Devotionary

Unity. It’s a lofty ideal, but is it really achievable in this life? Can we really experience unity – the kind of unity that Jesus prayed for in the garden? Is it really possible for us to be one as He and the Father are one? I find it hard to believe that Jesus would have asked God to do something that was impossible. And we know from the Scriptures that, with God, all things are possible. God called us to Himself, but He didn’t leave us individual free-agents who operate independently and in isolation. He placed us in His family, the Church. And Paul reminds us that, as God’s children, we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. We are sons and daughters of God and our lives should reflect that reality. In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul is going to stress the need for unity. We are one. That doesn’t mean we are all the same. In fact, Paul will emphasize that each of us has a different Spirit-given gift that allows us to minister to the rest of the body. We have been equipped by God to bless those around us in

The love of God. We’ve all heard about it. And most of us believe in it and are counting on it. But it is amazing how easily and quickly we can begin to doubt His love for us. As soon as something goes wrong in our lives, we tend to jump to the conclusion that God has fallen out of love with us. We assume He is angry with us. But Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to grasp just how much God loved them. So, he prayed that God would somehow expose them to the greatness of His matchless love. It’s interesting that he prayed that God would give them strength to comprehend. But the love of God isn’t always easy to recognize. Oftentimes, it comes across to us as punishment or displeasure. But Scripture tells us that God disciplines those He loves. He loves us enough not to let us do those things that could harm our relationship with Him. So, He brings loving discipline into our lives. God uses the extremes of life – the good and the bad – to draw us closer to Him. His goal is our godliness. He loved us enough to

Paul wrote this letter while a prisoner in Rome, and he was unashamed to admit that his imprisonment was due to his sharing of the Gospel. He had been faithful to the commission Jesus had given to him, and had taken the good news regarding salvation to the Gentiles. And he makes it clear that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. No one saw it coming. The ancient prophets had predicted it, but had failed to recognize the significance of their own Spirit-inspired words. God had done something remarkable and totally unexpected. He had opened up the door to the Gentiles, allowing them to become part of His family. And in Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul lets the Ephesian believers know that he had been given the privilege and responsibility of sharing the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentile world. Their salvation had been God’s doing. It had all been part of His divine plan, from the very beginning. And the church, made up of belie

Membership in the family of God. Have you ever really stopped to think about the magnitude of that idea? We have become so used to hearing it that we risk taking it for granted. But Paul wanted the believers in Ephesus to understand just how radical a change had taken place in their lives. They were once enemies of God, deserving of His judgment, which included the death penalty. They had lived in open rebellion against Him and yet, now they enjoyed intimate fellowship with Him as His adopted sons and daughters. Rather than being strangers and aliens, they were members of the household of God. And they had done nothing to earn or deserve it. Their dramatic transformation had been the work of God, and it had been made possible through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, His Son. Ephesians 2:19-22 contains Paul’s inspiring reminder to the Ephesian believers that they are now citizens of God’s Kingdom. They, along with all the other saints who make up the body of Christ around the world, form a holy temple in

Nobody who has experienced a positive transformation in their life likes to think about how by they used to be. Dwelling on the negative seems like a non-productive pursuit. But in Ephesians 2:11-18, Paul is going to remind the believers in Ephesus to remember what they were like before they came to faith in Christ. He is particularly addressing the Gentiles in the church and encouraging them to recall their pre-salvation condition. This little exercise seems counter-productive, but Paul knew that a healthy awareness of our condition before Christ is essential to grasping the incredible nature of the gift we have received. Paul describes them as having been uncircumcised, separated from Christ, alienated from the people of God, without hope and without God. Not exactly a description that brings a smile to your face – unless you consider that, in spite of all those things, God saved you. He brought those who were far off near. He did for the Jews and the Gentiles what they could not do for themselves. And he f

For anyone who has experienced salvation in Christ, the knowledge that it is a wonderful gift goes without saying. We have been taught to understand that it is something we could never have earned and in no way deserved. But Paul knew that even the most grateful believer was capable of taking the gift provided by God for granted. Not only that, he knew that each of us is fully capable of thinking we somehow deserved to be saved – at least just a little. So, he goes out of his way to warn the believers in Ephesus just exactly how bad off they were when God called them. He pulls no punches and doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat the fact that they were in a bad place when God extended His grace by offering His Son as the payment for their sins. Prior to their salvation, the Ephesian believers were in a really bad place – condemned by their sin and fully deserving of God’s judgment. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loves them … made them alive together with Christ. God showed mercy.

The church at Ephesus was filled with people from all walks of life. Not only did it feature a seemingly toxic blend of Jews and Gentiles, there were slaves and masters, rich and poor, religious-minded do-gooders and former prostitutes – all thrown together into this mysterious thing called the body of Christ. And Paul knew full-well that this motley group of diverse individuals, while called by God, were also a potential time bomb. Their differences could easily become cause for dissension and disunity. So, Paul prayed. And he asked God to give them what he knew they were going to need to survive and thrive as a community: The Spirit of Wisdom and a knowledge of God. Paul was ecstatic that they had been chosen by God and had experienced the wonderful gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. But he knew God expected more. They were to grow spiritually. They were to experience the full measure of the power made available to them through the Holy Spirit. And he wanted them to understand that they were u

Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus is part of what has come to be known as his prison epistles – a collection of correspondence he wrote to various churches while under house arrest in Rome. This particular letter, written to the believers living in Ephesus is filled with references to love, unity and mystery. Located in a prominent pagan city, the Ephesian church was comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, a remarkable distinction that Paul describes as “This mystery … that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6 ESV). This blending of Jews and Gentiles into a single entity which Paul refers to as the body of Christ, was unexpected by the Hebrews and unimaginable to those outside the Jewish faith. But God was doing a new thing. Through His Son’s death on the cross, He was redeeming for Himself a remnant from among sinful mankind and adopting them as His sons and daughters. Through a common faith in Jesus Christ,

And so, the story of Joshua ends. The closing verses of chapter 24 chronicles the death of Joshua, but it is far from the end of the people of Israel. Their leader was gone, but they had just begun their possession of the land. There was much work to be done. The Canaanites had not yet been eliminated, but God was still prepared to help them finish what they had begun. The real question would be whether they would remain faithful to God and trust Him as they continued to possess the land. But with Joshua’s death, a change began to take place within the people of Israel. Their leader was gone. The motivation and direction he had provided for years was no longer available. And as the rest of Joshua’s generation died off, a new generation rose up that didn’t know the Lord. They had not been trained in the ways of God. They had not been told the stories of God’s miraculous interventions. And as the book of Judges reveals, the people of God failed to follow God faithfully. And they suffered the consequences.

Will you remain faithful? That was what Joshua wanted to know. As he tried to prepare the people of Israel for his eventual death and the leadership vacuum it would leave, he called them to serve God faithfully. And the people seemed to offer their enthusiastic agreement to do just that. They appeared to be sincere. Their declarations of allegiance came across as legitimate and heartfelt and, yet, Joshua seemed to recognize that there was something missing. He was aware that the people did not have what it took to keep the commitments they were making. In Joshua 24:14-28, the God-appointed leader of Israel is trying to prepare them for the future, by calling them to a wholehearted, unwavering commitment to God. The key to their future blessing by God is tied directly to their present faithfulness to God. Before he passed from the scene, Joshua wanted to make sure the people took their relationship with God seriously and his call to faithfulness literally.    

The grace of God. That phrase is so familiar to many of us that we take it for granted. It’s familiarity creates a certain sense of complacency and ingratitude, so that we no longer appreciate the sheer magnitude of what it truly means. The same was true of the people of Israel during the days of Joshua. In Joshua 24:1-13, God provides them with a powerful reminder of His matchless grace. He reminds them of all the ways in which He has graciously gone before them, preparing the way for them. He had called them, rescued them, led them and provided them with a land to call their own. Their story as a nation was filled with example after example of God’s gracious activity. They had no reason to brag. They had no cause to think highly of themselves. Their entire existence was the result of God’s grace. And God had a far greater purpose for their creation as a nation than they could have ever imagined.

Joshua is growing old and becoming increasingly more aware that his days on earth are coming to an end. So, he tries to prepare the people of Israel for his eventual departure. He has led them for many years, ever since he assumed the mantel of leadership from Moses. And as Joshua attempts to leave the people with a few words of encouragement and admonition, it’s interesting to see what he focused his attention on. He knew his flock well and was fully aware of their weaknesses and shortcomings. He had spent decades attempting to lead them and keep them faithful to God, and it had not always been easy. So, he knew that upon his departure, they would be prone to follow their own desires. Joshua 23:1-16 is a powerful message from a loving shepherd to his sheep, calling them to remain true to their God. Joshua knew that disobedience to the will of God would bring the discipline of God. And he longed for his people to remain true so that they could continue to enjoy the blessings of God for generations to come.

Miscommunication. It can be deadly. And in Joshua 22:10-34, we’re going to see just how bad it can get. After the three tribes whose land was located east of the Jordan had returned home, they made a decision to build an altar. Now, at first glance, this probably doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. After all, it seems like Abraham, Jacob, and even Moses were constantly building altars somewhere. But as this passage will reveal, this altar was going to cause a huge firestorm of controversy that almost boiled over into civil war. Wrong assumptions were made. Accusations were leveled. Tempers flared and swords were drawn, ready to mete out justice on what appeared to be three rebellious tribes. But it had all been a huge misunderstanding. Some poor decisions, coupled with even worse communication, had led to a near disaster. These 12 tribes, having a common bond of heritage and a sharing a mutual inheritance in the land of promise, found out that maintaining unity was going to be a real challenge.

By this time in the book of Joshua, it would be easy to assume that the whole storyline is nothing more than a synopsis of the Israelite’s conquering of the land of Canaan. After all, for 21 chapters, we have seen little more than battles and skirmishes taking place between the people of Israel and the nations occupying the land of Canaan. And as the book begins to come to a close, it would appear that the days of conquest are coming to a close. Instead of battles, the people should be planting crops, raising flocks, expanding their cities and enjoying the fruit of all their labors. But the battle was far from over. There were still enemies in the land. They couldn’t afford to rest on their laurels or go into early retirement. God had done His part and fulfilled His promise to give them the land. But now it was up to them to occupy the land, which included the continued work of clearing the land of any and all enemies. But by this point, they should have been confident in their prospects because of the miracl

The tribe of Levi wasn’t just another tribe like all the others. It had been set apart by God and given a very special role to play in the lives of the people of Israel. Unlike the rest of the tribes, they were not given their own portion of the land of promise, but instead, were provided with a series of cities in which they could live among the rest of the tribes. Their role was to act as the spiritual leadership of the people of Israel, instructing them in the law and overseeing the tabernacle and the sacrificial system. These men were dedicated to God and would find that their daily provision would be His responsibility. They answered to God and would be held responsible for the spiritual and moral well-being of His people. Not exactly an easy task when you consider their track record up to this point. But God has always provided His people with spiritual leadership. Like sheep, they require guidance and instruction, protection and, at times, discipline. And the Levites had their work cut out for them.   

In Joshua 20:1-9, we find a reference to what were known as the cities of refuge. These were six cities, designated by God, that were to serve as places of shelter for anyone who might be accused of murder. This aspect of the judicial system of Israel, while fascinating, seems a bit out of place in the context of the book of Joshua. Why did God choose to add a reference to these cities at this particular juncture? Part of the reason is that it reveals God’s understanding of human nature – especially man’s sin nature. Even though the members of the 12 tribes, as descendants of Abraham, shared a common blood line, God knew there would conflict between individuals and even entire tribes. Sin was going to happen, so God made provision for it. Even for cases of murder. But there is an even more significant purpose for God’s creation of the cities of refuge and their inclusion in the book of Joshua. They point to Christ. They provide us with a picture of the refuge from guilt and condemnation that would one day com

In Joshua 19:1-51, we come to a section of Scripture that tends to leave us a little bit confused as to why it is part of the Bible. It appears to provide little or no spiritual insight that we can apply to our 21st-Century lives as followers of Jesus Christ. But if you look closely, you’ll discover that there is a lot we can glean from this list of difficult-to-pronounce city names and obscure geographic references. This entire chapter is about the allotment of the land of promise to the remaining tribes and every single acre of land was going to be doled out according to the sovereign will of God. Nothing was going to be left to chance. The eventual location of each and every tribe was predetermined by God and they all received exactly what God had deemed appropriate for their needs. There was no favoritism involved. And no tribe was treated unfairly or suffered inequity at the hands of God. The entire conquest of Canaan and the eventual dispersal of the land between the tribes was the sovereign work of God

In the Bible, names hold a special significance. And in Joshua 18:11-28, we will see that the name given by Jacob to his youngest son, Benjamin had a particularly prophetic meaning. This story is just one more vignette that reveals the sovereign hand of God working behind the scenes in ways that are invisible to most of those involved. The birth of Benjamin was especially meaningful to Jacob because he would be the last child born to him by Rachel. She would die in childbirth. And Benjamin became the son to replace Joseph, whom Jacob thought to be dead, but who had actually been sold into slavery by his own brothers. All of these events, as dark as they appear to be, were in the hands of God. He was orchestrating the storyline in such a way that Jacob’s naming of his youngest son would take on a meaning and significance that Jacob himself was completely oblivious to. God was taking all that had happened to Jacob and transforming it into a beautiful story of redemption and blessing. Jacob had lost a son and a

There’s a familiar saying: No rest for the weary. It attempts to convey the truism that those who work hard often find themselves never finished with their efforts. Their weariness is, more often than not, met with additional work rather than rest. Their job never seems to be completed. But in the Bible, rest is a common theme. After six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day. And He established the seventh day of the week as a sabbath, a day of rest for His people. God had also promised to bring the people of Israel into their rest, by leading them into the land He had promised to give to Abraham. There they would enjoy rest, not a cessation from work or effort, but an end to their years of slavery, wanderings, and nomadic lifestyle. They would come into their own, a land provided for them by God. And in Joshua 18:1-10, Joshua encourages the people by setting up the tabernacle of God in a place called Shiloh, which means, “place of rest.” The tabernacle, representing God’s abiding presence was to br

One of the key themes found in the book of Joshua is the provision of the Lord, in keeping with His promise to Abraham to give to his descendants a land, a seed and a blessing. God had kept His Word and had brought the people of Israel into the promised land and was in the process of dividing up the land among the 12 tribes. And in Joshua 17:3-18, we will see further proof that God provides for His own. And in ways that we may not always recognize. God was willing to meet the needs of His people, coming alongside those in need and making sure that those needs were met. And in the case of those to whom much had been given, God expected much in the way of obedience and faithfulness to His will. He was willing to provide, but expected His people to do their part. And faith on the part of His people is always a major expectation of God for His people. They needed to trust Him enough to obey Him, doing their part in keeping with His faithful provision of their needs.