I Samuel 14:6 NASB

"The LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."

There are men and women whose presence in the storm bring faith, hope and saneness.  Both their character and confidence in God make the world a safer place. This was Jonathan, the son of Saul.  He grew up in a mad, mad world where his whole life was enveloped in conflict.  Not only was he caught up in having to confront the enemy that threatened their existence, he would also suffer the consequences of a father who was losing his way.  But Jonathan never lost His sense of direction and it kept him on course throughout his life, even unto death.  It was a direction anchored in God.  This was his compass and this was his confidence, no matter the situation.  Facing the challenges of a superior enemy, Jonathan demonstrates his faith in His supreme God by declaring, "The Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few,"  and then proving Him true.  Many are good at declaring faith, but few are good at exercising it. Jonathan lived his faith in bold color.  This faith in God would hold Jonathan under the worst of times.  We can revel in God when He is doing great and mighty things, but it's a different thing when life seems to fall apart around us.  Jonathan would watch as his father pursued insanity and destroy his future, but it didn't destroy his faith.  He knew His God and he entrusted his life into the hands of this God, no matter what.  His relationship was not built on entitlements, so he didn't seek that way.  He sought only the will of God, whether that benefited his "success" in life or not.  This was not a man who fought for "his rights.  He fought for His God. He had given up his "rights" to the God whom He knew always does what is right, even in death.  Jonathan could give up his life for the giver of life. This is truly a great man!  May God give us more like him for this day!  In a "Christian world" that likes to declare faith, we desperately need someone who knows what it means to demonstrate faith. There is a world of difference.

I Samuel 13:14 NASB

"The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart..."

We've all heard the statement, "He's set in his ways".  Such was Saul.  If you like sad stories, the story of Saul of the Old Testament is surely the saddest.  A man with such potential literally squandered his standing with God.  How do you do this?  Not easily, I think, but certainly if you go your own way.  It started with what some would argue was totally justified. The Philistines had assembled against Israel for war and were"like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance".  The Israelites were terrified, hiding and scattering.  Samuel was supposed to come to offer the burnt offering before going into battle, but he didn't show up at the appointed time so Saul took things into his own hands, performing what was the priest's alone to do.  He offered the burnt offering himself.  Pure and simple, this was a clear act of disobedience to the commandment of God. It just goes to show that, no matter how reasonable something sounds, if it doesn't conform to the ways of God, it's wrong.  But the ways of God aren't just external "laws".  With God, it begins internally.  If His way isn't in our heart, as the way we lean, love and live, with all our heart, we will get off track and derail.  This was what happened to Saul.  There was another way in him which began to cross ways with God's way, finally bringing him to his own destruction.  And instead of surrendering his way to the way of God, he got set in his way.  Isaiah saw this as a bent in each of us.  He wrote, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way," (Isaiah 53:6).  "But", Isaiah continues, "the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."  It's this "way" in us that Jesus came to confront and realign to the way of God.  At any point you find yourself at odds with the way of God, quickly deal with it and set your heart to go His way.  This was the gigantic difference between Saul and David.  David was not set in his way.  When he sinned, he repented with broken heart and sought the way of God, setting his heart on it with all his heart.  Saul's repentance was a quick fix but not a deep change.  He was set in his way.  This is where God began to look for another man, revealing what he looks for in any person, when He said,  "The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart..."   What a blessing to have that kind of relationship with Him.  I wouldn't want it any other way and  I would imagine you wouldn't either. Bless you!  He'll meet you there!

I Samuel 7:12 NASB

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer (the stone of help), saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

Have you ever considered what you would like on your tombstone?  This doesn't sound like a very uplifting thought, does it?  But my thoughts, actually, are not on death, but on life.  Could you put "Ebenezer" on your tombstone, as one who has known the presence and help of God throughout your life?  Joy of joys is, you can!  He is our ever present help.  There is nothing better than this.  There is nothing greater than this.  There is nothing safer than this.

O God, our Help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,

Our Shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home!

Under the shadow of They throne still may we dwell secure;

Sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame,

from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.

O God, our Help in ages past, our Hope in years to come,

be Thou our Guide while life shall last, and our eternal Home. 

                                                                                                -Isaac Watts

I Samuel 2:30 NASB

"Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed."

Passiveness toward wrong doing, like a snake, is sure to come around and bite us.  Eli the priest was responsible for keeping sacred the things that are sacred, but his sons, the writer says, "were worthless men; they did not know the LORD...the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised the offering of the LORD," (I Samuel 2:12).  Incredibly, they were committing sacrilege with the sacrifices and adultery with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  And though Eli knew of all of this, and spoke to them about it, he didn't react with holy fire;  probably because he himself was enjoying way too much of the sacrificial meat that was being taken for personal gain.  Chapter 4, verse 18, describes him as heavy.  God sent "a man of God" to him who brought the real issue to the forefront with these words from God:  "Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel? (2:29).  Some of us are way too heavy into ourselves.  The truth of the matter is, God has given to each of us sacred trusts and expects us to manage these with utmost care, whether it be the way we raise our children, the way we spend our time, the way we treat our neighbor, the way we handle our world, the way we employ our abilities, the way we do our jobs, or the way we use our money.  All are sacred trusts and demand the special care required of anything that comes to us from the hand of God into our lives.  And let's learn something else:  God is actively and aggressively involved in this world as One who is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent.  Those are big words, but He's a big God who refuses to distance Himself from His creation.  He does not leave us unnoticed nor unattended. He reacts to us. He's alive with passion.  The person who lives in the reality of the Unseen One is leagues ahead of those who pass through life as if it's nobodies' business.  We are His business!  We matter too much to Him to not make us His business. He is not passive toward our activities, and He nails this truth to the wall of our souls with "those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed."  Aren't you glad for a God like this?  This is a great principle and a great promise!  God knows what is going on and He will deal with it accordingly.  We can rest in that truth.  And to those who honor Him, God responds with tremendous regard and reward.  Yes, reward! That's not why we honor Him, but It just goes without saying that it pays to walk with Him.  We have no idea!  Just wait and see.

I Samuel 1:27-28 NASB

"For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him.  So I have dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD."

The story of childless Hannah is deeply intriguing.  The writer is straightforward in his grasp of the noticeable when he says, [Elkanah] had two wives:  the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children," (1:2).  But there are three other observations the writer makes that bring the intrigue to the story:

• Elkanah favored Hannah because he loved her (1:5a)
• It was the LORD, according to the writer, who had "closed her womb" (1:5b)
• Elkanah's second wife, Peninnah, would provoke Hannah bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb (1:6-7)

To be childless in that day and culture was worse than death itself.  With the conviction that "children are an heritage of the LORD," to be childless was to believe that God, for whatever reason, had "closed" your womb.  It may have even been the reason Elkanah had a second wife:  so as to have children.  No matter the depth of Elkanah's love for her, Hannah would not be comforted.  Her distress turned to desperation as she one day made a vow to the LORD that would touch heaven and earth.  She said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life..." (1:11).  Could it be that Hannah's barrenness was God's opportunity?  Some of God's greatest moments come under man's greatest distress, for here one feels a desperation so intense that has the potential of becoming a highway to greater things.  Would there be an Isaac without faith against all odds?  Would there be a Joseph without the scars of injustice?  Would there be a Moses without the smell of death?  Would there be a Savior without the cruelty of the cross?  And here; Would there be a Samuel without the desperation of a barren woman?  Whatever the circumstances that press against you, cry out to God with all your heart.  Draw near to Him.  He will draw near to you, and He will make a way through your distress.  Like Hannah, you too will look back on it, even if it be from eternity, and sing, "My heart exults in the LORD...I rejoice in Your salvation...There is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one besides You.  Nor is there any rock like our God...the feeble gird on strength...He raises up the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap...He keeps the feet of His godly ones..." (I Samuel 2:1-10).  Bless His holy name! 

Ruth 2:12 NASB

"May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."

All of us, I'm sure, have tried our luck at finding a card that has just the right words for someone we love, only to come up empty because of empty words.  I still keep trying, but, honestly, I've discovered a better way.  I've won the heart of my wife over and over again by just writing my own words on a plain piece of paper. Maybe you learned this way before I did, but I realized It isn't expensive cards that get her attention;  she just wants to know my deep, heartfelt feelings for her, no matter how plain the paper it comes on. Think of the money I could have saved over the years!  But if there were a card to be made with incredible words, Boaz won the prize when he said to Ruth, "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."  There was a spark in this of something yet to come.  Ruth had everything against her:  a young, childless widow; a woman, and worse yet, a foreign woman, among a people with deep prejudice, and penniless.  She was on the low end of the totem pole in that particular day and culture. But, whereas, Ruth had everything against her, Boaz wishes everything for her.  His heart grabs the heart of God for the down and out and he's overcome, not with prejudice against her, but with the inner beauty of one who had left all she knew for a God she barely knew.  Where some saw no hope, Boaz gives great hope and, in the end, gives her his heart.  He saw in her the very qualities that God had seen in this one who would say to her poverty-stricken mother-in-law, Naomi, who was going back to her land of Judah, from Moab, after the death of her husband and two sons:  "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.  Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me," (Ruth 1:16-17).  This was a tremendous step of courage and commitment. She had taken refuge under the wings of God, and there is no greater refuge.  Ruth became the mother of Obed, who begot Jesse, who begot David, the line through which Jesus came.  All God is looking for is someone who will give themselves to Him with unqualified commitment, and it's no telling what He will do!  For you, a precious child of God, I  pray with deep love, "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."  Amen.

Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14; 16:28 NASB

"And the Spirit of the LORD came upon [Samson] mightily... Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon [Samson] mightily... And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily... But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him... Then Samson called to the LORD and said, 'O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God...


Samson is a tragic figure.  Full of personality and potential, he squandered the very Presence and Power that makes the difference between a "star" and a "saint".  We have a lot of "Christian stars" these days, full of personality; gifted, educated and driven, but in our desperate desire to find and foster "stars" we have neglected the power of true saints.  Samson, unlike Gideon, knew the Spirit of God from the outside instead inside. In the Hebrew language, the words, "came upon", in the phrase "the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon" (Judges 6:34), are different than the words "came upon" in the phrase "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon [Samson]" (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14).  With Gideon, there was the infilling;  Literally, "So the Spirit of the LORD clothed Himself with Gideon," putting Gideon on like a garment.  With Samson, there was an empowering; Literally, "The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him," using him for a given moment. God will often do this, "rush upon us",  to accomplish His purpose in spite of us.  And like Samson, these people often take on notoriety, telling about their moments, but so many know little of a true and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. How much better to have God's Spirit indwell us, to appreciate His Presence inside of us, making a difference not just in certain moments, but moment by moment, every day. This is the difference between "saints" and "stars" in the Christian world.  As Christians, all have the Spirit of God, but not all have known the "infilling" that changes one from self-serving to true servants of God.  We've confused the two, infilling and empowerment, thinking both the same. They're not!  Usually, it's the pressure that tells.  Tragically, the Samsons of the Christian world, when "afflicted", do not know that the LORD has departed from them (Judges 16:20).  Their prayers take on a note of desperation under pressure, praying, as Samson, "O Lord God (LORD), please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God..." (16:28). Though God mercifully helped him, that's a sad commentary on a life that trifled with the serous things of God. Samson should not be our prototype of the Christian life. Certainly, the Spirit of God is an empowering presence, but much more precious and promising is His infilling presence.  Seek His infilling!

Judges 13:18 NASB

"But the angel of the LORD said to [Manoah], 'Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful (or incomprehensible)?"

Jacob, as he wrestled with God, asked his name, but all God said was "Why is it that you ask my name?"  Moses, as he wrestled with the idea of delivering the children of Israel out of Egypt, asked, "Who shall I say sent me?", and what he got was, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you."  When Manoah wrestled with the promise of a son (Samson), he said, "What is your name so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you," but the response he got was "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful (incomprehensible)?"  Why such reticence to give His name when, in fact, the scripture gives many names for God?  Could it be, as A.W. Tozer said, that "Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms," (The Knowledge of the Holy, p16).  And the truth of the matter is, we have, these days, reduced God to the common and the casual.  We have made Him altogether like ourselves and we have lost any fear of Him.  Not so with the writers of scripture.  In their hearts and minds, God was so fully Other that they feared to even write the name we have as "Jehovah".  They held God in such awe and reverence that they they felt they dared not "restrict" nor "reduce" this God to human letters.  Though this was taken to unnecessary extremes, we get an understanding of how far removed we are from this great sense of the "Incomprehensible".  We address Him as if we understand Him, and as if, in some measure, we even control Him.  We have effectively reduced Him to nothing more than the ridiculousness of our own feelings, rising out of either sentimentalism or surprise, with phrases such as  "dear God" or "O my God".  Nothing would do us more good than to enter into the world of the Old Testament, staying there for a long time, until our minds and hearts are overwhelmed with the sense of God beyond the shallowness of our own imagination.  Tozer says, "If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand," (Ibid).  His names are many because no one name can describe Him.  But even with many names, He remains "Incomprehensible" because no name can fathom the depth, height, width and length of God.  And here's the wonder of it all:  He wants you and me to know Him and He gives Himself to that end.  He doesn't play hide-and-seek.  Paul, speaking to the Athenians about their altar "to an unknown God," encourages them to seek this One because "He is not far from each one of us," (Acts 17:29).  Though He has given eternity to those who seek Him, it would do us well to begin now what will be the obsession of eternity--to know Him! 

"Where do I begin?"  Good question!  Stay in the Word of God.  Soak in the Word of God.  Search in the Word of God.  And with that, I encourage you to read A.W. Tozer's book, The Knowledge of the Holy, as well as Nathan Stone's book, Names of God.  Blessings!

Judges 7:2 NASB

And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.'"

All too long we have settled for the "might and power" of man and we are bogged down in the mire of self-importance.  It was with good reason that God said to Gideon, concerning those who were with him for war, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me,'" (Judges 7:2).  Literally, "lest Israel glorify itself against me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'"  And God proceeded to reduce Gideon's army from 32,000 men to 300 men, saying, "I will deliver you with the 300 men..." (7:7).  This would be 300 against 135,000.  In God's way of thinking, less is more, but only when He is "More".  This drives self-driven strategic thinkers crazy because "more" to them is always more of their expertise, followed by their achievements.  But this way of thinking, with its "apparent successes" is killing us.  Why?  Because we have glorified ourselves, saying "look at what we did".  Without our realizing it, our "apparent successes" are, like the flooded waters of a mighty river, slowly but surely eating away under the levies that hold disaster back. But we don't get it. We continue to promote our ways and our work, even against the strong revelation of God who said, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," (Zechariah 4:6).  Like Communism, that began to crumble while championing monuments to its cause, we too are losing ground on the spiritual front while championing monuments to our cause. This is disturbing. Someone has to contradict this madness that consumes much of the church today.  May God find some Gideons, and "300" others like him, along the way, who may look small in the eyes of man but are strong in the eyes of God, and let the others go, each man to his home. 

Judges 6:34 NASB

"So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and..."

The literal reading of this phrase, in the Hebrew language, is "So the Spirit of the LORD clothed Himself with Gideon."  R. Clyde Ridall, writing in The Beacon Bible Commentary, says, "God 'put on' Gideon as one puts on a garment.  That is, the Holy Spirit became incarnate in Gideon." We've heard the phrase, "clothes make the man"?  The idea, of course, is that clothes make the wearer.  But not so here.  Here, the Wearer (The Spirit) makes the clothes (the man).  What an incredible picture, revealing an amazing truth!  This gives new meaning to the admonition,"be filled with the Spirit".  We aren't much to speak of alone, each of us with our own wear and tear, but He puts us on as His own and all of a sudden these "garments", these men and women,  take on color, uniform purpose, and unique strength. He is the very life of the what He has put on.  This One, the Spirit of God, is revealed throughout the Old Testament, but explodes on the scene in the New Testament.  What the Spirit of God was, in the time of the Judges, with men like Gideon, giving power (ability) to do what could not be done on their own, the Spirit of God must be, and even much more so, to the church (to you and me) today. He comes to desperate hearts, putting them on as His to wear, and makes them a force to be reckoned with.   Let it be recorded again, of any of God's people, "So the Spirit of the LORD clothed Himself with__________; and..."  Only He knows what the "and" of our life will be, but one thing is certain, we'll never know the "and" of God without our name in the blank.  Fill in the blank and let Him fill your heart and life. 

Judges 6:11-14 NASB

"And the angel of the LORD appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, 'The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.' ...And the LORD looked at him and said, 'Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.  Have I not sent you?'"

Following the death of Joshua and other great souls, like Caleb, the writer of Judges states, "and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD..." (2:10).  Israel soon plunged into unbridled idolatry, forsaking the LORD and following other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them (2:11-12). Soon one nation after another came against Israel, ravaging and raping the land and forcing the people into servitude.  Under their oppression, Israel would finally cry out to the LORD, and the LORD, in His kindness, would give them a deliverer, which would last for awhile, then back into sin again.  This is the story of Judges. This is the story of a people who lost the holy fire of God by trifling with the ways of the world, but also the story of the incredible mercy of God with a people who had become stupid with sin; a God who is forever ready to deliver broken hearts. Gideon is one of those "deliverers".  He was a man who, even in the midst of his own doubts and depression, went against the prevailing current, standing against the ways that everyone else was embracing.  He was pressured and pounded by this culture of degradation sweeping around him, but quietly held to a higher standard.  He was much like the bug smashed up against the windshield, who said, “It takes guts to stick here”.  That’s what caught God’s eye.  Here was someone who wasn’t going along with the philosophy of “anything goes”.  Here was someone who cared about the possible Presence and Power of God in a world that had sold its soul to other gods—gods that had effectively sucked the life out of God’s people.  But things happen when God reveals Himself.  And He revealed Himself to Gideon.  Here's how the writer records this meeting: "And the angel of the LORD appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, 'The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.' ...And the LORD looked at him and said, 'Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.  Have I not sent you?'"  Take courage dear Christian.  Your quiet, steady walk has caught the eye of heaven.  You don’t think you can do much, but God is looking for people just like you.  Be ready! 

What?  Oh, don’t worry, He’ll let you know.  Be ready!

Joshua 23:14; 24:14, 15 NASB

"Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed...for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you... Now therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth.  And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Sincere!  Faithful!  Truthful!  Powerful qualities of the Christian life!  Where did anyone ever come up with the idea that allowed for less than this?  These are defining marks of Christian experience.  It sets us apart from the world.  From the beginning, God held man to a standard of "All, all the time!"  At any point where someone fell below this, repentance was sought with deep contrition and resolve, in order to get back on the road of "All, all the time".  We are not meant to have a divided heart.  Joshua draws a line in the sand and calls the people to make their choice either for the gods of this world or for the living God, letting them know they can't have it both ways.  Insincere hearts are constantly trying both ways.  Unfaithful hearts like to have it both ways.  Deceitful hearts seek to cover that they even have another way in them.  Joshua urges them to have the courage to declare their allegiance one way or the other and then he boldly, firmly and enthusiastically steps across the line, declaring  "I choose the living God because He is all that matters:  Sincere (without any other admixture), Faithful (always about us) and Truthful (there is no deceit in Him).  No one in their right mind would settle for a God who is less than that.  Would you?  Surely, if we would expect this of God, then He has every right to expect the same of us. "Now therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth."  That's what covenant relationships are all about.  This is not only good for the soul.  Joshua knows this is good for the whole family, and he commits himself to that end saying, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD"; in other words, "we'll be faithful to Him as He is to us."  Are all of our efforts, time and activities given to that end, or are there other gods that steal our allegiance?

Joshua 22:5; 23:8, 11 NASB

"...love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and server Him with all your heart and with all your soul... you are to cling to the LORD your God...take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God."

As Joshua comes toward the end of his life, the very theme that was on Moses' heart is on his heart for the children of Israel, and he simply reiterates it:

• Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul
• Walk in all His ways with all your heart and with all your soul
• Keep His commandments with all your heart and with all your soul
• Hold fast to Him with all your heart and with all your soul
• Serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul

The children of Israel had fought many battles and gained much territory, but after every battle has been fought, with whatever advances have been made, and if there is anything we can claim, only one thing matters to God:

• "Did you love Me with all your heart and with all your soul?"
• "Did you walk in all My ways with all your heart and with all your soul?"
• "Did you keep My commandments with all your heart and with all your soul?"
• "Did you hold fast to Me with all your heart and with all your soul?"
• "Did you serve Me with all your heart and with all your soul?"

In the Christian world, where we exalt spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, and achievements, and where we expend a lot of energy trying to prove our worth, we can begin to substitute performance for purity, religion for relationship and loyalty for love.  Now there's a boring combination for you!  No wonder many yawn when they watch us "worship".  The fact is, with a burning, holy love for God, these substitutes will only accumulate dust in the trophy case of our lives, where they will prove insignificant or finally be completely forgotten.  Though some may keep trying to prove otherwise, only one thing matters. Only one thing my friend!  The only thing that brings life, joy and beauty to any relationship: "cling to the LORD your God and take diligent heed to love the LORD your God."

Joshua 21:43-45 NASB

"So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.  And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.  Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass."

The name of this blog is THE UNFAILING GOD.  This truth is the heart of my heart, the theme of my heart, and the confidence of my heart.  President Obama made famous the phrase "Yes we can", and we understand what he was getting at politically, but removed from the empty catch phrases and sound bites of politics, and taken to where the rubber meets the road of life, this egocentric idea is not only empty; it's false.  When it comes to the issues of life that really matter, such as peace, harmony and health, mankind has only proven that "No we can't!"  The scripture turns this notion of "Yes we can" a completely different direction, bringing the only help and hope mankind has in this world and the world to come, with "YES HE CAN!"  This is the testimony of Christians down through the ages:  "He has never failed me!"  Nor will He!  "Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made...failed; all came to pass."  You can trust Him my friend.  He will bring you through if you will walk with Him. He is the unfailing God!

Joshua 14:6-14 NASB

"Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua...and Caleb...said to him, 'You know the word which the LORD spoke to Moses...concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea.  I was forty years old when Moses...sent me...to spy out the land, and I brought back to him as it was in my heart.  Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully.  And now behold, the LORD has let me live these forty-five years...I am eighty-five years old today, I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in... Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out as the LORD has spoken...' Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb...because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully."

More than anything, we are heart people. We see with the heart.  We speak with the heart.  And we serve with the heart. That's why God goes after the heart, seeking those who, as Caleb, will give themselves to Him with all their heart.  Anything less is subject to the negative influence of murmurers and complainers who, like water, gravitate to the lowest level.  When Caleb contradicted these voices at Kadesh-barnea, he caught God's eye and and heart. It's with a deep sense of respect and appreciation that God promises Caleb His blessing, saying,  "because [Caleb] has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring [him] into the land..." (Numbers 14:24-25).  Forty-five years later, at eighty-five years of age, Caleb's heart still beat as strongly for the things that mattered, as they did when he was forty.  The tragedy is, the highways of the Christian life are strewn with the corpses of those who lost heart along the way. We need something of that "different spirit" that, down through the years, continues to see the possibilities of God and, from the heart, views those possibilities with anticipation and aggression.   We need something of that "different spirit" that, down through the years, continues to speak to the promises of God and, from the heart, says, "give me this hill country with the Anakim and great fortified cities!"  We need something of that "different spirit" that takes possession of the promises of God, with such decisiveness that all know, as expressed in verse 14, "Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb."  Why?  "because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully."  That's why. This isn't something to get pumped up over.  This isn't about getting pumped up at all.  This is about a direction of the heart that just keeps going the same direction against all the detours, distractions and discouragements along the way.  All the pumping up in the world won't keep you from finally caving in to these.  Only a set of the heart will.  Drastic?  Yes.  But it will keep you from heart failure.

Joshua 10:8 NASB

"And the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them; for I have given them into your hands..."

This phrase, or something similar to this, runs through the book of Joshua like a mighty river.  This isn't a quiet, slow moving river.  This is a rushing, cascading river that roars above any other noise trying to make itself known.  But this is not just noise.  In its thundering waters we discover God; the God who is there!  His voice rules over the voice of the enemy, drowning it in divine conquest.  Listen to it over and over again, each time crashing in on the soul's doubt and shattering the enemies confidence with "the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not fear or be dismayed. Do not fear them; not one of them shall stand before you. Do not be afraid because of them. I will deliver all of them slain before Israel...'"  And then these powerful words of fulfillment:  "So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.  And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.  Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass," (21:43-45). 

Any questions?

What's that?  Yes, there's still a God like this! 

Joshua 5:13-15 NASB

"Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, 'Are you for us or for our adversaries?'  And he said, 'No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.'  And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and bowed down, and said to him, 'What has my lord to say to his servant?'  And the captain of the LORD''s host said to Joshua, 'Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy,'  And Joshua did so."

There are "holy moments" in our lives when we know God's presence in a unique way, causing us to pause and take notice.  These moments are pregnant with the serious and the sacred, which always seem to merge together in a searching heart.  If you've known them, you will never forget them.  They seem to come at major points of divine leading in our lives,  but where we are facing the unknown with a great sense of our own inability and inadequacy.  Joshua was standing by Jericho, the first and formidable obstacle that stood in their way to the rest of Canaan, when "another world" showed up.  It's a wonderful thing, when we know we have been led of God to enter into new territory, to have "The Captain of the LORD's host" show up with His sword drawn, ready to take on what lies ahead and speaking words of assurance:  "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king, and the valiant warriors," (6:2).  May God grant to you those divine moments throughout your life, when you know "the place you are standing is holy".  We must know the the LORD before we can take the land.  We must know "the holy place" before we can conquer "the holy land". 

Joshua 3:4, 11, 5 NASB

"When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it...that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before... Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you... Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

There is nothing more exciting than something exciting God is doing in our lives.  This was an incredible day for the children of Israel. Finally!  Finally, they were going to cross over into the promised land!  Can you imagine the emotion of the moment; the anticipation and anxiety?  Yes, even fear.  These are always critical moments because fear can grip the soul and paralyze the rest of the story.  When I was pastoring, I had a Vacation Bible School director ask if I would bring personal stories throughout the week, to the children.  Meaning to say "please parallel them with the Bible stories being taught" she said "please paralyze them with the Bible stories being taught".  I thought how often our story becomes paralyzed when challenged with the possibilities of God's story in our lives.  So many come up against the promises of God and go no further.  Whatever He is leading us into, we no doubt have not passed this way before, but, remember, the presence of  "the LORD of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you."  Just follow!  That's all:  "Follow Him!"  When He steps out ahead of you, Set out from your place and go after Him.  Consecrate yourself to Him and the LORD will do wonders among you."  There will cure any paralysis.  This kind of story is living and exciting! Let God take you into the story of your life!

Joshua 1:1-9 NASB

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD that the LORD spoke to Joshua...saying, "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them... Every place on which the sole of our foot treads, I have given it to you... No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The call of God to move a certain direction is always backed with the promise of His Presence and strong hand to accomplish that call.  As long as we know two things, first, that this is the clear call of God and not something of our own making, and, secondly, that we are walking with God with all our heart, the promises of God are as big as God Himself.  We can be assured that when we are picked by God to a special task, He will be with us and He will not forsake us. Clearly, the promise was Joshua's to know because he had God's word in his heart, with all His heart. From this passage, there is no doubt everything God promised depended on a careful and committed adherence to God's word.  Again, all of the promises of God are ours, but the promises are joined at the hip with our obedience to the word of God.  Christian faith simply cannot function apart from the Christian life.  They go hand in hand, all the time.  This is especially relevant to our day, where so many who claim to have known God's saving grace seek Him only in an emergency, and that, case by case, never giving much thought to Him outside of these pressure moments, except to question, doubt and blame Him. The Presence and Promises of God aren't for these kind of people.  He has His eye on those with a different spirit than that and He is always ready to move on their behalf at full power.  This is a great God!  Hallowed be His name!

Deuteronomy 33:26-29 NASB

"There is none like the God of Jeshurun ("Upright one," an affectionate name for Israel), Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty.  The eternal God is a dwelling place (refuge), and underneath are the everlasting arms... So Israel dwells in security...in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew.  Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help, and the sword of your majesty!"

These are Moses' final words to Israel before his death.  You can feel the heart of this man;  one who could see the possibilities of God's Presence and Power upon His people and speaks to it with hope and anticipation.  What a wonderful picture of the great care and purpose of God, not only for Israel, but for all of God's people. Moses was a preacher, prophet and pastor extraordinaire.  He laid out truth with honesty, courage and love, chastening the people for their weakness and waywardness (chapters 31-32) and then urging the people to greater heights. But he does all of this with the heart of a pastor who just keeps believing and blessing. He knew these people and their proneness to wander, and he captures their thinking and imagination for a better way.  He believed in the great possibilities of God for the soul and his heart yearns for God's best for these he has cared for over the years.  He was more than a leader.  He was a pastor/shepherd.  Those who seek to be leaders care only about progress and production.  Those who shepherd care about the people.  He was truly a man after God's own heart;  Like Father, like son.  Thank the Lord for pastors (shepherds) today who genuinely care for our souls this way, refusing to give up on us and always showing us the better way. With deep feeling for their people and clear eyes for the possibilities of God's blessing, they join Moses in saying, "Blessed are you, O  Israel (church); Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help, and the sword of your majesty!"  These pastors are worth their weight in gold!  God bless them!

Deuteronomy 31:7 NASB

"Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them... And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear, or be dismayed.'"

These very words would come to Joshua again, after Moses' death, directly from the LORD Himself, but I think it's a testament to the great faith, heart and life of Moses that he can declare this to Joshua with the knowledge and confidence of one who has proved the faithfulness of God down through his life.  He is letting Joshua know that he doesn't need to fear or be dismayed because "I know from personal experience that the LORD will go ahead of you.  I know from personal experience that He will be with you.  I know from personal experience that He will not fail you or forsake you."  He passes on to Joshua the same spirit that gave him courage for a task much bigger than himself.  This is the testimony we need to leave with those who come behind us, that  "we know from personal experience", but also the testimony that they know that we know.  The book of Deuteronomy ends by giving this great tribute: "No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face..."  Moses was used of God to do some incredible things, but the greatest thing about him was that the LORD knew him face to face.  This is the greatest thing Joshua received from Moses; not leadership skills; not strategic thinking skills; and not all the other stuff we are so big on these days.  No!  The writer simply notes, "Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses," (34:9).  We need this kind of person again.  Someone who has not been manhandled and ruined by the "experts" of the day and who only feed the ego, but one who has been affected by a humble saint of God who marched to the beat of a different drum.  O God, give us men and women like this!  We long for them and we languish without them.