Main Verse: Joshua 2

Good morning!

Three stories are synonymous with Israel: Crossing the Sea of Reeds, Crossing the Jordan, and Baptism. In each instance, the people left things behind them. At the Sea of Reeds,  the nation left Egypt and the slave master’s whip. At Jordan, the nation left the tasteless manna and the years that were eaten away by the locusts, the senseless deaths of the wicked, and the painful reminder of the consequences of sin (Joel 2:21-27). In Baptism, we also leave things behind on the opposite shore like sinful and destructive behaviors. When Israel crossed the Jordan, it would be the last day that they would eat the manna and quail and would eat the crops of the new land (Joshua 5:10-12). The two-and-a-half tribes that left their wives and children in the old land left the proverbial “foot in the door” that would bring them back to the “old way of living” along with the sinful behaviors (a topic for another time).

This was an exciting time for the nation because they had seen all that the Lord had done for them from the crossing yet, this was just the beginning of what the Lord had in mind for them (Isaiah 64:1-7, 1 Corinthians 2:1-13). My encouragement for you today is that as you go into the new land of God’s promises you will leave behind that separated you from the Lord. Going into the land, just like baptism, and the journey from Egypt did not need to happen but, then again nor did God’s blessings have to be bestowed on us either. When the nation left Egypt, those who wanted to stay could have by not covering the doorposts of their homes with blood; then again, they could have stood by while their first-born animals and children died a painful death (Hebrews 11:15-16)

I.H.S. MK

Father,

 A new life is useless if we carry with us the old behaviors that pulled us down. We are travelers Lord in this world because we look for a Kingdom not made of human hands. Being baptized doesn’t mean that our old ways won’t come back to life to taunt and tempt us; its purpose is to wash away the old as a testimony for the world to see.  Walking in the pathway of the Lord isn’t mandatory and nor is it a “death sentence” It is a choice that we make that brings with it the blessings of Your Kingdom. As I grow in Your Lord please help me to keep my eyes on you as you open the new land to us.

In Jesus’ name