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7 The Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. 8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, "When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.' " 9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, "Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God." 10 Joshua said, "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: 11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap." 14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan. (Joshua 3:7-17 NRSV)
Happy Thursday, dear Friend! May this find you and yours doing well. We have this prayer request from FUMC Gonzales: "Dena Fritz has asked for prayers for her niece’s husband Chris Marek, her niece Rachel and their entire family. Chris is in the hospital in Houston in need of a liver transplant. They discovered a blockage in his heart that first had to be addressed, so he had a stent placed and is on blood thinners for 30 days. Please pray for him to stay stable and for a successful liver transplant when the time comes. Please also pray for their two little ones, Ryan & Riley." Indeed, let us pray for Chris, Rachel, Ryan, and Riley; for Dena and all their family. Please pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
Have you ever started your morning praying, "Lord, do amazing things through me!"? More than likely some maybe haven't prayed this, but have sort of wanted this, "Lord, just leave me alone today; don't want to walk on water, or part the seas, or even have to say hi to that person walking my way..." Okay, maybe not even that. But imagine if you were to do this first thing tomorrow morning? What would the results be? This passage shows that when God is involved extraordinary things can, and do, happen! It's easy to say, well, pastor, that was the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua, so God had to be present! Yes, but the amazing things that might happen include touching a life that perhaps thought they were not touchable. Many have been the stories of those who had planned on ending it all when someone just greeted them and by that simple gesture saved a life. That's amazing, isn't it? There is a countless list of what we would call simple and insignificant that in the world of those who receive our gestures of kindness would argue and say, "You've saved my life, or touched my life for the better!"
We learn from this account of God's intervention that God can stop the flow of a mighty river (not to mention an ocean or two!) so that the sacred can continue through. Not to mention that God's intervention can also stop the flow of whatever "river" is starting to flood your mind with negative thoughts, or negative comments. And, who knows, your actions may remind people there truly is a God, and that might make them change their lives for the better. I heard a famous comedian say he became a Muslim because of the enthusiasm for life his Muslim friends had for life and how they approached their work in the pizza restaurant where he hung around with them. Have you made such an impact for Christ in your job?
PRAYER: Loving God, many, and way too numerous to count, are the blessings You have brought into my life. I pray that You would do amazing things through us starting this day. We may laugh at how simple or insignificant we may think what we are called to do will be, but we want to impact the worlds of others so they might have life, and the hope to face life. Father, it may be a phone call we make, or a letter we write, or a wave and a smile to someone; but use us to make the world a better, brighter place. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Pray the prayer that says for God to use you and do amazing things through you!
Receive my blessings of hope and success,
Pastor Eradio
