March 31 – Judges 3-5

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 31-35. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Yesterday we began the book of Judges. Judges records roughly 400 years of time. It spans the distance between the time of Joshua where the Israelites had a leader over them like Moses and Joshua to the time when they had a king like Saul and David. During this time of the judges the Israelites had no one ruler outside of the high priest. God was ultimately their king. He let the people of the land oppress them to teach them trust in himself and to turn him.

Chapter three opens up changing the narrative from the days of Joshua in chapter one and two to the new order of business. Quickly we see the people fall into traps with the people who were left in the land. They are intermarrying with them but worst of all they are worshiping their gods. Because of this turning from God, he oppresses them with the people of the land. From time to time he will rise up men and a woman which we will call judges. These people deliver the Israelites from the oppression. This will be a dark week or two as we read through the book of Judges.

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March 29 – Joshua 22-24

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 22-24. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Sometimes you have to make the best out of a bad situation. You weren’t going to get a blog post today because my family and I are on the road to Florida to visit Crystal’s mom and step-father. However, as we got off the interstate in Knoxville to get gas our serpentine system in our van completely locked up. So now after getting my van towed, I am sitting in McDonalds doing my blog post and waiting on a mechanic to call me. So by our misfortune you get your daily Bible reading! God provides.

We learn a good lesson in our reading today. We have to be careful that the symbols we erect are in the proper context. The Israelites living on the east side of the Jordan who got their inheritance before entering into the Promised Land return home after all the battles and erect a memorial. However, the priest and the Israelites leaders see this and fear it will become an altar to God. A quick side note … it is a wise choice not to jump to conclusions. I think we need to be careful to not always seek the worst out of people. Back to our story … the Israelites affirm them that this is not an altar but simply a memorial.

Memorials are important. They remind us about things from our past. Our nation is full of them. Just spend an hour in Washington D.C. you will find a plethora of them. Joshua even lead the Israelites in the creation of one after they crossed the Jordan on dry ground. We will see one erected during Samuel’s era called an Ebenezer stone reminding the Israelites of how far God had brought them.

Do you have events in your life where you could use a memorial to remind you of what God did for you? Let me caution you though, make sure that the memorial does not become on object of worship. A memorial is a simple reminder. Take things such as the cross … to some it is an object of worship, but this should never be. It is a simple reminder of what God did for us through Jesus on the cross.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

March 28 – Joshua 19-21

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 19-21. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Sometimes reading about the land of the Israelites gets me all confused. Because I have seen maps, read this several times, and have oriented myself over the last several years with the land of Israel I have a decent idea where some of these places and tribes are located. However, a good visual is always nice. So here is a picture of the Promised Land and the divisions among the tribes. Photo credit found through clicking here.

What is really cool are these verses at the end of the reading …

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Joshua 21:43-45 NIV.

God delivered on the promises he made to the Israelites. They followed him and he shared with them the promises. But what I love is the line in verse forty-five … “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed” … you might ask … did some of his promises not go through? Yes, remember the promises where he said hardship would follow if they did not keep their end of the covenant. They kept it so they got the good promises and not the bad.

God wants to and will deliver the good promises he has made for us. We simply have to follow, believe, and do what he asks. How are you doing at that?

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

March 27 – Joshua 16-18

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 16-18. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Fear is a powerful motivator … or should I say demotivator. Often times we are driven to do something out fear … run from a snake, defend our lives possibly with deadly force, protect our families, check our online checking even though we know funds are tight, etc. While fear may motivate us, it will also demotivate us. It will cause us to avoid what we know we have to do … ignore the bills that come in the mail by not opening them, not make the phone call you know you need to make, move in completely the wrong direction, etc. What in your life has fear caused you to back away from?

In chapter seventeen we see the Israelites fear creep back in, especially that of Joseph’s decedents. The land they have been allotted is not big enough and the additional land that Joshua gives them already has inhabitants living in it they fear are too big and powerful for them. So they return to the pattern of their parents and they wine and complain, but most disappointing they lack faith.

Fear can be simply a lack of faith. Some fears are a positive thing … fear of snakes keep us alive, a rational fear of car wrecks keep us safer on the roads, but many fears are the result of poor planning and weak faith. That is just what the Israelites have … weak faith. They have experienced all that God has done for them, but when they face another challenge they forget who is fighting on their side.

How many times do we do that? We have witnessed all that God has done in our lives, but when we let the moments of weak faith creep in, we fear for how things will turn out. In those moments remember who is in control, remember who has delivered you before, remember who you call Lord and savior and put your trust in Him.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

March 26 – Joshua 12-15

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 12-15. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

In our reading today we find God delivering on the promise. They have carried out his orders. They have followed him as he has lead them into battle. He has delivered all of the towns, peoples and kings into their hands. And now he has given their inheritance to them.

God has been generous with them, even though they have failed to follow him completely. I think too often when we read the Old Testament we see this vengeful God that is all about death and destruction. While that is true, when we view God that way we fail to see him completely, we fail to see his diligence and we fail to see his love. The God we see is a God driven by love, and this giving of their inheritance in the land is about his love for his people.

As we continue reading try your best to see the love of God unfolding as we see God delivering the Israelites from enemies and even as he disciplines his people.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

March 25 – Joshua 9-11

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Joshua 9-11. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

If you will let God, He will do for you what He wants to do for you. Read that again … If you will let God, He will do for you what He wants to do for you. I feel the important part of that is “if you will let God.” God has desires for you, God wants to work in powerful ways for you, but too many times we stand in his way. Too many times we try to do it ourselves. Too many times we do not wait for God to act.

The Israelites almost messed it up in today’s reading … They made a treaty with the Gibeonites without consulting God … “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD.” Joshua 9:14 NLT. God wanted to deliver the Israelites from all the people of the land. They did not consult him, and we will see as the story unfolds whether or not they will become a throne in their flesh.

So where in your life have you done this? God wants to do for you what He wants to do for you. But the question is, are you going to stand in the way, move faster than God plans to move, or do it on your own? Or are you going to let Him work?

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.