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⁹ So on that day Moses swore to me, “The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children for ever, BECAUSE YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THE LORD MY GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY.” Joshua 14

⁷ AND WILL NOT GOD BRING ABOUT JUSTICE FOR HIS CHOSEN ONES, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?’ Luke 18

Even at the end of time on this earth when the Lord returns He will still be looking for Faith in His people! Caleb was a man marked by his faith in God. Despite the giants in the land and the negative reports of ten of the spies who went with him, Caleb stood firm in his belief that God would keep His Word and give Israel the land He’d promised to the Patriarchs.

¹⁰ ‘Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! ¹¹ I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. ¹² Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, THE LORD HELPING ME, I WILL DRIVE THEM OUT JUST AS HE SAID.’

¹³ Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Joshua 14

Caleb held on to the words God had spoken to him, he never forgot God’s promise to him and both he and his family line inherited the land.

We said yesterday to hold onto that which God has promised us. Declare it and remind Him of His promises to us for He will surely bring them to pass, no matter how long the wait.

¹³ In accordance with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah – Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) … ¹⁶ And Caleb said, ‘I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.’ ¹⁷ Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage. Joshua 15

God is faithful to those who follow Him WHOLEHEARTEDLY. Don’t give up, He wants the best for His children and keeps His promises.

May the Lord bless and keep you. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: EVERYTHING MUST BE FULFILLED THAT IS WRITTEN ABOUT ME in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Luke 14

Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, while they were still in hiding in a room in Jerusalem. God could have empowered them at any time He chose, but even the disciples had to wait on God’s timing.

^{48 “}You are my witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24

Jesus told the disciples to wait until He would send the Holy Spirit upon them, to ‘clothe them with power from on high’. God is the believer‘s true source and He turned them from a handful of believers cowering in an upper room to men who preached to and won thousands on the Day of Pentecost. Before the coming of the Spirit, Jesus told them that EVERYTHING WRITTEN ABOUT HIM HAD TO BE FULFILLED. I don’t know how many Bible prophecies have been fulfilled to date, but it’s a lot. Given the many that have already been fulfilled we can be sure that the remainder will also come to pass. God doesn’t lie and the enemy, who suffered his greatest ever defeat on the cross, couldn’t prevent the prophecies from happening.

If you have unfulfilled prophecies over your life, begin to declare them. God wants our cooperation to bring His plans to pass. PS we should always record personal prophecy to help us find our future paths.

³ But everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 1 Corinthians 14

Jesus met with His disciples to reassure, comfort and encourage them before they began their mission to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem and beyond. He’s just as eager to encourage and build up His followers today during our time here in the world.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

 

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, WHO GIVES GENEROUSLY TO ALL WITHOUT FINDING FAULT, and it will be given to you. James 1

I felt that this verse from James spoke to me earlier in the week. James makes clear that we serve a GENEROUS GOD, not a stingy God. Sadly, many of the God’s children are not blessed with the same trait as our Heavenly Father. Sometimes it may be the result of a spirit of poverty, perhaps from childhood. I remember the late Kenneth Hagin was struggling with financial matters and he earnestly sought God for an answer. (He said the church in his area had a saying something like, ‘You keep him (the preacher) humble and we (the congregation) will keep him poor’.) Kenneth Hagin had to learn to access God’s provision in his life and he did.

I was also impressed by the second part of the same verse, God gives to us WITHOUT FINDING FAULT, Hallelujah. The Holy Spirit does Convict of specific sin in our lives, but He does not Condemn. (Neither does a Holy God Condone sin)

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 1

Religion often finds fault and many times over trivial issues. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for, ‘straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel’. Matthew 23:24 Once again, sadly, there are many self-appointed judges in the Church, but we will all stand before the Lord someday to give an account. Our God is not a ‘fault finder’ and we must seek to extend Grace to those who are together with us in this life and in the Body of Christ.

¹¹ A word aptly spoken (A FITTING WORD)
    is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (VALUABLE!)
¹² Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
    is a wise rebuke (CORRECTION) to a listening ear. Proverbs 25

So long as we are in the body here on earth, we must be open to Godly and hopefully Gracious Correction. Others with wisdom may speak a blessing to us in different situations and we should be grateful for their input to us. The Church should be a safe place to receive Godly counsel and encouragement.

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6

Immanuel, God is surely with us.

 

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12

True love for God and His people cannot coexist with evil, they’re mutually exclusive. The second part of the verse describes our ongoing struggle with evil. God has given everyone free will to choose how we will live and we’re told we must exert our will and resist sin. In a sense the Christian must, ‘swim against the current’ in this world. The flesh, the world and the devil will always try and drag us down to their level, but we must exercise our will and resist the pull of sin. When Christ spoke to the seven churches in Revelation He told all of them, without exception, that they had to overcome in their individual situations. The blessings are promised for those who persevere and overcome in this life.

¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Romans 12

The next part of this scripture is about how we behave towards those around us. Love never exists in a vacuum. We face many tests here and a major part of this will be showing this love to those we meet in this life. The same section goes on to expand how we as Believers should behave towards toward others;

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (DON’T REACT THE WAY OTHERS DO!) ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. (ALSO MEANS, BE WILLING TO DO MENIAL WORK, TO SERVE) Do not be conceited. Romans 12

This scripture also gives some encouraging guidance on how the Believer should respond in different circumstances.

¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality. 

The Believer must keep on serving the Lord despite everything we face on this earth. Trials strengthen our faith and enable us to grow in our walk with the Lord. God always wants us to grow and overcome in our trials, but the devil wants us to fail. We learn to lean most heavily upon the Lord and His Grace in our lives during times of adversity.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1

The Lord strengthen His people to look to Him and overcome in every situation that we face. Hallelujah

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

The seven last words of Jesus on the cross (Seven, the number of completion or perfection!) Seven deeply poignant and touching words, Christ’s last utterances as He hung dying.

³⁴ Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ Luke 23

Forgiveness is often difficult, but Christ chose to ask the Father to forgive those who killed Him.

⁴³ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Luke 23

Jesus forgave the thief who called out to Him for mercy in death. He responded to one who was condemned by the law of men.

²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing near by, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ ²⁷ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19

Jesus remembered His earthly mother, Mary, even in death and ensured she would be cared for when He had departed.

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’). Matthew 27

For the first time ever in His earthly life Jesus experienced separation from His Father and was heartbroken.

²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ John 19

Jesus suffered the physical symptoms of a slow and painful death, nothing glamorous about it.

³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19

Jesus completed the calling upon His life, despite much suffering. May God give each of us grace to fulfill our callings, no matter what we face.

⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last. Luke 23

The Lord’s final words, looking to the Father, the creator of all spirits.

May the Lord bless and keep you at this Easter time. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, ² and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, FOR THEY WERE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE. Luke 22

The Lord’s sacrifice, when He became our Passover Lamb, was the high point of His ministry here on earth and the greatest ever victory for humanity. It’s also interesting that each of the first three gospels record that those who murdered Him, ‘were afraid of the people’, so they came for Jesus in the dark of night. Those who oppose the rule of God and His Kingdom are still, ‘afraid of the people’, rising up to overthrow them. Christ won a magnificent victory for all mankind on the cross, but we His followers, still have to enforce that victory and walk in it now.

Today is recognised as the day when Christ shared the Passover Supper or Last Supper with His disciples before going to the cross. Despite the suffering that lay ahead of Him, Christ began to speak of the time in the distant future when it would find fulfilment in the Kingdom of God.

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.’ Luke 22

Though the Lord hadn’t yet given His body nor shed His blood on our behalf He  instituted the new covenant whereby men could stand in righteousness before Almighty God. ‘Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin’ Hebrews 9:22. Jesus bled for each of us so that we might be free from the guilt of sin before a Holy God.

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22

Thank You Lord for Your Sacrifice for all of us.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

 

⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL.

¹¹ ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10

This is Holy Week, the week that the world wide Church remembers Christ’s crucifixion in Jerusalem. The Lord didn’t die in vain and the enemy was stripped of much of his power when Christ rose from the grave and conquered death on behalf of the people of this earth. Jesus said in John’s Gospel that He came to give us life, not just life, but abundant (overflowing) life. There should be an overflow from the life of the Believer, Christ’s life flowed out from Jerusalem and is filling the whole earth with ‘the knowledge of the Glory of God’. God wants us to overflow, no matter how small we think we’re able to do it. God has called us to be ‘salt and light’ to this world, to people who are still in darkness and suffering. Ask the Lord to show you how and where you can speak for and serve Him. Don’t miss the opportunity (open door) that He’s made for you to walk through.

May the Lord bless and keep you in this Holy Week of His Passion. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSINGS AND CURSES. NOW CHOOSE LIFE, SO THAT YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE. Deuteronomy 30

God gives humanity FREEDOM OF CHOICE, from the earliest chapters in Genesis to the Book of Revelation. He offers us life in Christ, if we will only accept it. The verse quoted above links the choice with, ‘blessings and curses’. The choice we make will definitely determine a lot about the type of life we live here on this Earth.

⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden WERE THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. (the trees were the centrepiece, right at the heart of it) Genesis 2

Adam and Eve could eat from any tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil came and deceived them into eating from the forbidden fruit of that tree and we have had to live with their decision ever since. The devil became the ruler of this world from that day. Jesus didn’t contradict him when he stated this in His final temptation. Matthew 4:8, 9

There was a huge fallout from the wrong choice in the garden, but God has been working since then to restore creation to His rule once again. The focal point of this was the cross and the Church will soon celebrate Christ’s victory for all who love Him.

May the Lord bless and keep during this coming Easter season. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

 

 

Are we willing to submit to God’s plan for our lives, even in severe trials? David was a man who proved in the trials of life that God could trust him. 1 Samuel 26

Once again some people, the Ziphites, went to Saul and told him where David and his men were staying – they betrayed him. Saul took his 3000 chosen men and despite his previous encounter with David in the cave, set out to kill him. Saul wouldn’t allow David to live and be a threat to his kingship, even though David had vowed not to harm his family. Sometimes people will do anything to hold on to power – but true power comes from God alone.

¹² Wealth and honour come from you;
    you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29

The words of David when he made preparations for Solomon to build the Temple.

David would eventually be the man God used to initiate the building of His Temple in Jerusalem, (the first place on earth for men to worship the living God) but first he had many trials and much opposition to endure.

David and his 600 men were in the desert of Ziph, not trusting in walls and gates to protect/trap them. They stayed in the open where they had freedom to move quickly. Saul and his army had camped by the roadside, near the hill of Hakilah and during the night had fallen asleep.

David and Abishai went down into the camp and found Saul sleeping, surrounded by his army. Once again Abishai wanted to kill Saul with his spear but David refused to ‘raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed’. 1 Samuel 26:11 Instead they took his spear and water jug and went to a nearby hill, some distance from the camp. They began to call out to the army from there and Saul recognised David’s voice. Saul realised that David had been right beside him in the dark and could have taken his life.

12 They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

God gave Saul into David’s hands a second time. It was as if He was saying, are you sure you won’t take matters into your own hands, against this man who’s hunting you down, but David didn’t touch Saul. He left the situation with God.

²³ The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord gave you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.’

The account ended with Saul blessing David. It could have ended with Saul lying with Abishai’s spear in him and bloodshed. Soon after this David left Israel and lived in the land of the Philistines for over a year, but God eventually brought him back to reign as king over the whole land.

Just because God allows an opportunity for us to get back at someone doesn’t mean we should. Much better to let God fight for us and accept His outcome.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.

 

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: Luke 14, See also Proverbs 25:6, 7

This is another parable that is unique to the Gospel of Luke, the doctor. Jesus taught a lot from things around Him, so the people could relate to His words. Jesus observed people taking the best places, the most important seats at the Pharisee’s house. No one else had criticised them for doing that. Derek Prince pointed out that there tends to be two categories of sin within the church, respectable and unrespectable. Pride, which God detests, often goes overlooked, but smoking, drinking etc are definitely not regarded as respectable and are often talked (or gossiped) about the most.

⁸ ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

Ultimately the person who hosts the banquet, has the final say where the guests should sit, though some took the most prominent seats for themselves and Jesus reprimanded them for their selfishness.

⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this person your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 

¹¹ FOR ALL THOSE WHO EXALT THEMSELVES WILL BE HUMBLED, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ Luke 14

Self-exaltation should not be not a welcome trait in the Church, yet it’s very prevalent. Grasping and taking things into our own hands can lead to humiliation, often a hard lesson, but if truly learned it can bear good fruit.

¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “FRIEND, MOVE UP TO A BETTER PLACE.” Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. Luke 14

Someday there will be a banquet in heaven, the wedding supper of the lamb. The seats will be allocated for all the guests and as scripture says, ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’ Matthew 20:16 I suspect that those who are the most honoured guests will surprise many.

May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.