Joshua 9-10 (The Gibeonites and Joshua)

Who God is?

Canaan/pagans are conquered because...
God is Holy
God is Sovereign or in Authority
God is Faithful

- steadfast
- never-changing
- loyal
- trustworthy

- worthy of trust
- taking responsibility of one's conduct and obligations

What God does?

God commanded the pagans to be destroyed because He cannot allow evil to corrupt His children.
God gives strength and protection to the Israelites as they conquer and fight against Canaan.

How God works?

God is incharge of our lives.
God listens to us if we're faithful to him.
God abides in us if we abide in him.

Who we are?

We are whimsical.

What we do?

We forget to acknowledge God in all our ways specially when we think we know what to do.

How we work?

We find ways to be spared from shame.

Who I am?

I am a coward and full of whim.

What I do?

I fail God. I forget God.

How I work?

I do things in my own ways.

Who Jesus is?

Jesus is Redeemer and Savior.

What Jesus do?

Jesus came to pay for our sins, and to teach and bring us back to the Father, despite we fail him.

How Jesus work?

Jesus sits on the throne beside the Father to intercede for us.

Who the Holy Spirit is?

HS is guide and teacher.

What Holy Spirit does?

He enables us and reminds us to go back to God, read His word, and listen to him. He also prays for us when we can't pray for ourselves.

How Holy Spirit works?

He reminds us of our sins and enable us to repent, mold us to be like Christ, to perfect us until the day we are completed.

My Father in heaven. Holy be your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Father, you are Holy, and you hate sin.
You are Sovereign and you are in authority of my life.
You are Faithful and I am the lack of it.
Forgive me of forgetting you, and not acknowledging you, and doing things in my own way, not letting your Holy Spirit to work in me. I am also a coward.
Father, let your Holy Spirit work in me, mold me to be like Christ.
Father, enable me to always remember you and trust you.
Thank you, Father, for your strength to help me through troubles and to go back to you.
Thank you for protecting and sustaining me.
May you always be glorified.
Thank you Father for letting me know you, and allowing me to have a close relationship with you through Christ who came to save and taught us you.
Thank you, Father for your people, who have faith and patience, who inherit your promises, and share you to us.
Father, forgive me. Let me have the joy that you have forgiven me.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Character like Christ?

Is my character being transformed more and more to be like Jesus despite disobeying God's commandments?

I would say, it's hard to answer that question because I disobey God and His commandments. But this I know, I am a sinner and constantly in need of God's grace, in need of Jesus Christ my Savior.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.

³ “You must not have any other gods except me.

⁴ “You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land. ⁵ You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ⁶ But I show kindness to thousands who love me and obey my commands.

⁷ “You must not use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly; the Lord will punish anyone who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember to keep the Sabbath holy. ⁹ Work and get everything done during six days each week, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the foreigners living in your cities. ¹¹ The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything—the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother so that you will live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.

¹³ “You must not murder anyone.

¹⁴ “You must not be guilty of adultery.

¹⁵ “You must not steal.

¹⁶ “You must not tell lies about your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Remember your Creator in the days your YOUTH

What has turned out as a question and wonder "Youth vs. Young Adult", has become a journal of remembering our Creator from youth.

I've always wondered about the word "YOUTH".

Gen. 8:21 - "for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth"
..........(we are evil since birth, as flesh and blood of Adam and Eve, our first parents, the first sinners)
1 Sam 17 - concerning David, "for he was but a youth"
Lev 13; Num 30 - concerning a woman, "as in her youth"
..........(literally a young man and young woman, young adults, not children; Remembering "Do Hard Things" by The Harris Twin Brothers)
Job 33:25 - "let him return to the days of his youthful vigor"
..........(strong, active, alert, fresh....idealistic)
Ps 25:7 - "Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions"
..........(the sins of past)
Eccl 4:13 - "Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice."
..........(pure and unadulterated)
Eccl 12:1 - "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them' "
..........(remembering purity before the pureness becomes flawed and dirtied by the evils of the world)
Ez 16:60 - "yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant."
..........(God's covenant from youth)
Mark 10:20 - Concerning the Rich Young Man, "And he said to him, 'Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.' "
..........(Keeping of God's commandments from youth)
Acts 26:4 - Concerning Saul who was then named Paul, "My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews."
..........(His way of life since youth: obeying the commands of God, being taught of God's Law, and living among the righteous)
1 Tim 4:12 - Concerning Timothy, Paul's spiritual son, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
2 Tim 2:22 - "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."

Reflection:

1.) Literally, the words "youth" and "young adult" are synonymous.

2.) From birth, as flesh and blood of Adam and Eve, we are sinners and evil in our ways. As youth, we are full of vigor and passions for things we want our way. But as we grow, we know more and more of the things on earth, and the things of earth are evil. Yet if from youth, we are taught of the Way, Truth, and Life, we may find our youthful passions as selfish and rubbish, and the adult world's passion as pure evil. If we are strongly grounded in God's Word from youth, our youthful passions would be changed to passions of the righteousness of God in our lives, God's Holiness, and God' Sovereignty. Let us not be "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Eph 4:14) like from the beginnings of our youth, as children, that we know nothing about the world for "when we were children, [we] were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!”' " (Galatians 4:3-6)

We "rather, [be] speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Eph 4:15) "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph 4:13).

Jesus Christ "gave [us] the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph 4:11-12).

Let us also rejoice that what we have heard and taught from youth is about life everlasting. Paul said, "Be sure you continue to follow the teaching you heard from the beginning. If you continue to follow what you heard from the beginning, you will stay in the Son and in the Father" (1 John 2:24, NCV). "And this is the promise that [Jesus Christ] made to us—eternal life" (1 John 2:25, ESV).

Let us remember "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:13-17)

As Paul (a teacher and apostle) said, "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

Therefore, not only do we rejoice of this grace and blessing from God, let us "who is learning the teaching of God should share all the good things he has with his teacher." (Gal.6:6, NCV)

Just as Paul, as a teacher and also a spiritual father, said to Timothy, "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge,' for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Guard what God has trusted to you. Stay away from foolish, useless talk and from the arguments of what is falsely called 'knowledge.' By saying they have that 'knowledge,' some have missed the true faith. Grace be with you." (1 Timothy 6:20-21, ESV & NCV)

3.) We're not done yet. But what about those who have only heard of Jesus Christ in their old age and realized how much their youth was wasted? All I can encourage is "Rejoice for God has given you a new life. 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.' (2 Cor 5:17) Now flee from your past of shame, guilt, and evil, and remember the days when you were still pure, unadulterated, and young, full of vigor, but be vigorous for Christ. 

'But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.' (1 Tim 6:11-16)" 

http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=youth&version1=ESV&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=adoption&searchtype=all&version1=47&language1=en&spanbegin=1&spanend=73
http://www.esvbible.org/

Pre-Christmas Exaltation for Work

SCRIPTURE

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 

13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 

17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 

18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 

19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. ~ Psalm 103:11-19 (ESV)

REFLECTION

As we prepare ourselves and check our hearts and minds this Christmas, may we not forget the true meaning of Christmas: is for Christ to be crucified on the cross as a payment for the penalty of our sins.

Our disobedience, our wrongdoings, our mistakes are to be paid only in our death and destination to hell. For the wages of sin is death.

But the gift of God is eternal life which is in Christ, the Son of God, perfect and without fault, came to take our punishment as a lamb sacrificed to permanently cleanse sins. The blood of a lamb poured as a sign to those who believe in Christ and condemn their old sinful dirty faulty life.

A sign to seal that the believer is justified before God the Father through Christ the Son alone, by faith alone, by grace alone. And I warn everyone that Christ will come again to judge us guilty or not and take those who believed and obeyed to be with Him and the Father for eternity. These have happened and will happen, all for the Glory of God alone.

PRAYER

Our Father in heaven

Holy be your name

May your kingdom come

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Give us today and the rest of the week as a remembrance of the real and true meaning of Christmas.

Father, we pray. Enable us to work not for our own gain or to please others, but to work all for your glory. Father bless us, bless our work, bless this company. May we bring all glory back to you.

Father, we pray also. Enable us to know you more and know your Word more.

We pray, Father, that may we lay our pain and sorrows, joy and excitement to you.

Father, forgive us for there is nothing good in us, not even a tiny bit. Enable us also to pray for our enemies, to forgive them, and to love them the way you love us though we are sinners and unworthy to be in your holy presence for we are not holy.

Father, I am not worthy to pray this prayer for I am a sinner but thank you for letting me know who you are.

Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross to take our place, our punishment. And also, so that we can have a close intimate relationship with you as our Father and as your adopted children. Father, we await for Christ's second coming and to be with you forever.

For yours is your kingdom, your power, your glory

Forever and ever. Amen. Amen. And Amen.

Why Jesus Came (John Piper, Good News of Great Joy Daily Readings for Advent 12.12.12)

Oh how great it is to know why Jesus came to earth, and what the true meaning of Christmas is.
I dread Christmas because of the seasonal blues and loneliness Christmas can bring to me, but now my dread has become an excitement.
Thank you, dear God for the Advent Season.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
—Hebrews 2:14–15

Hebrews 2:14–15 is worth more than two minutes in an Advent devotional. These verses connect the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life. They make clear why he came. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to take them step by step through your Christian view of Christmas.It might go something like this…

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children" specially in view. It is true that “God so loved the world, that he sent [Jesus] (John 3:16).” But it is also true that God was especially “gathering the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“…he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and
blood]…”

Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith and is what the Bible teaches.

“…that through death…”

The reason Jesus became man was to die. As God, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas. This is what needs to be said today about the meaning of Christmas.

“…he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). On what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“…and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the now. If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free: free for joy, free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/good-news-of-great-joy-free-advent-ebook