Dependence

Readings for today: Joshua 3-6

I used to read these stories and marvel at the men and women of faith. I would marvel at their deeds. I would marvel at the miracles they performed. I would marvel at the things they accomplished. I’ve been to the Jordan River valley and cannot imagine watching it part. I’ve stood on the walls of Jericho and cannot imagine watching them fall. I’ve stood on the plain where Israel camped before going into the Promised Land and can’t imagine what it must have felt like to celebrate Passover with the Promised Land in sight. Here’s the biggest thing I learned from those experiences. God is the primary actor in these stories. God is the hero not Joshua. Not Caleb. Not even Moses. He is the one performing all the miracles. He divided the Jordan River. He brought the manna from heaven. He brought down the walls of Jericho. Israel did none of these things. They were simply the witness. They were simply the bystanders. Yes, God worked in and through them but it was all for His glory.

What marked Joshua as a leader? It was the same thing that marked Moses. He depended on God. He was obedient to God’s commands. He followed what God said and lived his life for God’s glory. He doesn’t try to assert his own authority. He doesn’t use his position to enrich himself. You never get the sense that Joshua has any agenda but the Lord’s and God honors him as a result. “On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.” (Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬) It’s a powerful reminder to us all that we are to live for the Lord alone. We are to seek His will above our own. We are to humble ourselves before Him and submit to Him and follow His commands all the days of our life. This is what it means to depend on God. And we do this not to earn His favor. Not to earn His love. Not to earn our salvation. Not for any of the eschatological blessings God has to offer but simply because God is worthy. He is worthy of all our praise. He is worthy of all our devotion. He is worthy of our allegiance.

This maps out in a lot of different ways in my own life. First and foremost, it means I spend time in worship. Daily in my devotional time. Weekly when I gather with God’s people. Making worship my first priority reminds me constantly of my need to depend on God. Second, it means I serve my wife and children and extended family. I put their needs above my own. I make time for them. I try to be fully present for them. I pray for them. This is not easy as my natural selfishness gets in the way. Third, it means I dedicate time and energy and effort to serving my church family. I give them my best effort. I don’t count the hours. I make myself available to them whenever the need may arise. Finally, I focus on myself. I take care of myself. I take a Sabbath every week. I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I eat healthy. I exercise. I stretch myself intellectually. I work on myself emotionally. I want to be as healthy as possible so the Lord can use me as His instrument. This is what it means to live a life of dependence on God for me. What does it look like for you?

Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 7-10

Godly Dependence

Readings for today: 2 Corinthians 3-4, Psalms 150

For most of my life, my goal was self-sufficiency. I didn’t want to have to depend on anyone for anything. When I left home at 18 to go to college, I promised myself I would never go back. Not because my home life was bad but because I felt this desperate need to be on my own. Independent. I’ve always had this personality streak. My mom tells a famous story about my first day at preschool. She drove me up to the school, unbuckled me, and gave me my backpack. She was hoping for a tender moment where I would hug her and tell her how much I would miss her and how much I needed to stay with her. Sadly, it was not to be. I simply turned around and walked into school. Didn’t even look back to wave goodbye. My poor mother! Fast forward about twenty years. My wife and I are dating. There were moments when she needed me but I had other plans. I refused to change them for her. Didn’t even think twice about it. No wonder we were told by an older, wiser couple - both of whom were mental health professionals - that in their professional opinion, we weren’t good for each other. I was too independent. Too self-sufficient.

Perhaps that’s why the words from the Apostle Paul hit home with me. “Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬) The Apostle Paul was a self-sufficient man. He had spent his entire life progressing ahead of his peers in Pharisaism. He was on track to be one of the major leaders of his sect of Judaism. He had studied at the feet of the greatest teachers. He was born with the privilege of Roman citizenship. He was a polyglot who could speak multiple languages and interact with different cultures. He was brilliant, passionate, and deeply committed to his faith. But all of it was insufficient to prepare him for his calling as a “minister of the new covenant.” Coming face to face with the Risen Christ reminded Paul of his deep inadequacies and insecurities. As faithful as he was to the “letter” of the Law, all he could produce was death. Only by surrendering to the Holy Spirit, could he produce life.

I too spent my entire life growing up trying to chase success. Whatever I put my hand to, I tended to succeed. I was an all-state athlete. Honor student. Eagle Scout. I sang solos in the church choir and was the lead when we produced a version of Godspell. I was well on my way to self-sufficiency but then I met Jesus. And Jesus revealed my deep inadequacies and insecurities. He showed me that for all my effort to follow all the rules and achieve success, all I had produced at the end of the day was dust. Only by surrendering to Him would I ever find the significance I was looking for, and longing for, in my life. Thankfully, I said “yes” to Jesus that day and He made me a minister of a new covenant so that I might impart His life to others. What about you? Are you still striving? Are you still waking up each day trying to win the rat race we call life? Or have you entrusted your life to Jesus? Will you let His Spirit in to give you the abundant life only He can deliver?

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Corinthians 5-6, Psalms 1