May 2 Joshua 21:20-45, Joshua 22 John 3:1-21 Psalm 55:1-11

Josh 21:44-45

And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

This is important as we head out of Joshua into the book of Judges soon. God keeps His word.

Not one enemy could stand against them when they were in obedience to God. When they turned from Him, as they will in the next book – then all kinds of problems come against them.

We cannot search for the blessing of God outside of obedience to God. It just doesn’t work.

John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Will everyone enter the kingdom of God? The current belief in many today is yes. But Jesus says otherwise. You must be born again, otherwise you cannot enter the kingdom of God. You must have started a new life in The Spirit.

Jesus came to open the door to all mankind. But that door is the only way in. It’s foolish and dangerous to think otherwise. The hope many have in heaven is a false hope. The only true hope in Heaven lies through Jesus Christ – who declared Himself to be the door.

John 3:13

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

This is a direct claim by Jesus to be God. He claims to have come from heaven… and He claims that He is the only one to ever do so.

This is not subtle. He is the one and only who has come from heaven and the one and only who can show us heaven.

Ps 55:6-7

And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness;

Ever felt like that? Like if you had wings, you’d just fly away from all your troubles and not look back? If so, you are not alone.

What I love about the Psalms is the honesty in them. God appreciates honest prayers – where we don’t sidestep how we are thinking.

It’s not showing a lack of faith to cry out to God in despair. In fact it shows a lot of faith, because it’s in the crying out that we humble ourselves to admit, only He is the solution.