3/16/17
“Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And
you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed
of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have
come to pass for you, not one word of them has failed.” Joshua 23:14
Dear Congregation,
As part of
Joshua’s final message to Israel
before His death, he reminds God’s people of the faithfulness of their
covenantal Lord. They can look back upon the years since they came out of Egypt and see
numerous instances where they messed up and where their sin caused havoc in the
camp. However, they cannot say that God was not faithful or that God was not
just, or that he ever went back on His promises. Joshua can say with confidence
that not one thing has failed of all the good things God said. And yet the
context shows a warning that the people will forget God’s goodness and turn to
things that will cause more pain. We marvel at such an obstinate people with
such a short term memory and yet this pattern has largely remained true with
the Church through the ages.
God is the
source of all good. All blessing flows from God alone. Why do we seek it or
settle for it in imitation from other sources? There are so many differing
reasons and many are unique to the individual. One reason no doubt is
perspective. Everything we are accustomed to naturally is material and
physical. While we all know none of this lasts and we all know that our lives
are very short in God’s sight, and we all know that what God has for us
materially and spiritually is far greater than what earth can provide. We are
always faced with the temporary comfort of the now. Israel faced this too. It did not
matter that they ate yesterday and were going to eat tomorrow, what about now?
A person can remember answered prayer in the past and praise God but if
answered prayer is not given now we start to get anxious and leave God’s
direction. We look for other sources of good which prove phony and we learn
that the hard way as Israel
did and would.
I charge
you to remember God’s promise and faithfulness. To remember who He is, what He
has given you in Christ, and what you have yet to receive in Christ. Do not be
distracted by the temporary allure of the immediate idolatrous now. Remember
the Lord whose word has not failed, whose salvation has not failed, whose
blessing has not failed and whose goodness can never and will never fail. Remember
that all the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen. You may not feel them
now but that is not lack of anything on God’s behalf. His blessing is eternal. Praise
God from whom all blessing and goodness flows!
In Christ,
Pastor Basile
