John 10 Devotional

John 10 25-27 …"I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

Application: Do you think you are a trustworthy person, why or why not? For most people trust is earned and in a world flooded with sin, it’s very difficult to trust anyone. Why? All are sinners and have fallen short of the Glory of God. Therefore, if everyone is a sinner, everyone has the potential to hurt you. I think it is hard to trust people, but every now and then I find someone who can be trusted. What standards do I set that allow me to consider a person trustworthy? Strength, Consistency, and Protection. You see, you can not tell if someone is trustworthy under perfect conditions. In actuality, you can only tell if someone is trustworthy under difficult circumstances. This truth is reflected in John 10: 22 – 27. The Scripture says in vs. 22 that during the Feast of Dedication, Jesus was in the Temple walking in Solomon’s Porch. Now, there is a lot of background with this, but I will only make 2 brief points. (1) The Feast of Dedication is an event commemorating when God miraculously kept a candle lit for eight days on one day’s supply of oil. You may know of this day, it’s called Hanukkah. (2) Solomon’s Porch, where Jesus was talking from, is the place of judgment where Solomon would judge the citizens of the “Kingdom of Israel” during his reign. Ok, with this background in mind let’s dive back into the text. Jesus is once again being challenged by the Jews regarding His identity. He, being the light of the world, responds once again in a way revealing the hearts of his inquisitors. Jesus responds to their questions about his identity by saying, “I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” You see it is the background that makes Jesus’ words clear. Why? Well, it was God who kept the candle burning eight days on one days worth of oil, and these very people who are celebrating what God did with that oil are refusing to accept what He was doing in Jesus. The irony is, at this point in the Gospel of John, Jesus has performed several miracles, which all of Israel knows about. However, these Jews would not accept His words even though they had seen His miraculous actions. As a result, they are being judged as not being His sheep because they won’t accept Him; this is why He was at Solomon’s Porch. Even though these Jews did not believe Him, there were others who did. Remember these were difficult times. Jesus still had to go to the cross. However, Jesus remained strong, and consistent, and His actions proved he had the ability to protect them, even from the death, which will happen in Chapter 11. His actions spoke even louder than His words. Like wise, throughout history, there have always been people who have trusted God. These people have taken the time to get to know Him. As a result, they heard His voice. These people eventually realized He is strong enough to get them out of any situation they face, even death. They have learned, from their relationship with Him that God is consistent, will cheer for them, support them and believe in them even when they have given up on themselves. Finally, these people have learned to depend on him for protection; regardless of the valley they walk through, they will not worry because only He can keep them from any real harm. They choose to follow him because they are familiar with His voice and they have learned to trust it. Do you know what is interesting? Sheep are considered to be the least intelligent animal on the planet. They will even eat themselves to death if left alone. But, the interesting point is, even sheep, who are the “dumbest” animal on the face of the earth knows the voice of their Shepherd, what excuse do we have? BAAAA!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 10: 25-27.

2. Do you trust God? Why or why not?

3. Are you taking the time to get to know him?

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 1:6 – 7

⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.⁷ Be strong and very courageous. 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.

It is easy to think the hardest part in leading anyone would be to simply accomplish the mission. However, this is not the case when it comes to Kingdom leaders. Now, I am not saying that it is not important for a kingdom leader to accomplish his or her goals, but what the Scriptures convey is that paramount to accomplishing any goal is maintaining the leader’s relationship with God first. Look at the beginning of vs. 6 and compare it to vs. 7. In verse 6 God exhorts Joshua to “Be strong and courageous…” in order to lead the Hebrews into the inheritance. However, in vs. 7 we see the exhortation to “Be strong and very courageous” regarding their commandment to obey the law. The adverb “very” modifies the verb courageous; moreover, the word “very” in Greek is me‘od, which means exceedingly. Thus, God is encouraging Joshua to be courageous about taking the land but to be exceedingly courageous about adhering to the law. Is this exhortation not revealing? God is telling the General that conquering the land would be hard, but adhering to the laws and marinating a right relationship with God would be more challenging. Yet, if we take a broader look it makes perfect sense. Without a vibrant and healthy relationship with God, it is impossible for us to accomplish anything for Him or His people. To reiterate, accomplishing the mission is important for the Kingdom leader; however, the priority for him or her is to adhere to God’s commands and maintain a healthy relationship with him. Scriptures conveys the point clearly: paramount to accomplishing any goal for the Kingdom, a leader must stay connected with God first.

John 9 devotional

John 9: 24 -25

24They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor." 25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."

Application: I don’t know what it is like to be blind, but I was once in the woods in Eastern Europe at night where it was really, really dark. And, I did not like it! I could not see anything. Being in the dark can be tough; similarly, I remember the difference I felt being in the dark in my room as a boy. I remember sharing a room with my brother and waking up at night trying to get to the bathroom. I would bump into stuff because I did not know where all the toys were. Eventually, I got used to going to the bathroom at night. (I think my brother getting his own room had a big part to do with that). When he moved out, I got comfortable with going to the bathroom in the darkness because I knew where all my things were. I was comfortable with my surroundings. However, if anybody came into my room and moved something around, I would have been in trouble. And, my entire family would have suffered as the sound of my fall reverberated throughout the house. Obviously, if I turned on the light, I would not have this problem. But, if I turned on the light, it might have woken me up more than I wanted to. And, I did not want to wake up. I simply wanted to use the bathroom and go right back to sleep. This scenario is similar to what was happening to the blind man and the Pharisees. The blind man, who Jesus healed, had been blind from birth. But, even though he was born blind, he never became comfortable with the dark! He wanted the lights on. How do I know that? Well, after Jesus healed him, the Pharisees tried to get him to lie and say that Jesus was a sinner! But, this was a man who had been blind all his life and had never seen anything. He was the last person on the earth who could lie about what he ‘saw.’ No this is a man that is going to tell everyone exactly what he sees. You see this man exhibited the actions of one who desired the light. He was so thankful to see and so thankful for what Jesus had done for him that he had to interpret accurately what he saw in Jesus. In this man’s heart he knew that Jesus was good. Everything within his heart was screaming—Jesus is a good man, he healed you didn’t he. And, because he could ‘see’ that Jesus was good, he had to respond honesty to the Pharisees questions about Jesus regardless of the consequences. The conflict for this man is the Pharisees stated whoever said Jesus was the Messiah would be kicked out of their church. For a Jew that was huge, but for a Jew who was born blind and had no income it was enormous. But, the Scriptures say, “They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man [Jesus] is an impostor." He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.” Interestingly, the Pharisees who were born with functional eyes were really blind. And, unlike the blind man, they were comfortable with the darkness. How do I know this? Well in vs. 16 one of the Pharisees asks the obvious question that the blind man also repeated in vs. 31. What was the question? How can a man who is a sinner do such signs [heal a blind man]? And, the obvious answer is ‘only God can do such signs; it is impossible for anyone else.’ Therefore, Jesus must be from God. Seems simple, but the Pharisees were comfortable with the dark. They did not want to see because if Jesus was right, then they would have to wake up and admit they were wrong. Therefore, they chose to reject Jesus and walk around in the dark. Sadly, the sound of their fall is still ringing in our ears. Here is the moral of the story, when you see Jesus for who He reality is, you see yourself for who your really are. Jesus is ultimate reality or He is the light that exposes everything. If you are honest in your assessment of whom Jesus is you are in the light. Why? Because you will see how dependent you are on him to be righteous but, an incorrect assessment of Him means you are in the darkness and you think that you don’t need Him, and you can get right with God on your own! The Bible calls that being blind or being in the dark. You see, I knew there was a good reason to be afraid of the dark!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 9: 24 -25

2. What are some things you do differently when you walk in the dark in contrast to the light?

3. Pray for someone you know who is walking in the dark?

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 1

The LORD Commands Joshua

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 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. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea ^[a] on the west. 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.

One of the more challenging aspects of leadership in the Kingdom is to stand on God’s promises for other peoples’ lives. Often times the believer individually wrestles to stand on God’s promises for his or her own life. That struggle is compounded for the leader when he or she has to believe God for the promises of those in whom they lead. That is why a leader’s relationship with God is paramount, and his or her ability to trust God for the manifestation of the promises in his or her own life is vital for success. Looking at the opening chapter of the book of Joshua God gives the general 4 promises that coalesce around God’s plan for the Hebrews; however, they have a direct affect on Joshua. Let’s focus on their affects on Joshua. I am going to discuss them in a progressive manner starting with the promise that affirms Joshua’s relationship with God through the promise that specifically addresses the territory the Hebrews would possess. Starting with v5c “I will never leave you nor forsake you...” What a promise! The God who parted the Red sea, destroyed the Egyptian empire would personally be with Joshua—forever. This is the one truth that is vital not just for a Kingdom leader but for every believer in God. Its impact should eradicate all fear and anxiety. God is Joshua’s companion; therefore, Joshua should have security in his identity. For, if God is comfortable enough to hang with him eternally, it will not matter that much when fickle people forsake him. V 5b “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you…” What Kingdom leader would not want to hear that promise? God was going to support Joshua like he supported Moses. Thus this promise should result in Joshua’s confidence in his office. This promise is essential for Joshua’s future because there were many times when those who followed him questioned his decision making and resource management. Fortunately, Joshua had the privilege of seeing the Hebrews question Moses’ leadership even though Moses was simply following God’s directives. This fact coupled with God’s promise would steel Joshua’s resolve to lead. V5a “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.” Wow is that not amazing? God is declaring to Joshua there will be trials, but ultimately he promises that Joshua would come out triumphant. I would like to think this promise gave Joshua strength during the many battles that lay head. Often times we want to believe that because God is with us, the road would be easy. No, God did not even promise that to Jesus, but what God did promise to Joshua was that he would be victorious. What an amazing promise. V 3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot…” Here we see the promise of success. It is amazing that God would give such a powerful promise. Why? Because usually when humans know the outcome of the story we lose interest very quickly. However, neither a believer in Christ nor a Kingdom leader has the luxury of letting down his or her guard even for a second. Yes, God’s promise is sure, and he will give us the strength to succeed. But, this walk with God is a daily effort, and the leader must remember it’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey, which requires all our focus. All these promises affected both Joshua and the Jews. A leader who could hold on to these promises would directly affect them manifesting in the lives of those whom he or she leads. Therefore, the leader must first trust God for the promises in his or her own life before he can trust God for the promises of those whom he or she leads.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Deuteronomy 34: 9 - 12

The Death of Moses

⁹ Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, ¹¹who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. ¹² For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

It is conventional wisdom to follow in the footsteps of a great man or woman. It is even more common that a disciple follows in the exact same footsteps of his or her leader. However, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to leadership succession in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom it is only essential for the follower to take on the core values of his or her leader, but it is not essential that the follower applies the same leadership methodologies to fulfill his or her call. The Scriptures make it clear that “…no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Thus, we see even though Joshua followed in the footsteps of Moses, he did not have the same relationship with God as Moses did. This fact does not diminish Joshua’s call or standing with God. Why do I say that? Well first of all because of Moses’ disobedience, it was Joshua who led the Hebrews into the Promised Land, not Moses. Secondly, Joshua’s role was primarily that of a General in contrast to Moses’ role that was primary as prophet and priest. And, lastly Joshua was not called by God simply to maintain what Moses developed, but to progress and advance. Joshua needed to relate to God in an entirely different way than Moses did. Moses’ primary job was to deliver the Jews, but Joshua had the task of fighting for the occupation of the Promised Land. Moses’ mission led to the revelation of God’s nature; Joshua’s mission lead to the confirmation of his nature. Even though the outcome was the same –the revelation of God—each had to do it within a unique context. And so it is within the Kingdom. It is wise to follow in the footsteps of a great man or woman. However, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to succession in the Kingdom of God. For the leader, “the changing times” may require a different methodology than the generation before it. In the Kingdom it is only essential for the follower to take on the core values of his or her leader, but it is not essential that the follower applies the same leadership methodologies to fulfill his or her call.

John 8 Devotional

John 8: 6 - 11

6-8 Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. 9-10 Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" 11"No one, Master." Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin."

Application: Christianity is simple to understand, but it is very difficult to live out! As you live out your faith you will see an interesting phenomenon occur over and over again, which can be crippling to your growth if you let it. For example, when you gain victory over sin in one area of your life, you will soon find a new area of sin uncovered that you need God’s help to overcome. Do you want to hear something weird? As soon as you overcome this next area; you find another spot of sin uncovered that also needs cleansing as well. Now, if we lived alone on an island, it might be ok—frustrating, but ok. However, because Christians do not live on islands, this routine can become disheartening. Honestly, it can be down right discouraging. Why? Because of the fall of Adam, humans often times want to take God’s place in judging and condemning others for their sins. Tragically, this can result in some people giving up in their walk because they figure they will never be good enough to be righteous in God’s sight. Yet, I want you to think about this, if we all struggle with sin on some level, who can judge you? Fortunately, this scenario is played out between Jesus, the Pharisees, and a woman who was caught in adultery, which was the most heinous sin in the Jewish culture and requires that individual to be stoned to death. The Pharisees are tricky! In bringing a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus, they think they have Him trapped. How so? If Jesus stones her for her crime, He will break Roman law. For, the Roman government is the only entity in Jesus’ time that had the civil authority to execute a criminal. If Jesus doesn’t stone her, He looks like he is opposed to Moses’ Law and he would lose all his supporters who are beginning to put their trust in Him. So what does Jesus do? “Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." Let’s look at two points (1) What on earth was Jesus writing with his finger? Now, this is my understanding about this text. I believe Jesus was writing down a list of the very sins the Pharisees, who were trying to trap Jesus, were committing. Why do I say that? Well, God, who is the Judge of all men, also wrote with His finger when He wrote the Ten Commandments, which no one has kept and is very convicting when looked at! Exodus 31:18 says, “when [GOD] he finished speaking with [Moses] him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of Testimony, slabs of stone, written with the finger of God.” The underlying conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees was who had a right to Judge. Well, the one who has the right to judge is the one who is the author of the law. And, in this case it was God. Therefore, Jesus, who is God, is challenging the Pharisees’ assessment! What assessment? The Pharisees wanted to be recognized as the supreme authority because they knew Moses’ law better than anyone. However, they made a fatal flaw. The law was not Moses’ law, it was God’s. The Law was written by God’s finger not Moses’. (2) Why were the Pharisees convicted? Jesus’ statement "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone," forced the Pharisees to see their own sin. All of them had committed a sin and were still sinning. Therefore, Jesus did not have to fall into the trap and stone her, or worry about losing his support. Why? There was no one who could judge her, but Jesus. The bible says Christ, who is our Savior and our Judge (John 5:26 – 27), is the only one who has the right to judge because the Father ordained Him for those functions. Yet, the beauty of it all is that God does not want to Judge you; he wants to save you. He wants you to trust Him so that you can avoid judgment. The only person who condemns you is Satan, but Glory to God, the one who died for you is the very one who wants you to live! Who wants to live on an Island anyway?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 8: 6 - 11

2. Write down how do you respond to others when they sin?

3. Think about some ways you can help someone who is struggling with committing sins?

Should we love?

"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

John 7 devotional

John 7: 17- 18

Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do His will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the One who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality.”

Application: Have you ever done something and later on you began to wonder why you did what you did? Well, friend, if you have, you are not alone. You need to ask yourself what were you trying to figure out or what were you looking for? I think what you were looking for was a motivation or a purpose behind your action. Learning what motivates you is a sign you are maturing as a person. And, for a Christian, the major motivating force in your life should be to bring glory to God. The Christian who lives to bring glory to God is a Christian who is fully mature. Think about it! Take a look at the Beatitudes Jesus talks about in Matthew 5. If you look at them closely, you will see that none of them makes you a really popular person. Actually, if you practiced most of them, people would consider you soft or weak. But, this is the beauty of God. In your weaknesses, He gets the attention or the glory. Therefore, the motivation for a Christian living out the Beatitudes is to give God the attention and not ourselves. Why does God want the glory? Because if God gets the attention, people will learn to trust in Him and ultimately they will live forever. But, if people are looking at you, it is difficult for them to see Him. And, no human is strong or rich enough to get someone into heaven! This is the point Jesus was trying to make to the religious leaders who were trying to discredit His teaching. Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do His will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the One who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality.” Jesus was trying to give God the glory, but the religious leaders did not like what God was saying. The teachings of God are often difficult to hear and many times they are divisive. As a result, many of the religious leaders despised God in their hearts. And, they took out their frustration on Jesus. Now, let me be clear; it was not God’s intention to do that, but because God’s teaching shines a light on the human heart, people don’t always like what they see in their heart. Consequently, they tend to hate the one who is speaking God’s Words. This time it was Jesus, and the next time it could be you. On a lighter note, there were a few people who accepted God’s Word. They saw it was not the intention of Jesus to get the attention, but that He was trying to give the attention to God. As a result they acknowledged the teachings as truth and changed how they were living. Friend, Jesus did not teach what everyone wanted to hear, but He did teach what people needed to hear regardless of the consequences. And, because He did that, we are able to tell that it was not Jesus’ motivation to be popular, but it was his motivation to please God. And, like Jesus, if we are Christians and claim to speak God’s will, we must speak in alignment with God’s Word, which people don’t always like to hear. If we don’t align our words with God’s Word, we will speak our opinion. And, because of sin we will either knowingly or unknowingly speak in a way that brings glory to us instead of giving glory to God. Are you still looking for your motivation?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 7: 16 -19

2. Do you think about why you do what you do?

3. Write down some ways that you can give God glory?

John 6 devotional

John 6: 26 - 29

26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” 28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Application: In reading John 6: 26 – 29 I am reminded of a story I heard from a friend of mine who was able to glean a nugget of wisdom from a student. It is my understanding this student had a profound ‘epiphany’ of life. What sparked his understanding? He grew too large for his shirt. You might be thinking, “How in the world did he gain deep understand of the mysteries of the universe because he out grew his shirt?” The only thing I can say is God spoke to his heart. What do I think God said? Well I think He said something like this, “You can not fit this shirt anymore, and there will be many more shirts you will not be able to fit as you grow older. Because you are getting bigger this shirt has now become valueless to you. Son, how important is this shirt to your eternal destiny?” Now, I don’t think God was trying to tell him not to wear clothes anymore or even to begin shopping at a thrift store. But, I think God was encouraging the student to get the “proper perspective on life.” God was trying to tell him that he should not put all his effort in wearing temporary things like clothes because those things don’t last. God wants him to focus his effort on preserving his soul. This is the same thing Jesus was trying to tell the crowd who was looking for more of Jesus’ fish sandwiches. Jesus, who had just fed 5,000 men not including women and children, wanted them to think about what was really valuable in this life. By the way, what is the most valuable thing in this life? Friend, the most important thing for you in this life is to believe in Jesus and to keep growing in your faith in Him. If you begin to put all of your efforts on Him and keep building on it all of your life, you will be just fine. However, if you spend all your energy acquiring things that perish, then what strength will you have left to get the things that don’t perish? Jesus is trying to show people the difference between temporary gratification and eternal satisfaction. And, like the crowd that was seeking after Jesus for food instead of eternal life, it is your responsibility to spend your energy building faith in Christ rather than spending your energy obtaining something that will not last. Oh, by the way! How are your clothes fitting you lately?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize vs. 27 and 29.

2. What do you spend the most of your effort doing?

3. Write down something that you can do that will help your faith in Jesus grow!

Leadership lesson from Joshua

Num 14:9

⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.

Have you ever heard the question, “if everyone else jumped off the bridge would you do it too?” If you have heard it, and the comment was directed towards you, you were probably following the crowd instead of leading it. The person trying to help you was trying to encourage you to think for yourself. They wanted you to be your own man or woman. This is one of the major qualities of a Kingdom leader. Not only must he or she think for themselves, but they must also have the faith to trust God despite potential rejection from the crowd. They must have the courage to stand alone, and in Joshua and Caleb’s case even stand in the face of death. It is often said that a leader is a person who has influence over others. Tantamount to the jumping off the bridge analogy is this bit of conventional wisdom. If you are a leader and no one is following you, you are just taking a walk. On the surface the previous statements seem embarrassingly obvious. However, As a Kingdom leader you are still leading even when you are alone—if you are standing in faith for God. In vs. 10 we see “…the whole assembly talked about stoning them.” The question that should come to your mind is why? Did the Israelites want to kill them because the people where afraid of the giants? No! Did the Israelites want to kill them because they were starving? No! Did the Israelites want to kill them because they were tired of their leadership? No! Well then why? Look down to vs. 11. (NKJV) “The Lord said to Moses: How long will these people reject Me?” The Israelites want to kill Joshua and Caleb because they could not get to God. The Israelites were not rejecting Joshua and Caleb’s report. In vs. 11 they were rejecting God as their Lord. God needed someone to stand with Him. God needed someone to stand against the crowd. God needed a leader. Joshua and Caleb had the courage to think for themselves. Joshua and Caleb proved to be God’s men. Joshua once again showed he possessed an essential quality of a Kingdom leader. He proved he had the faith to trust God despite potential rejection. He proved he could stand in the minority even when facing death.

John 5 devotional

John 5: 45 – 47

"But don't think I'm going to accuse you before my Father. Moses, in whom you put so much stock, is your accuser. If you believed, really believed, what Moses said, you would believe me. He wrote of me. If you won't take seriously what he wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?"

Application: Whenever people feel mixed-up what do they do to gain comfort? What I have noticed is some people go shopping, and others eat. Many people put others down to make themselves feel better, and there are few who try to pick other up. There are a variety of things people do to make themselves feel better whenever times are rough. Well, the more important question is what do you do to get through tough times? Or, better yet what should you do? In biblical times the Jewish people would turn to God. They would do that through prayer and the reading of Scripture. However, even though they had the right idea, something tragic happened to their intimate relationship with God. It turned into a religion. Somehow this great Jewish nation who was called by God to keep His laws and commandments and have intimate knowledge of Him lost faith in His ability to perform what He had promised. How do we know that? Well, look at John 5. Jesus is in a heated discussion with the RELIGIOUS leaders of the day. What are they discussing? Is Jesus who He says he is? Isn’t that funny! The very God they have supposedly been in a relationship with for millenniums is standing right in front of them, and they do not even believe what He is saying! Now we can guess why they don’t believe what Jesus is saying, but we don’t have to because the Scriptures are clear. Jesus says, “If you won't take seriously what [Moses] wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?" Moses, whom Jesus is referring to, wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. And, do you know what Moses wrote about? He wrote about Jesus! In Deuteronomy 18: 18 God speak through Moses said, “I will raise up for them [the Jews] a Prophet [Jesus] like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in his mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Jesus reveals the reason with why the Jewish leaders would not accept Him as Christ. These leaders who knew the Old Testament frontwards and backwards lost faith in what they were reading; that led them to loose faith in God. Do you know what else is amazing? They keep on studying the Scriptures even though they did not believe what they were reading! Why did they keep studying the Scriptures even though they did not believe what they were saying? They were using the knowledge of the Scriptures to make themselves fell better about who they were! Sadly, because of wrong motivations they were doing it without growing in knowledge of the God of the Scriptures who could make them whole! Friend it is important to read the Bible, but it is even more important to believe what you read. Thus, having faith in the Scriptures is essential for having faith in the words of Christ, and trust in God. What do you believe?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize this verse.

2. Do you read your Bible?

3. Do you believe what your read?

4. Pray and ask God to help you hear Him speak to you through His word.