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- Oct 26, 2007
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- 11,642
"You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. Joshua 22:3 NKJV
When the younger brother returns to his family in the story of the prodigal son, the older brother, instead of welcoming him, walks away (Luke 15:28).
Although this is uncommon in the Christian community, believers desert each other for a variety of reasons: envy, shame, bitterness, apathy.
The psalmist says that God is different. God will not desert the “needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help” (Palm 72:12 NIV). He’s not a deserter.
Joshua commended three of the tribes of Israel for not deserting their fellow Israelites (Joshua 22:1-3). Their commitment and courage rest immortalized in his book.
Have you felt like deserting lately? Maybe deserting your church because of the lack of winsome and strong leaders, maybe a struggling friend because he takes up too much of your time, maybe a relative who makes life unbearable, maybe an employer because he takes credit for your ideas? Are these reasons to walk away?
Semper fidelis, a motto of every US Marine, is Latin for “always faithful.” How powerful the testimony of the church is when believers refuse to desert, when they, like every good soldier, rush in while the rest of the world walks out.
Prayer: Lord, create in me the courage to stick things out, to be always faithful.
When the younger brother returns to his family in the story of the prodigal son, the older brother, instead of welcoming him, walks away (Luke 15:28).
Although this is uncommon in the Christian community, believers desert each other for a variety of reasons: envy, shame, bitterness, apathy.
The psalmist says that God is different. God will not desert the “needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help” (Palm 72:12 NIV). He’s not a deserter.
Joshua commended three of the tribes of Israel for not deserting their fellow Israelites (Joshua 22:1-3). Their commitment and courage rest immortalized in his book.
Have you felt like deserting lately? Maybe deserting your church because of the lack of winsome and strong leaders, maybe a struggling friend because he takes up too much of your time, maybe a relative who makes life unbearable, maybe an employer because he takes credit for your ideas? Are these reasons to walk away?
Semper fidelis, a motto of every US Marine, is Latin for “always faithful.” How powerful the testimony of the church is when believers refuse to desert, when they, like every good soldier, rush in while the rest of the world walks out.
Prayer: Lord, create in me the courage to stick things out, to be always faithful.
