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Joshua led the people of Israel into the promised land of Canaan and helped them fight many battles. Toward the end of his life, Joshua gathered the leaders of Israel for some final encouragement: “You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you” (Joshua 23:3).

Joshua wanted the leaders to know that God would continue to fight for them; but he also wanted them to know that God expected obedience to His Word: “If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you” (Joshua 23:16). Joshua then gathered all the people and told them the time had come to make a choice.

Joshua 24:15
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

The Israelites had seen God’s mighty hand as they fought their enemies in Canaan, and had heard many stories of God’s protection as He led them out of Egypt – the time had now come to make a decision. Either they would commit to serve the Lord with ALL their heart, or they would serve the man made gods of the world.

We face the same decision today. We either decide to follow and serve Jesus, or we have decided to serve the priorities and “gods” of this world. There is no middle ground, a choice must be made! And failure to choose is itself a choice; “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).

Everyone must make their own decision about Jesus. However, each of us has a wonderful opportunity to influence others…especially those in our family. Notice that Joshua boldly spoke for his entire home: “WE will serve the Lord!” We can’t force others to drink – and we can’t quench their thirst by drinking for them – but we can definitely lead them to the water.

We can no longer float through life waiting to see where the pulls of this world will lead; we must live with intention and purpose, and decide once and for all to serve God with unrestricted devotion. Today, we stand at a crossroad and must choose. Today, we must choose whom we will serve.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Proving Our Faith” we saw how our faith is revealed and strengthened as we walk through our trials. It’s not surprising that we often discuss the importance of faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). If we desire to live a life pleasing to God, we must increase our faith and learn what it means to live by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7
“We live by faith and not by sight.”

The first step of faith is when we recognize our sinful condition, repent of our sin, and believe Jesus died so our sin can be forgiven. This belief in Jesus is not a result of what we see, but a result of faith – and without this first step of faith it is definitely not possible to please God.

But as we continue our walk with Christ, He becomes more and more real. With each new step our eyes are opened a little wider and we are allowed to see a little clearer. The challenges of yesterday which required great faith have become easier to bear…for now we can see! However, the increase of spiritual sight is not the same as an increase of faith.

As our spiritual sight grows, our need for faith in order to walk the same path is actually reduced. Less faith is required when we clearly see; “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). True faith always involves a confidence of the unknown, an assurance of what is unseen. This point is easy to misunderstand so read carefully.

Our Heavenly Father desires to lead us in a life of faith. This means He often draws us into the unknown, for it is only in the unknown that we truly learn to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). And as the unknown becomes known, He will surely call us to take the next step and trust Him more.

Where is God calling us today? For some it’s to take the awesome step required for Salvation through faith in Jesus; “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). For some it’s a step of trust for a burden which right now seems completely unbearable; and for some, it’s a step into a level of service which appears impossible to achieve. Each of these require a step into the unknown, into a place we cannot see; but each is part of the great adventure of faith!

Though the unknown is sometimes uncomfortable and maybe even a little scary, being guided by God into what we cannot see is the essence of a life of faith – a life which pleases God. Until the day He calls us Home, we must continue to listen, step, and grow – we must continue to live daily by faith.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In January, 2004, I ran a marathon in Phoenix Arizona. I’ll spare you some of the painful details of running out of energy at the twenty mile point and being passed in the last mile by a 65 year old woman. I learned many lessons that day, but the thing that struck me the most was how the cheering crowd helped me to run faster and farther than I thought possible. The 26 mile course was lined with thousands upon thousands of people. No one except my dear family knew my name, but they were ALL shouting words of encouragement.

Our journey with the Lord is like a marathon in many ways. We must maintain a disciplined training program to ensure we are prepared. The race itself can be long and hard – there will be times we run out of energy and want to quit – but crossing the finish line will be more rewarding than anything we can imagine! And along the way, we will certainly learn to appreciate the encouragement we receive from the cheering crowd.

Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

This verse follows what we often refer to as The Great Hall of Faith. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews describes many people from the Old Testament who were commended for their faith: Able, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and many others.

At the end of this impressive list, we read that even though they were faithful, “none of them received what had been promised” (Hebrews 11:39). Their reward was postponed until the coming of Jesus; “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40). The testimony of the faithful is meant to give us great encouragement. It’s as if they are cheering us on with great anticipation, knowing that one day we will be “caught up together with them” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) to receive our eternal reward.

This cloud of witnesses now also includes the testimony of New Testament believers as well as Christians throughout the last 2000 years. It also includes Brothers and Sisters who love us and pray for us today. As we run the race and sometimes grow weary – sometimes even stumble and fall – these witnesses continue to cheer and encourage our every step; “You can do it, I believe in you! And if you stumble, I’ll help you back up!!”

We can run faster and farther than we think! Yes, the race is long and sometimes difficult, but we’re definitely not alone. Let’s run with renewed perseverance; and when we become discouraged, let’s listen for the cheers from the great cloud of witnesses!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Follow Him to Nineveh” we discussed the will of God in terms of His “general” and “specific” will. We saw that God’s Word has already given a great deal of direction which applies to every Child of God. Our Heavenly Father desires each of His Children to be “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). And the process of being conformed is primarily one of obedient worship in ALL areas of our life. But then comes Nineveh!

The story of Jonah and the giant fish is one of the best known in the Bible and provides a wonderful example of how we need to follow when God calls. When God has a specific call for our life He will persistently give us clear direction and use all His infinite resources to make sure we understand. But as we read through the entire Word of God we must conclude that this type of specific call is relatively rare. For most, God’s will never moves beyond a general call to walk in His love.

Yes, Jonah teaches us to follow when God’s call is specific. But there’s an even more important principle regarding God’s general will which applies to all of us nearly every day of our life. This principle is discovered by examining why Jonah ran from God: “‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because it’s wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish” (Jonah 1:2-3).

Jonah didn’t run from God simply because Nineveh was located in a distant and foreign land. Jonah ran because he disliked (even hated) the people who lived in this leading city of the growing empire of Assyria. The people of Nineveh had a reputation for cruelty in war, idolatry, and a general disrespect for God. Jonah had grown up with a hatred of Nineveh and couldn’t bear being sent there to preach. He couldn’t bear the thought of these hated people actually repenting and being blessed by “his” God.

Jonah 4:2
“O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

Where, or who, is our Nineveh?

God desires all the world to turn from their wicked ways and receive His blessings. And His general call is for us to deliver this message of love. We are called to deliver this message to ALL – especially those we may naturally dislike or have been “taught” to fear and hate. Ministering outside our natural group becomes a form of worship because it demonstrates our understanding of the grace we have been given through faith in Jesus; none of us can ever earn God’s love! Let’s take the general will of God into the mission field placed before us and worship our Father by accepting the challenge of ministering to Nineveh.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the book of Malachi, God called the people of Israel back to the law He established 800 years earlier with Moses. God spoke of the necessity of a pure sacrifice (Malachi 1:7-8), and the need for the priests to speak a message of truth (Malachi 2:7-8). He also addressed the issue of giving back a portion of our resources – a portion referred to as the tithe.

Malachi 3:8, 10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.”

The principle of an offering began with Cain and Able (Genesis 4:3-4). Abraham then demonstrated the concept of the tithe when he gave Melchizedek “a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:20). But systematic tithing was not established until God gave the law to Moses, (Leviticus 27:30-33).

In the time of Malachi, God not only called for a return to the discipline of tithing, He also directly linked tithing to blessings and gave the ultimate challenge: “Test Me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven” (Malachi 3:10). God certainly never “owes” us because of anything we do; but His Word contains a consistent call to obedience, and true obedience always results in true blessing.

When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the law for all who believe. And though the legalistic letter of the law has passed away, the intent of the law (which is the heart of God) remains for all time; “These {laws} are a shadow of the things to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:17).

The intent, or “reality,” of all the law is that God is Lord over ALL areas of our life. The law teaches this truth and shows us how far short we fall of His standard. The purpose of the law was much more than teaching us to comply with a written code. The shadow contained in the written law says “Thou shalt not kill,” but the reality in Christ says to not even have hatred in our heart, (Matthew 5:21-22). The shadow in the law also says “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” but the reality in Christ says to even refrain from lust (Matthew 5:27-28).

When we debate about the “rules” of how much and where to give, we are focused on the shadow and miss the reality of Christ – He is Lord of ALL! As we focus our eyes on Christ, we will give. We will give generously, “not reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7). We will gladly give of our time, talents, and finances to whatever need He directs. And as we give and join in His work, we will better understand His true blessings. When He is truly Lord of all, we will not simply give according to a “formula” dictated by the law, we will live under His grace and give according to the law’s intent. When He is Lord, we will cease to rob God and will joyfully give our lives as we give from the heart.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Stand Firm On The Rock” we saw how Christ is the solid Rock upon which we have been set. He alone is our stable source of direction and strength. We will need to visit this truth again and again as we continue to answer the call to follow.

When Jesus called Peter and Andrew to “Come, follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), He was calling them to become His disciples (the word disciple means follower). But Jesus placed strong conditions on a disciple; “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).

The call to be a disciple is not simply a call to live a good moral life. It’s a call to crucify (put to death) everything of our self that hinders our relationship with God. We must hold loosely to everything but God; “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).

The life of a disciple must clearly demonstrate a commitment to Christ by producing fruit for His Kingdom; “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be My disciple” (John 15:8). A disciple must flow with pure love; “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). And a disciple must maintain a commitment to all Jesus taught; “If you hold to My teachings, you are really My disciples” (John 8:31).

Discipleship appears to be a VERY difficult call! It’s difficult to be His disciple and even more difficult to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In fact, if we focus only on these “requirements,” our task is impossible!! We are called to glorify God by drawing very near to Jesus and loving Him with all our heart; but in our own strength, we have no ability to draw near – no ability to be His disciple.

John 12:32
“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

When Jesus was “lifted up” on the cross and died for our sin, He provided the way back to the Father – the way to become His disciple. He drew us to Himself so we could be forgiven and stand in the presence of God. Likewise, the only way to draw near and follow today is to lift Him up to His rightful throne over our life and give Him our pure praise and absolute worship.

If we fail to lift up Christ, our efforts to carry our cross become nothing more than a list of restrictive rules; we will have no ability to produce Kingdom fruit, and our love for others will be selfish and artificial. Without a focus on Christ, our walk will become an impossible burden without direction. Let’s “make disciples” by first being His devoted disciple. And let’s be His disciple by ensuring that in ALL we do, we love Him and continually lift Him up.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries