And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. … Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
— Joshua 21:44-45
I wasn’t wanting to hurt or disappoint my wife.
I didn’t wake up that day formulating some dastardly plan to produce unhappiness in her life.
Losing her respect is never on my to-do list.
Sadly, however, that’s exactly what happened.
I had told her I would take care of this task that was very important to her.
“Don’t worry, Sweetheart … I’ll git-’er-done!”
Thankful, she moved on to something else.
Turns out, so did I.
Her git-’er-done guy came up short and didn’t keep his word.
I’d rather not describe the look in her eyes when she realized I didn’t come through for her.
The people of Israel were living in enviable times during Joshua’s tenure as their leader.
Protection, provision and victory were the common themes of their experience as they stayed humble before God.
They had the privilege of experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promises in their lifetimes.
Joshua called their attention to this remarkable reality as they took possession of the land God had promised them. Not a single one of his good promises went left unfulfilled.
In a world of half-truths, manipulated facts and outright fabrications, it’s never been more important for Jesus’ followers to function with faithfulness.
How good is our word these days?
Does our family trust the words we say? Do those we work with and for feel no need to check up on the work we said we would handle? Is a promise made, a promise kept in our relationships?
Here’s some great news.
Regardless of where we are now on this issue, with God’s help, we can get better.
Today is a great day to build trust with all those around us.
Make our word good.
Gave up
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
— Philippians 2:5-8
It was already a very emotional moment. Having lived in the orphanage for nearly seven years, the other kids and the good-hearted teachers were the only family our son had.
As he was leaving to join our family, the tears were flowing. The other kids were all up near the van as the driver prepared to leave.
In the hands of one of the other little boys was a Spider-Man action figure. We had bought it for our son and he loved it.
Apparently, as he prepared his little suitcase to head into his new life, he gave his action figure away to his buddy.
As we reflect on Paul’s call to be like Jesus, the core of Jesus’ example is giving up.
First, he gave up his divine privileges.
What?! I don’t even understand what that means, much less getting my head around the fact that he did it.
Surely that was giving up enough.
Nope.
He continued to give up more by taking the position of a slave.
Seriously?! Surely, that’s got to be far enough!
Nope.
He then went all the way to the cross and gave up his life for us.
Paul tells us, “Be like him.”
Jesus followers are to be marked by extraordinary sacrifice.
Give up. Jesus did. Paul did. What about us?
Much of tension we experience in our walk with God can be traced to an unwillingness to let go of something we don’t want to let go of.
It may be time. It may be desires, plans, wants, time, stuff, comfort, money, pride or preferences, just to name a few.
Is there anything in our life that we are white-knuckling today?
My guess is we all have a Spider-Man action figure that needs to be given away. There is a new life on the other side.
Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.
