Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:29-31

²⁹ Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. ³⁰ And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.

³¹ Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

Could there be a greater statement at the end of Joshua’s life than this? The people of Israel served the Lord throughout His life and beyond. That’s excellent leadership.

Now, the people could have made other choices, but Joshua’s strong example made the difference. Since he was a young man, he had been a model of pursuing and obeying God. Though he made a few mistakes along the way, no one could question his diligence in seeking God and following the path He had given. That not only gave Joshua a great life, but caused him to influence the more than a million people who followed him, what a legacy.

We may not have as many folks watching our steps, but what do those who are watching see in us? What do they learn from our lives? As men, we fill many places of influence—at home, at work, in the neighborhood, and in our communities. What do our lives influence others to choose? A life well lived today can have the same kind of impact that marks our thoughts of Joshua. You can make a difference the same way he did—by pursuing and obeying God with your whole heart.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:26-28

²⁶ Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak thatwas by the sanctuary of the Lord. ²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” ²⁸ So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.

Are you living out the promises you’ve made to God? It’s hard to imagine our connection to anyone else being more important, isn’t it? After all, God is, well, God! Surely we should be careful to fulfill our promises to Him.

That’s what Joshua’s after when he sets up a stone as a reminder to the people of their pledge. They have affirmed that worshipping God forever is their choice. They have claimed a desire to follow Him, but Joshua knows how easily their heads are turned by other things. So he sets up a reminder, lest they become careless and forget their promises.

Maybe we need a stone like that. We’ve pledged our lives to God, but we may need an occasional reminder, because our heads are easily turned to other things as well. Perhaps we don’t need a big rock to be placed somewhere in our lives, but we need to remember and fulfill the promises we have made to our God.

What step could you take to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and your desire to be faithful to Him? Take time today to consider your promises and how you can keep them in greater focus.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:23-25

²³ “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”

²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

Now that the people have pledged to serve the Lord, Joshua immediately directs them to demonstrate that with a challenging form of obedience. “Put away the foreign gods.” For us this might seem like an easy decision, but these other gods represented the currency of life in Canaan. Their connection with such things helped them function among the foreign people. They “needed” them in order to have lives like others around them.

We face the same challenge. We don’t have little statues of deities we can’t do without, but we serve gods of position or wealth and give our greatest efforts to attain them. It’s just the way one lives in our culture, right? We live like the others around us and struggle when God wants us to live in a completely different way.

How do you “put away” the gods of this culture? How does your life reveal that you’re chasing a different way to live? The Israelites’ decision wasn’t an easy one, and they would fail in it many times. We face the same kind of challenge and must give our best to this central point of obedience.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:19-21

¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”

²¹ And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”

Promises. We’re good at making them, but how do we do at living by the promises we make—especially those we make to God? Many of us have expressed a commitment of our lives to God and His purposes, but we may not always live up to such intent.

Here, the people are quick to agree with Joshua’s statement of dedication, but Joshua knows them pretty well. He knows how easily they have become sidetracked by the temptations around them. He knows that while their pledge to God is sincere, their follow-through hasn’t always been the best. It’s an important moment for them, and he wants to impress that importance on them deeply.

Our promises to God are equally important. While we may lack the capacity to live those promises flawlessly, our commitment to those promises are no less important and must be lived every day. Of course, our lives are more fulfilling when we do so obeying God isn’t just a task to target, but a really good plan for our lives.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:16-18

¹⁶ So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; ¹⁷ for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”

When we read the Israelites’ response to Joshua, we’d like to say, “Hold that thought!” It wouldn’t be long before these people would violate the strong words they spoke on this day. If only they could have held onto this moment and stayed true to the pledge they made.

That’s a good matter for us to consider too. Are we living our own pledges to God? You see, we can have significant moments in life where God has stepped in or we have caught a glimpse of ourselves without Him and we determine to give our lives fully to Him without holding anything back.

But then the moment changes, the crisis passes, and we can begin slipping away from the strong words of allegiance we once uttered. Slowly, we shift from the place of strong dedication, and sometimes we don’t even realize it.

As you read the words spoken by the people that day, do they ring true for you as well? If so, read them again and speak them out loud to God yourself. If it’s been awhile since you’ve really lived those words, renew that pledge today and then…hold that thought!

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:14-15

¹⁴ “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! ¹⁵ And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

It is enough! That’s what Joshua is telling the people of Israel. God has demonstrated more than enough of His love, His power, and His mercy on their behalf to make the decision to serve Him an easy one.

But serving God requires a dedication that “puts away” the gods you once served. In other words, adding God to your focus isn’t sufficient. You must remove the other priorities from your life and give yourself fully to His path.

You see, many of the people of Israel tried worshipping God and maintaining their connection to the gods of the world around them. That way they didn’t stand out as too different from their neighbors and they could still chase after the things their culture seemed to prize.

Joshua would likely confront us with the same choice. God has found many ways to prove His love, power, and mercy for us. Are we willing to lay aside our pursuits of our culture’s gods—money, position, popularity, power, etc.—and give ourselves totally for Him?

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:11-13

¹¹ Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. ¹² I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. ¹³ I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

What has God done in your life? How has He stepped in and provided things unexpected—things you didn’t achieve for yourself?

People often speak of the “self-made” man. He’s the guy who pulled himself out of difficult circumstances, who worked long hours to become what others dream of. He’s the guy many admire because of what he’s done. It’s an impressive story, but there’s an even greater man to emulate.

Rather than be self-made, focus your thoughts on being God-made. After all, your life has been surrounded by God’s presence and He has already blessed you in ways you couldn’t have achieved yourself. Celebrate that goodness and learn to trust God for the greatest things in your life. Live by His path and you’ll see that what He can do is much greater than anything you can do for yourself.

And when you look back on how far you’ve come, celebrate the thousands of fingerprints God has left on the life “you’ve” built.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:8-10

⁸ And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. ⁹ Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

We are blessed to know that God fights our battles for us. There are so many moments in our lives where life gets bigger than us and we face challenges we can’t overcome, much less control.

Here Joshua reminds the people how God won such victories for them. From their very first battles on the east side of the Jordan, God was giving them victories. At that time the army of Israel was just learning to fight. They were inexperienced and ill-equipped for battle after centuries in slavery. Still, the Amorites were defeated because God gave the Israelites victory. Even against the Moabite strategy—an effort to curse the people of Israel—God gave victory. An old prophet tried to curse them, but the words that came from his mouth proclaimed blessing. No weapon in Israel’s hand could do that—God was fighting for them!

And God fights for you as well. He helps you in battles you know you are facing, and some that rage around you unseen. He is with you, leading you according to His promises, and you can celebrate that reality by worshipping Him with your whole heart. That’s Joshua’s goal for the people—think about what God has done and always be faithful to Him!

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:6-7

⁶ ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. ⁷ So they cried out to the Lord; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. 

Joshua recounts the works of God in the lives of the people by speaking for God in the first person. Throughout his retelling of their story, God is “I” again and again. But verse 7 ends differently. The focus is on the pronoun “you” and the failure of the people to trust God for their journey.

“I brought you out…the Lord put darkness between you and the Egyptians…YOU dwelt in the wilderness a long time.” There’s a clear sense that a lot of years were wasted in their departure from the way God intended.

I wonder how much unnecessary wilderness is in our lives. Just as for them, our lives sometimes lead through wilderness passages, but we can find ourselves staying there a lot longer than necessary when we don’t trust God, don’t live by faith, or settle for less than His plan.

How much better the story becomes when God can say “I did this…” and we follow closely behind.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 24:1-5

¹ Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. ² And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. ³ Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.⁵ Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out.

What historical claim can God make on your life?

Here, Joshua begins his final address to the people by reminding them of how Yahweh had been their God. He had established them as a people, brought them out of horrific slavery, and now given them rest in a land of their own. Joshua is establishing God’s right to demand their faithfulness and worship because He had been faithful to fulfill His covenant promises, made with Abraham and with them.

What might these words look like in your life story? How can God describe His actions on your behalf and what would He include if He were making the same case concerning you?

Truth is, each of us have many reasons to worship God—not just because we’re thankful for His help and love, but because He has demonstrated His right to our allegiance. He has been our God, so as we go forward, we must be His people. It’s not a forced obedience, but the more I reflect on what God has done for me, the more I want to live in a way that honors Him.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 23:14-16

¹⁴ “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. ¹⁵ Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. ¹⁶ When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

None of us can fully control what happens in our lives, but we likely have more input into those realities than we realize. Here, Joshua underscores a truth God has communicated throughout Scripture—if you choose righteousness, life will unfold with God’s blessings, but if you choose to do evil, God will be against you. 

That’s right! Joshua’s words show us that God doesn’t just let our wicked choices run their natural course. There’s more than consequences ahead on that road. God will respond with judgment—His core strategy for steering us from the wrong path.

But the same God who will damage the evil road we choose, also will bless the righteous path before us. Joshua’s words say more than “you get what you give.” Here he’s telling the people of Israel—and us—that God will go beyond positive consequences when we choose righteousness. He will bless us even more.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 23:6-8

 ⁶ Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, ⁷ and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,⁸ but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 

Will you lead, or simply follow? In these verses, Joshua commands God’s people to be leaders when it comes to choices and living a life of truth. Don’t yield to the choices of others around you, but obey God—as you know to do.

That’s good advice no matter where you’re living, isn’t it? How tragic to go to church week after week, learning of God’s truth, and then let a decaying world dictate the ideas we live by. It’s more than tragic. It’s foolish and will prove catastrophic to our futures, just like it did for Joshua’s people within a few decades.

The question for us is, “Will we lead or will we follow?” The choice to live by God’s truth isn’t something we can expect our communities to make for us. We must determine to obey God’s Word—and if we do, we will find the future He has designed for our very best life.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 23:6

⁶ Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left…

This section of Joshua’s speech takes us back to some of the very first words God spoke to Joshua himself. In Chapter 1, God encouraged Joshua three different times to “be strong and courageous.” Now, Joshua passes on that same directive to the people who will face a new generation without him.

What has God spoken to you that needs to be passed to future generations? How has God revealed Himself or proven His faithfulness and what can you do to help others benefit from the lessons you’ve learned?

Did you learn any lessons the hard way? Most of us do, but imagine being able to share what you’ve learned so someone you love doesn’t have to discover that truth through the same difficulty. Someone has wisely said that it’s good to learn from experience, but even better to learn from the experience of others. That can’t happen unless you pass the wisdom along. Regardless of your age, let others learn from your experience. Help them discover the truths God has revealed in your journey.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Joshua 23:2-5

And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:  “I am old, advanced in age. ³ You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.  See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward.    And the Lord your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

As Joshua opens his final speech to the Israelites, he reminds them of God’s amazing faithfulness. Indeed, God had brought them from horrific slavery in Egypt and given them the remarkable land of promise. There was much to be thankful for—God had proven His faithfulness in extraordinary ways.

Think about your journey with God. Like the Israelites, you have been delivered from the destructive bondage of sin, a slavery more eternally devastating than even that experienced by Moses’ people.

And what about the destination? Well, eternity in Heaven sure tops the land of Canaan, but even the earthly road you’re walking today has a lot to celebrate. Yes, the road can be difficult at times, just as it was for Joshua and the people, but the peace, hope, and blessings they searched for are yours because of God’s goodness. Like Joshua, you can proclaim God’s faithfulness, even if you’re not nearing the end of your journey.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:32-34 –  And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” (NKJV)

God is our Sustainer—a trait we may not consider very often. But when we see Him protect us from disaster, we want to praise Him, don’t we? When we come close to a car accident or manage to avert a misunderstanding at work, we say, “God protected me,” and we are grateful. That’s what has happened in this story. The Israelites have avoided the civil war that threatened to break out because of a misunderstanding. They see their close call as the protecting hand of God and the moment actually draws them closer to God and to each other. How often do you think God protects you from trouble? Seems likely that the moments could number in the thousands or beyond, doesn’t it? For every time we realize He has shielded us, there are dozens of moments we didn’t see. Give that some thought today. Consider the blessings you enjoy in God your Sustainer and give thanks for such remarkable goodness. He’s at work in your life in so many ways you haven’t seen—and He deserves your praise in more ways that you can know or count.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:30-31 – Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.” (NKJV)

“The Lord is among us!” Wow! That’s quite a statement when you think about it. Imagine what that means—the Creator of the Universe chooses to localize Himself in our moment, our circumstance and our location. Wow! But the most intriguing part of that statement is to see how the priest came to that conclusion. How do we know God is with us? He kept us from committing a terrible relationship error. Phinehas saw God’s presence in the choice they made not to attack their brothers. God could be seen in the preservation of their relationship. God shows up that way in our lives too. Why? Because God has revealed Himself as love. He has even told us that when we love, we demonstrate our connection to Him. When we love like Him, we reveal Him to those we love and those who see us loving others. One might think that God’s agenda would be larger than that. Surely He’s more focused on our achievements or the expanse of our message, but instead God shows the greatest focus on our efforts to connect, to love and to preserve the connections He helps us establish. He is a God who loves and who stands with us as we love like He does. How cool is that!

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:24-27 – “But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the Lord.” So your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the Lord.’ Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the Lord.”’” (NKJV) 

Can the actions of a friend be perceived as the actions of an enemy? They can if we lack understanding. Here, Israel’s tribes that settled on the east side of the Jordan have constructed an altar lest their western brothers forget their relationship and someday allow the Jordan River to justify rejecting them. Why did these tribes fear such a future outcome? It’s hard to say, but it seems likely that they had perceived their connection to the remainder of Israel as uncertain. Of course, the western folks misconstrued the intent of their eastern brothers in this action and war was imminent. On both sides of the Jordan, the actions made sense to those who had taken them, just as our actions make sense to us, but we can easily misunderstand the actions of others. The solution? It seems that only a sincere effort to communicate will bridge the gap. After all, when we believe others are responding to us negatively, our fears can lead us down many uncertain paths. Talk before you act and you might save yourself from tragedy.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:13-16 – Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: ‘What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord?’” (NKJV)

They say that perception is reality. But, in truth, what we think is going on isn’t always what’s happening, is it? Still, most of us get plenty of exercise jumping to conclusions. And when we’re wrong, sometimes the result can be catastrophic. That’s about to happen for the Israelites in this part of Joshua’s story. The eastern tribes have set up their own altar for reasons they have not yet explained to the western tribes. And so, in typical human fashion, the western tribes fill in the blanks themselves, assuming the eastern tribes are rebelling against them and against God. They even send a delegation fully armed with their accusations. Can you think of a recent moment when you jumped to an inaccurate conclusion? Often such moments are the product of fear or thinking the worst about others. When we assume their actions to be negative, we are revealing some type of insecurity in our own hearts. Why not take a different approach? Can we determine to believe the best about others, at least until we have real information to tell us otherwise? Such an effort will likely bring down your own stress level and help you maintain relationships more effectively than if you’re jumping to wrong conclusions.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:10-12 – And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. Now the children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.” And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. (NKJV)

We have become a culture of reaction. We tend to react to the ideas, attitudes and choices of others quite rapidly, often before we really understand the full situation. Rather than acting on our on principles, we allow the behaviors of others to dictate our priorities. Now, whether that is true in your life is for you to decide, but what happens when we react to things we misunderstand? That’s what’s occurring in this story from the book of Joshua. The eastern tribes have constructed an altar and their actions stir a remarkable reaction from their western brothers. They stand at the edge of the Jordan ready to go to war, likely much to the surprise of the eastern folks. When we make assumptions of intent, we often miss the mark. Most of us judge the actions of others through the lens of their impact on us or through the lens of fear—we are afraid of what someone might be really saying or doing. So we decide we know the “why” and react to our perception. Sadly, by the time we realize we didn’t understand correctly, a response has already been put in place and actions based on the misunderstanding are already underway. What a great reminder to stop, to listen and to avoid being quick to believe the worst about others. Makes you wonder how much anxiety could be eliminated if we simply listen before sounding alarms.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 22:1-4 – Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. (NKJV)

Faithfulness marks the path to honor. When Joshua’s battles had concluded, he called the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh to him and commended them for their faithfulness. They chose land on the east side of the Jordan, the first land Israel had conquered, but they continued to fight with the army until all the tribes had their inheritance—just as Moses commanded. Now they could go to their new homes with their leader’s approval and their nation’s gratitude. Faithfulness doesn’t always garner a lot of attention, but it does get noticed. When you do the right things repeatedly, a harvest builds up that can’t be obtained with short-term actions. God established His creation under an agricultural pattern that shows us the value of sowing good seeds. When we do good things, a harvest of good things builds up in our lives. Just as wrong choices bring negative consequences, our good choices will bring good results. So, we are encouraged to be faithful, to not grow weary doing good and to honor God with the work of our hands. Don’t let momentary frustrations or any other excuse turn you from doing things well. Be your best and give your best for others, and a harvest will come. And with God, the harvests are always exponentially larger than the seeds you plant.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.