“A pervasive focus in the religious culture throughout North America is that success lies in attracting people, churched and nonchurched, to their particular church organization. This attractional model, we believe, is fundamentally flawed and will not be able to produce in any significant way the kind of Christ followers church leaders want to produce (26).”
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 13:20-23.
Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)
He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Do you want to change your life? Change your friends. You will become like the people with whom you choose to be. If your friends are negative… If your friends are alcoholics… If your friends are dishonest… On the other hand, if your friends are pursuing Jesus… If your friends seeking holiness… Do your friends draw you closer to Christ or further away?
“We believe the patient is indeed desperately sick and needs to recover from a religious system that places a premium on outward success. We add our voices to the growing number of those inside and outside the church who are calling for the church to be reformed. We Christian leaders have created the current religious system, or at least have been complicit in its flourishing, and we ought to feel a responsibility for the rather meager and impotent product that has resulted. An important and messy dialogue on these issues is required of us. This book is an attempt to lend our voices to that dialogue (15).”
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 22:21-23:16; Luke 20:27-47; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 13:17-19.
Joshua 23:14 (NIV)
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
The promises of God are full of power. The promises enable us to overcome the lies of the enemy. The promises give us hope when everything around us is hopeless. The promises help us to view life with an eternal perspective. The promises enable us to trust in the character of God. But we have to own the promises. Part of Eve’s failure when confronted by the serpent was her inability to accurately communicate the promises of God. How about you? Do you own God’s promises? Have you hidden them in your heart so that you can unleash their power?
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 21:1-22:20; Luke 20:1-26; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 13:15-16.
Joshua 22:15-18 (NIV)
When they went to Gilead–to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh–they said to them: [16] “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? [17] Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! [18] And are you now turning away from the Lord?
” ‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.
Much to learn from this passage. The other tribes of Israel made some very wrong assumptions about the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They assumed that their brothers were worshiping idols. Based upon this conclusion, they ready to go to war against them. But they learned that their assumptions were completely wrong. How quick we can be to jump to wrong conclusions, especially about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Seek the truth. Listen carefully. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t jump to conclusions. Give grace.
“How do we present the radical message of Christ in a church that has catered to the religious demands of the nominally committed? In other words, if we have gathered people into congregations by appeasing their appetites and desires, how can we help them deal with the fact that their problems in life and character–even “in church”–are primarily caused by living to get what they want? How can the cross and self-denial become the central fact in a prosperous, consumer culture (9).”
Thou shalt not steal.
Josh sharing the love of Jesus while on second base.
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14.
Luke 19:40 (NIV)
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
The purpose of all creation, even the stones, is to worship God. As those created in God’s Image, we have been given the role of lead worshipers. Did you live a life of worship today? Did your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions proclaim the greatness of our God?
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11.
Luke 19:8 (NIV)
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Zacchaeus didn’t just confess his sin, he repented. That is a lost dimension in today’s Gospel presentations. We are called to not only confess that our lives are headed in the wrong direction, but practically go in the opposite direction. Confession is easy. Repentance is hard. But it is a core truth of the Gospel.
Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 15:1-63l Luke 18:18-43; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 13:9-10.
Luke 18:22-23 (NIV)
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
What would make you sad if God required you to give it up? Could this be an idol in your life? God will not share our allegiance with idols. He demands and deserves to be worshiped wholeheartedly.
Psalm 86:11-12 (NIV)
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
[12] I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
With My Own Eyes 