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All Have Come to Pass
Andrea Lende • August 20, 2020
Joshua 23:14
All Have Come to Pass
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/All-Have-Come-to-Pass-eidmb1
Daily Word:
Joshua 23:14
“And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. Know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one thing of them has failed.”
Joshua’s time on this earth was ending.
He had led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
He led battle after battle for the Lord to overtake all the lands.
The only battle He lost was one in which the people had not obeyed the Lord.
God had given instructions to burn a particular city and not take anything for themselves.
One man took a few things that he coveted - silver and gold.
Because of this one man’s disobedience, the Lord was not with the men in the next battle and they lost.
Joshua had been unaware of the disobedience.
When he asked the Lord why He had not been with them in battle the Lord told him about the man.
Joshua gathered everyone together and, Achan, the one who took the silver and gold, confessed.
He and his family were destroyed.
The Israelites won every battle after the disobedience was taken out of their midst.
It was time that the Israelites were given rest.
The Lord blessed the Israelites immensely.
One last instruction Joshua gave them was, “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you; to love the Lord your God and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cling to and unite with Him and to serve Him with all your heart and soul [your very life].”
As I read these verses today, I found more nuggets of truth and Wisdom.
The Lord desires our hearts.
He desires our devotion to Him.
He desires our worship.
If we align ourselves with Him, there is nothing He cannot and will not do for us.
Today I choose to love the Lord with all my heart and fully surrender to Him.
May you find that as you give your love more deeply to the Lord that He will be with you and fight on your behalf in every situation.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for continuing to impart Your Wisdom into my heart. Thank You for teaching me as I read Your Word. Thank You that I can read Your Word freely and worship You, Father. Help me fully give my heart to You. Help me completely surrender to You and Your will for my life. Help me be obedient to You in every way and not waiver. Help me be quick to be obedient to You. Increase my faith in You and all You do. Pour Your Holy Spirit into my spirit continually. I need a continual outpouring of Your mercy and grace. Thank You, Father, for never leaving me dry. Although so undeserving, You shower me with Your love. Thank You, Lord, for leading and guiding me this day. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you, My child, and will always be by your side.
Response: Undeserving of all that You are for me, thank You, most gracious and merciful Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.