Sun.’s Devo - The Kingdom of God

Read: Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-37; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6
Today’s reading is one of the most exciting readings because we see God’s promises fulfilled from the start to the end. God promised to help them drive out the enemies and the giants in the land and in the end they overtook 31 kings!
Joshua did exactly what the Lord told him to do to the letter. He killed all the people, burned their chariots and hamstrung their horses. Keep in mind these people and horses had spirits that hated the Lord. God wasn’t being unmerciful, he was bringing down judgement on evil and cleansing the land so that Israel could walk with him unhindered.
In Luke, Jesus shows us a new way to conquer our enemies. He travels through the land cleansing the people instead of killing them. He healed 10 lepers. He told them to go show the priests so they could go through the process laid out in the law. One of the men was from Samaria. He would not have been able to enter the temple, not being a Jew. He came back to Jesus, his priest and the real High Priest to show him and thank him. Jesus told him that he didn’t need to go through a series of tests to see if he was healed; his faith had made him whole.
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus knew that they didn’t understand the kingdom. He told them that it wasn’t going to be something they could see with their natural eyes. It wasn’t tangible. The kingdom of God is in the heart. The kingdom came when Jesus came to earth. They were talking to him and didn’t recognize him and in the end it would be the same. The people of Noah’s day didn’t realize the day the flood would come and destroy them. Nor did the people of Sodom. They were doing what they did every day when fire and brimstone fell from heaven and killed them all. So it will be when Jesus returns. No one will know when it will happen and no one will be ready.
God’s people will know because we will come back with him on horses.
Lord, help us to live for eternity and see the kingdom of God in our hearts.