Sat.’s Devo - Prepare to Cross Over

Read: Joshua 3:1-4:24; Luke 14:7-35; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 12:27-28
Joshua prepared the people for a miracle on the third day. He told them to get ready because God was going to do great wonders. This wonder was to be a reminder to them of how he was going to drive out the “ites” before them, The ark and the priest went first and as soon as the feet of the priest touched the water, the water flow was cut off upstream and the river stood up like a wall The ground was immediately dry and they walked across this. Of course, God did this when the river was teeming with water and overflowing its banks because that is always when God works - when it looks the most impossible.
The priests with the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everyone had passed them, then they walked to the other side. Then Joshua told the leaders of each tribe to go back to the middle where the ark was and pick up a stone from the middle and carry it and place it as a memorial to God forever of the day the Lord’s covenant crossed over to their new home. Joshua set up another 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan.
It says that the people hurried across making me think that they were a little afraid. But God had Joshua do all those things with the stones to show them that there was nothing to be afraid of. God would keep them safe until every jot and tittle of what he had commanded them to do had been done. We can be sure that everything God has appointed for us to do will be done and we will not die or be taken out until that day, if obeying God is our goal.
The priests could not move until Joshua gave the command and the moment the priests feet landed on the other side, the waters came crashing down to fill the Jordan.
They walked across this river on the 10th day of the 1st month making it the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement was when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies and take the incense from the altar of incense and put it on the ark making atonement for the whole nation.
God was making atonement for his nation bringing them through a baptism of his power. The crossing of the Red Sea was after Passover and on the day of Unleavened Bread as a shadow of the burial of Jesus. It was their baptism washing them of their sins. The crossing of the Jordan was also an atonement of their sins to prepare them for living in the promised land. This is a picture of the last Day of Atonement that will be a time when you must repent before Jesus comes back for the remnant that repented during the days of tribulation.
In Luke, Jesus told two parables about the wedding feast. The first one was to those who were honored to be invited but wanted to be honored also. They were advised to be humble and let God exalt them. This would be a parable for Christians who want to be respected for their good works instead of letting God determine if their good works were worthy of being praised. This one deals with pride.
The next parable deals with apathy. Many were invited, but they were so earthly bound they didn’t have time in their busy schedules to interest themselves in the things of God. So, since they couldn’t put God into their schedule, God sent his angels out to save the poor, unlikely, tattooed, crusty people who will drop everything to come in. We are seeing this very thing happen right now.
Lord, when we count the cost of what it means to follow you, we find that you are worth anything we could lose on this earth. Help us to be more heavenly minded than earthly. We are prepared for a miracle today!