March 19, 2016

"So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:43-45

Have you ever made a promise that you didn't keep? Perhaps there was a change of circumstances that was beyond your control that prevented you from delivering on your commitment. But nevertheless, you broke your promise.It made you feel terrible and deeply disappointed the person you had promised.

Remember how bad that felt?

Remember the look of disappointment in the eyes of the person you failed?

Can you recall a time someone failed to keep a promise to you? They gave you reason to be hopeful and then dashed your hopes. Remember how that felt?

Was there ever a time when you made a promise to God but failed to deliver on it?

How did that feel?

What happened next time you wanted to make a promise to God?

Let me ask one more question, has God ever broken a promise to you?

He never has broken a promise to me either.

According to Joshua, God never broke one promise to His people in Egypt, nor in the wilderness or in Canaan.

God never has broken a promise and He never will. In fact, He can't break a promise. He is a promise-keeping covenant-fulfilling God!

You can trust a God like that!

You should trust a God like that!

Will you trust Him?

March 18, 2016

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Decisions have consequences. Your choices result either in good results or bad regrets.

Here are a few historically bad decisions that brought lasting regrets.

1) In 1977, the senior execs at 20th Century Fox made an astonishingly short-sighted decision. They signed over all product merchandising rights for any and all Star Wars films to George Lucas – in exchange for a mere $20,000 cut in Lucas’ studio paycheck. The combined revenue from merchandising is estimated to have exceeded three billion dollars, and continues to grow annually, making it the most lucrative deal ever struck between an individual and a corporate studio in entertainment history.

2) In 1962, the Beatles auditioned at the London office of Decca Records.  The executive in charge of talent rejected them: he thought they sounded too much like a currently popular group called The Shadows (who?), and he told Brian Epstein, their manager, “We don’t like your boys’ sound. Groups are out; four-piece groups with guitars particularly are finished.” Well over 2 billion Beatles albums have since sold worldwide.

3) In 1876, William Orten was President of Western-Union, which had a monopoly on the most advanced communications technology available, the telegraph. Orten was offered the patent on a new invention, the telephone, for $100,000 (worth about $2M in current dollars). He considered the whole idea ridiculous, and wrote directly to Alexander Graham Bell, saying, ”After careful consideration of your invention, while it is a very interesting novelty, we have come to the conclusion that it has no commercial possibilities… What use could this company make of an electrical toy?” 

4) The Eastman Kodak company developed the first digital camera in 1975, then proceeded to sit on it (and the core technology for the cell phone, as well).  They decided not to develop it because they were afraid it would cannibalize  their film business (at one point they had a 90% share of the US film market.)

5) In the early ’80s, Fuji entered the US film marketplace with lower-priced film and supplies, but Kodak management believed that US consumers would never abandon their homegrown brand. In 1984, Kodak passed on the chance to be the official film of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Fuji won the rights, which gave them the strong foothold they needed to catalyze their growth in the US marketplace.

Kodak never fully recovered from these and other poor decisions; in 2012 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

6) In 1981 Amblin Productions called the Mars Company and offered a simple cross-promotional opportunity: How about if we use M&Ms in our new film, giving you free publicity, and in return, you can promote our film in your packaging? The advertising and marketing folks at Mars said “No.”  The film was ET the Extra-Terrestrial, and the rest is history.  Reeses Pieces, the not-nearly-as-well-known M&M competitor, saw sales jump 65%  in the months after the film was released featuring their product.

Do you think there may be some regrets over these decisions?

Would a few "do overs" be in order?

Unfortunately, we don't get "do overs" we only get good results or bad regrets.

Joshua made a GREAT decision when he chose to serve the Lord! That choice led to a life of good results AND an an eternity of unspeakable joy!

I'm pretty sure he has no regrets over choosing the Lord!

Who will you choose to serve today?

March 17, 2016

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Where do you find yourself spiritually this morning?

Where ever you find yourself is exactly where you have chosen to be.

If you are in Egypt this morning it is because you have chosen to remain there. Jesus is ready, willing and able to lead you out of Egypt. He has defeated the "Pharaoh" and commanded, "Let my people go!" but you have to follow Him out of Egypt. God is calling you out of Egypt. 

So, if you find yourself remaining in Egypt you are exactly where you have chosen to be but it is not what God has chosen for you.

I urge you to make a better choice. (And please hurry)

Should you find yourself with a wilderness address it is because you have chosen to remain a wilderness resident.

Whether you are camped out in a comfortable spot or wandering around in search of a better place, you are still settling for a wilderness existence and it is precisely because you have chosen it. You may have chosen to remain in the wilderness but it is not what God has chosen for you. He calls you out of the wilderness and into Canaan.

I urge you to make a better choice. (And please hurry)

Perhaps you dwell in Canaan. Hopefully you are enjoying Glory Days. If so, it is because you have chosen Canaan. Good choice! You have made the same choice Joshua made for himself and his family!

Choosing to live in Canaan and enjoy Glory Days is the choice to live in God's presence and God's power as His possession. Choosing to live in Canaan is the result of choosing to take possession of all God has chosen to offer you!

Life in Canaan is good!

Glory Days are what you were designed to enjoy!

But remaining in Glory Days requires you to continue choosing what God has chosen for you!

Choose you this day whom you will serve!

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

March 16, 2016

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Living in the Promised Land is a choice.

Enjoying Glory Days is a decision.

Joshua led God's people into the Promised Land but their Glory Days lasted approximately seven years. That was their choice.

Joshua chose differently. He chose correctly. He decided to serve the Lord for the rest of his days.

What did he know that many of them seemed to forget?

How could he be so sure about who to choose?

He thought about the God who visited Egypt with the Plagues and broke down the Pharaoh until he let God's people go. That was the Jehovah God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. He chose Him!

He thought about the God who opened up the Red Sea to allow His people cross on dry ground. Then He closed the waters back on top of Pharaoh's mighty army and destroyed them all. Joshua chose that God.

He thought about the God who cared for 2,000,000 people in a desert bringing water from a rock and manna from heaven every morning for 40 years. That is the God he chose!

He remember the God who opened the Jordan River at flood stage to allow His people to cross over int to Canaan on dry ground. He decided to trust that God.

He thought about the God who brought down the formidable fortress of Jericho with the shouts of His people and the sounds of the trumpets. He chose that God.

Is there another god who did any works like those?

Is there another god who even promised to do works like those?

Is there a god who promised to do supernatural feats like those and then did them just as he promised to do?

Only one God promised these things and then performed them exactly as He promised to do them!

That is Jehovah God!

That is the God Joshua decided to serve!

Why choose a lesser god, a false god, a god who promise because he knows he can't perform.

Chose the God who makes great promises then performs what He promised to perform.

Choose YOU this day who you will serve!

March 15, 2016

"Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."… Joshua 24:14-15

Everyone serves someone. That's just the way it is.

That is a point Joshua makes in these verses.

Everyone chooses whom they serve, a point also made by Joshua.

By default or by design you will choose your master.

When the Hebrews were in Egypt they served the Pharaoh. Not because they wanted to but because they really had no choice. They were slaves.

The first chance they had to choose was when Moses announced the preparations for surviving the tenth plague, the Death Angel. They were instructed to fix a very simple yet significant meal that came to be known the Passover. Then after finishing that meal they were to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the door seals of their home. 

Those who chose to obey Moses were spared the loss of 

their firstborn son. Those who chose to obey were spared 

and those who chose not to lost their firstborn.

In the wilderness God's people were called to serve God by obeying Moses. Since God spoke through Moses choosing to obey Moses was a choice to honor God. But even though they were out of Egypt there was a lot of Egypt still in their mind so sometimes they thought like slaves of Pharaoh and other times they thought like sons of God!

The freedom to choose is a big responsibility and it takes wisdom and experience to make good choices. As they crossed the Jordan and began life in the Promised Land they had to learn to choose well.

You can't make Egypt choices in the Promised Land.

You don't want to make wilderness decisions if you want to enjoy Glory Days.

Where you live determines how you choose and who you serve.

How you choose and who you serve determines where you live.

Glory days depend on making proper choices about who to serve. 

Joshua was sure about who he would serve!  He was clear on his choice! He knew Who to serve and how to make Promised Land decisions.

Do you?

March 14, 2016

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24

Christian researcher George Barna concludes, "American Christianity has largely failed since the middle of the 20th century because modern-day followers do not act much like Jesus." Research conducted by sociologists and pollsters shows that "evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered and sexually as immoral as the world in general."

Could it be that in our attempts to relate to our culture we have ended up resembling it?

2,000 years ago, Jesus anticipated this likelihood. Of his 38 parables He told, 16 were concerned with how to handle  and possessions. As a matter of fact, Christ said more about money than any other subject. The Bible includes 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith but over 2,350 verses pertaining to money and possessions. The Lord said  a lot about it because He wants us to know how He views this important topic.

To measure how you compare with Jesus' perspective on materialism, ask yourself these questions:

* Do I see other people's stuff and become critical or bored with my own?

* Do I shop for recreation?

* Do I buy compulsively (because I feel like it) without first considering my budget or my need?

* Do I complain a lot about how much I make?

* Do I feel self-conscious when I am around rich people?

* Do I give less than 10% of my income to the ministry of my church?

* Do I get irritated when the preacher talks about money?

Jesus declared you can't serve God and materialism. Only one will be your god.

A serious, humble and honest evaluation of those probing questions will reveal the truth of whom you serve.

March 13, 2016

One of the great themes of the captivating Book of Joshua is "God fights for you"!

Since everything is essentially a spiritual battle God fights for you with spiritual weapons!

He fights with His spiritual weapons!

He fights with His presence.

He fights with His power.

Also, God fights with His promises!

GLORY DAYS 101 SAYS, “GOD IS FOR YOU!!!!”

Your exit from the wilderness and entrance into Canaan begins when your heart and your mind become convinced that God is for you!!!!

Are you a "you"?

If you are a "you" then God is for YOU!

THE BIG NEWS OF THE BIBLE IS NOT YOUR FIGHT FOR GOD. THE BIG NEWS OF THE BIBLE IS GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU!!!!

• Gethsemane proves it!
• The Cross proves it!
• Easter Sunday proves it!
• His Promises prove it! 
• His promises are the product of His presence and his power!

God fights for you and He fights in your and through you!

You fight with Heaven’s resources! 

"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:10-18

You are God’s child!

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12

You are His ambassador!

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." II Corinthians 5:20

You are a member of God’s priesthood!

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."  I Peter 2:5

You have a seat with Christ in Heaven!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:4-6

GOD SAYS YOU ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip -  he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."    Psalm 121:2-8

Take time to quietly and prayerfully listen to this familiar song in a new way:

https://youtu.be/3WJ1cf3nrLE

YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN JESUS! GOD FIGHTS FOR YOU!