12 November 2018

Are You All In?



On Wednesday night, Jon and I joined in one of the high school midweek small groups.  Barry, the volunteer leader for this particular group, shared a challenge that we have heard him give to students many times before.  The challenge was to say yes to God before even knowing the question.  Such a challenge should be easy and logical since we know that God is sovereign, good, just, loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.  Yet, we fear what discomfort, rejection, pain, or loss He might ask us to endure.  Tension creeps into our shoulders as we ponder which dreams He might ask us to delay or sacrifice completely.  Blind to the future, we struggle to overcome the feeling of risk that accompanies that depth of surrender. 

Of course, we desire to see the mighty works of God and His plan brought to fruition, but are we willing to do whatever He asks of us to fulfill our role in that plan?  Joseph became Pharaoh’s right-hand man, saved his family from the famine in Egypt, and was a key component in God’s design to preserve and grow the nation of Israel, but he also endured years of betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and abandonment in the process.  How serious are we about following Jesus?  How dedicated are we to His will?  Is He worth any trial, test, or risk we could face?  Many of us claim to have surrendered to Him completely, and we pray to Him to work miracles in our lives, but we freeze up when He calls us to action.  How can we find the strength and the courage to instead say yes to God, regardless of what He asks?

            After the death of Moses, God called Joshua to the daunting task of leading Israel, a nation of former slaves, to take possession of the promised land, which was inhabited by established cities of idolatrous people and warrior giants.  Joshua had seen the nation say no to God once before out of fear, and he had wandered in the wilderness along with them for forty years as a result.  His “yes” attitude when he first served as a scout (Num. 13:8, 16-14:10) had been overshadowed by the cautious majority.  Now, in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God encourages His chosen leader and commands Him to be strong and courageous (three times!) as he continues to live with wholehearted surrender to God’s will.  In His charge to Joshua (Josh. 1:2-9), we also see three keys to finding strength and courage for ourselves to have a “yes” attitude toward God. 



        


1.  Believe God’s Promises (vv. 2-6)
           

            God had promised to give the land to Israel.  Joshua knew this, but God reminded Him of it once again.  God has also given us all sorts of promises.  For example, He promises that He will finish the work He started in us (Phil. 1:6) and that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).  These are promises that we can cling to, and when we believe that God will do what He promised, we can find the strength to keep going.  When we can’t see the whole picture, we can look back on God’s promises and find the courage to keep saying yes to the only One who never breaks His promises. 


2.  Obey God’s Precepts (vv. 7-8)


            Being strong and courageous is very closely tied to obedience in this whole passage and particularly in verses 7 and 8.  God reminds Joshua not only to be obedient in the monumental task of leading a nation to conquer a land, but also to be obedient to the whole Word of God.  As we are obedient to God’s Word in the little things, the truth and goodness of His precepts are made even more evident to us, which emboldens us to continue to be obedient when God gives us radical and life-altering callings.  In addition, God  more often than not works His will in and through us by the means of our individual choices, not by a large display of instant Divine intervention.  We beg God to do a miracle in restoring our marriage, but are we willing to forgive our spouse?  When we feel the weight of financial burdens and plead with God to provide, are we willing to change our spending, saving, giving, and working habits to align with Scripture?  If we are careful to follow His way in all of the little things, we will have more clarity and discernment to obey and find success in the big things. 


3.  Remember God’s Presence (vv. 5, 9)
           

            God’s presence in this passage is found both as a promise (v. 5) and as a comfort (v.9).  This particular promise of God’s presence was directly to Joshua, but we have the same promise and comfort in Hebrews 13:5b-6.  The knowledge that God does not leave us alone to try and do what He wants us to do allows us to boldly step forward in obedience in spite of our fears.  With the God of the universe at our side, what reason could we possibly have to fear man?  The One who split the Red Sea, the One who provided manna in the desert, the One who lowered Himself to the point of infancy for our sake, the One who carried the weight of the punishment for our sin, and the One who conquered the grave is with us.  He is with you. 



            In our relationship with God, He is in – He is all in.  If you have any doubts about that fact, go back to the cross.  Even while we were directly opposed to Him and even when we spat in His face with our disobedience and unbelief, He left heaven to come down in the lowest and most dependent of positions just to grow up and be tortured and killed by the ones He came to save.  Now, He is alive, and He reminds us that He is still all in – we need only to believe.  As the truth of His love sinks into our hearts, how could our natural response be anything other than reciprocation?  No one wants to be in a one-sided relationship.  No one wants to give their all to someone only to receive a fraction of that person’s heart in return.  He has given us all that we need to find the strength and the courage to say yes to Him.  Are you willing to go all in with Jesus?  




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