A New Normal - From His Heart - Week of October 20, 2016
A NEW NORMAL
"Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant saying, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.'"
Joshua 1:1-2
Moses was dead. The man who faced off with Pharaoh and faithfully led God’s people through the wilderness for over forty years was dead. The man who was the human instrument of so many miracles was dead. The man who met face to face with God in the tent of meeting was dead. As the news traveled through the camp of Israel, you could hear the gasps, “Say it isn’t so! What are we to do now!?”
The people wept and mourned Moses’ death for thirty days. Then God appointed a new leader, Joshua, and told the people to get up and get on with life. Moses was dead, but God wasn’t… and neither were they. The Lord had much more for them to do as the Promised Land awaited.
HAVE YOU FACED A MAJOR CHANGE RECENTLY?
Without question, when Moses died, the people faced a tremendous change in life. The death of a beloved leader has a way of doing that. Perhaps you too have faced a big change recently. Perhaps you have experienced the painful death of a loved one, or the loss of a job, or the devastation of divorce, or the deterioration of health.
What do you do when life changes suddenly, unexpectedly, and without your permission?
1. You mourn. It is normal and natural to mourn when something or someone you hold dear is taken away. Emotional pain is not sinful. It is part of being human. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus and mourned the death of John the Baptist.
2. You stop mourning. While it is good, right, and permissible to mourn, you cannot get stuck in a state of mourning. The Scripture says, "When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ...." We don't build a house in that dark valley and set up shop there. Life does go on… and you need to go on, too.
3. You trust God that the best is yet to be. The people could mourn themselves to death and be buried on the plains of Moab, or they could arise, dry their tears, and enter the Promised Land. Just because a major change had come, life did not have to lose its sweetness. In fact, they were getting ready to experience new and greater blessings from God as they took possession of a land that flowed with milk and honey.
Listen, your best days are not behind you! They are ahead of you. God has a Promised Land in store for you, both in this life and the life to come. So, keep rejoicing, keep praising, and keep trusting Him. The Lord wants to turn your new normal into new opportunities and fresh encounters with Him. What do you say? Will you arise and cross this Jordan?
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
P.S. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Direct questions and comments to pastorjeff@fromhisheart.org.
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 149 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
Life's Big Questions
Everybody has questions in life. But not all questions are created equal. Some questions are really big… and they can become stumbling blocks to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this compelling six-message series, Dr. Jeff Schreve boldly tackles Life's Big Questions to help believers and unbelievers alike better understand the firm foundation of Christianity.
