March 27
Joshua 15:20-17:18
A quick read through Joshua 15-17 might lead us to believe that the Israelites have taken the whole of the Promised Land and are living in a type of paradise. Yet a few verses stick out and show us that things are not as they initially appear. Joshua 15:63 tells us that, "Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites." Joshua 16:10 says, "They did not dislodge the Canaanites...to this day the Canaanites live among the people," and Joshua 17:12 says, "the Canaanites were determined to live in that region." The Israelites had conflicts among themselves and external conflicts from neighboring tribes.
We might wonder why this was the case, and though there may be several reasons, one of the key reasons is the lack of faith/obedience of the Israelites. On the surface it seemed like the Israelites were doing great. They conquered massive tracts of land, as described at the end of Joshua. But as we will see in the book of Judges, they quickly fell. Similarly, there may be moments where our lives look good on the surface, but our hearts are far from God. External appearances, whether our own or others, never tell the full story. Whether things are going smoothly or harshly, God wants us with hearts following him.
Father God, give me a heart that seeks you. Help me to never be content with a life that is going fine from the outside; instead give me a heart that craves more of you. Thank you that when I seek you, I will find you. Amen.
How do we ensure we are truly seeking God instead of just going through the motions?
A quick read through Joshua 15-17 might lead us to believe that the Israelites have taken the whole of the Promised Land and are living in a type of paradise. Yet a few verses stick out and show us that things are not as they initially appear. Joshua 15:63 tells us that, "Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites." Joshua 16:10 says, "They did not dislodge the Canaanites...to this day the Canaanites live among the people," and Joshua 17:12 says, "the Canaanites were determined to live in that region." The Israelites had conflicts among themselves and external conflicts from neighboring tribes.
We might wonder why this was the case, and though there may be several reasons, one of the key reasons is the lack of faith/obedience of the Israelites. On the surface it seemed like the Israelites were doing great. They conquered massive tracts of land, as described at the end of Joshua. But as we will see in the book of Judges, they quickly fell. Similarly, there may be moments where our lives look good on the surface, but our hearts are far from God. External appearances, whether our own or others, never tell the full story. Whether things are going smoothly or harshly, God wants us with hearts following him.
Father God, give me a heart that seeks you. Help me to never be content with a life that is going fine from the outside; instead give me a heart that craves more of you. Thank you that when I seek you, I will find you. Amen.
How do we ensure we are truly seeking God instead of just going through the motions?
Recent
Archive
2025
January
January 1January 2January 3January 4January 5January 6January 7January 8January 9January 10January 11January 12January 13January 14January 15January 16January 17January 18January 19January 20January 21January 22January 23January 24January 25January 26January 27January 28January 29January 30January 31
February
March
Categories
no categories
1 Comment
I think too often we can think that we are right with God in walking in his ways because we are going to church regularly, maybe even pray before meals, say a bedtime prayer and read a 5 min devotional (and maybe even serve at the church) and read the Bible daily, but I think it's when we sit with God with no agenda or purpose and an open heart, naked spiritually, that God shows us the true condition of our heart. Yet it's so hard with all the temptations of the world to make space to regularly do this and even to come to God saying, "God show me the true condition of my heart and reveal my hidden sin to me." That takes courage and intentionality.