Joshua 24:1-13

¹ Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ⁷ But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

Hurricane

We cannot deny that Hurricane is destructive. Many lives have been lost because of it. Survivors are discouraged and can’t help but burdened with loads of concerns.
When you count your blessings, name them one by one, and remember what God has done, will doubt of His love fly away? Will you be singing as the days go by?
The hymn ‘Count Your Blessing,’ advises, ‘So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.’ Baptist Hymnal, 1991

¹ Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua challenged for the Israelites to continue serving the Lord. He reminded them that the Lord initiated every blessing that they have enjoyed. He told them that Abraham lived beyond the Euphrates before God called and led him to Canaan.

1. Before

² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

Joshua reported the instruction of the Lord to the Israelites. When Joshua used the phrase, “This is what the Lord says,” he was not preaching an interpretation of God’s message. He declared the exact words of God for the Israelites. Theologians suggest that Joshua was God’s prophet, a messenger of the Lord at that moment.
God narrated the life of Abraham before and after he was led by the Lord to the Promised Land. When the Lord said, “I took Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates,” God recalled the kind of life Abraham had before the Lord blessed him.
God said that He led Abraham throughout Canaan and gave him descendants. God may have implied that the Israelites became a nation because Abraham believed God. They received a land they can call their own because God blessed them.

Utang na Loob

The Filipino phrase, “Utang na loob” (debt of gratitude) requires a sense of obligation from the recipient of favor to return favor to the giver of favor. Some Filipinos exploit this, “Utang na loob” and demand more favor than what they gave. “Utang na loob” makes recipients indebted endlessly and obligated to return favor.

When God reminded the Israelites of how He blessed them and they enjoyed His blessing, He wanted them to keep trusting Him but not obligate them to return a favor.
Just as God fulfilled all the good promises He gave to Abraham, He will continue to bless them if they continue to serve the Lord.
Unlike the “Utang na loob” that may require repayment, God did not demand from the Israelites to return favor to Him. He just wanted them to keep trusting God.
Likewise, as believers, when we give to the church, the body of Christ, we don’t pay back what God has given us. Giving is a practical means of worship of God. We acknowledge that He is the source of all the good things we enjoy in life.

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, ⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”
¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Giving is to be practised not under compulsion and not reluctant but according to what the heart has decided. God loves the cheerful giver. God also said that He will pour out so much blessing to the giver of His tithes. Our basis of giving is whatever our faith dictates. We trust that God has already supplied the seed of giving.
This year, the weather has been unpredictable but wise farmers won’t hesitate to plant. They hope for great harvest. Similarly, we plant the seed of giving whether life is stormy or not. Do you agree that God would increase the seed of giving when we give?

God said that He blessed Abraham after he obeyed the Lord. Moreover, after the Israelites obeyed the Lord, He fulfilled all His good promises and blessed them.

2. After

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out… ⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites… I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you…
¹¹ The citizens of Jericho, …the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

God reminded the Israelites of what He did for them not because He obligated them to pay for a ‘debt of gratitude,’ but to be grateful and faithful in their devotion to God. God has showed them that life with Him is favorable to them.
They were blessed because they believed and obeyed His instructions.
If you compare your life before and after you put your trust in Christ, what is it that you may testify of? What is it that God has done in your life after you trusted Christ?

Paul’s Testimony

In Philippians 3:3-11, ³We who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul considered his old life before he trusted in Christ as garbage in comparison to his new life after he received by faith in Christ. He desired to know more about Christ and the power of His resurrection, and how he may participate in Christ’s suffering. He even desired to die like Christ and resurrect from the dead like Christ.
Paul explained further how to live our new life in Christ in Ephesians 4:22-24,
²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

To have a new life in Christ changes the attitude of our mind. What attitude of your mind has been changed? We desire righteousness and holiness of Christ. When He prevails as Lord in our life, Christ’s righteousness dictates our behavior and attitudes.
In 1 Corinthians 1:30, ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

All believers desire to resurrect like Christ but not many Christians would like to desire the lifestyle and death of Christ like Paul. Jesus said in Luke 9:58, ⁵⁸ “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Having no home to sleep he would call it as His own and to be crucified are not very enticing kind of life. Christ is the Creator. He can easily create the best mansion but He never aspired to have one while He was still on earth. Interestingly, the things that Christ never desired of are things we wish to have or acquire, right?

We are free to choose whether to live like Christ or not. Our lifestyle reveals how much faith we have in Christ. When Paul said that he wanted to know more about Christ and the power of His resurrection, are we challenged to check our lifestyle also?
Paul’s testimony is included in the Bible, the Word of God. How about us?
Does our lifestyle serve as practical illustration of the gospel of Christ?

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