Joshua 1:1-9

Joshua 1:1-9
English Standard Version (ESV)

  So often when we are called to something new, we focus on all the things that intimidate us.  Our eyes and our hearts are fixed on what we cannot do, and as a result we tremble and wonder what might go wrong.
  Think about Joshua -- he was called to fill the shoes of Moses.  Moses led the people through the wilderness for 40 years and communed with God -- they often had to cover his face with a veil because it glowed after Moses spent time with God.  Joshua was the next leader of the community -- he could have spent his life intimidated, thinking about how he would never live up to Moses.
  God called him to be strong and courageous, focusing on the most important thing -- that God would never leave nor forsake him.  Joshua was not on his own, and we know that God works through our weaknesses to show his glory.  If we meditate on God's Word and trust in him to lead us, drawing closer to God each day, we need not be frightened.  The Lord your God is with you wherever you go!

1 Peter 1:22-25

1 Peter 1:22-25
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I'd be a little nervous to live just below a dam -- if water overflowed from the dam, it would surely go beyond the banks of the river and inundate my house.  It would be a powerful outflow that would greatly change my life.
  In the same way, how we treat one another is out of the overflow of our hearts.  If we allow the love of God to shape our hearts, treasuring the unconditional love and grace and mercy of God and meditating on his law and love, that will overflow out of our hearts and change the way we treat everyone.  The more time we spend with God and his Word, the more challenged we will be to love and serve our neighbors.

Hebrews 6:17-20

Hebrews 6:17-20
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  I read with great sadness of the passing of my friend, Dewey French.  One of the kindest people I've had the blessing of meeting, he stopped by the church office at least 3 times a week, sometimes just for a cup of coffee.  Seeing Dewey was often the highlight of the day. 
  In the midst of the storms of life, the idea of an anchor is so appealing.  When the rains pound and death knocks at the door, the anchor holds fast, a certain hope that has the resurrection of Jesus Christ to secure it.  There is no power in life, no power in death, that can take us from him, and so while I mourn, I give thanks for the hope we share in Christ -- we have a way through the curtain, beyond the veil, because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As sorrowful as death is, there is a greater hope that holds to me now, and I give thanks for that eternal peace that is promised.

Isaiah 66:12-14

Isaiah 66:12-14
English Standard Version (ESV)

  As a father, I understand the feeling of uselessness well.  There's nothing quite like the sensation of holding a crying, hungry baby, knowing that there is nothing I can do -- that's a problem only mom can fix.  I do what I can to soothe and assure, but it's limited.
  In the same way, there are so many problems with humanity that we struggle to fix.  We long for peace, for the end of hatred and violence, for the earth to be restored.  While it's important for us to work to do our part to work for peace, for shalom, we can only do so much -- there are certain things we cannot do.
  The complete restoration, true and lasting and complete peace, can only come from God.  Only God can do this, and so while we join in his efforts, we ultimately depend on him to bring about lasting peace.  As a child resting at peace on his mother's lap, so too are we in the hands of God, at peace with someone who can wholly provide for our needs and restore us to peace.