Stoning Service

Joshua 7 has an event that I am never pleased to see - a stoning. Clearly, I wish to honor God and I want to see this as a good thing, in the sense that God is glorified ... for Joshua's son had done something that was clearly grievous to God - which is the reason for the stoning. Certainly it wasn't an arbitrary stoning. Joshua loved his son; though Joshua's first response in finding out what Achor (his son) had done, was to root out the reality and deal with the consequences, soon after the stoning Joshua was dismayed. As would any parent in this situation.

How faithful does your walk have to be before you would choose God over your loved ones?

It is easy to choose God over a stranger - or loved ones you have kept at bay for one reason or another - but how close must your walk be that you are able to truly, not just pray for, but actively give up for stoning. Clearly, the question is phrased wrong because I myself find the question hard. A better worded question would be: Is your focus on God clear and focused enough that you think first of God's hurt before your own?

As a brother or sister, are you focused on God enough that, if you learn of them doing wrong, you help them root out the problem and let God's judgment fall where it may?

As a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, cousin, niece, nephew, or adopted child, are you focused enough on God that, having just learned about a wrong-doing, your first response is focused on resolution and righting that relative with God?

There are a list of hard questions most of us live out our lives answering one way or another, and this is clearly one of them. And I don't ask you to ANSWER this question right now, but to pray to God for guidance as to how you can live your life in line with His obvious preference - for in the natural, we are built to make exactly the wrong decision take exactly the wrong stance on this matter.

Today's call to action is simple - but will take some time to do it well:

WRITE A LOVE LETTER TO GOD

• Write how you appreciate what He's done for you, what He does for everyone you know.


• Write about His wondrous works, how His will for you has changed your life for the best.


• Write about Who his guidance has made you become.


• Write about how you are excitedly expecting to bear His fruits because you've been praying for them.


• Write about you can wait for His second coming.


• Write about all the books you've been reading about Him.


• Write about your favorite scripture and thank Him for touching your life through them.


• Write about those people He has brought into your life and how His anointing has brought them close to Him.


• Write about how amazed you are at the fellowship that is possible between discordant personalities.


• Write about Him, a poem, a sonnet, a short story, a haiku, a novel, a psalm.


• Write about requests you have and prayers you haven't asked for.


• Write about Him.

Whatever you write about, pray before you write, ask God or His perfect words, and then write what comes to heart.