Growing or Stagnant?

Verse of the day: Joshua 3:8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’”

When was the last time God put our faith to the test? Here in this chapter we see a second crossing, similar to that of crossing the Red Sea. Yet, there is a subtle difference between the two that tested Joshua and the Israelites on a different level. Very often, we, as born again believers, fall into the trap of thinking that the closer we get to God, the easier our life will get. However, the fact of the matter is that the closer we get to the Lord, the more challenging the trials may get, but the more peace and joy we will having going through them. The reason why? Because we are more certain of God’s presence in the midst of those trials as our relationship with Him grows. This is the same thing that happens when we grow closer to the Lord in respect to who we are; the closer we get, the more aware we become of how sinful we truly are. In Luke 5, right before Jesus called Peter to be a disciple, Peter’s realization of who Jesus was caused him to say this in verse 8, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” This is what we must know and acknowledge the closer we draw to Him. When we compare the two instances of crossing these two bodies of water (the Jordan and the Red Sea), we see that Joshua and the Israelites are not in the same place, in their faith, that they were in when God first led them out of Egypt. In Exodus 14, God instructed Moses to hold up the rod God had given him and the waters of the Red Sea would part so that they could cross on dry land. In other words, the waters would part first, and then they would proceed. This time, they were instructed to put their feet in the water, and then God would part them. As we read this, we may think this a small detail. However, stop and think for a moment. The Scriptures tell us that the banks of the Jordan were overflowing during this season when they were called to cross (v. 15). How much more faith would it require to take the first step, and put our feet into the overflowing waters of a river, as opposed to stepping onto dry land AFTER God has parted them. Like going to school, we take in information, study, learn, and then we face the much dreaded test, with an occasional surprise quiz. Faith is no different. We read and study God’s Word, we pray and try to apply it practically to our lives, but there comes a time when God gives us a surprise quiz or warns us that a test is on its way. How prepared we are, how aware we are, and how we deal with our tests of faith, will depend on how intimate our relationship with the Lord is. Joshua was at the first crossing and saw what God could do. He demonstrated faith when he came back and gave a good report upon spying the land (Numbers 13). However, he is now in the place of Moses, leading the Israelites to the land God promised; therefore, the test of his faith will be greater than it was when he first crossed the Red Sea or brought back the report from the initial spying out of the land. Has our faith been tested and challenged as of late or are we sitting idle and allowing our faith to grow stagnant? Although stepping into the river first might have been intimidating and even scary, the prospect of crossing over to the Promise Land was exciting, and promised blessings. We can either choose to see the step of faith God asks us to take as scary or exciting. The choice we make will be the difference between a stagnant life or one filled with excitement and blessings (God’s blessings, not our own selfish ideas of what blessings look like).

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).