We look to Scripture to have God teach us wisdom. We need encouragement and motivation from God. For it is so easy to get bogged down, deflated, and dejected. Life is tough. In highs and lows, we find ourselves subject to cycles of dysfunction and sin. One minute we are doing great, and the next we realize how weak we are and how much we need God’s strength.
It is rarely in low times that we think too highly of ourselves. Rather, it is when we are cocky, arrogant, and feeling like self-made men that we are on fragile ice. Arrogance and autonomy are the enemy of wisdom.
I encourage you to spend a minute in the early part of the Book of Joshua. In that Scripture, we see ourselves through that ancient story. And we see that God can do miracles. He can do whatever He wants. God has an army. And He will use it as He pleases (Joshua 5:13-15). And, amazingly, we find that no matter our background or the cause of our shame, God loves us completely. He will go to great lengths to save you. And He has. In fact, He will roll away our shame as we trust and follow Him (Joshua 5:9).
The Bible says, “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important” (Galatians 6:3). And, “Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other” (Romans 12:3-5).
It’s more than okay to be honest and real with God. Find a church that welcomes and embraces honesty and authenticity. And one that not just says it believes God’s Word, but that puts it into action by what it does and how it honors God's Word.
We can’t do it on our own. That is life, and living well for Christ. Many of us are performance-driven. That sounds like a good thing, but it can be the root of pride and all sorts of evil. Yet, like a NASCAR championship machine, we need pit stops and a skilled team to win. We wear out. We need God and His church. For He renews us each morning. And He works through His church.
Don’t beat yourself up. Yes, we fail. Yes, we all need to improve. We aren’t God. We are all sinners saved only by God. But we are loved by God. So much so that He gave Jesus’ life to pay for our sin. God works in His own powerful way. And He’s continuing to work miracles today. God has not lost an ounce of power. His Kingdom is growing exponentially.
Don’t believe me? Well, think about Rahab and the ancient Bible story of the Israelites moving back into the promised land under their new leader, Joshua (about 3,400 years ago). Rahab ran an Inn at her house where travelers could stay. She was well known around town. It was an Inn with benefits, so to speak, where you could get a touch of Jerichoan hospitality with your stay. Yes, she was a prostitute.
Yet, unlike so many others who claim to be religious, Rahab actually did know God through faith. God has a sense of humor. There were thousands there at that monumental time, including the two spies. But we remember the name of the prostitute, the sinner saved through faith in God. Likewise, there are so many today who speak Christianese who put on a good show of religiosity, quick to tell you how bad it is to share a lager and a burger with so-called sinners, but who won’t lift a finger to help anyone in need.
Rahab was, in fact, bold, industrious, clever, loving, and kind. What did Rahab do? Well, she took a major risk. She risked her life not just for her own neck, which would not be too extraordinary, but she put her faith into action because she had faith that God would be the one to win the land for the people of God. She believed.
You all know the story. The prostitute of Jericho struck a bargain with Joshua’s two spies to save her mom and dad, her brothers and sisters, and all their families. By the mark of the scarlet escape rope, she saved the spies, told them to truth that Jericho trembled in fear of the Israelites, and she shrewdly helped them escape so they could report back to Joshua.
Rahab is in the ‘Hall of Faith’ (Hebrews 11:31). We can learn a lot from Rahab. She used her God given abilities to choose life. She feared God in an attitude of awe, surrender, humility, and total conviction. She relied on “the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below” to be the LORD and savior of herself and her family. And God counted Rahab as worthy because of her faith.
The Bible says that “ it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
God opposes the proud but favors the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Thank God!
Lord Jesus, we humble ourselves before you today. We trust you in awe and fear. Please show us how to live boldly for You today. Thank You for Rahab and all who fear and love You boldly. Help us to risk well for others. Help us to tell our families the truth about You. Amen.
Enjoyed time with my mom and dad this summer.
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