Skip to main content

"...We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you"
So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them.
That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly...
Joshua 9:25-27NIV
Joshua could've delivered any punishment he chose...his enemy was in his hands.
Josh chose grace.
He not only saved then but brought them into the very heart of their culture. Into their place of worship.
He gave them every opportunity...
I want to be like that too.
To show grace to those who might be against me... when I've got the opportunity to "let someone have it" I give them grace instead.
When I have all the rights, I give them up...
Because that's what Jesus did for me - & it's so easy to lose sight of it.
Maybe that's one reason why the cross is an  important icon as it reminds us of the grace we get...
#woodcuttersandwatercarriers
#grace
#joshua

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,  for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16 NLT OK so this is an English translation of a letter Paul wrote to a church 2,000 years ago, but does it feel like Paul is wrestling with words and ideas to try and capture all of who Jesus is, of who God is, of how does it work that the walking around Jesus was also there before the beginning of the beginning of everything we can see and touch and know. Not only that but Jesus was somehow the agent of everything that has been made in the physical, social, and spiritual.  Jesus is at the centre of it all.  Walking around Jesus. Cooking fish for breakfast Jesus. Heart aching as he looks at p
Post a Comment
Read more
"Do not despise these small beginnings,  for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,  to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." Zechariah 4:10 NLT At the centre of this story is not something shiny, something new, but the damaged, broken down ruins.  Jesus met people where they were, in the brokenness, in their hurt, in the mess. That's where he was.  We can tend to hide away the damage, sideline it, perhaps feature it only when there's been restoration.  But this story says something different.  Jesus life tells us something different. God is delighting in the small things going on in the broken down temple. He isn't saying "when it's all fixed up and looking good then I'm interested".  No, He is invested now.  Right now.  Right where we are.  Come as you are to church, to community, to fellowship, to friendship. Jesus never sidelines the hurt parts, never says they don't matter, and we don't need to either... #smallbeginnings #t
Post a Comment
Read more
"Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware!  For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.  You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers.  But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking - it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:16-20 NLT Jesus instructions to the 12 Apostles take a bit of a turn here - it's one thing going out with no money or resources, quite another expecting arrest, torture, imprisonment, just so you can talk about Jesus.  However consider the attitude Jesus asks them to walk in as they go into enemy territory - smart yet peaceful. Consider the resources Jesus is providing whe
Post a Comment
Read more