[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY MARCH 3

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY MARCH 3

WORD OF WISDOM

Our best thought on our best day about God, still falls far short of what
God really is.

___

DAILY DEVOTION

Ready for the Lord's Return


And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1 John 2:28

Most of us have a memory from childhood of being given an assignment by our
parents, which we were supposed to complete before a certain time. Maybe it
was something around the house-mowing the lawn or doing the dishes or giving
the dog a bath or washing the car. Maybe it was something for school or a
church project. But just as we have that memory of being given the job to
do, most of us also have the memory of not getting it done. Perhaps we got
distracted by a friend or another project that was more to our liking.
Perhaps we lost track of the time and didn't begin soon enough. But everyone
who has that experience knows what a dismaying thing it was to look up and
realize that our parents had returned and found the job undone.
One day Jesus is going to return. None of us knows when that day will be,
but we do know that it will happen. Like all the promises of God, the
promise that Jesus will come again is certain. We also know that He has
given us work to carry out in His absence. Specifically, He has given us the
"ministry of reconcilliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18) that we might tell others
how they can be reconciled with God. And He has told us that if we will
abide in Him, He will bear fruit through us, even as the grape vine abides
in the branch and thus bears fruit (John 15:5). If we are abiding in Him, we
will be living and serving in such a way that we will be glad to see Him
when He returns.
Since we don't know when Jesus is coming back, we must live every day so
that we will be ready when He does.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Joshua 1-3 New King James Version
God's Commission to Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the
Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: 2 "Moses My
servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this
people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel. 3
Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as
I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great
river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great
Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man
shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with
Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be
strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an
inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be
strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the
law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right
hand or to the left, that you may [b]prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of
the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[c] shall meditate in it
day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written
in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have
good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do
not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever
you go."

The Order to Cross the Jordan
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 "Pass
through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for
yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in
to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.' "

12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua
spoke, saying, 13 "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord
commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving
you this land.' 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall
remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you
shall [d]pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and
help them, 15 until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you,
and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is
giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy
it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side of the Jordan
toward the sunrise."

16 So they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you command us we will do, and
wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things,
so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with
Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words,
in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of
good courage."

Rahab Hides the Spies
2 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from [e]Acacia Grove to spy
secretly, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho."

So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and [f]lodged
there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, men have come
here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country."

3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have
come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out
all the country."

4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, "Yes, the men
came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as
the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the
men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them." 6
(But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of
flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them
by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued
them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to
the men: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of
you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are
fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to
the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan,
Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these
things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in
anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and
on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord,
since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my
father's house, and give me [g]a true token, 13 and spare my father, my
mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our
lives from death."

14 So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this
business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that
we will deal kindly and truly with you."

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on
the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, "Get to the
mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the
pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way."

17 So the men said to her: "We will be blameless[h] of this oath of yours
which you have made us swear, 18 unless, when we come into the land, you
bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down,
and unless you [i]bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all
your father's household to your own home. 19 So it shall be that whoever
goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on
his own head, and we will be [j]guiltless. And whoever is with you in the
house, his [k]blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 And if
you tell this business of ours, then we will be [l]free from your oath which
you made us swear."

21 Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them
away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.

22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until
the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did
not find them. 23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and
crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that
had befallen them. 24 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has delivered
all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country
are fainthearted because of us."

Israel Crosses the Jordan
3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from [m]Acacia
Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged
there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the
officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying,
"When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests,
the Levites, [n]bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go
after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two
thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way
by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before."

5 And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify[o] yourselves, for tomorrow the
Lord will do wonders among you." 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying,
"Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people."

So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt[p] you in the
sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will
be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the
covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the edge of the water of the
Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.' "

9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words
of the Lord your God." 10 And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the
living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before
you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and
the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the ark of
the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into
the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes
of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon
as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the
Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the
waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from
upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."

14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the
Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the
priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan
overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the
waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very
far away [q]at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that
went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut
off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who
bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the
midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all
the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

Footnotes
Joshua 1:6 give as a possession
Joshua 1:7 have success or act wisely
Joshua 1:8 you shall be constantly in
Joshua 1:14 cross over ahead of
Joshua 2:1 Heb. Shittim
Joshua 2:1 Lit. lay down
Joshua 2:12 a pledge of truth
Joshua 2:17 free from obligation to this oath
Joshua 2:18 Lit. gather
Joshua 2:19 free from obligation
Joshua 2:19 guilt of bloodshed
Joshua 2:20 free from obligation to
Joshua 3:1 Heb. Shittim
Joshua 3:3 carrying
Joshua 3:5 Consecrate
Joshua 3:7 make you great
Joshua 3:16 Qr., many mss. and vss. from Adam