WHEN LESS IS MORE!

Posted on May 21, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
Well, it is great if God is in it
And He will not forsake His own

Little is much when God is in it
Labor not for wealth or fame
There’s a crown, and you can win it
If you go in Jesus’ name

As a young adult I didn’t quite understand the meaning of this song until life took turns that forced me to fully rely on God. I came to Him with nothing it seemed—only my trust in Him with humbled obedience, seeking His will.  The words of this song, first written by Dwight Moody Brock and Kittie J. J. Suffield and later sung by the Gaither band is a reminder that when God is with us, and we are in His will, small and even insignificant resources can accomplish great things. And, of course, the Lord delights to use less to do more by His power as He accomplishes His purpose. The weaker we are, the greater the glory that will be seen by Him! 

As I grew in the faith, I noticed that some people misunderstood the words of the song.  They “leaned on their own understanding” and resorted to laziness, thinking, “I don’t have to do anything for “little is much.”  This thinking also was used as excuse to give less time, little offerings, and less of their talents to God’s work.  If I noticed, I’m sure God did!

We are to give all we have to the One who owns all and uses what we have for our good and His glory!  As further evidence for understanding; God inspired James to write, “your faith without works is a dead faith.”  (James 2:26)  Lazy stewards of God’s Kingdom work are not pleasing to the Lord, either! BE before Doing anything of significance is what God as taught me. “BE still, (letting goof what you think and possess), and Know God” is the wisdom of Psalm 46.  Being with the Lord, seeking His will and direction, hearing His details of His plan with an obedient heart—implementing what God says with your current resources, even if you might not understand; is exactly what God wants from us. 

God created all, is in all, and above all.  Nothing is too difficult for God!  God knows what He is doing in and through us to accomplish His will and plan for our good and His glory, “so no man can boast,” Paul writes, and take credit of his own limited abilities—only our unlimited God can do what God does in ways we could never dream or imagine! THIS is the true meaning of “Little is much when God is in it.”

“God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we ask or think.”(Ephesians 3:20)Whatever you’re believing for, whatever you’re dreaming about, God has a way of broaden the scope and vision to what brings out His best in us.  To God be the glory!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. God, through Jesus, His Son, did for us what we cannot do for ourselves—redeem us from all our sins, make us new, and set us free!  We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it, we cannot do enough works for it—Salvation is a gift from God. 

Trust God, He know what He is doing! 

Read and prayerfully observe what God does in and through a timid, but obedient Gideon with a “few good men”! 

Judges 7

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

PLACE AND EMBRACE

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.”—Paul to the church, Romans 12:1-3, MSG

God’s Word is the story of God who loves and forgives and wants us to love Him back and trust Him in all His ways.  Gideon was obedient even when he didn’t understand.  Notice that God assured Him before the battle of trumpets, breaking jars, and shouting.  God knows us inside out and knows exactly what we need when we need it most.  I love that about God!

When God is the focus of our attention; His Word reveals Truth.  With His Holy Spirit living in us; we are given the power to recognize God’s will.  We are given His wisdom to discern what is right and wrong in this world in which we live. God gives this beyond ourselves wisdom to us.  All we need to do is ask. (James 1) Realizing that God truly wants to bring out the best in us, loves us unconditionally, and thinks we were valuable enough to “die for” that set us free from the bondage of sin; the greater our intimate relationship with God grows and matures. 

In fact, the more we realize the great, profound love God has for us and is forming in us—the greater our love for each other grows and matures!  THIS is who God is and what He does to save us. To know God is to know Love—Love that is always authentic in Truth, relentless in His behaviors toward us, unchanging in His character, and is for now and into eternity! 

How can we turn a love like this down and look the other way?  I cannot. Can you?

Lord,

The story of Gideon is just another example of your wonderful power and strength that declares your glory so others will know you.  Your Word is filled with examples of taking what we have and using it for our benefit and your glory!  And, You still do that today.  I love you and love that you delight in all the details of our lives.  Thank you for bringing our full focus and attention to even more of who you are today as we give ourselves to you as an offering. I need to stop counting my resources as much as I count on you and your blessings!  You are an amazing and forever God!  I trust you with my life for you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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UNCOMMON PATIENCE

Posted on May 20, 2025 by randscallawayffm

We are fallible, impatient, intolerant, sin-filled humans who worry and stew about every detail of life.  When faced with a new circumstance beyond our control and not on our radar we melt into a puddle of fear.  Those who know, love, and say we trust God first ask; “Why me, why am I going through this difficulty, God?” “I try to obey You in all your ways.” “Life isn’t fair, God, can you make it be more equitable, and make this go away?”  “Can you take away the pain consuming us and change this circumstance?” 

These prayers seem vain and shallow as we are really praying for perfection for ourselves in an imperfect world tainted by evil.  Maybe, just maybe, we need to stop asking why.  Maybe we need to stop trying to control and make demands of God—who already knows.  We need a huge dose of truth from God’s Word along with the wisdom of His Holy Spirit who stands ready to help us. Truth: God uses all the things of this world—the good and the bad—to change us in the circumstances we find ourselves. 

Our awesome, all knowing, relentlessly loving, extremely merciful, full of grace God has uncommon, not of this world, patience with us.  When we really believe, trust and obey God; we will cease to ask why a little more often.  Our daily work is to submit and surrender to God and ask for His agenda of purpose for us.  “What are you teaching me today?” would be a more appropriate demonstration of our love for God. (See Romans 12 for how this works.)

Gideon is called of God to deliver His Israelites yet again from the evil they not only allowed to reside with them in The Promise Land God gave them; they joined in their evil ways.  Worship of Baal means losing God.  They shoved God aside and worshipped the manmade idols of Baal and others.  God’s protection paused but He did not leave them.  The Midianites are given free reign when left unchecked and turn on the Israelites, bringing them to ruin.  When God’s people came to the end of themselves—they cried out to God.  God, with uncommon patience, comes to their rescue with an unlikely, timid, unsure candidate to lead them—Gideon. 

Judges 6

Gideon

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind o altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”

When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”

30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND? 

The Backstory: “The Midianites were desert marauders related to the Israelites through Abraham’s second wife, Keturah, and her son, Midian. For centuries they were at odds with Israel, especially during the period of the judges.  At one point, when the Midianites and their allies were about to invade Israel again, God raised up the judge Gideon. As a test, God asked Gideon to destroy his father’s altar to Baal and offer one of his father’s bulls as a burnt offering to the Lord. This step of obedience was the first step toward the defeat of the Midianites.”Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible

God raised up Gideon as the one who would transform from grain farmer to warrior leader.  Gideon’s first response to God is not uncommon to us, “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?”  We all want to why because we like reasons for explaining all our problems.  If we have reasons then we feel we can solve them.  We need to stop this annoying habit that is dangerously close to saying God doesn’t know what is happening while demanding our own way in the solution!  Wow, our God is so patient with us!

God’s discipline of love is wanting His best for us at our worst. The discipline of God is evidence of God’s hatred for sin and His love for His people. We can’t conceive of a holy God wanting anything less than His very best for His children, and the best He can give us is a holy character like that of Jesus Christ who demonstrated all the characteristics of God for He was God in the flesh!  Daily surrender to God’s will with willing obedience builds His character to bear the spiritual behaviors of His character. (Galatians 5:23 has the list!)  Sins of evil destroys our character.  God cannot sit idly by and watch His children destroy themselves. 

Once God has called and commissioned us; our part is to obey Him by faith, and He will do the rest. Faith means obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, or what the consequences might be.  God uses the things of this world that produce darkness to transform us into the beauty of all that His Light provides!  “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,” a chorus of my youth, is the heart cry of my heart today and always!

This is our story…We have been dealing with litigation over an accident for almost a full year. God has used this circumstance in our lives to humble us in surrender to Him while He changes and transforms us! And He is still working on us!  So, we know personally what God can do in all circumstances.  Like James taught us; we can truly “count it all joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (Emphasis mine.)

The circumstance remains to be settled; but God has settled us as we surrender to Him!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? —Jesus, Matthew 5:25-27

Jesus is saying that worry demonstrates a lack of faith in God. Therefore, worry actually becomes a sin! Worry demonstrates a lack of trust in God’s love because it implies that God doesn’t really care about our needs. It shows lack of faith in God’s wisdom because it implies that God doesn’t know what He’s doing.  We are set free from worry, figuring life out by ourselves, fear of the unknown by loving, trusting, serving, and worshipping a Known God who loved us before we loved Him back!  Read this again, prayerfully asking for God’s Holy Spirit to correct us, until all fear is gone! 

God was so very good and patient with Gideon who “laid out the fleece”, not once but twice, so he could be sure of God’s calling and will.  When you consider the kind of man Gideon was at this time, we do wonder why God selected him, but God often chooses the “weak things of the world”, the unlikely like you and I, to accomplish great things for His glory (1 Corinthians 1:26–29). Gideon wasn’t a man of strong faith or courage. God had to patiently work with him to prepare him for leadership. God is always ready to make us what we ought to be if we’re willing to submit to His will. The phrase “putting out the fleece” is still used in religious circles. However, “putting out the fleece” is not a biblical method for determining the will of God. Rather, it’s an approach used by people like Gideon who lack the faith to trust that God will do what He said He would do. Surrender to God is the way to discovering the “good, perfect pleasing will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2) The fact that God stooped to Gideon’s weakness only proves that He’s a gracious God who understands how we’re made and is uncommonly patient with us!

Oh Lord,

How amazing You are!  How gracious, loving and faithful you are to us.  You gave so that we might live forever.  There is no one like you.  Thank you for all you provide when you guide us in surrender to your will.

In Jesus Name, for Your glory, Amen

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THIS IS MY STORY—THIS IS MY SONG!

Posted on May 19, 2025 by randscallawayffm

A poem or song, as we see throughout the Psalms of David and others who love the Lord and seek His will and His ways, isn’t something we can easily understand at first until we learn the story for the song. The “songs that fill our hearts” spring up from a spontaneous emotional expression that often defies analysis unless we learn the story behind the song. Unlike classical English poetry, Hebrew poetry contains recurring themes expressed in different ways with frequent outbursts of praise and prayer.

This Song of Deborah comes immediately after God’s will is accomplished through her leadership of Israel. Deborah is praising God for all His people who came willingly when summoned to help destroy another enemy of Israel.  She begins with praising God for those people and then praises God for individuals who had a part in God’s victory.  God’s People praise God immediately following the miraculous acts of God.

What is our story, what is our song?  Consider these questions as we “sing” with Deborah!

Judges 5

The Song of Deborah

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead,
    when the people willingly offer themselves—
    praise the Lord!

3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
    I, even I, will sing to the Lord;
    I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.

4 “When you, Lord, went out from Seir,
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
    in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.
7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 God chose new leaders
    when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

10 “You who ride on white donkeys,
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider 11 the voice of the singers at the watering places.
    They recite the victories of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.
12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
    Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’

13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
    Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
    and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.

19 “Kings came, they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
    they took no plunder of silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead.

28 “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments for my neck—
    all this as plunder?’

31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun
    when it rises in its strength.”

Then the land had peace forty years.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God chose unlikely leaders and players in this story in a culture where women are not considered as important as men, much less worthy of leadership. Deborah’s blessing on Jael reminds us of Elizabeth’s words to Mary (Luke 1:42). Because of Barak’s hesitation, Deborah announced that a woman would get the credit for killing the captain of the enemy army (Judges 4:8, 9).  Jael followed God’s leading and put an end to the leader of the enemy of Israel.  Deborah sang of Jael’s bravery and courage with praises to God for her work.

Deborah was grateful that the people offered themselves willingly in the service of the Lord. They were not “summer soldiers” but brave men who were serious about fighting the Lord’s battles. However, there were four tribes that didn’t volunteer to do their share of fighting. The people of God today are not unlike the people of Israel when it comes to God’s call for service: Some immediately volunteer to serve and follow the Lord; some risk their lives; some give the call of God to help serious consideration but say no; and others keep to themselves as though the call had never been given. At times, we might find ourselves in one or more of these categories. Invite the Holy Spirit into all the decisions of our lives and see what happens when we trust and obey!

Deborah’s closing prayer contrasts the enemies of the Lord—who, like Sisera, come to their end in darkness—with the people who love God, who rise like the sun in all its power. The battle at Megiddo was more than just a conflict between opposing armies. It was a conflict between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. We have the choice to follow darkness or light.  We either love Christ and walk in the light, or we are His enemy and perish in the darkness. Consider the two choices prayerfully for it is a matter of Life or death!

Lord,

This is my story and this is my song.  You came to me as a child offering me salvation for my soul with the bonus of eternal life with you.  I chose you then; I choose you now.  I love you because you first loved me.  I give my life to you again this morning as an offering of gratitude to you. I seek your will and agenda for this day.  Thank you for daily cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing my soul, and restoring the joy of you in me and me in you.  This is a relationship that is intimate, growing stronger and sweeter day by day. To you be the glory! I’m not perfect and have not arrived; but I’m yours and I am perfectly forgiven and redeemed by your love forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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TWO WISE WOMEN OBEY GOD

Posted on May 17, 2025 by randscallawayffm

On the playground and in the classroom, teachers discover quickly the obvious cycle of disobedience in human behavior: 

  1. Disobedience to authority because our way provides instant gratification
  2. Denying the disobedience because, “everyone else is doing it”
  3. Lying about the disobedience, “she did it first so I thought it was okay”
  4. Rationalize and rank the disobedience, “what I did is not as bad as what he did”
  5. Admitting the sin without regret, “okay, I did it, but it didn’t hurt anyone”
  6. Giving up trying to defend the sin, “well, I suppose that is wrong”
  7. Repenting of the sin when it can be no longer hidden “I give up, you’re right, it was wrong”, but without sincerity.
  8. Offenders fall to their knees in humbled remorse for their disobedience, “I am so sorry. I do not want to do that again!”
  9. Realize the full measure of sin that affects everyone.  “Beg for forgiveness. Ask for merciful punishment; “Please forgive me, for I have sinned against you. I deserve punishment. Please be merciful.”
  10. Lead and teach me. “I’m ready to learn and grateful for your forgiveness.”

I am reminded of Jesus story of the Arrogant Pharisee and the Humbled Tax Collector. (See Luke 18-9-14) Bottom line; those who are honest before God; “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” will be justified before God. 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Paul tells the world. (Romans 3:23” So, no one can boast of perfection!  God knows our hearts and gives us who we need.  God gave us a Perfect Savior to redeem us by taking the punishment we deserve but could not pay. Jesus who was without sin and died in our place for our punishment for sin.  Talk about mercy! —God is the definition of mercy demonstrated in his Son, Jesus!

This cycle of wrong doing called sin began with Adam and Eve. Sin, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord with defiance, continues as the children of God settle in the Promised Land. God gave the Land with a stipulation—remove all who do evil.  But they did not. 

God created a beautiful garden (no weed to pull) for his newly created man and woman to live.  Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, “in His image, they were created.” (Genesis 2)  Then sin with all practices to acquire to cover sin were introduced to them by God’s Enemy.  They fell for it, right in the middle of paradise.  They could live freely enjoying this beautiful, perfect place as long as they obeyed God’s one stipulation, “Don’t eat from this tree.”  But they ate.  Say what you will about how easily Adam and Eve fell; but we are tempted to do the same—and we do.  Since The Fall we are a hopeless lot of disobedient sinners until God sent Jesus to rescue all of us, once and for all.  He is our Hope!

Throughout the book of Judges, we will learn that the compassion of God cannot and does not fail.  God is faithful, even when His people are not faithful to Him.  In a culture where women are considered less than and certainly not equal to men by men; God tells us a story about Deborah, the Judge, who loved God. God gives this prophet of His, his wisdom to decide disputes. Deborah listened to God and told others what God said. She must have had committed heart for God, for committed hearts is what God looks for continuously to do His work with purpose and mission. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Deborah was a wise woman of God at a time when the Israelites “did evil in the eyes of God.” 

Ah, but wait, there’s another woman who bravely supported God’s mission…Jael!

Judges 4

Deborah

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”

8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

9 “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

16 Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19 “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.

23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We are not perfect.  Since the Fall, we were born into sin.  We are not good, even though we attempt to obey all the commandments of God. “Only God is good,” teaches Jesus. Fortunately, God does not seek perfection from us as much as He seeks a committed humbled heart of honesty.  God’s desire is for us to listen to Him and seek His wisdom.  God knows all and is in all.  God’s wants us to realize the deeply profound love He has for us that has no limits.  God is faithful and His compassions they fail not, cries out the lamenter of God; “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:22-23)

God chooses Deborah, the person with the strongest character to lead His people to victory at crucial times. The key elements for such leadership are faith, trust, and worship. For such a time as this; it was Deborah—who knew the culture but obeyed God’s mission as a woman of God.

Our response is to humbly ask God for His wisdom daily to guide us in all the details of our lives.  Ask God to help us develop our own character by imitation the characteristics of Christ—our Supreme Example; then imitate the godly characteristics of Christ. God answers sincere prayers such as this.  Paul writes of Jesus;

“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:1-14

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”—Jesus, Luke 18:9-14

Jesus taught and demonstrated humility—a character trait we all must acquire and hold onto as we live wholeheartedly in the Presence of our loving, merciful God.

Oh Lord,

I, too, am a sinner in need of a daily cleansing as I rely on your redemption for sin.  All my faith, trust, love, and hope are in You for You are Life to me. I’m humbled, once again, for all you did to save my soul and all the souls who have called on your Name for redemption to be set free.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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LACK OF OBEDIENCE IS PROBLEMATIC

Posted on May 16, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“I’ll do as much as I can, Lord, but I don’t know if I can do all you say, exactly the way you tell me.”  Believers with committed faith in God see a multitude of problems with this statement. While you ponder, let’s continue. The faithful know God gives us purpose with His way to fulfil it.  We know God guides and provides all we need to fulfill His purpose, according to His plan; but when it gets really hard, our faith falters and we draw back from obeying all the details of His plan and look for easier ways out.

“God I’m only human.”  This way of thinking is dangerously close to thinking God is not sovereign after all and is asking us to do the impossible—without Him!  This mindset fixed only on ourselves and our abilities negates the power of God who lives in us!  Our lack of obedience to God who knows all and is in all with power over all will take us down a path of problems that we never dreamed would happen…because we are indeed human!

After all these years I can still hear my mom saying, “If you would have done it the way I told you to do it you wouldn’t be having this problem now.” Is that what God is thinking as He guides his disobedient Israelites back under his protection with compassionate, unending grace? 

Judges 3

These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

Othniel

7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9 But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Shamgar

31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Bottomline: God told Israel to possess the Promised Land by ridding the land of all evil. But they did not.  God knew if they did not; they would intermingle with the remnants of evil left behind and succumb to their way of thinking and worship their idols, which eventually they did.  They were only human, after all.

God knew their hearts and longed for their obedience for their own good.  So, God used their self-inflicted problems caused by disobedience and raised up deliverers to save them.  Only God does that!  These deliverers were only human but fully trusted in God.  The power of His Holy Spirit filled them enabling them to overcome the messes created through disobedience and deliver Israel. 

God loved His created then and now for His love never ends. God provided deliverance when His people cried out to Him.  Time after time, God helped His disobedient people in ways beyond their thinking and dreaming.  God is faithful even when we are not. Are you humbled by this thought?  I am.

God loved and sent THE Deliverer.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3: 16-17 This is Jesus, Our Deliverer!

Jesus—God’s spirit and power, God in the flesh, came down from heaven and moved into the neighborhood of humanity with purpose.  (John 1) Jesus’ mission with purpose was to seek and to save the lost without God while reteaching who God is.  Jesus then willingly and obediently laid down his life for ours, fulfilling every detail of what God commanded and foretold through his prophets.  Jesus was, is, and is to come The Deliverer for all who believe.  Jesus was Son of Man (human) and Son of God (holy). Jesus who knew no sin became sin to pay for our sin.  Are you heaving a grateful sigh of gratitude right now? I am.

God’s Plan was for Jesus’ death on the cross to pay our debt in full; followed by Jesus’ resurrection from death three days later.  God’s best was giving to give us victory over death while solidifying our Hope of eternal life with Him!  Believe and be saved is the message and “only humans” can do that and then be filled with Power!  Get this and hang on to this Truth:  Our Deliverer releases and redeems us from the bondage of our sins and gives us power beyond our humanness to trust, obey and overcome all the troubles of this world because Jesus is the Overcomer of this world!  This is the secret, says Paul, “Christ in us!” (Colossians 1:42)

Nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for God. This means that when His Holy Spirit leads to it; He will lead us through it!  Only human?  Yes.  Christ in us? —Game changer.  Jesus changes everything!  The Light of the World!

Lord,

Thank you for reminding us not to fall for excuses of being “only human” when faced with hard stuff of life.  Help us instead to fully trusting in You and Your power working in us!  Help us to BE fully present and focused on you.  Help us to listen to you, allowing you to make us holy and moldable to your will.  Your will is who and what I seek. I know you will not disappoint. Guide all that I think, say, and do. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your compassions, they fail not indeed!  I am a mess with a message: “Christ in me!”

In Jesus Name for our good and Your Glory, Amen

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GOD DELIVERS ON ALL HIS PROMISES

Posted on May 15, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7

“I don’t think there is a God therefore I don’t believe God exists.”  Many say this, out loud, living as if all of life is in our control—until they soon realize they have no control over the troubles that plague all of us in our imperfect world born to sin. Believers shutter when God is mocked like this; but our almighty, powerful, all-knowing God can handle it.  Jesus demonstrated God’s power in him as he was beaten to a pulp before being nailed to cross boards outside the city.  Jesus had the authority to call down tens of thousands of angels to stop it—but He did not.  He loved us too much to stop the Will of God to redeem us from our sins.

God delivered on His promises to us to save us and set us free from the bondage of being “owned” by evil who leads us to death forever. “God so loved the world; He gave His Son” (John 3:16-17) which demonstrates giving His best at our worst.  God sent a part of Himself, His Son, Jesus to earth to be fully man and fully God in flesh.  Jesus moved into the neighborhood of humanity and taught those who had all but forgotten who God was, is and is to come with not only words but with his very life.  God demonstrated His extreme love for us in this: “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Even when we are unfaithful; God is faithful. 

Who is God?  The three “omni” attributes of God characterize him as all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present. Each of these involves the other two, and each provides a perspective on the all-embracing lordship of the One true God. 

Omnipotence means that God is in total control of himself and his creation. Omniscience means that he is the ultimate criterion of truth and falsity, so that his ideas are always true. Omnipresence means that since God’s power and knowledge extend to all parts of his creation, he himself is present everywhere. Together they define God’s lordship, and they yield a rich understanding of creation, providence, and salvation.  “There is no one like our God,” is sung through the Psalms as praise and honor to our One and Only God.

The Israelites knew this about God. God demonstrated all these attributes of His character right before their eyes!  God brought them out of Egypt’s slavery and bondage to live freely once more.  God performed spectacular miracles in their release so they (and others) would know who’s really in control and in charge!  God fulfilled His promised to Abraham made centuries before by leading them through the wilderness to an enormous land area to accommodate the thousands of people born to the twelve sons of Jacob—The Twelve Tribes.  He gave them specific directions that were easily understood so they could possess this land with His help.  But they must trust, believe and worship Him along “so all would go well with them” under His protection. But they chose to turn away after Joshua and those in his generation died.

Judges 2

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”

4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat

6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

It is God’s desire that no one perish in the battles with evil; but it is up to us to choose who we will love and serve with all our hearts. “Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house will serve the Lord.” These last words of Joshua were not just a proclamation of his personal allegiance to God, but a loving statement of his forever belief to compel others to continue to “love God with all their hearts, all their souls and with all their strength” as God taught them through Moses. When we choose God; we live under the protection of God’s wings of love, mercy, and grace.  When we do not, God steps back, allowing us to live with the consequences of our choice to turn from all that is God—until we turn back to Him. God knows, loves, and sends help until we turn back to Him. 

Jesus tells a beautiful story of a son who chose to leave all that his father had to offer to do life on his own.  It didn’t go well for the son who lost it all and gained nothing.  Jesus told this to illustrate who God is.  (See Luke 15:11-32) God loves and forgives. In fact, there is nothing God will not forgive.  Like the father of the prodigal son; God stands ready to throw out His hands to welcome us back home to His love which drives His profound mercy and unending grace. 

Today, God is angry at our choice to “follow our hearts,” that are deceitful and undependable, instead of His heart because He has so much more that He wants to give.  When we look away from God and all that is Good to follow whatever is shiny and distracting in front of our eyes; we wander around into all that is not God and fall for all that evil has to offer which leads to dead living and final death forever.   

God stands ready while actively seeking those whose hearts are committed to Him.  God loves to give His best for our best.  When troubles come in our imperfect world; we have a perfect, holy God who desires and delights to help us in all the details of our lives.  All we must do is ask.  Asking for His help shows our trust, faith and commitment to the One and Only who knows exactly the kind of help we need when we need Him most!  

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”—Jesus, Matthew 22:37-40  Jesus fulfilled all the promises and commandments of God.  Jesus loved and gave His life for ours so we could be set free.

Prayerfully consider the following commentary of Judges 2 from Max Lucado;

“A new generation of Israelites neglected their relationship with God. They did not see God’s hand at work like their parents had. When they turned away from God, God disciplined them. Failing to teach our children to love and obey God will bring disaster on them.

Frightening thing, this pride. It would rather kill the truth than consider it.

Doesn’t it sneak up on us? We begin spiritual journeys as small people. The act of conversion is a humbling one. We confess sins, beg for mercy, bend our knees. We let someone lower us into the waters of baptism. We begin as self-effacing souls. Timid children who extend muddy hands to our sinless God. We relate to the thief on the cross, identify with David’s forgiven adultery, and find hope in Peter’s forgiven betrayal. We challenge Paul’s claim to the chief-of-sinners title, wondering if anyone could need or treasure grace as much as we do.

We come to God humbly. No swagger, no boasts, no “all by myself” declarations. We flex no muscles and claim no achievements. We cup sullied hearts in hands and offer them to God as we would a crushed, scentless flower: “Can you bring life to this?”

And he does. He does. We don’t. He works the miracle of salvation. He immerses us in mercy. He stitches together our shredded souls. He deposits his Spirit and implants heavenly gifts. Our big God blesses our small faith.

We understand the roles. He is the Milky Way galaxy. We are the sand flea. He is U2, and we are the neighborhood garage band, and that’s okay. We need a big God because we’ve made a big mess of our lives.

Your children can benefit from your successes as well as from your mistakes. Pray daily with your children and discipline them. Speak to them from your heart about the Lord.”—Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

Lord,

Help us to avoid being the last generation who knows, believes wholeheartedly, and follows you.  We are a messy lot; but you intervene with your message of truth.  I will never forget what you did, are doing, and will do in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD’S WORK OF SALVATION THROUGH UNLIKELY CANDIDATES

Posted on May 14, 2025 by randscallawayffm

I am perplexed and amused at the same time as I stand back in the wings of political arguments over which candidate will “save the world” and which one will “cause ultimate destruction.”  It seems those with few facts to back their argument speak passionately louder, thinking that volume will produce solidarity.  And sometimes we fall for that unless we search for truth.  I have lived long enough to research and prayerfully vote in countless elections to know that as a nation we might plan, manipulate, and politic for power but God decides the outcome.  God, in his sovereignty will work through the most unlikely candidate to accomplish His will.  Remember how he used Pilot, Herod, and the religious leaders to accomplish His ultimate plan to save us through Jesus Christ, His Son? No matter who a nation chooses as its leader; Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.  God gave His Son that honor. (Philippians 1)

Yes, we may plan; but God decides.  And we are grateful He does!  “May Your Kingdom come; May Your Will be done”.

There will be a bit of a “shock and awe” factor as we read the pages of Judges. Eugene Peterson’s introduction prepares us with what lies ahead for us in our study:

“Sex and violence, rape and massacre, brutality and deceit do not seem to be congenial materials for use in developing a story of salvation. Given the Bible’s subject matter—God and salvation, living well and loving deeply—we quite naturally expect to find in its pages leaders for u s who are good, noble, honorable men and women showing us the way.  So it is always something of a shock to enter the pages of the Book of Judges and find ourselves immersed in nearly unrelieved mayhem.”

“It might not gravel our sensibilities so much if these flawed and reprobate leaders were held up as negative moral examples, with lurid, hellfire descriptions of the punishing consequences of living such bad lives.  But the story is not told quite that way.  There is a kind of matter-of-fact in difference in the tone of the narration, almost as if God is saying, ‘Well, if this is all you’re going to give me to work with, I’ll use these men and women, just as they are, and get on with working out the story of salvation.’ These people are even given a measure of dignity as they find their place in the story; they are most certainly not employed for the sake of vilification.”

“God, it turns out, does not require good people in order to do good work.  He can and does work with us in whatever moral and spiritual condition he finds us.  God, we are learning, does some of his best work using the most unlikely people.”  “If God found a way to significantly include these leaders (“judges”) in what we know is on its way to becoming a glorious conclusion, he can certainly use us along with our sometimes impossible friends, and neighbors!”

“Twice in Judges (17:6 and 21:25) there is the telling refrain: ‘At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.’  But we readers know that there was a king in Israel: GOD was king.  And so, while the lack of an earthly king accounts for the moral and political anarchy, the presence of the sovereign God, however obscurely realized, means that the reality of the kingdom is never in doubt.” –Peterson, Introduction to Judges, The Message Bible

Whew, are we ready to jump in?  May God’s Holy Spirit teach us what will be most helpful to our growing relationship with God through Jesus, His Son.

Judges 1

Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”

2 The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.”

3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.

4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

9 After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. 10 They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

12 And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

15 She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

16 The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.

17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. 18 Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron—each city with its territory.

19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. 21 The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

22 Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), 24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.” 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. 29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. 31 Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. 32 The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. 33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. 34 The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We will recall in the writings of Moses; God commanded Israel to destroy every enemy in the promised land. Yet, Israel decided to leave some “harmless” enemies alone. Not only was Israel disobedient, but the “harmless” residents of the land of Israel rose up to become dangerous enemies over time.  The gods of the Canaanites seemed harmless and kind of fun; their lack of values and morals, though not of God, will be tolerated but certainly not engaged in—until they succumbed to them.

Judges chronicles the dark ages of Israel, the death of Israel. The death of the heart.  Over three centuries, they suffer memory lapse concerning the commandments of God and God, as the focus of their worship.  Israel will begin to accept a new moral code that is not of God as “everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25).  This is what happens when God is ignored and passions of self-satisfaction are worshiped.

Could this be a warning for our times?  I’ll let you ponder over that.  But what we know is this: our choices have consequences.  God foresees potential danger in our lives. He gives commands that, if followed, can protect us from dangerous consequences. If we neglect certain commands, we may reap painful consequences later.

Nothing escapes the notice of God.  But above all, God knows all and is always at work to accomplish His salvation work in and through all who will believe and follow Him. God does not rely on the leaders of our known world; God, the Creator of heaven and earth, has already decided the outcome that will be best for all who believe in Him—the hope of eternal life where Jesus is King and His love is forever!  

A new generation rose up after all who worked alongside Joshua’s generation had died.  “They did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2). Instead of exhibiting spiritual fervor, Israel sank into apathy; instead of obeying the Lord, the people moved into apostasy; and instead of the nation enjoying law and order, the land was filled with anarchy. Indeed, for Israel it was the worst of times.

But for God, all would be lost—but all is not lost but found in Jesus!  Stay tuned to see God at work in the least likely for our good and His glory!  It will be a bumpy ride but lessons will be learned as God works His power into fulfilling His story of salvation for all!

Lord,

We, as your followers, can become apathic to all you do for us and in us if we are not careful.  The gods of goods and our passion to desire them can overtake and replace your blessings of growing in your character and in our relationship with you that far exceeds what this world has to offer.  I repent of apathy and complacence.  Keep me aware of Your Holy Presence who guides me to all that is truth.  Make your desires be mine.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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YOU HAVE SEEN SALVATION—REMEMBER!

Posted on May 13, 2025 by randscallawayffm

The times of conquering are over! The Promised Land is settled.  Everyone has a place to live.  God has granted and time of peace and rest to the Israelites.  God’s leader, Joshua has been a great leader who stood firm in obedience to God.  Joshua sought the Lord’s guidance, declaring opening that it is God is the One he and his household love and serve.  Joshua chose to love God back with all his heart, mind, and soul.  Now, as Joshua ages, he bids farewell to the people he has served with words of encouragement as well as warnings to never turn their focus from the One and Only God.  Most great leaders devoted to God, who give their lives to God, love God wholeheartedly, and obey all that God says, speak last words such as these:

“You have seen all that God has done.”  Godly leaders give all glory to God.

“God always does what He promises.”  Godly leaders know their part of God’s mission—even when it is hard and beyond their own abilities to accomplishment.  They know that where God guides; He provides all that is needed.

“It was the Lord your God who fought for you.”  Godly leaders know from where their strength and wisdom comes from and give all glory to God!

“Choose this day whom you will serve.  As for me and my house, we choose God.”  (Joshua 24) Godly leaders reflect who they believe in their behaviors.  Demonstrating God’s mission is powerful for those making their choice.

“Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your mind, and all your heart.” God’s command from the beginning.  Godly leaders know that God wants us to love him back as much as He loves us.  “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

“Remember, don’t look back, hold fast to the Lord, your God.”  It is God who loves most and wants His best for us.  Remember that and don’t look back!

Joshua 23

Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2 summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges, and officials—and said to them: “I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.

9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “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. 15 But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Know God.  Know the Enemy.

God knows we our weaknesses as well as our strengths.  He knows exactly what we need when we need it because God knows all the schemes of Satan, His Enemy.  God knew how much Satan wanted to be Him. God knew his character traits were pride, greed, envy, comparisons in power and importance, using whatever and whomever to get what he wanted for himself.  Satan’s hate for God escalated when God threw Satan out of heaven.  Satan would forever be known as the “fallen angel”; the one kicked out of heaven to earth. Satan dedicated himself to be the prince of this world on earth with the mission to distract, deceive, deconstruct, dismantle and ultimate destroy all allegiance and faith of God’s created humans. If you think banning this angel from heaven was harsh to our modern, highly sensitive, easily offended lifestyles, then you aren’t understanding the full picture.  Satan is everything God is not.  Satan was and is a the “chief among liars.”  (See John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4) Interestingly, Satan and his demons fear God! Like roaches, they hide in the dark when the Light comes to expose them.   

Now knowing this, let’s fully understand the reason God ask Moses then Joshua to conquer and subdue all who were residing in the Promised Land before taking possession and settling there. It seems to us; Canaan was Satan’s playground of evil practices.  Humans were obsessed with all things evil as a result.  God and evil cannot occupy the same space.  One had to go. God chose Evil to depart from the land.

As we read the book of Joshua, it is hard to embrace killing everyone in the conquered cities with destruction. “No survivors was the recurrent refrain.  We look back from our time in history and think, how horrible. But if we were able to put ourselves back in the thirteenth century B.C., we might see it differently, for that Canaanite culture was a snake pit of child sacrifice and sacred prostitution, practices ruthlessly devoted to using the most innocent and vulnerable members of the community (babies and virgins) to manipulate God or gods for gain.”—Eugene Peterson, The Message Bible Commentary

“People who want God as an escape from reality, from the often hard conditions of this life, don’t find this much to their liking.  But to the man or woman wanting more reality, not less—this continuation of the salvation story—Joshua’s fierce and devout determination to win land for his people and his extraordinary attention to get all the tribes and their families name by name assigned to their own place, is good news indeed.  Joshua lays a firm foundation for a life that is grounded.”—Peterson, Msg Bible

PAUSE:  Who or what foundation are we building our lives upon?  God or the gods of our world?  God’s Word or the lies of the enemy?

Before Joshua died, he reminded the people of all that God had done for them and all the ways God had blessed them. Then he pleaded with them not to serve other gods, or they would be destroyed.  Joshua reminded the people of their inheritance and God’s protection. His well-known words still challenge us today: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

The great accomplishment of the Hebrew people came down to this: “Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance” (Jos 24:28). 

We who believe and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord also have a great inheritance! 

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17, NIV

“Abba,” a special word of precious endearment to our Father for life who is God.  Wow.

Through Joshua, God’s people received their inheritance of the land He promised.

Through Jesus, we have received salvation from our sins with the inheritance of eternal life!

It time for us to pause, reflect, and remember all that God has done for us and given so graciously to us.  I challenge you to make a list and revisit it often with grateful praise and thanksgiving.  I’m sure the list will grow each time you remember to read it!  Now, let us thank God for the inheritance he has granted us through Christ who set us free!

Lord,

Thank you for all you have done, are doing and will do as you mold and shape me to be all you created me to be. Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for daily cleansing my heart of all that is not you, renewing my mind with the power to transform my behaviors while refreshing and filling my soul with your fresh tender mercies. Thank you for daily restoring the joy (and peace) of your salvation work within me.  Thank you for caring and loving us they way you do. I’m standing on your firm foundation—the promises of love, mercy, grace and the hope of eternal life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOING HOME TO THE OTHER SIDE

Posted on May 12, 2025 by randscallawayffm

I do declare that family squabbles begin with mere assumptions and presumptions!  We assume what a one member of the family is thinking and then presume what they will do according to our judgement.  But often, that is not what they were thinking at all. Sides are formed immediately and a lasting feud is born.  Sarcastic remarks between the opposing sides begin a war of disagreements over the most trivial things.  Lies, based on assumptions to bring people “down to size” become the humiliating weapons of war.  The children see what is happening with hate demonstrated before them and either cower in a corner until it’s over, or choose a side and angrily act out among their peers as the war escalates.  

Assumption:  a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Presumption: an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain.

No one is listening for understanding.  No one is backing down.  The war can go on for generations without really knowing the cause.  Who’s to blame?  We are.  We walk right into the war with an extreme weakness of humanity—selfishness.  The enemy of God, our real enemy uses this weakness for his purpose to destroy us until Someone mediates the situation who has no partiality. This Person has all authority to lead us to a discussion of resolution, forgiveness, while casting out all assumptions, presumptions, bad feelings with perceived notions and emotions.  That Person is Jesus, our High Priest and Mediator.

Joshua 22

Eastern Tribes Return Home

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. 3 For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. 4 Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. 7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, 8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”

9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

15 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. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things, did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.

24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.

26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’

28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

29 “Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Situation:  Returning to the eastern side, the three tribes built an altar patterned after the Lord’s altar. They were accused of idolatry and rebellion, no questions asked. But Phinehas, their priest, declared that the altar was a token of solidarity with the rest of Israel and a reminder to the rest of the tribes that they all worshiped one God.

The Issue:  The “other side” assumed the worst and was ready to go to war.

The Solution:  Phinehas the priest was sent to mediate the situation. After listening the crisis of war was averted.  “Oh, I get it now.”

Tools of Response:

When conflict occurs, we must not perform the long jump of hasty conclusions, but listen to both sides of the story to make a wise decision. When we pause, become still, let go of our assumptions and listen to our Advocate, Judge, High Priest, and Lord of our lives; we ready ourselves to listen to each other with focused attention on the truth of the matter.   

Get Help!  We need help and God loves give it!  Just ask! His Holy Spirit lives in all believers, ready to help with power! God gave us this part of Himself to guide us to all that is true and right.  His Holy Spirit comes with power beyond our human wisdom and will trump our human weakness of assuming and presuming. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”—Jesus, describing the work of God’s Holy Spirit, John 16:13

Wait on God’s wisdom. Waiting on God means working through conflicts, forgiving offenses, resolving disputes.  “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31 These sins, (let’s call them what they really are), of assuming and presuming are such a waste of worrisome energy and takes away our smiles! Want a facelift?  Try a faith lift which begins with really believing and trusting God in all areas of life!  He is Life now and forever!  Knowing God is knowing real love.

Love God. Love Each Other.  The two greatest commandments—everything else stems from these, says Jesus.  Matthew 22:36-40

Forgive each other.  “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Develop the Holy Pause. “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8-9, MSG

Lord,

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into the temptations of assuming what others are thinking; but deliver us from evil and evil’s schemes to distract us from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help to overcome this weakness.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD’S PROMISES FULFILLED IN EVERY DETAIL

Posted on May 10, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Fulfillment Centers

As soon as we click “purchase” online, it is immediately sent to be processed through a “fulfillment center.” The fulfillment center receives the order, searches their inventory for the product, obtains the product, packages the product to survive the postal system or their own system and then our product leaves the fulfillment center for transit to our home or place of business. 

And what do we do?  As soon as we place the order, we begin tracking our order!  We anxiously wait for our promised product to arrive as soon as possible!  We check the front porch often in case it arrived while we doing our tasks for the day—beginning with the second day after ordering!  Upon arrival, we expect our product to be exactly as advertised and exactly as we pictured it in our minds. If it is not; we are not happy. We are not a patient people, are we?  Admit it, we are as spoiled as an infants waiting on a bottle to put into our mouths in nanoseconds!  We know it’s coming but we whine and cry until it happens!

God gives us exactly what He promises, yet we still question His timing, His Son, His redemption for all our sins, and the guidance of His Holy Spirit.  This is a dangerous way to live as our Enemy preys on our venerable lack of faith.  God’s promises are true and trustworthy for God does not lie.  To combat our faith-lapses, we must do what the Psalmist did: “Be still”, let go of what we think we want, and wait.  And in the wait, get “to know God” who knows exactly what we need when we need it! (Psalm 46)

From Abraham to Moses to now Joshua; God’s promise of land for occupation was fulfilled. From Abraham’s call to “go” to Joshua’s call possess the promised land; the nation of Israel is established.  The stage is set for God’s Ultimate Promise to arrive.

Joshua 21

Towns for the Levites

Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel 2 at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

4 The first lot came out for the Kohathites, according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin. 5The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

6 The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

7 The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name 10 (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):

11 They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 12 But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

19 The total number of towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, 22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

23 Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

25 From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

26 All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

27 The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

28 from the tribe of Issachar,

Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

30 from the tribe of Asher,

Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

32 from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

33 The total number of towns of the Gershonite clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

34 The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

from the tribe of Zebulun,

Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

36 from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

38 from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

40 The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.

41 The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. 42 Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 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. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Waiting to experience the fulfillment of a promise from God often requires patience, persistence, and attention on God.  God provides for all the details of His promise.  We learn how important the details are as God’s Promise to the nation of Isarael which began with Abraham’s call to do what God says; “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) This began the fulfillment process of God’s gift of redemption for humanity! 

God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation, teaches us these principles that govern the fulfillment of God’s promises. We must always remember that His promises …

  • Are stated clearly. They are never hazy, shady, or uncertain.
  • Come with guidance (Gen. 12:1, 6). God wants to be personally involved in every area of our life, because He knows we live in difficult circumstances. And God involves us personally in His promises!
  • Require times of meditation to seek His direction (Genesis 7-8). As believers, we are constantly being shaped by the Lord. Recording what we learn can help us remember the lessons we’ve picked up along the way.  Newsflash:  We are not perfect, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but we are perfectly forgiven by Jesus—and that’s a promise fulfilled!  Our messy mistakes are turned into great messages declaring the glory of God at work within us.

Jesus is God’s Promised Messiah proclaimed through God’s prophets who would fulfill all the promises of God!  Jesus stood in our place for our sins.  He took our sins on His shoulders and took the punishment we all deserve.  Jesus gave Himself, the one who knew no sin, and paid our debt of sin in full!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 Our part in this fulfilled promise is to believe in Jesus and our God who sent Him with the promise of eternal life!  Our response to His promise is to “Go and teach” others of the fulfillment of all God’s promises in Jesus! (Matthew 28:20)

There will be times when we feel we must question God’s direction in the details, like many of His leaders did; but His Word teaches us that we live by promise and obedience, not by feelings or reason. Because some things will just not seem reasonable. God’s thoughts are higher than our human thoughts.  (Issaih 55:8)  To “follow our hearts” is dangerous living because “our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked!” (Jeremiah 17:9-10) Learn to follow the heart of God!  He never fails!

God may require something that might appear to be in opposition to what He’s promised (Gen. 22:1-2). Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac, the son through whom God’s promise was to be fulfilled. When we experience God’s faithfulness over time, we will trust Him even with things that seem extreme.  God’s promise may lead us to surrender something very dear to us (Gen. 22:3-5). Holding on to something God asks us to surrender won’t build our trust. It just delays the blessings of God—all that God wants to do in and through us!

Our faith filled obedience is key to God’s promise to complete His work in us!

Love God. Love Others.

Lord,

I am learning to pray with an expectant heart knowing that you want what is your best for us.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and fill my soul of all that is you while removing all that is not of you. Restore the joy of your salvation at work within me to be more and more, in every way, like you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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