The meditation for today is taken from Joshua 3:5, And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." (AFV)
There are two phrases that I wish to highlight from the above mentioned verse, the first one being ‘Sanctify yourselves’ and the second one is, ‘the Lord will do wonders.’ Even today God is ready to do wonders, but in order to receive them there are some things that are required of us.
When Jesus lived on the earth, He performed many mighty miracles and wonders. Those who received these miracles were ones who through faith and obedience acted on the words of Jesus. The first miracle that Jesus performed was at the wedding at Cana. It was a practice in those days that wine was served at weddings, and this was an important part of the celebration. On that day the wine got over, and there was a request made to Jesus to help in that situation. There was also a tradition in those days that there were stone pots filled with water that were kept at the entrance, and everyone who entered would first wash their feet before entering the place. Jesus asked the servants to fill the stone pots with water. This was strange as the need was for wine, but Jesus was asking them to fill the pots with water. When the men believed and did so, the water turned into wine.
Jesus was teaching one day from Simon Peter’s boat. After He had finished, he asked Peter to go a little further, and to cast their nets to the other side. Peter explained to Jesus that they had fished all night, and caught no fish. Anyhow, Peter told Jesus he was willing to obey, and do as Jesus bid him to. When Peter obeyed, the miracle happened, and their nets were filled with fish more than they could ever imagine.
We therefore understand that miracles will take place, provided we are willing to do what God commands us to do.
We see that God had led the people of Israel in a most wonderful way, and they were now about to enter the Promised Land. The Promised Land was in their view, but the river Jordan that was overflowing was the first hurdle they had to cross. As it was the time of harvest, the Jordan River was in full-spate. Unless the Lord performed a miracle it would be impossible for the Israelites to cross over to the other side. It was under these circumstances that Joshua assured the people that God would perform a miracle for them the following day, and that they would have to sanctify themselves on that very same day. Their sanctification was a pre-requisite for them to receive their miracle.
Jesus took the sins of all mankind on Himself when He died on the cross. Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus will have their sins forgiven, and this is the salvation that we receive from the Lord. However, those who receive this salvation are called to purify themselves from all uncleanness, in order for God to fulfill His will in our lives. There are many who will say that Joshua’s life was in the Old Testament, and that we are New Testament believers who are under grace.
Be a vessel of honor
We read in 2 Timothy 2:21, “If any man therefore shall cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and profitable to the Lord, prepared unto every good work.” (DRB)
This means that there are certain things that God expects us to get rid of from our life. When we sanctify ourselves this way, we become a vessel of honor fit to be used by the Master. Many people don’t want to do anything on their part, but expect God to do the miracles. All of us as believers need to be sanctified, and the kind of sanctification that God desires is found in the verse below.
Be holy as God is holy
In 1 Peter 1:15, “Be holy in everything you do, just as God is holy. He is the one who chose you.”(ERV)
Here again the word of God is clear that just as the one who chose us is holy, so also we are called to be holy in everything that we do. We all stumble in various ways, but one area where we all fail is in our words, and oftentimes we are not even convicted about this.
Be truthful in speech
The word of God teaches us in Ephesians 4:25, “So you must stop telling lies ."You must always speak the truth to each other," because we all belong to each other in the same body.” (ERV)
We live in times when lying is common practice for many, and the justification people give is that everyone lies or that their lies will not affect anyone in any way. Here’s an example of how it happens. A father gets a call, and since he does not want to attend the call, he gives it to his son, and tells him to lie that the father is not at home, and that he left his phone behind. That same father will be totally upset when his son lies to him, and might even punish him for doing so. We see that this is a contradiction.
Oftentimes, there is no sense of remorse about this habit of lying. A person might have woken up late, and hence gotten delayed to work. When questioned about it, they would blame it on the transport system. Sometimes, children miss school, and when they are questioned they will tell a lie to cover up their absence. The ones who tell the lie, and the ones who hear are both aware that this is a lie, but they will just ignore it.
We read in Matthew 5:37, Say only 'yes' if you mean 'yes,' and say only 'no' if you mean 'no.' If you say more than that, it is from the Evil One. (ERV)
Here the Lord instructed us to say things as it is for everything that is beyond this comes from the evil one. We must therefore remember that every time we lie, we are giving room for the evil one.
The father of lies
This was how Jesus referred to Satan in one of his teachings. We read about this in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (ESV)
We need to understand that Satan is a deceiver whose deception is to make us believe that our lies affect no one. What we need to realize is that the lies may not affect others, but it sure does affect us. Irrespective of whether it is a small or big matter, we must decide that we will always speak the truth.
Sometimes people bargain this way in shops. They will go to purchase something in one shop, and just to get a discount will say that the item cost far less in another shop. This won’t be true, but the shop owner will also justify the price of the item. In the process the item may be purchased while in the bargain the one who sold it, and the one who bought it would have both lied to each other. When we lie this way to each other we make Satan rejoice.
We lie because we think that if we speak the truth there may be some ramifications for the same. A write said it this way, ‘Lies are spoken by cowards, and the truth is spoken by those who are courageous.’ The decision we must make is to speak the truth no matter what the consequences are. Even if we have spoken lies, let us change, and decide to speak the truth no matter what. This way we will give no room for the devil in our lives.
A person who heard this message on speaking the truth, decided to try this at his work place. He had to attend a fasting prayer meeting, and usually he would excuse himself from work by citing some medical reasons. This time he decided to tell the truth, and to go to the prayer meeting only if he got permission for the same. He was surprised to find that the boss gave him permission, and also told him that he could keep his phone muted, and close at hand, so that he would call him if there was something that needed attention. So we see that we have this notion in our heart that people won’t accept the truth if we tell it as it is. We think that if we speak the truth the other person might be hurt, but it is really best that we decide to speak the truth no matter what.
There’s one more thing I have observed. When someone invites another to a program or a meeting, they would often say, they would attend the same if God wills. It is good to say that we would do things ‘God willing’ if it is sincere, but we should never give such a reply to make the person feel good, when our real intention is never to attend the meeting or the program. Let us decide that God will guard our lips so that we will not lie to one another.
When children are caught in something they will lie to escape from that situation, and if questioned you will notice that they will add lie upon lie just to cover up. However, we must teach our children to speak the truth irrespective of the consequences. When children decide to speak the truth, it may be tough, they may even be punished sometimes, but their conscience will be clear, and they can be bold, and there will be no need for further lies.
We should never justify our lying saying that it is unavoidable in our business or work place. There are some who think that speaking the truth will bring loss to their business. The word of God is clear that we are called to be holy as He is holy. God is truth, and He expects the same truthfulness from each one of us.
The plot against Joseph
There are some who may not speak lies outright, but will do so in a subtle way so as to cover up or get a good name for themselves. We have to be cautious about this as well. Let me explain this with an example from the bible.
We read in Genesis 37:32, “Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not.” (DRB)
Let me explain the background to this verse. Joseph had elder brothers who used to do things that were wrong, and Joseph reported this back to their father. Moreover, as Joseph was born when his father Jacob was really old, his father loved him a lot, and gave him a richly ornamented robe. At one time when his brothers had gone away from home to tend their sheep, Joseph’s father sent him to enquire about their well-being, and to give them some food. The brothers of Joseph noticed that it was their younger brother by his robe from far away. These older siblings were so filled with hatred, anger and jealousy that as soon as Joseph approached them, they threw him into a pit. Later they saw some merchants who travelled by and since they wanted to get rid of Joseph, they decided to sell him to them as a slave, and Joseph was taken away to Egypt.
They took Joseph’s robe and did this as recorded in Genesis 37:31, “And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:”(DRB)
This was a cunning plot by the brothers when they dipped Joseph’s coat in the blood of a goat they killed, and then they also sent it to their father through someone to ask him to check if it was Joseph’s coat that they claimed they had found. They knew that they had done wrong, and hence wanted to cover their tracks. Observe how they asked the father to check if it was his son Joseph’s coat instead of them saying that it was their brother’s coat. The brothers pretended that they had no clue as to what had happened to Joseph.
Many people know that they have done wrong, but in order to pretend that they are in the right and to justify themselves, they tell lies.
This was their father’s response in Genesis 37:33, And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph. (DRB)
The way that they presented the coat to their father Jacob made him assume that a wild animal had mauled Joseph. This way they also escaped from giving a reason for the coat being smeared with blood.
There are many who cause all the confusion, do all the scheming, and then will boldly declare that they did not say anything or had no part in it. They pretend that they had nothing to do with what happened when in reality they were responsible for all of the trouble. Let us be reminded that God is all-knowing, and there is nothing hidden from His sight. By doing such under-hand things we give room for the devil, and are sinning blatantly against God.
Though Joseph was meted such injustice, and sold as a slave in Egypt, because of his truthfulness to God, the Lord blessed him, and elevated him to be second in command to Pharaoh, King of Egypt. In days of severe famine all over, when there was food only in Egypt, the brothers of Joseph had to go to Joseph, and not realizing who he was, bowed down and fell at his feet.
Truthful lips endure forever
We read in Proverbs 12:19, “The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” (ERV)
The word of God reminds us that when we speak the truth, it will be established forever. A lying tongue is fleeting, and lasts only for a moment. Let us learn to speak the truth, and ask God to help us avoid deceitful, lying or pretentious words that would deceive others. May God help us to be truthful in all that we say, and put away any kind of falsehood. Let us sanctify ourselves, and surely we will receive the wonders and miracles that God has planned for us.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
