1K. Doing Great Things for God

We all want to do great things for God. To be useful, helpful instruments of His. Joshua chapter three tells of one man who succeeded. He is the SUPERMAN of the Old Testament. A man of action, he is aggressive and powerful. Let us look at this one individual, Joshua, and see how he became successful in his quest to do great things for God.

The Lord's Miracle

Any successful work of God needs a touch of the miraculous. The people of Israel had been camped at the banks of the Jordan river for three days. Then Joshua said, "Purify yourselves, because tomorrow the Lord will perform miracles among you." (1).For Joshua, this entailed the river Jordan being stopped and the people being able to cross on dry ground. When the people left the camp to cross the Jordan, the priests went ahead of them carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as the priests stepped into the river, the waters stopped flowing and piled up, far upstream at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The flow downstream to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and the people were able to cross over near Jericho. (2).

The miracle was that the stream stopped exactly when it did. The river Jordan has stopped flowing on other occasions. On December 8, 1267 A.D. an Arab historian records that it was dry for sixteen hours at Adam because the current undercut the bank and the following landslip dammed the flow. In 1927 the river was dry for twenty-one hours due to the same phenomena. God still works miracles in people's lives. Others may scoff and say it is coincidental or good luck, but Christians know the difference. They can recognize a miracle from God, but to act on it they need vision.

The Leader's Vision

The old rhyme says: "Two men looked out of the prison bars; The one saw mud; the other stars." These were new ways for Joshua and the people of Israel. "You have never been here before" (3).Joshua could have drawn back from fear of the unknown. He didn't because he had a vision of what God could do. He had determination. So had John F. Kennedy who said, "Some men see things and say 'Why?' I see things and say `Why not!'" The leader's vision encouraged the people to have faith in God and His Ways.

The People's Faith

The nation of Israel had been in the desert for forty years. A whole generation had passed away and the new generation needed its own faith. They hadn't seen the miracles at the Exodus, the plagues, the locusts or the crossing of the Red Sea. There are no spiritual grandchildren. So it is with Christians today. Each individual person needs his or her own faith. Some of the steps of faith required are: "Purify yourselves, because tomorrow the Lord will perform miracles among you" (4). We as Christians today need the cleansing of sin so that we can experience miraculous events in our lives. Forty years in the desert, then three days at the riverside were necessary preparation for the people. The Christian must listen and wait for God's right time.

Reverence

The Covenant Box was the symbol of the presence of God. In a unique way, His presence was revealed with a cloud by day and a fire by night. The people were careful to keep their distance and respect His dwelling place. Today, people do not usually reverence God. In our highly technological society mankind feels that it is in charge of its own destiny. It imagines it has come of age and no longer needs the crutch of a Supreme Being. Fear of God is frowned upon even within the Christian Church. It's "What a friend we have in Jesus" and not "God who stretched the spangled heavens." Yet fear of God can be a powerful tool in bringing men and women to know Him. Reverence needs to be rediscovered in our lives and churches. Obedience can often be the hardest step of all for the Christian. It is the foundation of discipleship. "Doubt sees the obstacles; Faith sees the way. Doubt sees the darkest night Faith sees the day! Doubt dreads to take a step; Faith sours on high. Doubt questions, 'Who believes?' Faith answers 'I'"(19)

Notes

(1) Joshua 3:5 (2) Joshua 3:15,16 (3) Joshua 3:4 (4) Joshua 3:5 (5)

"Practical Christian Outreach in the Local Church"

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