Parting the Jordan

I got to thinking about the story in Joshua when the Israelites were finally so close to the Promised Land they could begin to see their dreams unfold; dreams of a new beginning; dreams of finally seeing God’s promises fulfilled. They had had a rough start between their disobedience, their wanderings in the wilderness, their grumbling, and then the loss of Moses their leader. But now Joshua was commissioned to lead and lead he did. God told him to be courageous and he was. He believed that if God told him he would part the Jordan River so that they could cross into the Promised Land, then He would do just that. I would have had a hard enough time believing I had heard from God, but let me tell you when I found out that the river was at flood tide, I would have waited until the river went down a bit. So what if I had to wait a little while for the promise of God to be fulfilled?  We could both be happy. I would wait until it was a good time to cross and God would be pleased with my obedience. The only problem with that reasoning is that God told Joshua to go NOW– not to wait until the waters were easier to cross. You see obedience is not just doing what God says, it is doing it when He says to do it. So Joshua told the people to get ready– prepare themselves to cross- that the ark would go ahead of them (about a 1/2 mile ahead) and then they were to follow. Often we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place; a place of willingness to follow God knowing He has spoken, and a crisis of faith. The swollen Jordan River represents all of our fears– all of the obstacles that cause us to shrink back from obedience, but God uses the impossibilities of life to help us to let go. It would have been way too easy if the river was ankle deep; no, it had to be impossible for the Israelites to cross so that God’s glory could be seen as they stepped out in faith to cross over. Wow! This really speaks to me about all of the possibilities God has for me if I am willing to let go and trust. What about you? What Jordan River has God told you to cross but you would rather not? Or maybe you would rather wait. Why don’t you take a step of faith today and see what happens?

Spinning Your Wheels

Have you ever taken a spinning class? Have you ever wondered why they are called spinning classes and not cycling classes?   You get on a stationary bicycle that actually has gears on it like a real bike. Problem is you have to pretend you are going somewhere. Our trainer tells us to imagine we are going somewhere. We are told to imagine going up a hill and we have to crank up the gear; now we are racing with cyclists close behind and we have to ride fast as we can. All the while we are getting a great workout but going nowhere. The instructor shouts out more orders….. peddle faster… more gear….  Sometimes I close my eyes to really get into it— pretending I am on a race—– at the head of the pack (unlikely). But when I open my eyes I am still in a room with a bunch of people spinning and going nowhere. What a picture of us! Don’t you sometimes feel as though you are “spinning your wheels” and accomplishing nothing? Friends, each day is filled with so many things to do but God has asked us simply to follow His will by praying and listening to his instructions.   Seeking God’s will for each day insures us that we are not just spinning and going nowhere. We have a purpose for each day. Have a great work out today as you follow His lead!!