God is Always Faithful - Joshua 19-21 and Luke 2:25-52
Think back over your life. Has there ever been a time when God failed to keep His promise to you? Be careful how you answer. I did not ask if God had given you everything you wanted or done everything the way you wanted Him to do it. If He did that, He would not be God. You would be god, and He would be serving you. I am sure that God has always kept His promises to all of us. That is how He works. He is faithful to us. The only thing in question is, if we will be faithful to do our part. God has not failed us, but we have failed Him many times.
Joshua 19-21 tells us how God finished His part of giving Israel the Promised Land. He was faithful to help them conquer the land, divide it up, and to organize the cities of refuge, as well as the cities for the Levites. At that point, they had everything they needed to be successful. All they had to do was to fulfill their part by trusting God and obeying Him. That is always the case. Our faithful response to God is the key. We will see how Israel did as we read the next few weeks. How are you doing in the area of being faithful to what God has told you to do?
In Luke 2 we read about Simeon and Anna. God was faithful to fulfill His promises to them. Simeon was told by God that He would see the Messiah, and he did. Anna was faithful to wait and pray in the Temple, and God blessed her beyond her wildest imagination. What a picture of God's faithfulness and the faithful response of two saints. Then, in the story of Jesus at age 12 in the Temple, we see the same lesson. He stayed behind to listen to the teachers. He asked questions. Why did He do that? Was He being disobedient to His parents? Jesus was obeying His Father in heaven. Jesus had come to do His will. God had done His part through the virgin birth. Now, it was Jesus' turn to fulfill His mission. He was preparing for that mission. We all need to have the same diligence to be about the Father's business. He has laid it out for us and prepared all we need. He is looking for our faith and action.
Tomorrow, I Intend to read Joshua 22-24 and Luke 3.
Joshua 19-21 tells us how God finished His part of giving Israel the Promised Land. He was faithful to help them conquer the land, divide it up, and to organize the cities of refuge, as well as the cities for the Levites. At that point, they had everything they needed to be successful. All they had to do was to fulfill their part by trusting God and obeying Him. That is always the case. Our faithful response to God is the key. We will see how Israel did as we read the next few weeks. How are you doing in the area of being faithful to what God has told you to do?
In Luke 2 we read about Simeon and Anna. God was faithful to fulfill His promises to them. Simeon was told by God that He would see the Messiah, and he did. Anna was faithful to wait and pray in the Temple, and God blessed her beyond her wildest imagination. What a picture of God's faithfulness and the faithful response of two saints. Then, in the story of Jesus at age 12 in the Temple, we see the same lesson. He stayed behind to listen to the teachers. He asked questions. Why did He do that? Was He being disobedient to His parents? Jesus was obeying His Father in heaven. Jesus had come to do His will. God had done His part through the virgin birth. Now, it was Jesus' turn to fulfill His mission. He was preparing for that mission. We all need to have the same diligence to be about the Father's business. He has laid it out for us and prepared all we need. He is looking for our faith and action.
Tomorrow, I Intend to read Joshua 22-24 and Luke 3.