Doing It God's Way - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 7:12b,

"I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction."

In Joshua 1:2-6 the Lord told Joshua to cross the Jordan and take the promised land from its current inhabitants. He told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them." Verse 6.

However, he also told Joshua, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." Joshua 1:7. Joshua and Israel were to obey the Lord as they carried out what the Lord wanted them to do. As long as Israel obeyed the Lord they would be successful. If they were to disobey the Lord, they would lose the Lord's help and support and ultimately fail to take the promised land.

When Israel took the first city, Jericho, one of the men kept some of the "devoted things" (items that were to be devoted to God, at his request) as booty for himself, hiding them in his tent. When Israel attacked the second city, Ai, Israel was defeated by a very small force that protected it. The Lord told Joshua that as long as there was disobedience, they would not have the Lord's help and support and would surely be defeated in their effort to take the land from the Canaanites. Joshua and the Israelites would have to make it right, and they did so.

What I learn from this is that just because I might be pursuing what it is the Lord wants me to do, I cannot disregard how the Lord wants me to go about it.

I have heard on several occasions where nationally known evangelists have knowing lied about something just to make their presentation sound more powerful. When confronted, they would shrug off the criticism and point to the people that responded to their message.

It makes you wonder how many more might have responded to their messages at evangelistic events had they heeded the message Joshua and all Israel discovered at Jericho and Ai.

Just because we set out doing the Lord's work doesn't give us leave of our responsibility to do things God's way.

No, the ends never justify the means. God is more than capable to do anything and he delights in kindness, justice and righteousness. If we want his involvement in what we do, we best do it God's way.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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