Joshua 3:5-8

⁵Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” ⁶Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
⁷And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. ⁸ Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Expectation

When we were in East Asia, Asian friends invited us to a dinner, and they served Asian Delicacies. Before we came to Canada, we expected that we will also be eating Canadian Delicacy. But when we landed in Winnipeg City in 2009, the first meal we had was not Canadian Delicacy but Filipino Delicacy.

Do you normally go to another country just to eat your own delicacy? Would you be surprised if immigrants would crave for food they used to eat in their home country? The struggle to adjust, adapt or accustom to a new environment is not exceptional.
That reality is a vivid picture of believers’ struggle in adjusting to the lifestyle of citizens of heaven. The Bible describes how God’s children should behave and live their lifestyle. The challenge of living a Christian lifestyle is great but when we become aware and consistently relying upon our Lord, we become enthusiastic about it.

Godly lifestyle acceptable to God originates from Him. The way we live our life, wear our clothes, or present ourselves should not be patterned on worldly lifestyle but on godly principles. Godly lifestyle is a manifestation of Christ’s reign as Lord of our life.
Do you agree that the church is the body of Christ? Are you part of Christ’s body? As part of His body, have you been fruitful or not? What do you expect from Him?

Most believers may have struggled to be spiritually fruitful because they are not consecrated. They are not set apart for the Lord. Christ expects believers to be spiritually fruitful. If we are consecrated for Christ, we can expect amazing things from Him.

1. Expect

⁵Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.

Joshua told the Israelites to consecrate themselves. Joshua knew that to experience the wonders of God, they should be consecrated. Joshua has been amazed by the Lord.
He was Moses’ assistant for more than 40 years, Joshua saw the 80 years old Moses climbed mountains. He learned that Moses did not eat bread and did not drink water for 40 days and 40 nights, and that happened twice. Joshua had no military training whatsoever but led the Israelites against the Amalekites, and they were victorious.

The Israelites were about to attack the land of Canaan. Joshua believed that God would help them easily defeat their enemies if they were set apart for the Lord.
Throughout the Bible, the Lord would always listen to His people when they consecrate themselves. What is consecration? To be consecrated is to be set apart for holy purposes, to become holy, to be acceptable to God.
In 1 Peter 1:14-16, ¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

God requires His people to be set apart, sanctified, consecrated, purified and holy because He is holy. We cannot make ourselves holy, set apart from sinful human nature, or purify ourselves from sin. God’s children become holy, purified, set apart, and consecrated only through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
It says in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, ¹³God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

Christians are transformed not by religiosity or attending church but by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of Christ reigns in our life, He transforms us, and we become holy. The fruit of the Spirit indicates that the Holy Spirit is transforming us to holiness. To be holy, sanctified and consecrated for the Lord is the initial wonderful work of God that He wants us to experience as children of God.

It says in Jude 17-21, 1⁷But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
²⁰But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Those who caused church division are pious and religious not the unbelievers. They deceive others, and they deceive themselves, too. Check yourself. Are you consecrated and set apart for Christ? You will be exalted when Christ comes again.

2. Exalt

⁶Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
⁷And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. ⁸ Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

The Lord might have sensed a little hesitation from Joshua. The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous at least four times. Why did the Lord tell him to be strong?
It was Joshua’s first turn to lead Israel. He might have expected rejection. For sure, he observed how Moses became angry because of the stubbornness of the Israelites. He saw how Moses had been opposed by the Israelites. And it was his turn to face the challenges of leading the Israelites.
Joshua told the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant go ahead of the Israelites. Did it appear like Joshua hesitated? Why did the Lord give instruction directly to Joshua and not to the priest? Was it to confirm that God chose him as leader of Israel?
Is this a biblical principle that when God has chosen a leader, He would also give instruction for the whole group to follow?
Do you agree that Christ has given all believers different leadership tasks?
Have you discovered which group God has assigned you to lead?

When the Lord commanded us to go and make disciples, did He not also bestow upon us leadership functions to lead others to Him?
One way or another, believers are called to leadership ministry.
How should we prepare for leadership ministry?

From Prison to Palace

How do you normally dress up when you are called to meet a dignitary, a VIP?
Few years after Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt, he was called to appear before Pharaoh King of Egypt. Joseph did not come to Pharaoh in his prison clothes. He was presented according to the decorum or propriety acceptable to the king of Egypt.
In Genesis 41:14, ¹⁴So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Joseph was shaven. No hair. No beard. No mustache. He was given Egyptian clothes to wear not Hebrew clothes when he was presented to the king of Egypt.
Are you willing to dress up in a dignified manner of other culture? How about wearing an Igorot “Bahag” when you visit the Mayor of Baguio City?
Can you imagine what might have been going through Joseph’s mind when he was presented to Pharaoh? Would Joseph willingly accept that kind of treatment if he was still in Canaan and not a prisoner in Egypt?
They removed his prison clothes, and he reigned with Pharaoh subsequently.

That is our picture as Christians when we accepted Christ as Lord. We let the Spirit of Christ to get rid of our old lifestyle. Only when we are willing to be changed, it is when the Spirit of Christ would dress us up with a lifestyle acceptable to the King of kings, and then we will reign with Him forever.
If we expect to reign with the King of kings we should not dresses up with our old sinful lifestyle. We need to be consecrated. We need to be clothed with holiness if we expect to reign with Christ the King of kings forever.
Like Joseph who was stripped off his prison clothes and given new clothing before he was presented to Pharaoh King of Egypt, for believers to be acceptable before the throne of God, we should allow the Holy Spirit to remove the undesirable sinful lifestyle from us and dressed us with godliness.
If we expect our prayers to be answered, we should let the Holy Spirit to get rid of the prison clothes of sinfulness, and dress us up with godly lifestyle acceptable to God.

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