WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT OF HIS
FOLLOWERS? As MEN of GOD we should
always be progressing on the spiritual journey. That’s our life mission… our
Walk… growing in Christ –LEADING our families in spiritual growth. WHY? There’s a finish line at some point in our
future and we should want to arrive ready to hear those words of our Lord… “Well done good and faithful servant...”.
However, many times we stop short in
receiving what God wants us to have, and our Walk gets sluggish, or comes to a
dead-stop. Not uncommon for God’s
people… I could have done better, but… you know all sorts of excuses.
Consider the example of God's own people. Israel stopped short when they
failed to enter the Promised Land the first time. In their disobedience, they
wandered in the wilderness instead of receiving what God had promised.
Stopping short may be the result of
holding onto a sin or refusing to follow God's direction in certain matters,
but the end result is this: because we wander, we fail to enjoy the blessings
of God. ALL-IN is not an option with
GOD… it is HIS expectation for HIS followers.
So
how do we move from where we are to where God wants us to be? The people of Israel give us some clues. The man JOSHUA is an excellent example for us
men… HE was married, a father, a leader of Israel and a man who dealt with many
adversities and presented a life of faithfulness to God. Let’s look at Joshua…. 4 things to learn….
Receive and Accept a formidable
challenge --- Joshua 1: 2... "Moses
my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the
Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them - to the
Israelites." After Moses died, God challenged Joshua to
possess the land. This was not a decision to accept lightly. Since Joshua had
been with the Israelite people, he knew of their weaknesses and problems. And
though he was well past middle age, (85 yrs old) Joshua accepted God's
challenges. HE trusted GOD and knew from experience GOD never fails those who
trust HIM.
Challenge the Unknown & Untamed --- Joshua 3:15… Now the Jordan is at flood stage all
during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the
Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped
flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in
the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah
(that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over
opposite Jericho.
The
Jordan River was at flood stage as they prepared to cross. How much better it
would have been to cross when the weather was dry and the river was low! However, we honor God in our willingness to
TRUST Him during hard times. Everyone
faces unknown/untamed situations in life. God wants us to walk across those
barriers and face the challenges. God reveals His power best in times of
seemingly great challenge.
The Israelites were preparing to go
where they had never been before, into a land unknown. They were a brand-new generation of people. Not one of us knows what the future holds.
Each day we face the new and unknown. Most of us fear the unknown, so often we
settle for problems instead of facing our challenges. Following God into an unknown territory,
though, creates in us a dependency on
Him which always lead to
victory.
Recognize God's Commitment – Joshua
1:5... "No
one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was
with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake
you."
Joshua could accept the challenge
because he recognized God's promise to him. In essence, God said to Joshua, "If you accept the challenge, I'll
commit myself to you." GOD is a DEAL MAKER… YOU, give me your
faithfulness, TRUST me…do what I have asked you to do… and I have your back.
I’m with YOU!
Powerful,
Personal & Permanent Presence
In verse 5, God reminded Joshua that
no one would be able to stand against Israel. not because of their power, but
because of His power. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He promises us
His power and presence in our lives.
Even
when you don't see God, He is
there -- Acts 17:27 assures us...“he is never from any one of us” The people of Israel were willing to face
challenges because God was with them.
Verse
5 also speaks of the assurance that Joshua had… He would never be left or
forsaken. Christ has made us the same commitment to us. He has given us The
Holy Spirit to live in us so we won't be alone. God's presence becomes personal,
powerful AND PERMANENT when we RESPECT and live by God's commands.
RESPECT God's Commands – Joshua 1:7…
"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."
God told Joshua that he was to obey
the law of God. Though Moses was gone, the law remained. To move into the land
and claim victory, the people of God had
to be obedient. Today, God calls us to be obedient to His Word in our lives.
This respect for God's Word is to be....
Complete -- Just as Israel was to obey the law, we are to implement all of God's Word into our lives.
We cannot treat Scripture as a buffet line in which we pick and choose what we
will obey.
Consistent -- God told
Joshua not to vary from the law.
He was to obey the entire law and to
do so every day! This was not to be a weekend religion that made no difference
in daily living.
For the Israelites, getting to where
God wanted them meant facing their challenges with the promised presence of God
and doing as God directed.
Nothing
has changed today. Those are still the requirements
for Christians who want to move to where God wants them. TO RECEIVE HIS ETERNAL BLESSING… LIFE
EVERLASTING!
Joshua
24:14-17...
14 “Now fear
the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the
gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and
serve the Lord. 15 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.” 16 Then the
people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve
other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who
brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and
performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire
journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.
The
Bible has a lot to say about this. Paul emphasized the walk of Christian - Col.
2:6-7… So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in
the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. BE ALL-IN – DO
WHAT HE SAYS. DON’T ARGUE WITH HIM…!
WE SPEND a lot of time looking for a spiritual experience that doesn’t require any follow-through. WE prefer to be swept along effortlessly in our Christian walk, but that's not the way it works.
WE SPEND a lot of time looking for a spiritual experience that doesn’t require any follow-through. WE prefer to be swept along effortlessly in our Christian walk, but that's not the way it works.
Spirituality
WILL fade into nothingness IF we fail to follow through.
For
many, the Christian life is like a soap box derby. Someone gives you a big shove down a steep hill and you're
sailing. The wind blowing your hair, the speed is exhilarating, and
everything's great.
WHAT
HAPPENS…? YOU slow down; you get slower and
slower until finally you stop. You're stalled until you find another hill and
someone to give you another push.
A lot of folks are stalled in the
wilderness, hoping God will come along and give them a big push that will
propel them into a big, beautiful experience. The roadside is littered with
countless Christians who used to be "really turned on" for the Lord. Most of them are there because they didn't
follow through. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT???
MEN,
how are YOU doing?
YOU have a wife and family… LIKE Joshua for Israel.. YOU are responsible
for LEADING. It's been my observation
that many men are overwhelmed by the responsibility of being the husband,
father and spiritual leader that God has called YOU to be…
YOU
have this assurance…"nothing is
impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).
