TWELVE STONES

Posted on April 24, 2025 by randscallawayffm

I am teased often by my family over the number of hoodies I have from places I have been. Being a bit of clothes hog, I do clean out my closet at the end of each season of those things I no longer wear but still look new to give away.  But items that tell of the good memories of places Randy and I have visited still remain because they make me smile when I wear them and remember.  They remind me of God’s hand on us as we traveled on adventures far from home.  We remember the enjoyment we had of seeing the beauty of the land along with the nice people we met along the way.  The hoodies represent good memories.  So, when one of our family members ask “why do you still have that,” I tell them the stories of our adventures!  They still tease me, but I am loyal to the memories!

God wants us to remember!  He teaches the Israelites HOW to forever remember that time when His glorious power went to work right before their eyes!  God parts the waters of the Jordan just like he parted the Red Sea!  Imagine, if you can, thousands of people, bringing all their stuff along with herds of animals, coming the Jordan River, AT FLOOD STAGE no less, and then watching God hold the waters back so they could cross over on dry ground!  Wow! God is so good to us that sometimes I think we can be spoiled by His goodness and take Him for granted!  Perhaps we should take stock and remember, with smiles and thoughts of gratitude, for all He has done for us and is doing in us right now! 

Read and watch as God “rolls out the red carpet” of His Goodness so that His Chosen can walk across Jordan to the Promised Land on dry ground. And why the twelve stones?  I’ll let Joshua tell it…

Joshua 4

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Twelve large stones were to be picked up from the middle of the Jordan—right where the priest who carried the Ark stood.  Twelve—one heavy stone placed on the shoulders of representatives of each tribe of Israel originating from the twelve sons of Jacob.  No detail of God’s promise to His people is left undone or forgotten.  God is good like that.  He wants us to remember Him—not the stones.  Love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls—not the stones.  Worship God alone—not the stones.  Look at the piled up stones as a way to recall God’s miraculous power of provision and protection and give him praise while telling His story of rescue and redemption.  The stones did not save them—God did! 

Too many times, God’s people become attached to the stones of places and feel they can only connect with God there. They worship the place more than God who spoke to them or helped them there.  We must realize that God is everywhere. Just like God goes before the Israelites from place to place as they conquer the Promised Land God gave to them; God goes before, beside, and behind us.  It is God, not the stones of the places we’ve been, but God alone to whom all praise is due and from whom all blessings flow! 

“And they are there to this day…” to remember who God is with what He did. “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

As soon as the priests’ feet touched the Jordan River, God rolled the water back, allowing his people to enter Canaan on dry ground.  Don’t skip over the power and majesty of our Creator who is able to control all that He has created!  Pause even now to remember all that God has done for, in and through you!  Rejoice, and again I say rejoice, knowing God watches over our every step as we journey toward His promises of which there are many, which includes life forever with Him!

The Old has gone; the New Begins—

The stone monument at Gilgal reminded the Israelites that God had opened the Jordan River and brought them safely across into the Promised Land. They had made a break with the past and were never to think of going back. The monument taken from the depths of the river reminded them that their old life was now buried and they were now to “live new lives” (Romans 6:1–4).

Believe and be saved.  Remember and tell others what God did for us through His Son.

Remembering and telling is worship to God! 

Lord,

Thank you for this story of remembering the power you had, have, and always will have in our world.  Thank you for teaching us how to remember in ways that praise you alone! Thank you for your rescue and redemption. Thank you for being with us always. Thank you, Jesus for being the Way, Truth, and Life.  I will never forget what you have done and are still doing in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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FOLLOW THOSE IN THE KNOW

Posted on April 23, 2025 by randscallawayffm

The phrase, “fake ‘til you make it” might be popular when learning a new job; but it is not the way of God or to God!  God is the Creator of all and is the Designer of Perfect plans—plans to help us, not harm us.  God’s ways are perfect in every way, sing the psalmists. Here is an example;

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” Psalm 18:30-32

The prophet Jeremiah proclaims the power, wisdom, strength, unfailing love, and unending faithfulness of God who has THE plan for surviving exiles, God’s people,  taken from their promised land to reside in Babylon;

“This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 29:10-14

However, before the prophets and singers, God begins his planned work in Joshua, the new leader of the Israelites.  Joshua knows God with a committed heart for God.  Joshua trusts and obeys the plan of God to now cross over the Jordan to enter the promised land.  Observe the detailed strategy to take thousands of people across the Jordan river. 

Joshua 3

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is NO ONE like our God!

God’s plan was, is and ALWAYS will be the best plan!  God provided not one; but now two “parting the waters” experience for His people to marvel at and enjoy!  They crossed the mighty and swelled Jordan river—walking on dry ground!  God guided then He provided the Way to get across—with a Plan—His Plan.  This is how God works! 

Joshua, the one who knows God personally and intimately—like Moses—did exactly what God told Him to do.  God provided His power to complete The Plan!  This is how we must trust and obey!

The Ark Detail

Stay within sight of the Holy, the Ark of the Covenant, but at a distance of about 3000 feet, the people are warned.  The Ark, carried by the priests, were commanded to go first into the water and stand there.  Could it be that if we go before God, then we are no longer is sight of His leading us?!  God leads; we follow.

As soon as the priests’ feet touched the Jordan River, God rolled the water back, allowing his people to enter Canaan on dry ground.  God’s Plan all along is to have a relationship with His created.  God will do whatever it takes to bring people to this relationship with Him.  We can rejoice that God still does miracles in our lives with a plans to rescue us as we travel on our brief journey on earth toward the promise of our forever home with Him in heaven.

The Promise of Heaven begins with God’s Ultimate Plan—Jesus!

“God demonstrated His relentless love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) But we have questions and doubts at times, don’t we?  Are we really a part of God’s family?  Are we really joint heirs with Jesus?  Will we, who do not deserve it or earn it; inherit all that God promises in heaven of no more pain, tears, judgement, hate, or sorrows of any kind, only eternal praise of a perfect God in perfect place?

God answers these questions with certainty and assurance at the cross—planned from the beginning.  When Jesus died, the heavenly vote was forever cast in our favor.  God declared for all to hear, “This child is my child. My covenant will never change.”  Great is God’s faithfulness to us.  Because of God’s compassion, love and kindness; we are redeemed. Promised land people believe this. They trust God’s hold on them more than their hold on God. They place their trust in the finished work of Christ. 

Follow those who know God until you know God in an intimate relationship, too. 

We learn from the prophets and psalmists to follow the One with the Perfect Plan. Follow God who knows all.  May our response always be to call, come, pray, seek God with all that is in us.  And God, the One who knows our hearts, will hear and see us, and help us with His Plan of rescue and redemption. God’s promises never fail!

Isaiah’s words still ring true for us today;

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2

Lord God,

How reassuring you are as you teach us who you are with how to walk in your ways through Your Word!  How blessed we are today to have many who know you and are committed to you to lead us in Your Ways.  Thank you for all who have gone on before me who led me to You. Thank you for leading me to mentor others in your ways. Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for your daily manna that feeds my heart, renews my mind, and fills my soul.  Thank you for being with us always!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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HELP FROM THE LEAST LIKELY?

Posted on April 22, 2025 by randscallawayffm

There are times in my life, and maybe in yours, that God used who I thought was an unbeliever or “a just not yet believer” to guide me back to God’s truth.  When I am hit with life stuff that is significant and I don’t know what to do I turn to God in prayer.  God always answers but not always in the way I think He will. God has a way of getting our attention when we need it most, or rather we need Him most!  God will sometimes use the least likely in our human estimation to help us if we pay attention to what God is doing in all people who come into our bubbles of believing, trusting and obeying.

“Only two women are personally named in Hebrews 11, “The Hall of Fame of Faith”: Sarah, the wife of Abraham (Hebrews 11:11), and Rahab, the harlot of Jericho (Hebrews 11:31). Humanly speaking, Sarah and Rahab had nothing in common. But from the divine viewpoint, Sarah and Rahab shared the most important thing in life: They both had exercised saving faith in the true and living God. Review the genealogy in Matthew 1 to see the variety of men and women that God used to accomplish through Christ His redemption program to save the lost.” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Joshua 2

Rahab

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies: “Go. Look over the land. Check out Jericho.” They left and arrived at the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “We’ve just learned that men arrived tonight to spy out the land. They’re from the People of Israel.”

3 The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They’re spies; they’ve come to spy out the whole country.”

4-7 The woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, two men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they’d come from. At dark, when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them—you can still catch them!” (She had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for her on the roof.) So the men gave chase down the Jordan road toward the fords. As soon as they were gone, the gate was shut.

8-11 Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, “I know that God has given you the land. We’re all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below.

12-13 “Now promise me by God. I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!”

14 “Our lives for yours!” said the men. “But don’t tell anyone our business. When God turns this land over to us, we’ll do right by you in loyal mercy.”

15-16 She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside. She told them, “Run for the hills so your pursuers won’t find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way.”

17-20 The men told her, “In order to keep this oath you made us swear, here is what you must do: Hang this red rope out the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house—father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Anyone who goes out the doors of your house into the street and is killed, it’s his own fault—we aren’t responsible. But for everyone within the house we take full responsibility. If anyone lays a hand on one of them, it’s our fault. But if you tell anyone of our business here, the oath you made us swear is canceled—we’re no longer responsible.”

21 She said, “If that’s what you say, that’s the way it is,” and sent them off. They left and she hung the red rope out the window.

22 They headed for the hills and stayed there for three days until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers had looked high and low but found nothing.

23-24 The men headed back. They came down out of the hills, crossed the river, and returned to Joshua son of Nun and reported all their experiences. They told Joshua, “Yes! God has given the whole country to us. Everybody there is in a state of panic because of us.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

SURPRISING EVIDENT FAITH

Rahab’s faith was conspicuous, and she demonstrated it by receiving the spies and risking her life to protect them. James saw her actions as proof that she was truly a believer (James 2:25). Her faith wasn’t hidden; the spies could tell that she was indeed a believer.  The spies knew God so they knew God would protect them as the surveyed the land of Jerico.  Do you think they were surprised by the help from Rahab?

Are we surprised when who we think is an unbeliever talks to us about the God we say we love and serve—and encourages us with the same words we speak? With God nothing is impossible and to God everyone is valuable.  God loves everyone in the world for God created all and is in all.  It is up to us to recognize Him in all people for there is no one He has created that He does not love.  “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

What is faith?  True saving faith isn’t just a feat of intellectual gymnastics by which we convince ourselves that something is true that really isn’t true. Nor is it merely a stirring of the emotions that gives us a false sense of confidence that God will do what we feel He will do. Nor is it a courageous act of the will whereby we jump off the pinnacle of the temple and expect God to rescue us (Jesus—Matthew 4:5–7). True saving faith involves “the whole personality”: The mind is instructed, the emotions are stirred, and the will then acts in obedience to God. –Wiersbe Study Bible

We learn that the most important thing about Rahab was her faith. That’s the most important thing about any person, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Not everything that is called “faith” is real, true faith, the kind of faith that is described in the Bible. What kind of faith did Rahab have? 

Rahab readily gave her confession of faith to the two spies sent by Joshua.  This woman of faith in God was currently imprisoned in pagan idolatry! She believed in one God, not in the multitude of heathen gods. She believed He was a personal God (“your God”), who would work on behalf of those who trusted Him. She believed God who she trusted was not limited to one nation or one land, but was the God of heaven and earth. Rahab believed in a great and awesome God who could do anything! 

Pause to humbly and prayerfully evaluate. 

  • How firm is my faith?
  • Is my faith evident to all I relate to daily? What is the measure of love expressed?
  • Do I judge people, assuming the worst, presuming I know what they are thinking; while I piously say and do things unbecoming to God?
  • Do I worry needlessly—out loud—complaining to everyone in ways that slander the very promises of God?   
  • How seriously assured am I?  Maybe it depends on where my Hope lies?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

THE ROPE WAS ONLY THE SYMBOL OF HER FAITH

Please, don’t rush out to hang red ropes out your windows, print it on a t-shirt, or where it around our necks to promote faith, thinking that is what will save us! 

Rahab and her family were saved by faith in the God of Israel and not by faith in the rope hanging out the window. The fact that she hung the rope from the window was proof that she had faith, just as the blood of the slain lamb put on the doorposts in Egypt proved that the Israelites believed God’s Word.

Faith is a personal relationship with the living God. Our faith in our God who sent us His Son, Jesus to save us. Our faith in His covenant (The Word of God) gives us our assurance. Many people today depend more on the symbols of God’s saving grace than on the salvation in and of itself.  “I was baptized so I am saved” for example, is what many relay on for salvation without the repentance of sins to God in Jesus Name.  The act nor the water has the power to save us—only Jesus!  Participation in the Lord’s Table (the Eucharist, Communion) does not save us, either.  This kind of faith-thinking is in vain. Dutifully performing all the tasks, in the name of religion only, is also in vain.  Jesus reprimanded the teachers of The Law about this when He came as Messiah!

Rahab had faith in the Lord and in the covenant promises He had made through His servants. Because of her faith, God gave her wisdom and a plan to protect the spies Joshua sent.  God is indeed wonderfully and powerfully amazing!

Lord,

I believe in You alone as the God of my salvation.  I believe in you, dear Jesus, and I trust you.  I believe in you, Holy Spirit, sent live in me.  Yes, there is no one like You.  You are God, the Three-in-One; and I am not.  I give myself to you—heart, mind, and soul.  Guide me with your agenda for today.  I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GET GOING!

Posted on April 21, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“LAND! Land flowing with milk and honey. Promised land.  Holy land. Canaan land. The land.  Joshua, Moses’ successor as leader of Israel, was poised at the River Jordan to enter and take possession of Canaan, an unremarkable stretch of territory sandwiched between massive and already ancient civilizations.

It would have been unimaginable to anyone at the time that anything of significance could take place on that land. This narrow patch had never been significant economically or culturally, but only as a land bridge between the two great cultures and economies of Egypt and Mesopotamia. 

But it was about to become important in the religious consciousness of humankind.  In significance ways, this land would come to dwarf everything that had gone on before and around it.”—Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Joshua, The Message Bible

God’s first command to his new leader of His Chosen People: “Get Going!”

After generations of our families living in Oklahoma, Randy and I heard God say to move to another part of the country, far away, to another culture of people, and serve Him there.  God made all the necessary arrangements to make this monumental move from where we were to where He wanted us to be.  After letting go of current careers, selling our home, downsizing our stuff through garage sales, leaving family behind with tearful goodbyes; we climbed into a big rented truck pulling a trailer with another secured vehicle.  Then God said, “Get Going!”  We didn’t know exactly what was on the other side of 1000 miles later; but we were obedient to God’s call with wonder, excitement and gratitude for His help in getting us there.

Think of times when God spoke to you concerning HIS will, purpose, and plan for your life. Thank Him for His leading because God always guides us to His best for our good that in ways that declare the glorious works of God.  There is no one like our God declares all who know and love God back.  Will there be trying times that test our faith? Absolutely. It is in those times that God’s power works to solidify our faith and intimacy with Him. Be grateful for those times for they are precious and holy to our relationship with God.

As we go with Joshua on his leadership journey into the Promised Land with thousands of God’s People; know that Joshua listens to God with an obedient heart.  So, let’s get going! Where God guides; He provides. 

Joshua 1, The Message

1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant:

“Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

The Taking of the Land

10-11 Then Joshua gave orders to the people’s leaders: “Go through the camp and give this order to the people: ‘Pack your bags. In three days you will cross this Jordan River to enter and take the land God, your God, is giving you to possess.’”

12-15 Then Joshua addressed the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He said, “Remember what Moses the servant of God commanded you: God, your God, gives you rest and he gives you this land. Your wives, your children, and your livestock can stay here east of the Jordan, the country Moses gave you; but you, tough soldiers all, must cross the River in battle formation, leading your brothers, helping them until God, your God, gives your brothers a place of rest just as he has done for you. They also will take possession of the land that God, your God, is giving them. Then you will be free to return to your possession, given to you by Moses the servant of God, across the Jordan to the east.”

16-18 They answered Joshua: “Everything you commanded us, we’ll do. Wherever you send us, we’ll go. We obeyed Moses to the letter; we’ll also obey you—we just pray that God, your God, will be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who questions what you say and refuses to obey whatever you command him will be put to death. Strength! Courage!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Where have God’s People been?  Let’s recap.

The People of Israel had been landless for nearly five hundred years.  Their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his twelve sons—had been nomads, living in tent dwellings, in the land of Canaan.  This was after they spent a long period of time, over 400 years, in slavery to the Egyptians!  God heard their cries and met their need by leading them out of Egypt.  Moses, along with his brother and sister, were used by God to deliver His People through miraculous events that declared the authority and power of God.  Then there was another 40 years of testing and training that served to remove Egypt (custom, culture, and worship of many manmade gods) from the hearts, minds, and souls of His people under God’s guidance and blessing. 

God’s work in His People was to transform them from landless slaves to landholding free men and women!  Joshua leads the transition as a called servant of God.  God’s Plan includes a renewal of His covenant with them and comes in two parts:

  1. Take and possess the land.
  2. Distribute the land to the twelve tribes.

Sounds simple enough, but hold on and fasten your seat belts!

Where are they going and what they will do when they get there? 

God’s Plan sounded simple but it will involve many battles with evil that will shock us until we understand fully the culture of evil that is detestable to God and all created in His image.  Evil must be eradicated and removed. 

If we could step back in time and were to walk into this culture; we would see the massive abuse of children and youth. Our minds will be less blown by the battles that God leads His People to fight.  The Canaanite culture included a snake pit of child sacrifice and sacred prostitution, with practices ruthlessly devoted to using the most innocent and vulnerable members of the community to manipulate God or gods for pure gain.

“As the Book of Joshua takes the story of salvation forward from the leadership and teaching of Moses, it continues to keep us grounded in places and connected to persons: place names, personal names—hundreds of them.  What we often consider to be the subjects of religion—ideas, truths, prayers, promises, beliefs—are never permitted to have a life of their own apart from particular persons and actual places.  Biblical religion has a low tolerance for ‘great ideas’ or ‘sublime truths’ or ‘inspirational thoughts’ apart from the people and places in which they occur.  God’s great love and purposes for us are worked out in the messes, storms and sins, blue skies, daily work, and dreams of our common lives, working with us as we are and not as we should be.

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 getting all the tribes and their families name by name assigned to their own place, is good news indeed.” –Peterson, The Message Bible

With God’s help and leading, Joshua lays a firm foundation for a life of faith, trust and obedience that is grounded and solid. To God be the glory!  God is in the going and coming. God is in all and is with all who believe. 

Jesus did and does the same for all who believe and call on His Name today!  Believe and be saved and made whole.

Lord,

Thank you for teaching us through your Word with the help of Your Holy Spirit guiding us to all that is truth.  Thank you for saving my soul, delivering me from the bondage of evil, and setting me free to love like you love. Thank you for making me whole. Thank you for turning our messes into messages of your salvation so others can know you, too.

In Jesus Name, Yes, and amen!

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GOD—MOSES’ PERSONAL FUNERAL DIRECTOR!

Posted on April 20, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Upon the death of Moses’ tired, worn out, physical body; God buries him.  God buries his old body where no one else can find him.  Moses is gone from the sight of the people he led for decades to receive God’s reward of being with God always in heaven.  How do we know that Moses lives with God? God later sends Moses along with Elijah to have a meeting with Jesus, God’s One and Only Son, who is “on assignment” to save the world, once and for all, for all our sins.

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” –Jesus, Matthew 17:1-9

Deuteronomy 34—FINAL CHAPTER OF MOSES…or is it?

The Death of Moses

34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is above all and in all creation.  God is in control.  God was, is and always will be God.  God directs the mission of His Plan to save us. God will prevail.  God is faithful. God lives. God loves.  We are always on the mind of God.  God knew all have sinned and in need of rescue.

Moses was a man, not perfect in all his ways, but who believed in what God said.  God had a plan for Moses that began at his birth and continued until his death.  For one hundred and twenty years—God nurtured and led Moses to lead God’s Chosen people out of Egypt so they could be free to love Him back with all their hearts, minds, and souls. When they trusted and obeyed all went well for them.  When they did not, they put themselves in harm’s way and had to pay the consequences of their own selfish actions.  But still, God loved them. God loved Moses.  Moses completed the mission God had for him. Moses was a Friend of God—and what a relationship they had!

Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, a couple who loved God and were both born from the hereditary line of the Chosen.  God trusted His Son, Jesus to this couple who loved Him dearly.  Mary and Joseph listened to God and guided this child with wisdom from infancy to adulthood.  Jesus was Son of Man and Son of God in the same body.  Jesus was sent on a mission of rescue; similar to God’s plan for Moses. 

“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

It is the love of God that directs the Plan of God to give LIFE forever to all who believe!

During that week, the disciples must have pondered and discussed what Jesus meant by His death and resurrection.  God knew their hearts and provided a divine revelation of what eternal LIFE looks like. God planned for a select few disciple to see Jesus—in all His glory—meeting with Moses and Elijah!  Peter, James, and John fall on their faces in humbled respect for Moses, the Rescuer of their people and for Elijah the Great Prophet who proclaimed God! 

PROOF OF LIFE!

Moses and Elijah, once dead and gone from this world are both alive!  They have been sent by God to talk with Jesus. Did they come to encourage Jesus who would go through the most excruciating death of all times so that sinners could be saved?  We don’t know what they discussed but we know how they came! 

Moses, the great leader and Elijah the prophet, came to talk with Jesus on the mountain, shining brightly, in new glorious bodies, that were recognized and known by Jesus!  Jesus was “transfigured,” too!  Light spilled out from Jesus with brilliance so bright the disciples had to cover their blinded eyes from the explosive brightness. Brightness poured through every pore of his skin and stitch of his robe. Mark writes that Jesus’ “clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (Mark 9:3).  And we worry about what we will wear to church on Easter Sunday!  Could this be why Jesus said, “Do not worry about what you will wear?” (Matthew 6:25-34) God takes care of all we worry about needlessly.

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1John 1:5). He dwells in “unapproachable light” (1Timothy 6:16). The transfigured Christ, then, is Christ in his purest form.  It’s also Christ as his truest self, wearing his pre-Bethlehem and post-resurrection wardrobe. One who is “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). A diamond with no flaw, a rose with no bruise, a song on perfect pitch, and a poem with impeccable rhyme.” –Max Lucado, The Encouraging Word Bible

And because Jesus defeated the Enemy of the darkness of death and rose victoriously in resurrection power, HE LIVES!  And because Jesus lives—We who believe will LIVE forever with Him—in all His glory with new glorious bodies!  John, the eye witness to the Transfiguration of Christ, writes; “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

God wants us to be prepared for life forever with Him.

The first step we take is to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, the once and for all sacrifice for our sins. Receive Jesus by faith knowing our sins have been paid in full.

We fully realize that we did not deserve this act of kindness that led to our redemption and we certainly cannot earn it but we humble bow to accept this gift from God who loves us. 

We surrender ourselves daily to God as an offering to Him for all He has done for us, asking now what He wants. 

We then accept the Gift of God’s Holy Spirit who with power helps us to live a life holy, pleasing to God—all for our good and His glory!

We believe that Jesus died and rose again to give us this hope of glory. 

Because Jesus lives—we live—now and forever!

Lord,

Thank you for your word that explodes with the truth of your love for us!  May your glory be seen today with grateful praise.  May your glory be seen in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

WE SHALL BEHOLD HIM!

The sky shall unfold
Preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him
With thunders of praise

The sweet light in His eyes, shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him, then face to face

O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord

The angel will sound, the shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise, from there slumbering place
And those remaining, shall be changed in a moment
And we shall behold him, then face to face

We shall behold Him, o yes we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
We shall behold Him, face to face
Our Savior and Lord
We shall behold Him, our Savior and Lord
Savior and Lord!

(Source: LyricFind; Songwriters: Dottie Rambo; We Shall Behold Him lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Concord Music Publishing LLC)

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GOD PREPARES US FOR OUR TRANSFER

Posted on April 19, 2025 by randscallawayffm

There are many word phrases we humans have invented to describe passing from this life to life in heaven such as;

“God needed him in heaven”

“She got her final promotion”

“No more pain for him who suffered much here”

These are but a few things the grieving say to ease their minds when feeling awkward and anxious upon the passing of a friend or family member.  And why do we always say, “Oh, she or he looks good.”  The body is empty of the soul!  The person we knew is not there!  We get a new body in the transfer from death to life! (2 Corinthians 5) I’m counting on that truth!

As former pastors, we’ve helped grieving families through many funeral preparations.  What I have noticed over the years, especially among believers, is that when death comes; our judgement finally ceases of the deceased.  Only “good” words, through the stories recalled, are said to honor the person who has passed from this life to the next.  (I sometimes wonder why we can’t honor each other with these words while we are still alive?!)

However, before death comes, believers who follow Jesus, seem to know their passing is near. What flows from their hearts and over their lips are more words of encouragement for loved ones who will be left behind with reminders of who God is and why they followed Him. This also seems to be part of God’s preparation in our transfer.  

God is preparing Moses for his transfer from death to life with Him.  Yesterday we read of God’s Song to Moses that has become a lesson in theology, history, and personal obedience, with several strong warnings included. In today’s passage, God gives Moses the final blessing to be said over each of the twelve tribes of Israel.  This blessing is saturated with God’s grace and mercy. It’s quite a contrast to the “blessing” Jacob gave his twelve sons before he died (See Genesis 49), revealing their hidden character and exposing sin. Moses opened and closed his blessing by extolling the greatness of the Lord!

Deuteronomy 33

Moses Blesses the Tribes

This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:

“The Lord came from Sinai
    and dawned over them from Seir;
    he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones
    from the south, from his mountain slopes.
3 Surely it is you who love the people;
    all the holy ones are in your hand.
At your feet they all bow down,
    and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us,
    the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5 He was king over Jeshurun
    when the leaders of the people assembled,
    along with the tribes of Israel.

6 “Let Reuben live and not die,
    nor his people be few.”

7 And this he said about Judah:

“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;
    bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
    Oh, be his help against his foes!”

8 About Levi he said:

“Your Thummim and Urim belong
    to your faithful servant.
You tested him at Massah;
    you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
9 He said of his father and mother,
    ‘I have no regard for them.’
He did not recognize his brothers
    or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
    and guarded your covenant.
10 He teaches your precepts to Jacob
    and your law to Israel.
He offers incense before you
    and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless all his skills, Lord,
    and be pleased with the work of his hands.
Strike down those who rise against him,
    his foes till they rise no more.”

12 About Benjamin he said:

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,
    for he shields him all day long,
    and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

13 About Joseph he said:

“May the Lord bless his land
    with the precious dew from heaven above
    and with the deep waters that lie below;
14 with the best the sun brings forth
    and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
    and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
    and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
    on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
    his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations,
    even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;
    such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 About Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
    and you, Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain
    and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,
    on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

20 About Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!
    Gad lives there like a lion,
    tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;
    the leader’s portion was kept for him.
When the heads of the people assembled,
    he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,
    and his judgments concerning Israel.”

22 About Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub,
    springing out of Bashan.”

23 About Naphtali he said:

“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
    and is full of his blessing;
    he will inherit southward to the lake.”

24 About Asher he said:

“Most blessed of sons is Asher;
    let him be favored by his brothers,
    and let him bathe his feet in oil.
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,
    and your strength will equal your days.

26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
    who rides across the heavens to help you
    and on the clouds in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
    saying, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel will live in safety;
    Jacob will dwell secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
    where the heavens drop dew.
29 Blessed are you, Israel!
    Who is like you,
    a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper
    and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
    and you will tread on their heights.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

These are the last written words of Moses, and they focus on the happiness of the people of God because of His blessings. As Moses finished blessing the tribes, he visualized the whole nation and the joy Israel ought to have because they know the true and living God. Their God isn’t a dead idol sitting in a temple; He rides the heavens to come to the aid of His people! The Psalms are full of same words!

But even more, God is Israel’s home and “dwelling place” (see Psalm 90:1), and they abide in Him no matter where they go. As we go forward by faith, he defeats the enemy and holds us up in the battle.

The Life of Moses

“In many respects, Moses comes across as a very Christlike person. Like Jesus, he was born into a godly home at a difficult time in Jewish history and, like Jesus, his life was threatened. When Moses gave up the treasures of Egypt, he was like Jesus, who became poor that He might share spiritual riches with many (2 Corinthians 8:9). Like Jesus, Moses was rejected by his people the first time he tried to help them (Exodus 2:11–15), but he was accepted by them when he came to them the second time (Exodus 4:29–31; Acts 7:23–36).

Israel rejected Christ at His first coming, but they will receive Him when He comes again (Zechariah 12:10—13:1). The only perfect example is Jesus Christ, but when we read about Moses, he reminds us of our Lord and encourages us to become more like our Savior in all things.” –Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Study Bible

As I write this, it is Saturday before Resurrection Sunday.  I am recalling the words Jesus said in His blessing with commands to His disciples before leaving earth to ascend back to heaven;

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Jesus, John 14:12-13

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” –Jesus, John 13:34-35

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”—Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20

God wants us to be prepared for death with hope of eternal life! The first step we must take is to believe in Jesus and believe in faith that Jesus died to pay the debt of our sins and remove them from our history forever! Believe, repent in Jesus Name, and salvation comes!  Upon believing, God sends the gift of His Holy Spirit to live in us, guiding us to all that is true so that we may live a life holy and pleasing to God.  We have a Helper and Counselor who will never leave us!  That is so like God!

Grief is normal but for believers in Jesus; despair is not.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:33

Bonus:  Jesus IS coming back!

Lord,

Thank you for the words of Moses, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, to reveal who you are with your purpose and plan to save us. Thank you for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, refreshing our souls, and continually restoring the joy of our salvation found only in you.  Our hope, trust and faith is built on you, the Solid Rock that does not move. Thank you for loving us the way you do. Thank you for leading us in all seasons and through all phases of life here in preparation for life there with you someday. God, you are amazing!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Tomorrow—God buries Moses’ body!

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SONG OF THE REDEEMER

Posted on April 18, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“The Nightingale“—

This literary fairy tale was written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Set in imperial China, the story recounts the friendship between the emperor and a nightingale. In the gardens of the emperor lived a nightingale whose song was more beautiful than the palace itself and was storied all over the world. He commanded that the nightingale be brought before him to sing. With the help of a poor kitchen girl, the nightingale was found and brought to the emperor, where he sang so beautifully that the emperor was moved to tears. Soon after, the emperor received a new gift: a jeweled nightingale automaton that also sang. This nightingale’s song was pretty, but always the same. The real nightingale, no longer appreciated, flew out of the palace while no one was looking. The emperor placed the artificial nightingale at his bedside and banished the real nightingale for his desertion. The artificial bird sang the emperor to sleep each night until its cogs wore down. The bird was repaired, but it could be played only once a year.

Five years later the emperor fell ill, and one night Death sat on his chest showing him the deeds of his past. The emperor wished for the artificial nightingale to sing away the unpleasant memories, but it was silent. Then a song erupted through the window, where the real nightingale was perched. The song restored the emperor’s health and persuaded Death to leave him in peace. The nightingale declined to become a guest in the palace again, but offered to come when he would and sing about all that he had seen in the kingdom, if the emperor agreed to keep this a secret between them.

This story reminds me of a song. “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before”…

The Thorn Bird—

There is an old Celtic legend about a bird, which sings only once in its life. It sings that single song more sweetly than any other creature on the face of this earth. From the moment it leaves its nest, this bird searches for a thorn tree and does not rest until it has found one. Having found the thorn tree, the bird sings among the tree’s savage branches and impales itself on the longest, sharpest spine. Then, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. The whole world stills to listen and God in his heaven smiles. The best is accomplished at the cost of the greatest pain, so says the legend.

This story reminds me Jesus who willingly and obediently laid down while nails were driven through his hands and feet and then “sang a song” of forgiveness, “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24, NKJV)

The Swan Song—

Leonardo da Vinci mentioned the legend of the swan in his notebooks: “The swan is white without spot, and it sings sweetly as it dies, that song ending its life.”

Jesus, who knew no sin, perfect in every way, became sin and sang a final song of the once and for all redemption for the sins of the world.  “It is finished.”

As in nature, there is a season to live and a season of passing from death here to life forever with God if we have been reborn and believe Jesus.  Moses’ death was near. He gave his last sermon in the form of a song. His passionate song reminded the people of their history and warned them not to repeat their mistakes but instead to trust the Lord. He prophesied their future disloyalty and punishment, as well as God’s forgiveness and mercy.  We have no excuse for abandoning God. Our Father protects, provides, and leads us like a Good Shepherd.  Listen to the Song of the Redeemer who loves and forgives. We must always put our faith and trust in Him.

Deuteronomy 32

The Song of Moses

And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
    hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
    and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
    Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
    upright and just is he.

5 They are corrupt and not his children;
    to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the Lord,
    you foolish and unwise people?
Is he not your Father, your Creator,
    who made you and formed you?

7 Remember the days of old;
    consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
    your elders, and they will explain to you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of Israel.
9 For the Lord’s portion is his people,
    Jacob his allotted inheritance.

10 In a desert land he found him,
    in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest
    and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
    and carries them aloft.
12 The Lord alone led him;
    no foreign god was with him.

13 He made him ride on the heights of the land
    and fed him with the fruit of the fields.
He nourished him with honey from the rock,
    and with oil from the flinty crag,
14 with curds and milk from herd and flock
    and with fattened lambs and goats,
with choice rams of Bashan
    and the finest kernels of wheat.
You drank the foaming blood of the grape.

15 Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
    filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.
They abandoned the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock their Savior.
16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods
    and angered him with their detestable idols.
17 They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God—
    gods they had not known,
    gods that recently appeared,
    gods your ancestors did not fear.
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 The Lord saw this and rejected them
    because he was angered by his sons and daughters.
20 “I will hide my face from them,” he said,
    “and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,
    children who are unfaithful.
21 They made me jealous by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.
22 For a fire will be kindled by my wrath,
    one that burns down to the realm of the dead below.
It will devour the earth and its harvests
    and set afire the foundations of the mountains.

23 “I will heap calamities on them
    and spend my arrows against them.
24 I will send wasting famine against them,
    consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,
    the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
25 In the street the sword will make them childless;
    in their homes terror will reign.
The young men and young women will perish,
    the infants and those with gray hair.
26 I said I would scatter them
    and erase their name from human memory,
27 but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
    lest the adversary misunderstand
and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed;
    the Lord has not done all this.’”

28 They are a nation without sense,
    there is no discernment in them.
29 If only they were wise and would understand this
    and discern what their end will be!
30 How could one man chase a thousand,
    or two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
    unless the Lord had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
    as even our enemies concede.
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
    and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,
    and their clusters with bitterness.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
    the deadly poison of cobras.

34 “Have I not kept this in reserve
    and sealed it in my vaults?
35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
    In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
    and their doom rushes upon them.”

36 The Lord will vindicate his people
    and relent concerning his servants
when he sees their strength is gone
    and no one is left, slave or free.
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
    the rock they took refuge in,
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
    and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up to help you!
    Let them give you shelter!

39 “See now that I myself am he!
    There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
    I have wounded and I will heal,
    and no one can deliver out of my hand.
40 I lift my hand to heaven and solemnly swear:
    As surely as I live forever,
41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
    and my hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
    and repay those who hate me.
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
    while my sword devours flesh:
the blood of the slain and the captives,
    the heads of the enemy leaders.”

43 Rejoice, you nations, with his people,
    for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
he will take vengeance on his enemies
    and make atonement for his land and people.

44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 On that same day the Lord told Moses, 49 “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW WILL WE RESPOND?

What is our song?  Who is our Song? is a better question to ask ourselves.  What do we sing in the middle of the storm?  Who do we sing to when seeking calm when we are fearful, worried, and afraid? Paul’s answer to that question is profound and concise. “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).  Take note: this is not a peace from God. Our Father gives us the very peace of God. It is not given by humans; it is a gift from above. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn 14:27).

This peace of God calmed Jesus’ heart when he was falsely accused, steadied his voice when he spoke to Pilate, kept his thoughts clear and heart pure as he hung on the cross. This gift of the peace of God is given to all who believe in God’s Son as our Redeemer!

Sing the Songs of The Redeemer! Of which, there are many throughout the ages! 

Here is an excerpt—

The very same God
That spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary
The worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands
That hold me when I’m broken
They conquer death to bring me victory

Now I know my redeemer lives
I know my redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my redeemer

He lives to take away my shame
And he lives forever I’ll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now he’s alive and there’s an empty grave

And I know my redeemer, he lives
I know my redeemer lives…!

(Redeemer, written and sung by Nichole Mullins)

In Jesus Name, I pray and sing of His love, mercy, and grace, forever! 

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THE LORD GOD GOES BEFORE YOU

Posted on April 17, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Read that and meditate on these seven words:  The Lord, my God, goes before me.  God who created all and is in all and over all goes ahead of you to make the path you will take ready for you who seeks Him and His will. Where God guides; He provides is not a catch phrase but it is who God was, is, and always will be—GOD of all who knows exactly what we need when we need it.

The words that soon follow the proclamation of His Presence going before us are always: “Be strong and courageous; don’t be afraid.”  These holy, power-filled words from God to His People through the ages remind and encourage all of us to trust Him completely. 

These are the some of the final words of Moses from God to His People.  These last words of Moses also announce the next leader, chosen by God—Joshua.  God’s message and mission will not change with the “changing of the guard” of leadership.  The mission to enter the Promised Land has now arrived.  Joshua will be the leader who will follow the Lord who has already gone before them all.  Hold that thought. God does the same for us today.  And again, we say; “the Lord, my God goes before me.”  So, with God; I will not be afraid.  I will be strong and courageous.

Deuteronomy 31

Joshua to Succeed Moses

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Public Reading of the Law

9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Israel’s Rebellion Predicted

14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.

15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

19 “Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.

23 The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”

24 After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them. 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”

(Tomorrow we will read the words of the song God told Moses to write.)

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We can learn much from a people who followed God as long as He met all their physical needs after delivering them from slavery to the Egyptians.  Even though, they grumbled and complained in the dessert, disobeyed whenever Moses turned his back as if God didn’t know, and then they defied God by crafting images so they could see and feel a form to worship—but God’s love for them did not change. God was sadden and angry in those moments; but His faithfulness to them did not change.  This is Good News for us.

Through the wilderness journey; God was jealous their lack of love for Him because He knew what was ahead for them.  God desired to pour out His blessings over them—blessings of becoming more like Him.  But they wanted their own way.  Even Moses had his moments, but he trusted God.  What we learn from Genesis to Deuteronomy is this:  We are all created in the image of God for our good and His glory. When we rebel against the molding and shaping of God in and through us; it will not go well for us.  And only we who rebel are to blame. 

God knows our hearts can be deceitful. God knows what we think, how we think, and who influences us.  God knows what we will face each day in our crazy world.  What we need to know and grabbed hold of with all our strength is this: 

God so loved us that He sent His Son, Jesus, a part of Himself, to come to earth, move into the neighborhood of humanity to shed the Light of Truth in our world, darkened by the Enemy of deceit.  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  Jesus healed the brokenhearted, gave hope to the poor, brought life to the walking dead, and opened the eyes of the blind and ears of the deaf—both spiritually and physically!  

Jesus tireless walked from town to town to do this while training those who would do “even greater things” after He would ascend back to heaven.  Then the last part of God’s mission to His Son was to die for our sins in the cruelest way possible invented by man—crucifixion.  The cross came after the beatings, mocking, betrayals, and lies; stripping him of all humility as a human. 

Jesus had the power to stop it all, call down tens of thousands of angels from heaven to destroy the enemy—but He did not.  This was not the will of God.  God loved us.  Jesus knew this love and loved us, too.  This relentless love of God in Jesus was the reason he willingly and obediently laid down his life for ours to pay for our sins—in fact all the sins of the world.  God did all the work to redeem us from sin and deliver us from the bondage of our sins and set us free. Nobody else could do that for us.  There is no one like our God!

So, when God says, “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. I have gone before you and I will be with you always.”  We can believe it and trust Him with our very lives because He is Life!

“I AM the Truth, the Way, and the Life,” says Jesus.  “NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Trust Truth who is Jesus. Avoid what the world says, “follow your heart” because that is not truth.  Our hearts are human and are deceitful for we are not God.  Follow Jesus who fulfilled and renewed the covenant to love God with ALL our hearts, minds, and souls as God taught the Israelites.  Follow the heart of God!

Jesus is OUR HOPE because God’s Son defeated the Enemy of death by God’s resurrection power on the Third Day! 

Matthew, a disciple who was trained well by Jesus writes;

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God has gone before us to help us face what we do not yet know and God is with us always.  Jesus is our Hope of eternal life for all who believe.

Believe, repent to Jesus.  Accept the mercy, Receive the grace of salvation.  Trust in His relentless, unchanging love and His leading.  His love never fails or gives up on us. 

He has gone before us.  He is with us always. Don’t be afraid of doing what He says.

Lord,

Thank you for this day of remembering to fear you as we stand in awe of You, grateful and humbled by all you have done for us to save us!  Your love drives out all earthly fears of the unknown, becoming the solid rock foundation of our faith in you.  Thank you for redeeming us. Thank you for being with us always. Thank you for courage and strength with your Words to tell the Truth to others!  Lead the lost in my family to your saving grace.  Lead me in all I think, say, and do for your glory.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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Prosperity

Posted on April 16, 2025 by randscallawayffm

“Live long and prosper”—What does it really mean?  Let’s talk…

Avoid the prosperity gospel that presents the comforts of modern consumeristic lifestyle in spiritual wrapping paper. How can we recognize and resist its charms?  Who doesn’t want all things in our imperfect world to be perfect for us?  But what is good and perfect in God’s way of thinking?  There is a fine line we must not cross.  We live on the edge of disaster when we think we should tell God what we think we must have or what He must do as a way to control or bargain with God who knows what we truly need at any given time.  Leaders in this religion also use this way of thinking to judge others’ measure of faith.

“The prosperity gospel—or the “health and wealth gospel”—insists that the gospel of Jesus brings physical wellbeing and material prosperity. It redefines Jesus’s death upon the cross such that his atonement not only provides salvation from the guilt of sin, but also promises freedom from sickness and poverty. One of the easiest ways to recognize prosperity gospel theology is by its view of sickness and poverty. It does not see them as merely a consequence of the fall. Instead, it sees sickness and poverty as sin itself, resulting from unbelief, from which one must be saved by faith. The prosperity gospel falsely promises that God will eradicate them from a believer’s life.” –Christopher David, The Gospel Coalition

There are dangers in following a trend that looks like the Word, talks like the Word, but is not the Truth.  Deuteronomy might lead us to thinking if we are very good, doing all that God says then we will prosper in riches and nothing bad will ever happen to us.  But God also tells Moses that there will be enemies to conquer.  So, if we are being good, doing all the right things God tells us to do—why will there be enemies who get in our way? Are we not “good” enough to obtain a perfect life without troublesome enemies or circumstances?  It depends on our view of what prosperity is for us.

“Prosperity gospel” denies God’s providential ordaining of suffering in the believer’s life. Instead, it claims the Christian life is one that is always victorious and devoid of sorrow and loss.  Not true.  ALL the disciples of Jesus suffered…sharing in the sufferings of Jesus who was, is and is to come the only Way to God, the Truth of God, who provides Life eternal. 

All the succeeding followers of Jesus also suffered as they told of the Truth of what Jesus did to set all who believe free from the bondage of sin.  God uses suffering in our world to build our faith and trust in Him no matter what the circumstances—all for our good and His Glory!

The Apostle Paul, whose letters to the churches planted by God’s teams of ordinary people through the known world, now fill the rest of the pages of the New Testament after the Gospels and Acts of the disciples.  Paul tells and demonstrates to the world how to reconcile and reconnect to a God who loved them so much He sent His Son to suffer and die and then be raised in resurrection power to prove His power to all who would call on His Name!  All have sinned. No one is good.  Only Jesus saves us.  No one can “boast” then of being good.  Only God is good.

Remember, Paul wrote most of his God-inspired letters from various jail cells—imprisoned for telling the Good News of Jesus’ salvation with joy—in all circumstances!  This is prosperity—rich in Jesus, full of the love of God!  Paul was in jail for giving his whole heart, mind, and soul to God through Jesus and telling others about Him!  Paul declares often the richness and prosperity of knowing Christ and wanting to be like Him in every way—even sharing in His suffering that Jesus did for us.

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”—Paul, Philippians 3:7-11

Paul, (formerly Saul), who had obeyed all the tenants of The Law, now had an intimate, growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, his Savior and Lord. Only by God’s Grace was Saul to Paul saved to know God in relationship so he could tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ who died and rose again while prospering personally in the limitless love, mercy, and unending grace of our Lord!  Jesus changed everything about Paul.  Whew, not let’s us get back to our next passage…

Deuteronomy 30

Prosperity After Turning to the Lord

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Offer of Life or Death

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God’s Son, Jesus explains the intent of God’s Law with the power from God to fulfill it in every way.  Listen in as one day, Jesus stops to give an “inquiring mind” answer to a question about being good many ask today, such as; How good do I have to be to get into heaven?  What is that good thing that I must do that will secure me a place in heaven? Jesus responds to this young man of influence who felt pretty proud of his upbringing of obedience to the Law. We wonder if his question was more about telling Jesus how “good” he was for the purpose of gaining a good and best seat in heaven.  Afterall, the disciples tried this a time or two.  Here is the true story…

Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

The man asked, “What in particular?”

Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”

The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

“If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.”  Matthew 19:16-22, MSG

To the world, prosperity of material wealth is a sign of God’s favor and faith is the key to unlock this blessing.  “You don’t have because you don’t have enough faith.” Danger sign.  Prosperity teachers often quote the Old Covenant with Abraham and The Law given to Moses.  But, Jesus spoke of not only fulfilling the Law but going beyond the Law to developing a growing, prospering spiritual wealth of blessings from God that is beyond the world. All false gospels replace the gift of God’s grace by a religion of works.  Be alert and aware to avoid.

We have done and can do nothing to earn God’s grace.  We don’t deserve God’s mercy.  Only Jesus could do this work for us that we cannot do for ourselves—Save us from our sins.  Not only that, Jesus removes all repented sins from us—to be remembered no more by God.  We now live new, redeemed, lives in Jesus!  This is God’s work alone through His Son, Jesus. 

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” Ephesians 1:3-11

We can have it all because God gave HIS all for us.  Only God is good and is always more than enough for us.  “When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life” (Romans 8:11 MSG). 

“Sin may, and will, touch you, discourage you, and distract you, but it cannot condemn you. Christ is in you, and you are in him, and “therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans  8:1).

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for lifting the burden of trying to be good enough as if this is the mechanism that controls your goodness to us.  Your love, mercy, and grace is who you are.  Help us to lean into You, listen to You, and love you back with all our hearts, minds, and souls so we can know you more.  Show us the path for today and we will follow because we know You are with us always through it all—what rich and blessed assurance!  May we prosper in sickness and in health, content because of your love that is growing in us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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STAND FIRM ON THE PROMISES OF GOD! 

Posted on April 15, 2025 by randscallawayffm

Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

1 Peter 5:9
“But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

1 Corinthians 15:58
“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

Philippians 1:27
“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

1 Corinthians 16:13
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Philippians 4:1
“Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.”

Moses summarized God’s guidance and provision for the Israelites during the previous forty years. The adults who originally escaped from Egypt had all died in the desert, but God’s agreement included their descendants. Many times, throughout the Old Testament, God renewed his agreement with them. Though all Israelites were invited to take part in God’s agreement, only those who chose to obey the agreement received his blessings.  To choose against God brings emptiness and pain—death. To choose God brings blessings and fulfillment—life.  We stand for something or someone.  Who do we choose daily to stand with and who will we follow?  How firm is our stand?

Deuteronomy 29

Renewal of the Covenant

These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:

Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders.4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5 Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”

7 When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. 10 All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God—your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, 11 together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. 12 You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, 13 to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you 15 who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.

16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

19 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven. 21 The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.

22 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it. 23 The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger. 24 All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?”

25 And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. 26 They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. 28 In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We must remember that Moses is passionately restating the facts of the covenant as he and God’s Chosen people are standing on the border of the Promised Land.  God calls, prepares, and then sends.  Moses wants God’s people to “get it right while getting right with God” with a renewal of their promise to obey God’s covenant with them.  These “last words” from Moses, God’s leader who has stood firm in his faith, is a plea to the people to stand firm in their faith in God! 

They will enter, Moses will not.  Moses knows personally that when you go against God, it does not go well for us. (See Numbers 20) There will be a new leader that God has chosen who will take over the reigns of leadership into the Promised Land.  Moses has accepted that because he knows that God knows what is best—always!

The word “covenant” is used many times in this chapter; in fact, this chapter is the Book of Deuteronomy in miniature. Moses reviewed the past, called the people to obey God’s law, and warned them what would happen if they disobeyed. As we read and study Moses’ farewell address, we may get weary of these repeated themes, but they are the essence of God’s covenant with His people. Too often God’s people forget what they ought to remember and remember what they ought to forget!  God, through Moses, took the people out of Egypt. God continues to take Egypt out of the people before entering the land He has promised to them along with the promise to be with them—always!

Through Jesus, God gave us a new covenant of redemption and restoration.  Jesus was the once and for all sacrifice for the sins of the world for whoever would believe in Him.  “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

There are no more laws about when, where, how and why to sacrifice animals to cover sins (of which there are many when we try to do life on our own terms, with input from the Enemy of God), which leads to disaster then death.  Paul explains beautifully the terms of the New Covenant—


“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Romans 5:1

Justified means redemption complete, “just as if” the sin never occurred!  Jesus died to save us, we who were still sinners!  And not only that—Jesus defeated death and rose again on the third day to give us hope to live forever with Him!

“And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2-5 Yes, and Amen!

This is the New Covenant in action:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

Friends, I don’t know about you, but my heart skips a beat when I read of the love God has for us—so much so He gave us a part of Himself to set us free from the guilt and shame of our sins!  Gone—completely removed and forgotten—to be remembered no more!

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:9-11

We who believe, repent, and follow Jesus have been reconciled (reconnected) to God are now “plugged” into His Holy Spirit who gives us power, the level of power that resurrected Jesus from the grave! 

Are you plugged in?  Are you reconciled to God through Jesus? 

Salvation is for ALL!  Can I urge you to trust Truth who is Jesus? Your prayer could be this: “Lord, I believe.  Forgive me.  Now, I know my sins are paid in full by your work on the cross of sacrifice, nailing all my shame and guilt there, too.” Thank you, Jesus.

Trust the work of God for you. Then trust the presence of Christ in you. 

As for me, I’m standing firm on the promises of God who loves us and demonstrates His love daily for our good and His glory!  I’m not perfect but I know I am perfectly forgiven.  I don’t desire it, yet He gives me relentless love, great mercy, and unending grace!  AND God is with you and I who believe always and forever!  Yes, I’m standing on the terms of the New Covenant—the promise of Life eternal! 

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen!  Yes, and Amen!

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