Daily Encouragement

March 7, 2010 - God's Word Never Fails

Meditation on Joshua 23

It is such a comfort to know that God's promises have never failed. It had been verified by Joshua and his people. He and his people had experienced the conquest of the Promised Land just as God had promised that they would. So Joshua reminded them once again when he was well advanced in age. He said to them, "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the :LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed." (v. 14 NASB)

But just as his promises never failed, his threat and judgment would also come without failure upon those who have not heeded his warning, Joshua also said. (v. 15-at 16) Know this for sure that everyone of God's word will last forever. The heaven and earth will past away. But the words of God will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

March 8, 2010 - Compromising With The World

Meditation on Judges 2

After Joshua and the elders of his generation had passed away, the Israelites began to compromise with the Canaanites in the land by making treaty with them. This was the beginning of a vicious cycle in their history during the period of judges.

They followed their neighbors to practice their sexual religions, their children intermarry with their them, they were then subjugated by the Canaanites and suffered intensively, they cried to God for deliverance and repented, as a result God heard their cry and send them a judge to deliver them from their bondage and poverty. But soon they disobey God and sin again Him again. Thus the cycle repeated itself.

Romans 12:2 said, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. " (NKJV) Daily our mind need to be renewed by the presence of the Holy Spirit so we would not adopt the kind of worldly practice that is against the principle of the word of God. Only then can we avoid the vicious cycle like the people of God in the time of Judges.

March 9, 2010 - God Chooses Those Who Are Alert

Meditation on Judges 7

God wanted to show the Israelites that they could not rely on their own strength to win the battle in Judges 7:2. He directed Gideon to announce that those soldiers who were afraid should leave the battlefield. Twenty-two thousand left and only ten thousand remained.

And the LORD said that there were still too many. He asked them to go down to the water to drink. Everyone who put their hand to their month and laps from the water with his tongue as a dog laps was set apart. There were three hundred men who were chosen as God's instruments to fight the enemies. Indeed, God used these 300 to defeat the vast armies of the Midianites.

There are couple lessons here for us learn. First, our action, gesture, and habit could sometime indicate our characters and attitude of preparedness. The way how the 300 hundred drank the water in front of them gave Gideon that indication. Secondly, when we are in a spiritual battle, we need to be constantly alert. Those soldiers who did not kneel down to drink but maintained their caution and watchfulness because their enemies were near displayed their efficiency, disciplined, soldier-like characters.

Alertness counts. Are your manner and attitude prepared to serve God?

March 10, 2010 - Be Careful What You Say

Meditation on Judges 11

Jephthah was a mighty man who became a judge for Israel. I believe that God had chosen him to show us that His mercy can extend to any man who is faithful to his word.

The first thing we notice is that he was despised by and cast out by his family. But he knew that importance of keeping one's word. God was still able to use him to deliver the Israelites from their enemies.

Secondly he knew the history of his nation well and was reasonable in his words to deal with the Ammonites with diplomacy. (v. 12-28)

Third, the Spirit of the LORD came upon him before he went into battle. What he vowed before the LORD was a dedication to the God. (v. 29-30)

Fourth, his only daughter agreed with his vow and dedicated her whole life to serve God without marriage. He would not have any future descendant because of it. It was a great sacrifice on his part. But he was true to his word and kept his vow before God.

Whether he should have made such a vow was a debatable matter. But he did show that he was a man that God had chosen him to save Israel at a time of moral decline.

March 11, 2010 - God Can Empower Any Instrument

Meditation on Judges 14

As we read the book of Judges we have seen the continuous decline of the spiritual and moral condition of God's people during that period. Here in chapter 14, we see the beginning of a hero of faith, Samson. Though blessed with godly parents and mighty strength physically, he began with a path of self pleasing attitude.

He demanded to marry a daughter of the uncircumcised to the objection of his parents. He ate the honey from a dead lion's carcass which was forbidden by the law of Nazirite which he was dedicated to. He did unacceptable things without telling his parents. Later on his carnal behavior caused him to love a prostitute of the Philistine who eventually led to his imprisonment and death even though he was able to kill a lot of enemies in his life.

The Scriptures says that God's Spirit was upon him and that God used him to deal with the enemies who harassed the Israelites and occupied some their territories. From this we can learn that God can use anyone to accomplish his purpose even a carnal and a very imperfect person. How we wish that Samson had listened to his parents' counsel and not follow the dictate of his own flesh.

As we look at the life of a hero in the past or present, we should admire their faith and trust in the Lord, but we should be careful to see their weaknesses also. Let us not imitate their carnal mistakes and fall like Samson at the end in this life.

March 12, 2010 - Easy Religion

Meditation on Judges 17

The key verse for this period of Judges is in verse 6, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." (NIV) Since everyone did whatever he wanted, many of the people then set up their own altar, priest, religious stature and practices.

Micah here was a typical example. He, with a half conscience, admitted to his mother he had stolen her money and returned it to her. Then this mother and her family took some of the money to make an idol, a shrine, and some religious clothing according to the Jewish tradition, appointing one of the grandchildren as their own priest. They established their own religious practice in their own house. Later on they hired one of the Levite who happened to come by looking for a shelter and made him the official priest hoping to fulfill the Old Testament requirement.

This kind of doing your own thing religiously is still being practiced among some so called Christians today. According to a recent survey and study, people in U.S. are still religious but not going to churches as much today. Probably many of them do pray and join in some bible study or cell group. But they don't trust established churches. So I guess that some of them would be having a church in their home and appoint their own leader who is functioning like a pastor. I have seen some Chinese Christians are that way. They don't go to any church. Their home is their meeting place and has their own service. Whether they interpret the Bible correctly or not, nobody knows. Whether they practice communion and baptism on their own or not, nobody knows except their close friends. They would avoid learning from anyone. They do their own things. This kind of happening is awfully similar to the attitude of Micah and his mother in Judges.

May God deliver us from doing our own things and from practicing our own convenient blend of religions but obey Christ's demand of fellowship in His church. (Ephesians 2)

March 13, 2010 - Boaz, The Kind Man

Meditation on Ruth 2

The kindness Boaz shown to Ruth was amazing. He not only welcomed her to glean in his field of harvest, but also allowed her with extra portion of food and commanded his servants to treat her kindly even though Ruth was a foreigner. We know that eventually he became the kinsman redeemer for Ruth. And he married Ruth. Consequently he became the great grandfather of King David. Boaz is listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew one.

How did Boaz become such a kind man? Who taught him kindness? Certainly, it would be his mother whose name is Rahab, none other than the prostitute who lived in the city of Jericho. She was the one who had faith to hide the two spies from Joshua and let them down from the wall to escape. Rahab, the foreigner who had tasted the goodness of God and was spared from extermination by the Israelites had become the mother of Boaz. (Matthew 1:5)

A mother can instill kindness into her child.