“Now these are the areas the Israelites received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel allotted to them. Their inheritances were assigned by lot to the nine-and-a-half tribes, as the Lord had commanded through Moses” (Joshua 14:1-2).

What follows this passage and continuing through chapter 21 is some of the most boring Scripture in the Bible. It is a detailed land survey. Check it out. Trust me, you will only need to read a few verses to get the drift, if you can stay awake. That is, unless this is your inheritance! If you were being given land as had been promised to you by covenant or will or testament, you would be intensely interested in the details. And you would appreciate the care and deliberateness and intentionality taken by the giver in his description. Right? If you have ever purchased property, you probably walked the boundary line and wanted to be sure where yours ended and your neighbors started, if only so that you would be cutting your own grass, etc.

But, when you read this passage from the standpoint of the Israelites who have been enslaved for 430 years, then wandering for another forty in the wilderness, you realize how joyous they must be to be able to say, “This is mine!” How thankful you would be to realize that God has kept the promise He made to Abraham and to Moses about bringing His people into their Promised Land. This is not just property; it is their inheritance. “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:43-45).

Eight chapters. Doesn’t that seem like a lot to devote to this one period? There is a reason for every passage in the Bible. This tangible evidence of God keeping his promises in very personal detail is extremely important. It sets the stage for an even greater fulfillment.

Jeremiah prophesies “’The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’^’ declares the Lord. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

It may be more challenging to accept this inheritance because it seems to be more intangible than land. But make no mistake, when God promises us eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth, this is even better and more tangible than the land. We should be even more delighted to receive this promise, and even more willing to believe God’s promise.

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Hebrews 9:15).

In Christ,

Judy

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).

This scripture indicates an intention—to set. It also indicates a direction—above, not earthly. And this intentional direction is a mindset. I like this quote from RightNow Media: “A mindset is a specific way of thinking that is set before we act, which can directly impact the outcome of our actions. Stay intentional by aligning your mindset and actions in your day-to-day.”

Many seek the “spiritual” aspect of faith, desiring a spiritual “high,” and think that they are missing out when they do not “feel” the spirit. I used to be that way. I loved music that would really put me in the “spirit.” But what is that really? I am not trying to discredit it, but I want to put it into its proper place, because walking with Jesus is more about The Pilgrim’s Progress than flying above the clouds. Hear me well, that does not mean that we should live a life absent the Holy Spirit. In fact, quite the opposite—we cannot live a Christian life without the Holy Spirit.

We cannot live a life without being grounded daily in the Holy Spirit. So, when you are struggling to care, to love, to be other-focused, to be joyful, then know that you are where you should be. It is just a perspective that is off. Yes, the struggle is real, and that is how you know that you are in the spiritual battle and that you need the Holy Spirit to survive, thrive, and succeed. It is really a matter of perspective.

Daniel is a good example. Daniel was of the Jewish nobility, deported as a teenager to Babylon, which was a pagan empire ruled by a ruthless king, Nebuchadnezzar. But Daniel was taken to the king’s court and offered all kinds of royal resources with the intention of converting him to the King’s service. Daniel would have it made. He could have easily allowed himself to assimilate into the Babylonian culture, to go with the flow. But Daniel did not. He resolved, or “set his mind.” How was he able to take this stand, to defy the easy way out?

1. Inclination/Desire: We first must have an inclination or desire in our heart to do the right thing. I give some credit to Daniel’s upbringing, because he could not have been prepared for the temptations of court life unless he had been brought up in a Godly home. I believe his parents must have been faithful to the Law. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Those of us who grew up in Christian families are the most privileged. Those of you who raise your own families in a Christian household are to be praised. But if you did not have that benefit, and even if you did, all of us can cultivate Godly desire by staying in the Word—reading our Bible, sitting under good preaching, and praying to God to strengthen this Godly desire of our heart.
2. Intention, resolve. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself…” (Daniel 1:8). Paul said, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). These men were intentional. They woke up knowing what their objectives were. They went to bed knowing what their objectives were for the next day, week, month, lifetime.
3. Knowledge/Direction. It is important to have a godly desire and to be intentional, but we must be heading in the right direction. Steven Covey says, “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” How do we ensure we are heading in the right direction? James gives us the source of all wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
4. Step by step. How do we move forward once we have the desire, intention, and direction? Step by step. I just watched the Summer Olympics. Gymnastics is so dramatic; swimming or running lap after lap—not so dramatic. But equally important. How can you get more power and speed per stroke or stride? After observing Katie Ledecky in the Olympics, I read where it is not unusual for competitive swimmers to swim fifty miles a week. That computes to an average of 115 laps per day! Even when too tired to practice, too sore to compete, too discouraged to keep on, they keep on swimming.
5. Courage. Assuming we have developed godly convictions through the steps above, when troubles come our way, we must stand firm. We have the same power in us that raised Jesus from the dead. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” {Romans 8:11). The root word of courage is heart. So, when Jesus tells us to take heart, he is telling us to be courageous. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! (Be courageous!) I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“This hill, though high, I covet to ascend; the difficulty will not me offend. For I perceive the way to life lies here. Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear. Better, though difficult, the right way to go, than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.” (The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan)

In Christ,

Judy

^“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” (Matthew 18:7).

I sincerely hope you will read this devotional in the context of the preceding four devotionals on temptations, trials, and testing. It makes sense regardless, but the message is so much more powerful in context.

The Greek word for stumbling block is “skándalon” which literally means the trigger of a trap or a means of causing one to stumble.

As believers, we never want to be the cause of someone else’s sin or falling away. I mostly teach adults now, but way back I taught children and young teens. I was very diligent as a teacher of these youngsters, taking to heart the following admonition: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).

The little ones referred to in the above verse are not necessarily young in years; it really refers to baby Christians. As staff at Nashville Rescue Mission, immature Christians surround us; and we should understand the great responsibility we have as believers to model, mentor, and teach those we also serve.

But even when living in relationship with more mature Christians, we must be discerning about our conversation. Even when we mean well, we may very well be offering comfort when we should be challenging, challenging when we should be offering comfort, or advising something that sounds scriptural when it is not. In fact, Jesus used this word “stumbling block” when speaking to Peter because Peter objected to the suffering that Jesus told his disciples that he would soon experience. “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23).

Obviously, Peter meant well; but what he was saying was not biblical. A good example is what we like to say to someone who is going through a crisis: “God will never give you more than you can manage.” The problem is that this is obviously not true because we’ve all experienced overwhelming burdens. God never promised us that the Christian life would be free of suffering; in fact, He promised quite the opposite. The more accurate word of comfort is that “God will never give you more than He can manage.” And that subtle but meaningful change forces the believer to call on the Holy Spirit and to abide in Him, which is right where we all need to be. We must take extreme pains to avoid being a stumbling block or to stumbling ourselves. It is human nature to hear what we want to hear and say what we think others want to hear. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” as Paul warned us in 2 Timothy 4:3.

If you take this seriously, you will be concerned, perhaps even terrified, as I am about getting it wrong. However, we can be comforted by these verses:

• “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.” (1 John 13:34-35).
• “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

God knows our hearts. We must make every effort to study God’s Word and pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, as well as to obey the two great commandments to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and then to love your neighbor as yourself. Then we can “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble:” (1 John 2:10).

Judy

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

We can draw some conclusions from our past three devotionals about temptations, trials, and testing.

About temptation: Temptation is inevitable. It is not a sin to be tempted. From the time that man believed Satan’s first lie, sin entered the world. Satan became ruler of this world and is at war with God and man, using temptation as his weapon. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

But we have hope. Take to heart these words of Jesus: “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.” (John16:33).

Although it is not a sin to be tempted, it is a sin when we succumb to temptation. The Good News is that we have the promise of forgiveness for our sins when we confess. Jesus has already paid the penalty for our sin with his life; he has redeemed us from the grave. He is our Savior! Jude gives us this benediction (one of my favorite passages): “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25).

We can think about testing and trials a little differently. The simplest way is to think about the learning process, which includes absorbing the instruction, practicing or studying, and then having to pass a proficiency test. Some tests are designed to determine what you still need to learn; others may be to communicate an overall proficiency for the test group. Either way, testing is part of the learning process. We can see that it is an overall part of our discipleship process, the process of growing in sanctification, which occurs from the time of initial salvation until our final glorification.

Consider Peter. Can you imagine what Peter must have thought when Jesus told him: “’Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ But he replied, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.’” (Luke 22:31-24).

Jesus could have prevented Satan from this sifting. Instead, Jesus warned Peter about it and then promised that he would pray for him and restore him to a position of leadership. In other words, there was a divine purpose in allowing Peter to undergo this test. We know that Peter initially failed the test, because when put on the spot during Jesus’ trial, Peter lied about even knowing Jesus. However, Peter repented, and Jesus did restore him. Because of this testing, failure, repentance, and restoration, Peter was more fully equipped to become the man of God, Apostle of Jesus Christ, and leader of the Church.

As we see in the opening passage, Peter was not singled out. Satan has asked to sift all of us. He is after us. When God allows us to be sifted, he is using the sifting, which could take the form of temptation, as part of his divine plan to equip us for His divine purposes. When we view our lives in expectation of sifting, then we are more likely to see adversity as part of God’s plan rather than just feeling like we are being dumped on. When we see our life as a test, then we are ready to use these trials as opportunities to continually prepare ourselves, and to meet these tests and trials as challenges to be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4).

Judy