In reading the first 5 chapters of the book of Joshua, I was struck by the fact that the Israelites had to cross two impossible rivers, the Red Sea to get out of Egypt, and the Jordan River to get into Canaan. At the time of their crossing, the rivers were at flood stage so the miracle of God stopping the waters for them to cross on dry ground must have been pretty awe inspiring. What struck me, though, was the Israelites needed God to help them cross the impossible river of leaving Egypt AND the impossible river of entering the promised land. It reminds me of our dilemma. We need Christ to escape from the old (sin, death, spiritual bondage) AND we need Christ to gain the new (reconciliation with God, life, spiritual freedom and relationship). Christ bridges both rivers for us: the river of death and wrath and the river of life and love. Through Him only we walk through both rivers on dry ground. Thank you, Jesus.

Moses and humility

When God called to Moses out of the burning bush, this must have been a life-changing experience. Here is a man who is an outsider--he's not accepted as an Egyptian, not accepted as an Israelite, he is just outside of fitting in anywhere. God, however, is not looking for an inside man to do the job He has for Moses to do. He is looking for a man of passion. A man who is passionate about his people's welfare and unity. Obviously he is passionate! He killed an Egyptian for beating an Israelite. Then he butts in to the fight of two Israelites who are at odds with one another, only to be told to mind his own business. As a matter of fact, the Israelite who was in the wrong asks Moses, "Who made you boss over us?" Little does Moses realize at the time that God will make him boss over them. Moses runs away from the situation, afraid for his life, and ends up in Midian. There he is a shepherd--seemingly out of the whole Egyptian/Israelite conflict. The burning bush proves otherwise for him, for God finds him where he is and calls him into his destiny. Moses in Exodus 3 asks God in essence, "Who do you think I am that I could go to Pharaoh and tell him anything?" And this is where we find the important lesson; God responds, "I will be with you." So if God tells us to do something, instead of asking ourselves, "Who am I to do such a thing?" we need to ask, "Who is there that can stop God?" Then we can humbly obey, with our importance not over or under-rated.