Credentials Matter
LAMPLIGHT DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV).
“Living From the Eternal Perspective”
A Devotional From
PATHH Ministries
DATE:
Thursday January 6, 2011
HEADING
Credentials Matter
By Rev. Teddy A Jones
TEXT (Joshua 1:1- 8)
All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul... Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take." [Message]
COMMENTARY
Have you noticed that our trust and confidence and faith is often times as strong as the moment, that we seem to have an uncanny knack for forgetting the victories of the past when faced with a current crisis? Remember Eijhah? Mount Carmel, fire from heaven...threat from Jezebel...adrenaline overdrive...suicidal. A Sean Kingston moment... she [Jezebel] had him suicidal when she side it’s over [his life].
It was one thing for Joshua to have been blessed by Moses in a great hand over speech, quite another to get a reality check from God that Moses is dead and it’s time to advance, quite another to be given a road map that demanded strict adherence yet Joshua was given more than that. He was given a full display of the credentials of the one who was to be his tour guide. Credentials matter, especially when you’re stepping into uncharted territory. It helps to know that your guide knows the way. It helps to know that your guide is fully qualified and is committed to your successful arrival.
There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms. "I'll catch you," the father said confidently. After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap. When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground. He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears. "Let that be a lesson," he said sternly. "Don't ever trust anyone."
Contrast that with this story from author Tim Hansel: One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk. When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???" He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn't this even more true for a Christian?
Something to Meditate on:
“What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way.” –E. Elliot. Who’s your guide
A decision I need to make
Am I still going to worry about tomorrow?
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV).
“Living From the Eternal Perspective”
A Devotional From
PATHH Ministries
DATE:
Thursday January 6, 2011
HEADING
Credentials Matter
By Rev. Teddy A Jones
TEXT (Joshua 1:1- 8)
All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul... Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take." [Message]
COMMENTARY
Have you noticed that our trust and confidence and faith is often times as strong as the moment, that we seem to have an uncanny knack for forgetting the victories of the past when faced with a current crisis? Remember Eijhah? Mount Carmel, fire from heaven...threat from Jezebel...adrenaline overdrive...suicidal. A Sean Kingston moment... she [Jezebel] had him suicidal when she side it’s over [his life].
It was one thing for Joshua to have been blessed by Moses in a great hand over speech, quite another to get a reality check from God that Moses is dead and it’s time to advance, quite another to be given a road map that demanded strict adherence yet Joshua was given more than that. He was given a full display of the credentials of the one who was to be his tour guide. Credentials matter, especially when you’re stepping into uncharted territory. It helps to know that your guide knows the way. It helps to know that your guide is fully qualified and is committed to your successful arrival.
There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms. "I'll catch you," the father said confidently. After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap. When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground. He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears. "Let that be a lesson," he said sternly. "Don't ever trust anyone."
Contrast that with this story from author Tim Hansel: One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk. When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???" He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn't this even more true for a Christian?
Something to Meditate on:
“What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way.” –E. Elliot. Who’s your guide
A decision I need to make
Am I still going to worry about tomorrow?
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