New blog

I have started a new blog on tumblr and will be using that from now on, I just find it easier to use.... the address is peterodell.tumblr.com :-)

Joshua 9, Israel and Gibeon

I wrote this awhile back but thought it might be a good thing to put up here, the Lord really used this to change my heart so I hope it does the same for others :-)

"Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them".

   Many of us (including myself) become lazy in the battle for the promised land, forgetting the promise of the Lord to grant us ALL of the land that He has promised. Now as we tread forward in the pursuit of this conquest, do we assume it will simply come to us as we walk? Do we think there will be no resistance? No testing of our faith and perseverance? Well here's an example of something that will seek to happen in all of our lives.
   Joshua knew the Lord's promise to His people, which said "...go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers..." (Deut 1:6-8)
   So here in Joshua chapter 9, Joshua simply believes the Gibeonites when they lie and say they are from a far away land and makes a covenant with them. The same thing can easily come into our path: things that appear harmless and weak, when in reality they are a hindrance to our conquest in the promised land and we should be conquering, not compromising. The Lord has called us to be sober and watchful, not allowing anything to come into our hearts that He has not given us. In my life I too often take things I see as good and wholeheartedly allow them to take a seat right next to the Lord, if not above Him and His word. It takes alot for God to come and show me that though He brings many blessings, I am to see those as good gifts and worship Him for them, and in those things glorify Him for who He is, not just for what He gives. This places Him on the throne, putting right priority in all of my thoughts and desires.
   God did not tell Joshua that he could not spare anyone, but He did say he had to conquer the land and make it free of idolatry. If Joshua would have simply sought out the Lord, asking Him for wisdom and knowledge regarding this covenant I know God would have been faithful to show Joshua the true identity of these "foreign men". And in doing so they still could be spared if they surrendered, submitted, and left their idols.
   Don't be fooled by all the good things that may come and seek sanctuary in our lives, but examine them and make sure they are sincere and take a seat below the Lord. But if the mistake is made, don't despair, there is always room for healing and making things right. Here in Joshua we see him make servants of those whom he had made a covenant with, for the sin was not in the covenant, the sin was in the place Gibeon had been given alongside Israel. So Joshua's vow was not nullified, but the sin was fixed and Israel was made right with the Lord. In the end of it all everything was given it's right priority, and I hope the same goes for all of us who may find ourselves giving anything it's improper place in our hearts and in our relationship with the God.

Update? Yes please.

Well, I guess it's time for an actual update on what's going on in my life right now, since I haven't given one for quite awhile.

Today, being the 4th of October, marks the 26th day I have been in the United Kingdom. I arrived on September 8th to help out my friend Ben plant a church here in England. It's been a pretty amazing time so far. We've met a number of people and all the churches are extremely excited and supportive of the work we've been doing. We actually held our very first meeting this past Thursday and it went very well, considering it was just a short time of worship, teaching, and prayer (in that particular order). So if you're reading this with any interest in the church here at all, please pray for the work in Bristol over the next several months :-)

I go home on October 27th and will go back to work until December 11th, when I will be getting married to the most amazing and beautiful woman in the whole world, Sarah Shippam (soon to be Olson!). The Lord has really done so much in our lives, both to bring us closer to Him and closer to each other. I'm very thankful for everything she adds to my life, I can't wait to spend the rest of it with her!

After our wedding we plan on waiting several months at the very least before deciding whether or not to step out on the mission field together. In the mean time, we are going to just take it easy, get to know each other better, and really just seek the Lord as we start our new life with one another.

If there is one word I can use to describe the past year it would be Perseverance. These months haven't been easy in the slightest, but they have been so worth it. I know that as we seek the Lord and never lose hope in Him, no matter what comes our way or what we think we've done to screw it up, He will always get us through safely. Not to mention the fact that as we keep our eyes on Him we come out stronger in our faith.

1st Samuel 16:18

"I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite..." 

This verse, referring to David's referral to Saul, brought up many thoughts and lessons to me as I read it. It's spoken just after David is called from the fields where he shepherded his flock, to be anointed with the oil from Samuel's horn, and declared the future king of God's people. 

What exactly did David do to be brought to this great place of honor, recognition, and authority before men? Well of course the answer is: Nothing! He was just a young shepherd who humbly spent his time doing what his occupation deemed appropriate, that is, tending sheep. But as the word just previously stated in chapter 16, "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outwards appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart". Many men have great ambitions for themselves and disguise it as something else, claiming that these ambitions are really intended for the kingdom of God. To these men (myself all too often being found among them) I ask this: Would it suit you to live in a field tending a bunch of stinky sheep if God so called you? Really think about that question. Do you seek His glory and His will only? Being content in the Lord's will is a key element in going and doing what He has for us. If we are truly submitted to Him, then we shall see His hand working all things for us, and we need not worry about our own ambitions. If we're going through what the world calls the hum-drum, regular old, uneventful everyday life, yet fully seeking the Lord in complete contentment, just look at the great things He could be teaching us and growing us in! 

All of the events that David had so far experienced in his life were completely out of his control, yet God knew what he was doing. He was preparing David in a way that if many today would have experienced they would have assumed God wasn't involved in their life whatsoever. Today He is doing the same thing with us, and we only have to be content in seeking and worshiping Him and trusting that He will do the rest.

Idols?

Have any? I sure do. But by the grace and forgiveness of God, I am able to repent and turn away from them, and see Jesus heal me of all those things that were once sitting above Him in my heart. Praise Jesus!

Life is rough........but:

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins". (Col 1:13)

For those of us who find things hard, stressful, frustrating, and sometimes wish they could just curl up and die......this one is for you. Notice that all the verbs in this sentence are PAST TENSE. It's already happened, now all we have to do is hold on and remember that our hope isn't in ANYTHING on this earth. Go on to look at verse 27, "to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY". We have a hope. Do you know what a hope is? It's something that's not here yet, or in this case, not in the flesh. Our bodies age, break, and wither, while our hearts ache and yearn. There will be a day, but not at the moment you are reading this, not now. But let that hope be a motivator to shout in your heart "Come quickly Lord Jesus!!!!!", when we can joyfully look past the smoke tearing our eyes, the harsh winds of hardships drying out our skin, and the pain of our emotions often getting the best of us. Take your doubts and aching heart and simply give them to Christ, letting His Spirit come and reveal to you the true meaning of HOPE, anointing you with the OIL OF GLADNESS which guards against the smoke, heals the dried skin, and binds the broken heart. In all our trials and tribulations keep hold of your hope, for without it there can be no joy.

This morning's teaching from "My Utmost..."

I was totally blessed by the reading this morning from a writing of Oswald Chambers, pointing out our need to be aware and focused on the reality of Christ, not just the motions that we form in making our walk with Him more tradition than truth. How exciting is a life that sees God's hand at every turn, a life that is always waiting to see Jesus at each and every turn, in each and every situation. I hope you are blessed by this reading if you haven't been already :-)

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"A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience has been. This battle is not against sin, difficulties, or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in our service to Jesus Christ that we are not ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn. The greatest need is not facing our beliefs or doctrines, or even facing the question of whether or not we are of any use to Him, but the need is to face Him.

Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical situations. The only way a servant can remain true to God is to be ready for the Lord’s surprise visits. This readiness will not be brought about by service, but through intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle-we must be spiritually real.

If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today’s world, and instead are "looking unto Jesus" ( Hebrews 12:2 ), setting your heart on what He wants, and thinking His thoughts, you will be considered impractical and a daydreamer. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ."