The Daily Devotional Blog

In the story of Joshua, verse 17 , we witness a story of tough love. Joshua used this approach with the people of Israel (people of Joseph) as they grumbled, because they felt they weren't allotted enough land. They thought they were too great, too numerous, and too blessed to not get more land, so they complained to Joshua. Joshua said, 'since you are so numerous and since the land is not enough for you, then you can go up into the forest and clear the land yourselves.' But the people still didn't like that idea. They were afraid of the Canaanites and the others who lived in the surrounding areas. Instead of Joshua feeling sorry for them and just giving them something for nothing, he made them work for it. And he did so in an unyielding, caring and encouraging way. Tough love. Tough love is about ensuring people earn their keep. This way they will come to appreciate things. I learned this with my kids a long time ago yet it's still difficult sometimes, becau

You've heard the phrase before, "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Who hasn't? We've heard it when it comes to getting a job, getting a promotion, or getting into a certain school. And since we don't have all the answers when it comes to our lives or anyone else's life, we need to go to the person we know, God. The Lord is there whenever we want to talk. So why not just ask Him first? He is the one with all the answers in whatever form He decides to share it (or not) with us. He will tell us who to speak to, where we need to go, what we need to do, and how we are to go about getting there. In Numbers 16 , this is exactly what Moses did when Korah and his followers didn't want Moses to lead them anymore. Moses fell facedown and spoke to the Lord. Korah and the 250 men with him told Moses and Aaron that they had gone too far and they questioned Moses and Aaron asking why they set themselves above the Lord's assembly. In othe

You ever hear people say they don't go to church because they watch a certain pastor on TV or online? They say that's how they get their dose of God. There's nothing wrong with listening to a church service at home or online from time to time, but there are certain things we can't get from a sermon from home. There are certain reasons why the church exists. One being the help and support we usually get from others ("may he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!", Psalms 20 ). There's nothing like hearing a pastor in person and getting that nudge of hope or that head shake of agreement from the person next to you or that hug from the person behind you during meet-and-greet or that all encompassing corporate prayer. There's lots of encouragement in the church. And when people think they're always getting the same touch of God from home as they get from His synagogue, there can be a big disconnect. Consider math