Remembering the Power

Remembering the Power

Words of Faith 10-16-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

To unsubscribe, follow the directions at the end of this devotion.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Joshua 24

    Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

    [2] Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. [3] But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, [4] and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

    [5] " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. [6] When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. [7] But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.

    [8] " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. [9] When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. [10] But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

    [11] " 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. [12] I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you--also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. [13] So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'

        It might be said that Israel places a strong value in remembering.  It could also be said that we humans have a remarkable capacity to forget.  Perhaps that is why the Lord so carefully reminded Israel of His mighty deeds.

        Joshua's great concern was that Israel would forget the wonderful way that the Lord had acted to make them into a people, bring them away from false gods, liberate them from slavery, and give them a Promised Land!  He knew that it was very easy to forget within a few generations the great work of the Lord. 

         We don't know exactly when this remembrance gathering occurred.  It may have been soon after Joshua's previous exhortations, or it may have been sometime later. This remembrance leads into one of Joshua's most famous speeches urging them to remain true to the Lord God.  It all starts with remembrance.

         We are no different in our nature than the Israelites.  We tend to forget the mighty hand of the Lord, as well.  In the good times, it is easy to allow our hearts and minds to be distracted from Him.  It is easy to let our eyes be caught by the glitter of the culture around us.  It is easy to forget all that has been won for us.

          We have times of remembrance in our nation.  It is important to remember those who gave the ultimate human sacrifice for the cause of freedom.  But even more important-- it is vital that we not forget what the Lord has done for us as a nation and as individual people.

           This is the primary focus of the Lord's Supper.  Jesus commended to us a uniting ritual-- not to save us over and over again-- but to remind us over and over again of what he has already done.  Take this bread and cup-- remembering.  Recall the mighty work of the Lord for you at Calvary.  Do not forget the great cost of your salvation.  Remember the great power of His sacrifice.

          Stop today and remember.  Stop and remember.  Remember those who have given much so that we might live in freedom.  But most important, remember Jesus.  Remember what He did for you.

          Lord Jesus, keep the memory of Your love and sacrifice close to my heart.  Keep fresh in my mind the memory of Your great power and might.  Draw me near to You, in Jesus' Name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.