What Is Your Jericho?

 

By Andrea Merrell

See! I have given Jericho into your hand

Joshua 6:2 NKJV

 

The situation appeared overwhelming, much like the walls of Jericho—immovable, indestructible, and impenetrable.

 I thought about all the Jerichos we face in this life. Regrets of the past. Fear of the future. Anger. Rejection. Lost relationships. Discouragement. Anxiety. Loss. Health issues. The list could go on and on. Anything that prevents us from fully experiencing God’s perfect love, joy, and peace becomes a fortress, a prison of our own making that must be torn down.

But how? Certainly not by mere human measures. As one writer reminded me, Joshua didn’t bring down the walls—God did.

Just as the Lord told Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand,” the Bible tells us He has given us every single thing we need for both life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). All we have to do is believe and receive. The battle is His; the victory is ours—through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Define your Jericho. Then submit it to the Lord and watch the walls come tumbling down.

 Photo by Valdemaras D. on Unsplash

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

 

By Andrea Merrell

But Martha was distracted with much serving.

Luke 10:40 NKJV

“You sure are a busy little beaver,” someone once said to me. “You never seem to stop or even slow down.”

I’m not sure what point she was trying to make, but I’ve thought about her observation a lot over the years—especially when I get caught up in the busyness of life.

Certainly, life can be demanding at times, pulling us in so many directions we don’t know which to follow first. There’s always so much to do. But during those seasons, maybe we should stop and ask ourselves, In all my doing, what have I really accomplished?

One writer says we were created by God to live on purpose, for a purpose. He didn’t put us on this earth to exhaust ourselves and end up empty and unfulfilled. No matter how we spend our time, we are called to bear fruit. To be salt and light. To love and be loved. To point others to Him. To become more like Jesus.

I love the times when I can look back over my day and feel a sense of accomplishment and even pride over being productive. But I’ve learned that sometimes my most productive days are those when I spend quality time with the Lord, praying, digging into His Word, writing a devotion, or encouraging a friend. It might mean taking a break from being busy, busy, busy, resting and taking time to seek His face and hear His voice, especially before I plunge headlong into my day.

In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha was only concerned about all she had to do. I can picture her flitting about, cooking, cleaning, and complaining. Her biggest complaint was that her sister Mary was not helping. Instead, Mary was content to sit at the feet of Jesus.

That’s where I choose to be. How about you?

 Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash

Is He Lord or Not?

 

By Andrea Merrell

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

 

“Why are you talking about God?” my friend asked. “This is real life, not church. What’s He got to do with anything?”

Without hesitation I said, “Actually, He’s got to do with everything—especially for the born-again believer.”

The conversation happened many years ago, but I remember it well. It was the classic case of secular versus sacred. As far as she was concerned, God was relegated to church and the Bible, nothing more.

I once heard a man say, “If you give God an inch, He’ll take more than a mile.” He believed if you give God certain parts of your life and heart, He will only want more. This man was not willing to surrender even that tiny inch.

What I’ve learned over the years is that if He’s not Lord over every single area of my life—including my thoughts, words, actions, habits, relationships, possessions—He’s not Lord over me at all.

God wants us to trust in Him with our whole heart, not just a small part of it. He promises that if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct us and make our paths straight.

I don’t know about you, but I need God involved in every area and in every moment of my life. I’ll gladly give Him that inch and ask Him to take all the rest. I’m all in.

How about you?

Photo by Miriam G on Unsplash

The Invisible Friend

 

By Andrea Merrell

I have called you friends.

John 15:5 NKJV

 

Everyone made fun of the little boy. Called him crazy. Unstable. A loser. Why? All because of his invisible friend.

Sadly, the boy was born into a seriously dysfunctional family full of alcoholism and abuse. He became so lonely and distraught that he created an imaginary friend—an invisible source of strength and comfort, for he had no one else on whom he could depend.

Unfortunately, many skeptics view our relationship with the Lord in the same way. They call us crazy. Delusional. Losers who need a crutch, a made-up source of strength. What they don’t realize is that while our “friend” might be invisible, He is definitely not imaginary.

The Bible calls Jesus a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). His love for us is so great that He laid down His life for us (John 15:13). Jesus Himself said, “I have called you friends” (John 15:5). And the best part of all is that He promised never to leave us. He is our constant and forever companion.

So take heart, my friend. When you say yes to Jesus, He takes up residence in your heart. Not only does He become your Savior and Lord, but your best, life-long friend. He might not be visible to the human eye, but He is more real than anything or anyone we can see, hear, feel, or touch.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Law or Grace?

 

Law or Grace?

By Andrea Merrell

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one

is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

James 2:10 NLT

“We are no longer living under the Old Testament law but under grace,” the man said, yet his actions did not line up with his words. His attempts to keep parts of the law kept setting him up for failure. He became a slave to the law, afraid to make a mistake.

Someone once compared the law to an x-ray machine and a mirror that can show you what lies deep inside or what you need to do on the outside, but they can’t do it for you. They can’t fix things or solve your problems. In fact, the only thing the law will do for you is bring on discouragement and condemnation because when we live under the law and mess up on one little part, we are, according to James, guilty of it all.

The good news for us is found in Romans 8:3 (NLT):

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (NLT)

That’s grace! Jesus fulfilled and satisfied all the requirements of the law through His sacrifice. As born-again believers who live under the dispensation of grace, we are free to follow the Spirit of God rather than the letter of the law—a bunch of unrealistic and unattainable rules and regulations.

Paul goes on in Romans to say

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. (8:15-17)

Abba Father, thank you for setting us free from the law of sin and death and adopting us as your children. Thank you for your grace as we follow after your Spirit. Amen!

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash