The Crossroads—Believe or Not Believe
“So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers,
(The Book of Joshua 21: 43-45 NASB)
and they possessed it and lived in it.
And the LORD gave them rest on every side,
according to all that He had sworn to their fathers,
and no one of all their enemies stood before them;
the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.
Not one of the good promises
which the LORD had made to the house of Israel
failed;
all came to pass.”
God did EXACTLY as HE promised!
The LORD led His people to rest, just as He said He would!
Currently, my students are in the midst of answering the question: Who Are You?
In order to answer this question, they have dug deep in their memories to find life-events that helped shape them into the person they have become. Ultimately, they will write an essay, but truthfully, that’s not the real intention of this season of days we call “class time.”
The deeper, more-profound question asked: Does God keep His Promises?
To many of my students, they are just writing an essay for their college English course; yet to some, the deeper truth of the writing task will resonate within them as they search to determine—
Who Am I?
God’s chosen man (Joshua) faithfully led the children of Israel to do battle with their enemies, beginning first with the battle of Jericho. This first battle came on the heels of crossing the Jordan River, miraculously walking across a dusty riverbed. For those walking that day, they would have remembered the generational stories passed down to them, how their grandparents & other ancestors were led to walk across the Red Sea by the leadership of God’s chosen man (Moses). The children of Israel were years removed from that previous generation of the children of Israel; nevertheless, they knew the truth of God which had been shared with them.
God promised to lead them out of captivity, out from the oppression their ancestors endured in the land of Egypt.
God did EXACTLY as HE promised!
- God promised to lead them through the wilderness, even though (because of disobedience) the time there was forty years long.
- The LORD assured them: HE would go before and behind them, protecting them, guiding them to the place of rest they so desired.
The LORD led His people to the rest just as He said He would!
In a typical English course, one filled with essays, grammar quizzes, notes, writing workshops, and opportunities to work with syntax and diction. In this essay, I have asked my students to discover the truth behind the question:
Who Am I?
Yes, this is exactly that which my students are called to do.
The question leads one to the crossroads of what a person believes.
Only in Christ Jesus does one find Who We Are.
The Bible is clear!
Only through the Gospel of one’s salvation—having BELIEVED—does one receive the seal of the Holy Spirit of Promise!
As their instructor, I have encouraged them to: Press Into the Promises of God—for historical record proves it TRUTH!
GOD ALWAYS DOES JUST EXACTLY WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO!