Seize the Moment – Day 675
God Honors Integrity!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, January 21.
In Joshua 10:6-7, Joshua demonstrated the highest form of integrity in his sacrificial decision to uphold the treaty with the Gibeonites even though the Gibeonites made the treaty using deception (Joshua 9):
Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.
Joshua faithfully responded and, in turn, God honored his integrity by giving him a successful military campaign, including the conquest of a substantial section of the Promised Land, as summarized in Joshua 10:41-43:
Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon. Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
All because Joshua let his yes be yes. Read Joshua 10 and you will be amazed at God’s supernatural intervention to bring about the victory. But the most amazing miracle of this story is not in God sending the large hailstones (11) or the stopping of the sun and the moon (12-14), but, rather, the integrity of a man named Joshua to honor his promise and lead his army in the defense of Gibeon. God honored Joshua’s integrity!
While many marvel at these supernatural events and pray for God’s direct activity in today’s world, I pray that God’s people would live with the integrity of Joshua.
Seize the moment and let your yes be yes (Matthew 5:37)! God will respond!
God bless you!