DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-05-13
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Joshua 21:43-45
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴³ So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. ⁴⁵ Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

APPLICATION: Often divorces are the result of broken promises; children disappear, and remain separated, from parents because they feel like mom and/or dad never kept their promises. Unfortunately, some may wander away from God because they feel like His promises were not fulfilled the instant they insisted on receiving results. If you ever read the books, chapters and verses preceding today’s focal verses, you will know that the promises God made to Abraham and the forefathers of the Israelites could easily have come under the heading ‘Unanswered Promises’, for many years had passed since God first vocalized His promises. Do you suppose that’s where we tend to quickly jump to conclusions about unanswered promised? Funny how Satan is always there to promote negativity in our minds, especially when it comes to something that God has in store for our good. However, this comes as no surprise to God, for He knows our heart and our intentions. He blessed the Israelites in so many ways. He put one of their own in the king’s court, so that when the famine came, Joseph would influence the king into helping his family stay alive. God saw their suffering as slaves to the king in Egypt, so He raise up a spiritual giant to lead them away from their deprivation and into a land He had prepared for them. Through Moses and Joshua, God led them across the desert and provided for their every need, even though they often turned aside to idol worship and other sins. But God had made a promise, and He wasn’t about to turn His back on that. At the time of Joshua’s writing of our focal verses, he was able to see with human eyes that God had indeed fulfilled his promises – every promise that God gave to the Israelite fathers! In our world today, Christians are mum about how they might respond to their unsaved friends or coworkers. Often this is because they lack knowledge, understanding, and familiarization with the Word of God. But even of more importance in bragging about our God to others, is our personal testimony of what God has done for us, it’s first-hand, non-refutable, evidence of the impact that God has been in our life! Of course, we can support our personal experience with Bible stories that stand out as we reflect on the Word of God. About the Israelites, and how God parted the waters for them to cross; how He worked miracle after miracle through His servant Moses; how His Son was miraculously conceived; How Jesus performed miracle after miracle, including His choosing 12 simple laymen to work and minister alongside Him; how He was crucified, yet He rose from the dead 3 days later just as He had prophesied hundreds of years early through His prophets of old; and in like fashion to what He did for the Israelites in providing a Promised Land of peace and bounty, He also promised us an eternal home of unequaled beauty with the Father and the Son for evermore! Dear friends, a pastoral degree is not necessary to share what you know; what has happened in your life; and the bright future that you are looking forward to enjoying when your time on earth as ended. These are all exciting promises, just like those that Joshua witnessed! Our friends need to know what has impacted our life, so they could decide for themselves if they are ready to stop the train taking them to the pit of Hell. As cruel as it sounds, if they have not invited Jesus into their heart, then they have indeed chosen to continue following Satan on a path to his kingdom – Hell. May the promises of God have an everlasting impact on you, and your friends as you lovingly share the blessings of God in your life with them!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God’s promises are true and He will fulfill what He promised! Encourage each other towards a relationship with the King of all kings, as you confidently share His promises, knowing that He will always fulfill what He has promised!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for reminding us that if You promised us something, You will fulfill it, just as You did for the Israelites! In spite of the ‘instant’ world that we live in – with microwaves, high speed cars, rail and jets, please help us to rest easy, but reassured, that Your promises are alway fulfilled in perfect timing. There’s no need for timers, or timely reminders, if You said it, we can ‘go to the bank’ with that, for it is true and will happen just like You said it would! Lord, we anxiously await fulfillment of a huge promise You made that one day soon, those who are Yours will leave this hardened, cruel and tumultuous world, and enter into our heavenly home. that You have prepared for us, as we take up our eternal residence with the Father and the Son for evermore! Oh, what a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see! Please Lord, place us in situations where we could share that promise with others who need You as Lord and Savior. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!