[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 338 – 2 Corinthians 12-13 Matthew 25 summary!]
Joshua 18-19 record the distribution of land to the final seven tribes of Israel that hadn’t yet received their portion. Before it took place, God had Joshua gather the people at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting. He asked the people how long they were going to hesitate before going in and taking their possessions. Isn’t that a powerful question? How often does God have something for us to take, possess, or live out in our lives, but we hesitate, we wait, we worry about whether God will do what He promises? But as we see in these chapters, the same process that happened in previous chapters happens again, a tribe is given land, the borders are described, and the cities listed. The people go into the land and it becomes theirs. This includes an inheritance for Joshua, their leader. By this time, we see what God promises, He does. We need to remember that the next time we hesitate to take possession of or to live into a reality God has promised for us.
In Joshua 20 we read about the cities of refuge, cities where a person who had committed murder accidentally could go to be safe from the retaliation of the dead person’s family. The rules for these towns had been established in the Torah. Now the carrying out of the plan was taking place. As we’ve read thus far in the Old Testament, we’ve seen God always had a plan. His plan was always the best plan for the Israelites. When they carried out the plan, the result was blessing, but when they failed to carry it out, the results were devastating. With all the testimony of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, you would think we would have learned: Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings a curse. Yet, time and time again the Israelites forget that reality. So, do we! Let’s take the lesson from these passages and recognize again that our call is to follow where God leads us, because as we do our lives will always be the most blessed.
That leads right to our second time through John 10. As you’ll recall, John 10 records Jesus’ illustration of Himself as “The Good Shepherd.” Jesus tells us the sheep (that’s us!) will follow the Shepherd’s voice. He tells us the thief (the devil) comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, but He came to give us life in all its abundance. As we go about this day, and each day, how vital for us to listen for the Shepherd’s voice and then to follow where He leads. That always leads to a better outcome than following the competing and false voices of the world. The Good Shepherd has already laid down His life for us and risen again to demonstrate everything He says is true, and all His promises are faithful. Let’s follow where He leads us today.
Day 338 – 2 Corinthians 12-13 Matthew 25
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells of a heavenly vision God gave him. He offers the testimony to demonstrate his authenticity as an apostle. He tells the believers he was given a “thorn in the flesh,” to humble him when he was tempted to pride because of God’s showing him the amazing vision. Three times Paul asked the Lord to take the thorn from him, but the Lord said, “No, my grace is sufficient for you.” Paul’s thorn reminds us, when we suffer, God’s grace is sufficient for us as well.
As 2 Corinthians 12 closes and we move to 2 Corinthians 13, Paul offers final reminders of what will happen when he comes to visit, and how important it is to live faithfully before the Lord. He also offers closing greetings as the letter ends.
As we return to Matthew 25, we read tree power parables Jesus tells of His return. The first is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. They divided into two groups five wise virgins, and five foolish virgins. The wisdom or foolishness comes down to their being prepared or unprepared for the bridegroom’s coming. The wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps, so if the bridegroom is delayed, their lamps won’t go out. The foolish virgins fail to bring extra oil. The bridegroom was delayed, so the foolish virgins had to go looking for extra oil in the middle of the night. When the bridegroom came, they weren’t there, so they missed entering the feast. We can take many lessons from this parable, but the chief one is: be ready. The “bridegroom,” Jesus, is coming, so be ready.
The second parable is the Parable of the Talents. In this parable a master leaves and entrusts his wealth to three servants. They receive differing amounts based on their ability. When the master returns, the first two servants have doubled what was entrusted to them. The first servant has two and a half times as much as the second servant, but each was equally faithful, so each receives the same reward: a commendation from the master, and an invitation to join him in his kingdom. The third servant “buried” his masters treasure, and gained nothing, not even interest. The master condemns the servant for being lazy. Consider this: the servant didn’t lose anything his master gave him, yet was considered lazy, because he didn’t add or multiply to what he received! In the same way, we are called to be faithful with whatever Jesus has entrusted to us, so that it multiplies when He returns.
In the final parable, the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Jesus offers us a clear message of what it will be like when He returns. People will be divided into two groups: sheep and goats. The sheep are those who steward their lives faithfully by carrying out faithful actions on behalf of Jesus. The goats are those who do not. While we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and not by our works, this parable reminds us once we are saved, we will live lives of good works out of gratitude for our salvation. As James reminds us in his book, which we will read soon, “Faith without works is dead.” Jesus reminded us the same thing in this powerful illustration.