2010 – Mar. 10 – Crossing Our Own Jordan

Study from God’s Word… Josh 1: 1 – 9; Josh 3: 1; Josh 2: 1 – 24; Josh 1: 10 – 18; Josh 3: 2 – 17; Josh 4: 12 – 12, 13; Josh 4: 9 – 11; Josh 4: 15 – 18; Josh 4: 1 – 8; Josh 4: 19 – 24; Josh 4: 14; Josh 5: 1 – 15; … Passage for Reflection: Joshua 1: 9 [along with verse 8 for more context] … NIV 8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

My Journal for Today: Today in my reading of The Daily Bible and the material provided by F. LaGard Smith in his devotional targeted for March 10, I am reading and meditating on one of my favorite passages in all of the Old Testament. It is the time when Joshua is handed the mantle of leadership of God’s people; and he takes them, at God’s command and with His careful instruction, across the Jordan river, once again be protected by another dry-ground crossing of a body of water, engineered by God to miraculously show the people just how powerful their God is and how following Joshua, His designated leader, is the only way to go.

And in today’s target verse (Chapter 1, verse 9) along with one of the most powerful instructions in all of the OT, Verse 8, we read exactly what a believer needs to remember and follow as each of us crosses our own “Jordan.” I don’t know what your “Jordan” might be. Perhaps you’re battling cancer; and you need to decide to cross the Jordan of trust in God and your medical treatment team. Maybe, like many of the men in the ministry I’m called to lead, you’ve had years of repeated sexual sin; and you need to cross the “Jordan” of confessing your sin to others, maybe including your wife or your Pastor. Perhaps, you’re facing the ultimate “Jordan,” and that is impending death, because you have a diagnosis of a fatal disease of some kind.

Actually, every human faces the latter “Jordan,” because we all have the fatal diagnosis of aging and 100% of us will cross our personal “Jordan” from this life into eternity. The question is not whether we will or will not “cross over,” … it is whether we will do so with faith in the same God, through the deliverance of His Son’s death on the cross, Who delivered God’s people across the Jordan, being led by Joshua.

How about you? Will you be crossing the “Jordan” of death, knowing that you’ll be delivered unto eternal life on the other side? And what about any other “Jordan” you might be facing. Do you have absolute assurance that you’ll have spiritual success in the march forward in life once you cross that “Jordan” in your life?

Well, my friend, in today’s passage you have God’s absolute promise of success as you contemplate crossing that “Jordan” in your life. If you get into and stay into God’s word [i.e., the Bible] – day and night – following all that is commanded therein, God’s word promises [see Josh 1: 8] that you’ll have success in the march forward, doing what Jesus has commanded you (again, as I refer so often, see Luke 9: 23). And when we cross the “Jordan” of decision, which God has lain before us for our life, we can know, as did Joshua, that we will enter into God’s Promised Land, with ultimately what Heaven itself has to offer.

And is that not worth following God across the “Jordan” in our lives today?

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I crossed the “Jordan” to which You led me long ago; and now I claim the Promised Land in Your Name. Amen

Sorry about non-posting from Holy Land

I had truly hoped to post daily blogs from our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But intermittant and inconsistent internet access (long story) made this impossible. And posting hundreds of "interesting" fotos [at least to us] here of this incredible experience is not a reasonable thing to do. But above I've posted a few fotos which may be interesting to any who might read this.

#1 ... Renewing our wedding vows in a church in Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle, at a wedding, turning water into wine. This was the first time we had ever taken wedding vows as Christians; and for it to occur on Valentine's Day in Cana, made this a very special occasion.

#2 ... Our boat ride across the Sea of Galilee ... from Tiberius to Capernaum ... a most worshipful experience with God's word being shared, the American flag raised over the ship, and much praise singing by our entire group. A boat ride we'll never forget.

#3 ... Being baptized in recommitment of faith by my a dear Kenyan Missionary friend, Pastor Paul, in the Jordan River.

#4 ... Yours truly, floating in the Dead Sea ... a rather incredible experience to float in the dense mineral waters ... in only 4 - 6 inches of water and have my feet and head out of the water. Truly hard to fathom unless you've done it!

Perhaps I'll post a few more experiences in separate blogs in the next days; but this was truly a life building spiritual experience for all on our trip. ... <'BB><