“Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians 1: 3-6 NASB)
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
It is quite fitting TODAY that we read a passage from the Bible titled “THANKSGIVING.”
- This morning, after prepping the turkey and placing it inside the oven to bake, I found myself nestled on my couch, with a steaming hot cup of coffee and my Bible. As I began to ponder where to read, the leadership of the Holy Spirit first took me to The Letter of Paul to the Philippians Chapter 1.
- The Holy Spirit led me initially to The 2nd Letter of Paul to Timothy Chapter 1 where I read about “An Unashamed Workman” detailing how God knows our inner-thoughts and our secret intentions.
- Then, the Holy Spirit led me to read in The Book of Joel Chapter 2 to see “Deliverance Promised,” telling how the Lord delivered & cared for His people. This passage told how God restored the people after a season of swarming locust. In reading, it was easy to pause on this verse—
“Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
(The Book of Joel 2: 27 NASB)
And that I am the LORD your God,
And there is no other;
And My people will never be put to shame.”
- After reading each of these passages, I found myself settled (with the guidance of the Holy Spirit) in The Book of Joshua 5 rereading “The Conquest of Jericho.”
Joshua was the commander of a great army whose battalion numbered 40,000 strong. Nonetheless, Joshua led over 2 million people across the Jordan River, and now they faced their first, and maybe greatest battle—Jericho.
The city Jericho was a fortified one, surrounded by a great, city wall. If one considers who lived there, then he quickly notices the king and his valiant warriors, all inside the wall, ready to do battle. If one considers those who stood outside the wall, he will see the men, women, elderly, and children (the Lord’s chosen people).
For sure, it was easy to see the fortified strength of Jericho; nevertheless, as I read “The Conquest of Jericho,” I found myself led to the verses preceding the Bible story detailing the march around the city wall.
“Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho,
(The Book of Joshua 5: 13-15 NASB)
that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,
a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand,
and Joshua went to him and said to him,
“Are you for us or for our adversaries?”
He said,
“No;
rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth,
and bowed down,
and said to him,
“What has my lord to say to his servant?”
The captain of the LORD’S host said to Joshua,
“Remove your sandals from your feet,
for the place where you are standing is holy.”
And Joshua did so.”
Today is THANKSGIVING—
- A day when God’s children are reminded that we are to each be “An Unashamed Workman.”
- A day when Believers are to recall how our “Deliverance [was] Promised” by Holy God. &
- Today is a day when Christians are to remember “The Conquest of Jericho,” seeing how the LORD sent His host to fight their battle.
Most definitely, THANKSGIVING is not about what we have done but about what we have been saved from & about to whom deserves all our worship.
MAY EACH CHRIST-FOLLOWER TODAY & EVERY DAY THAT FOLLOWS THIS HOLIDAY,
“Remove your sandals from your feet,
(The Book of Joshua 5: 15b NASB)
for the place where you are standing is holy.”
For, the apostle Paul reminds us of one of God’s Amazing Promises—
“For I am confident of this very thing,
(The Letter of Paul to the Philippians 1: 6 NASB)
that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”