A Great Promise

"Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Isreal "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord had sworn to them, and you shall cause them to inherit it." "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be dismayed." Deut.31:7-8
What an awesome promise God made to Joshua! I can only begin to imagine the anxiety that would have filled my heart were I to stand in Joshua's place. He'd served by Moses' side and knew exactly what he was getting into. He was to lead God's chosen people, but they were often a people who did not give God the glory. They were whiners and quick to forget the blessing the Father showered them with. The promise that Moses gives Joshua from God would have had to help ease some of that anxiety. There's joy in knowing that the Lord will be by our side in all things and He will not give up on us. I love that...He will not forsake (give up/leave) us.
If anyone moves... it's us. Think about that...how many times have we wondered where God has gone, why has He left us to deal with the hardships of life on our own. Well guess what...He didn't leave us, we've moved away from Him. The promise God made to Joshua, He also makes to those who follow His will. As long as we follow God, He will be right there with us. In my battle with pain, it's so very easy to allow the devil in to hear...Why does a loving God put so much pain in the lives of those who love Him. Satan loves to catch us when we're weak and then fill our hearts with his lies...the lies that place the blame for suffering at God's feet. We must remember it was sin that brought pain into this world and Satan was the instigator. How blessed we are to have a Father who created a plan for our redemption! He has given us a way out of the pain and suffering of this world and promises us an eternity of joy with no tears or pain. To receive that blessing we must do what the Isrealites were told to do:
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I commanded you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His commandments, His statutes, and keep His judgements, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life that both you and your descendents may live: that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob,to give them." Deut. 30:15-20
As long as we walk with the Father and strive to obey His will for us then He will not forsake us, but if we do not follow His will and begin to follow the world...when we remove ourselves from the presence of God..then we recieve death and evil. It may not be immediate, but we won't enter the promise land (heaven) if we take ourselves out of God's hands and place ourselves in the hands of the world.
I have been truly blessed with an earthly father who made sure I knew God's plan for my life. He provided me with a strong, faith-filled, prayerful mother who was able to make sure that God was the center of our home even when he wasn't home. He took the time to make sure I not only had goals for the future here on earth, but that my main goal was to reach the final goal of heaven. He baptized me when I was 9, and the talk we had before his agreement is a precious memory, and I very clearly remember him baptizing my little brother on Father's Day. What a legacy he has given us! We knew growing up that above all else the Father and His kingdom are the most important parts of our lives.
God also sent me a wonderful man, whose bull-headedness has lead our family to remain active members of the Lord's body wherever we happened to be. He brought me a man whose faith is great and beautiful to behold. The joy of watching that faith grow over the last 26 years is one of God's richest gifts in my life. He is determined to make sure that as a family we reach heaven's gates. God blessed me with a husband who is a wonderful father and who sets an example for our son that I am proud of. His tender heart when sharing God's word with our son and friends is beautiful, yet even more so when he's willing to take a stand for what he believes in even when it's not popular or easy is encouraging. I love that it's his goal for us as a family and individuals to please God in what we do. I love how he holds my hand and walks me back into the presence of the Father when the pain moves me away and I listen to Satan's lies. He is training our son to be a leader in the church and I love watching the process and the part I get to play in it.
So sweet friends and family, I hope your Father's Day is a great one! I hope you make the time to go worship the Father and reflect on the promises He's made to us and the sacrifices He's made for us. May God shower you with blessings this day and every day.