Undeserved help

Today: Psalm 78-79

I don't know why, but there are lots of religions based on the idea that you have to earn your way to Heaven/Paradise/eternal bliss. If that were true, I think most of us would be in a lot of trouble.

One of the interesting things about the God of the Bible is that He is a God of grace--He gives people help they don't deserve. Here's something that stood out to me in today's passage:

It was clear they didn't believe God,

had no intention of trusting in his help.

But God helped them anyway,

commanded the clouds

and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven.

He rained down showers of manna to eat,

he gave them the Bread of Heaven.

They ate the bread of the mighty angels;

he sent them all the food they could eat...

Interesting, huh?

I'll be clear: I'm not saying that God's grace extends to eternal salvation for all mankind. (The Bible is pretty clear that to receive salvation, people have to first believe in God and ask for His forgiveness--see Romans 3:9-26 or 1 John 1:9.) I'm also not saying that God's grace is a carte blanche to intentionally mess up and disobey Him (see James 2:14-26 for more on that topic).

What I am saying?

God is just and God is love. The two ideals aren't mutually exclusive. God offers us so much we don't deserve at all--just because of His goodness. We may not see that grace every day (during this blog journal, we've already talked about the fact that sometimes bad things happen to good people). But every day is--in itself--a gift you and I don't deserve. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Tomorrow: Psalm 80-85

And...action!

Today: Joshua 16-18

Imagine a movie director. He stands in a studio before several actors, a lighting crew, camera operators and stagehands. The set is quiet and he says, "Lights! Camera!"

And that's all.

Could he make an Oscar-winning movie that way? Probably not. Because the crew and the actors need a simple word to start a scene, "Action!"

In yesterday's passage, we talked about the importance of "scoping out the land"--the act of getting a vision in mind (hopefully, something aligned with God's purpose). Having a dream is great, but it won't become reality without some action.

I like what Joshua said to the People of Israel in this passage:

"How long are you going to sit around on your hands,

putting off taking possession of the land that God,

the God of your ancestors, has given you?..."

Ouch! Interesting, right? In these verses, Joshua is saying that God actually gave the people the land, but his implication is that they need to take some action to possess it.

I realize that sounds basic, but I wonder how often scenes like this happen in the real world?

For example, I wonder how many jobs God has waiting for people...that they simply don't apply for? I wonder how many single Ms. Rights may be out there for single guys...who just don't sum up the courage to ask them out? I wonder how many churches offer life-changing teaching from the Bible...but have empty pews because people simply don't take the simple action to show up regularly?

Having a vision is great. But at some point, you usually have to move to make it happen--even though God may have already paved your way and provided the answers to your prayers.

Tomorrow: Joshua 19-21