brought the net full of fish onto the shore.  Although Jesus already had fish cooking on the fire He asked them to bring some that they had just caught.  Peter went back and helped haul in the rest of the fish. 

Jesus served the men some fish and some bread. Then He spoke with Peter what was on His heart. "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"  Three times He asks Peter to confess his love for Jesus.  Three times Peter says, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."  Three times Jesus gives Peter a commission : "Tend to My lambs.. Shepherd My sheep... Tend My sheep."   Peter was given the job of a Shepherd.. to feed the lambs... the young believers; to tend to and cherish the flock.. to serve those who belonged to Jesus.. to take the church forward caring for their spiritual welfare.. to keep them in the green pastures that God would provide. 

Peter would one day be led to a cross.  Jesus told him that morning on the beach.. but it would be when he had grown old.  Peter had nothing to fear and everything to live for.. Jesus had not left him, but entrusted him with His sheep. What assurance that must have been!  John, on the other hand, had a different path to follow.. it would not be the same as Peter's except for the fact that they would both be following Jesus.

Once again, John assures his readers that he saw and wrote all these things.. and that his witness is true. 

Father, lead us to follow Jesus.. in the path that He has for us. Whatever it is that You will for each of us.. may we run and not grow weary, walk and not faint! Thank You for the testimony of John and the others. For the Word of life that You gave to us through Jesus Christ, the Living Word who was with You, Who came to live among us in the flesh, and Who is now sitting at Your right hand. We will see You one day soon. How we long for that glorious day!  Yet, we long for those who are still lost in their sin and rebellion and pray that You would still be patient for their sakes.. turn their hearts to the Truth, Lord God, for we ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 John 20 John tells us that it was Mary Magdalene who first found the empty tomb.  She ran to Peter and John and told them what she had seen.  Peter and John wasted no time running to the tomb.  John was faster but it was Peter who went in. They saw the linen wrappings and the face-cloth laying there.  John writes that "he saw and believed." 

They still  "did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.."  It was not until that evening that Jesus entered the room where the disciples were meeting. They were locked in.. frozen in fear.. still not quite believing.. until Jesus stood in front of them and said, "Peace be with you."  It was a week later that Jesus returned to the room. Thomas had missed the first appearance.. but Jesus knew exactly what Thomas had said.. "Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it in My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing." 

That was all Thomas needed to hear.  He recognized Jesus, "My Lord and my God."  Thomas needed to see to believe.  Yet, he was not the only one who needed to see.  John believed when he saw there grave clothes in the empty tomb.  The other disciples believed when Jesus entered the room the first time.  We would like to see too.. we often pray for our eyes to be opened. We long for the day when we will be face to face with our Savior and Lord. But.. we must not forget the Lord's precious words to Thomas.. "Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 

John reminds his readers of the reason he wrote all of this, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His name." 

From his first words of this book, John has carefully told what he witnessed, what he learned, and what he believed. The life that he received from believing in Jesus is the life he wanted to tell others about so that they also could have true life.  It is all in Jesus..who in the beginning was with God.. Who was God.  "All things came into being by Him.. In Him was life and the life was the light of men." The Word.. Jesus Christ .. became flesh and came to live with men.. and they saw His glory; "the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."  This is what John saw that day when Jesus entered the locked room.  And he greatly rejoiced.. for the rest of his life. 

Father in heaven, how thankful we are for the witness and testimony of those who walked with Jesus.. They believed even when they didn't understand. They believed even more when they saw the risen Savior and heard His voice. When they received the Holy Spirit they were able to remember and write about the things that they saw and experienced. Someday, we will hear about all the rest of the things that John and the others couldn't fit into their books. Yet, we know that what is written is enough.. enough for us to believe that Jesus is the Christ.. that He came into this world according to Your will.. that He died on that cross so that our sins could be forgiven forever.. covered by the sacrifice of His broken body and shed blood. Yes, we believe even though we have not seen.. but we believe that one day soon we will see the fulness of His glory!  Praise the Lord, O my soul! That day may be soon!  Let us be ready. Let hearts and lives trust in the saving blood of Jesus Christ so that many more will find salvation before that last day. We ask this in the powerful Name of Jesus. Amen. 

 John 19:23-30   

The soldiers cast lots for His clothing.

He commissioned John to care for His mother. 

 Then He knew.. "that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

He said, "I am thirsty".. took some sour wine,  said, "It is finished."  and then "bowed His head and gave up His spirit." 

v31-42

His side was pierced. 

His body was taken down from the cross. 

Joseph and Nicodemus took away His body and placed it into  "a new tomb". 

John testifies that he saw all of this with his own eyes.  He knew it to be true. 

John wrote everything in this book so that the Word would be made known to everyone who would seek the Lord.  I imagine that when it came to this chapter he wanted to make sure that Jesus would be honored.. but that he couldn't wait to get to the the next event!  I always find it hard to stop at the crucifixion and not rush into the resurrection story.  But.. I will stop here for today.  I want to meditate on this.. Jesus knew that everything had been fulfilled.. every prophecy.. every Word of the Father was spoken.. . every action that the Father asked of Him was completed. 

"It is finished"!  Hallelujah! Jesus paid it all.. all to Him we owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, but Jesus made it white as snow! Let us think on this wonderful Savior. Amen.