Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth

Anybody wonder what I read this morning?
1 Samuel 3 of course
The word of the Lord was precious in those days - the people were in a time when Eli had lost control, Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt and vile (knew not the Lord), the people had been made to transgress (2:24) and so God was not on speaking terms with them. Judgment was imminent and God chose to relay the soon coming recompense unto the lone bright spot in the service of the priesthood - little Samuel - gird with his linen ephod and the coat his momma made him.
The "spiritual" leaders knew not the Lord
The "spiritual" leaders were as carnal, if not more carnal then the rest of the people - breaking God's laws, defiling the temple, threatening the people, corrupting the priesthood, dishonouring their father etc made no difference to them - there was no fear of God before their eyes (Rom 3:18).

Yet in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation there was one that was shining as a light in the dark world (Php 2:15) , and he was but a child.

He knew very little yet. He did not recognize that it was God that was speaking to him. He knew very little - but this he knew - that he was of a godly heritage, that God was greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him (Ps. 89:7). He knew that he was a child brought forth by God in miraculous fashion as the result of heartfelt, broken, cries to God by Hannah. He knew that he was dedicated to the service of God and that this was serious business.

So God called and he obeyed in the way that he knew how - by assuming it was Eli. Then again, then again - until Eli recognized what was happening. He had to learn how to recognize God's speaking, did we not also need this lesson?

So we say this morning, speak Lord, for thy servant heareth - there is much we dont know - like how to go out or come in (1 Kings 3:7) - like how God thinks or about his wondrous ways (Isa. 55) - and if we think that we know anything, we know nothing yet as we ought to know (1 Cor. 8:2). But this we do know, that God has put us in a position to recieve His word, His direction, His instruction - and the message that He gives - we must faithfully apply and then give to the rest of the world. This we do know that He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Php 1:6).

The wonderful thing about our message is that beyond the imminent judgment, there is a way of escape and forgiveness. Samuel had no such hope to offer to Eli, I sure am grateful for the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Let us then be children - sanctified and listening - who knows if perhaps he will use us to call down thunder from heaven to drive away the enemies or to prove a point of God (1 Sam 7+12 respectively).

Speak, Lord!

Does Joshua get a bum rap?

I am reading in Judges 2. We all know the leadership of Joshua in bringing the people into the promised land. We see God fight for the children of Israel with Joshua at the helm and it says that it was the only time He has done this. I mean, the sun stood still and hail stones killed more than the swords of the army!

We have the often quoted statement of commitment in Joshua 24 - Choose you this day whom ye will serve...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Then in Judges 2 it says

Jdg 2:4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
Jdg 2:5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.
Jdg 2:6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
Jdg 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
How many times can you count in the Bible that the Angel of the Lord came and talked to the whole congregation of people? The fact that this happened here (albeit the message was a rebuke for turning from the Lord) is an indicator though that Joshua was still, at the end of his life, an approved leader of God. In verse 7 we see that the people did serve all the days of Joshua meaning that through fear and respect for God's hand upon Joshua, the people kept in line and had been taught God's laws.

We all know what the biggest jab on Joshua is. Hundreds, yeah, I'm sure thousands of messages have been preached on Joshua's lack of discipleship. "Surely if Joshua had only trained up another man, Israel would have kept on the straight and narrow."

Who is to say he didn't and God did not publish it due to other plans?

1. First, Moses and Joshua were chosen leaders for a specific, temporary phase in the history of the nation of Israel - the Exodus of Egypt and the Entrodus (I like it!) of the Promised Land respectively. This was another time of transition. Even if Joshua failed to train a leader, surely God could have engulfed another burning bush or knocked a guy off his horse to get His attention and say "You're next" so to speak. We obviously see that what God did raise up next were judges.
2. God let Israel prove again and again that whether led by a leader like Moses or Joshua, whether there were a clear set of rules to abide by, whether He delivered them from wrath by the judges, whether they were governed by kings, whether they were taught by priests or whether they were warned by prophets that they would fail miserably when it was to man or law that they looked and not to GOD alone. It was all part of God's plan. Then we see JESUS - the fulfillment of the law, the great Prophet, High Priest and KING of kings, the great Judge of all the earth, the great Leader - the LORD of hosts! Jesus showed that only God can perfect what man looks for and hopes to find among other sinful men. God gave us these people and used them mightily to give us a type of all that JESUS has been, IS and always Will be. My point - Joshua was the end of that phase for God - 2 leaders of this type to accomplish getting Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised land (again, thats Entrodus) and then onto the judges to give us a different picture of Jesus and accomplish another purpose in the history of Israel
3. What was my second point, kinda lost it... Oh yeah, Somebody help me here - Is there a place in the Bible that I am forgetting where God lays any blame on Joshua for not raising someone up?
4. The Lord raised up others - not leaders, but judges. It was His plan
   Jdg 2:16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
   Jdg 2:17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; [but] they did not so.
   Jdg 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
5. Should we also consider who it was that God used next. The first judge used was Othniel - Caleb's nephew. That is fitting considering that Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies that were willing to obey God and trust Him to deliver them into the land.
6. To further demonstrate it was God's plan we see that God chose not to deliver every enemy to Joshua for the purpose of proving the people

Jdg 2:21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
Jdg 2:22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
Jdg 2:23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.

Discipleship is obviously essential. Joshua committed to all the nation of Israel that at the very least he was going to disciple his own family (as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord). Because another leader was not implemented was not because Joshua fell short by not discipling (although he, like all of us fell short in many other ways), rather God had another plan.

I have heard, agreed with and taught that Moses discipled Joshua and that Joshua discipled no one. Glory will give us that answer. I do know this much, we have been clearly commissioned to evangelize and disciple by our great LEADER and so rather than fault Joshua when I don't see where God did in this area - I will commit to all 3 readers of my blog that me and my house will serve the Lord - in discipleship and otherwise - only through the promises and strength of God.

(Php 1:6) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

(Php 2:13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Keeping up with the Joneses!

Well, keepin up with the Blizzards and the Wegmans - surpassing the Youngs, the Sluks and the Garwoods but still shy of the Hinds!
Thats right - baby 4 is on the way in the Putney home!
Short post but no time to write, I need another job...
The Lord is good!

One of the biggest lacks in modern Christianity (and a key to revival)

As I sat in Sunday School listening to 1 Peter Farrell expound on Deut 6:6-7 and talk about our command to speak the word of God constantly - it was like a quick burning fuse was lit that exploded dramatically into about a billion thoughts and verses.

Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

How many times do people read and then could not give you a single thing they learned or perhaps even remembered about their reading? I go a step further and ask the question - HOW OFTEN IS THERE DISCUSSION ABOUT GOD's WORD?

Is this not the key? If I knew I were going to have a test, I would study - if I know there will be accountability time at Home Bible Study, I might be more likely to pay close attention in my reading - if I am preparing a message or a lesson, I have no choice but to study with attentiveness and prayer - if there were Bible quizzing or trivia contests coming up then I would rehearse important facts. Whether the motives were right or not - it would motivate. People read so many times and gain nothing because they do not

• pray that God will open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of His law
• devote the time and energy to comprehension and meditation
• they do not journal, blog, memorize, take notes, email a friend, converse or in some other way organize what they are reading into thoughts; consider and address the personal implications of what they read and then share them with others

What does Deut 6 and about a hundred other places challenge us to do? To know the word of God - to memorize, to read, to meditate, to apply, to study, to preach, to teach, to provoke others to love and to good works - to be in the Word and let the Word be in you.

Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me - Ps. 119
It is a lamp and a light
It is quick (alive) and powerful, it is sharp and discerning
It is like a fire, it is like a hammer
It is like water to a thirsty soul
It is the sustaining and nourishing bread of life
It is promised to accomplish what God will have it to
When it is in you, it burns and you cant contain it, you must speak the word or you will explode

When hid in your heart, it will be a powerful force in keeping you from sin - 1) it is a means of keeping your heart with all diligence, 2) its presence means there is an absence of something else (something either harmful or at least less profitable than the word), 3) it will be brought to your memory in the midst of temptation and the list goes on.

It is part of the armor of God - the most versatile piece. The sword is used in both offense and defense as well as being the most intimidating part of the armor. Do you know of an enemy vanquished by a helmet, a shield, a breastplate etc - it is the sword that will vanquish the enemy. Is that not what Jesus used to make Satan flee?

We could go on all day about what God says about His word - its power, its prominence (magnified above His name), its promulgation etc. Hundreds and hundreds of verses (and that is just in Ps. 119!)

So why the apathy of "Christian" kids today - why the spinning of the Bible or forgetting to bring it, why so few that claim to have read it even once that week? Why does it require mass entertainment and sports to get them even interested in being there?

Will these kids be a witness? HA
Will these kids resist temptation?
Will these kids love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength - will their parents, will we?

God tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together - this is one rule a good baptist just won't violate (provided there is food)
Why are we to gather...
What did the early church do in their gatherings...
Why did God want the children of Israel to bind the word on their hearts, keep it as frontlets before their eyes, put them on signposts at their homes and to talk of the word when they sit, stand, lie down, walk in the way...

Here is what clicked.
WE ARE TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART SOUL MIND AND STRENGTH
MEANING HE IS ALWAYS ON OUR MIND AND IN OUR CONVERSATION

If we were to commit ourselves to talk of God's word in our everyday conversations and challenge each other in our reading every time we got together I suspect the following would happen

1. We would spend more time reading our Bible
2. We would pay much closer attention to our reading, if for no other reason then that we know it would be discussed and it would be embarrassing not to have an answer for those Christians who ask us what God is showing us. Should that not be a shameful thing for us as children of God?
3. That word that we are reading would begin to work in our lives
4. Our Individual and collective knowledge of the Scriptures will multiply (do we need a list of how this will advantage the kingdom of God)
5. Our children will see this emphasis and realize that no longer are temporal matters our priority, but eternal - this is the perhaps the last and only hope for the next generation since this one is so Laodicaean in nature as a whole.
6. Our kids will care about what we care about - Prov. 22:6 - our kids aren't leaving what they were raised with - the Red Sox are still their team, they still prefer Chevy over Ford, they like camping and barbecue and they still will follow their parents advice in areas of college, career and investing. The Bible - well that was something the preacher talked about, not mom and dad so much... WHAT IF THE OPPOSITE WERE TRUE
7. When our conversations are consistently about the Bible then the result will be that those who don't have a use for the Bible will be forced to either step up "their game" of faking it or they will leave OR they will sense the excitement and moving of God and want to be involved and start digging into the Word in sincerity.
8. When we are used to talking about the word of God to the saved consistently, it will be much more natural to speak the word of God to the lost. (out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh)
9. When we discuss the Word of God consistently with believer and unbeliever alike (as we are commanded) then it seems that the things of God would now be consuming our daily thoughts and actions - this would be the first time that we could honestly start to think that maybe we are close to loving God with all of our being.
10. If God were always on our mind in this way then perhaps we would have desires and dislikes more in line with God's and be less susceptible to sin.
11. We would spend more time in the word and therefore less time and money on selfish endeavors giving us greater resources and motivation to minister to the needy, to spread the gospel and to support our missionaries.
12. Friendships would be created or restored, jealousies would diminish, GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED

I am certain there would be MANY other benefits.

So where does this start? With beginning a practice of talking about the Word of God. Ballgames, video games, movies, stock investments, car shopping and vacation planning - none of those things will profit us spiritually or matter in eternity so lets meet on our common ground. Lets discuss the one thing that is supposed to bring us all to church and make us one family - Jesus Christ - Lets talk about THE WORD OF GOD and see if it doesn't help our families, our church, our friendships, our work ethic, our victory over sin, our boldness, our prayer lives, our worship, our separation, our attitude, our love for God, our service and the spreading of God's word throughout this lost world.

There are a lot of our, my, I and we statements in that last paragraph - if our desires are God's desires then that is fine because those are the things God wants of us and that give Him pleasure.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly...ready to give an answer...studied to shew yourself approved...word hidden in your heart...observed to do according to all that is written therein...prepared your heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach...let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable...walk in the law of the Lord...

We learn of God through His word

We see who He is and who we are

We get our calling and direction
We get our victory over sin
We know of the glory ahead
We know of our great Saviour
We know the promises He has made us
We know the power available to us
We receive conviction of sin and promise of forgiveness
We know God's tremendous love and His burden for the souls of every person He died for (that is everyone)
The list goes on - I THINK THERE IS PLENTY FOR US TO TALK ABOUT - especially if God has said that the Bible contains unsearchable riches

Deu 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

It was John and Charles Wesley that were indited as the holy club and the methodists who were guilty of practicing this premise. I suppose I could think of worse things to be called.

Accomplishment, Awe, Appreciation, Anticipation

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 is a day I will not soon forget. Partly because the date is prominently displayed on the degree and partly because it was the culmination of the first large comittment that I finished and finished well. High school I did not finish well - grades are not the only measure to be considered. Secular college - I did not finish. Marriage, Christian walk, parenting - the assesment cant be made until glory for there will be no conclusion until then...



Accomplishment - Completing the degree of Bachelor of Divinity at North Star Bible Institute is not a matter for me to boast of. It is in God we boast all the day long (Ps. 44:8).


Jer 9:23-24
(23) Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
(24) But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.



Yet the sense of relief and the joy that we feel having reached this point would be silly to hide. Is it pride to enjoy a feeling of accomplishment in attaining a goal that God has called you to complete, equipped you for and gave you His daily grace to attain in addition to the fact that this goal was for the purpose of knowing God and His word better and preparing for God's further call? I don't think so. It is not man that gives the increase when a soul gets saved but there are times when He is the one that is there while the fruit is harvested and gets to savor in the moment.



AWE - We serve an amazing God! As I look back at 4+ years of God helping us through long nights and long days, what seemed like at one point almost certain job layoff, surgeries, 2 difficult childbirths, a miscarriage, 4 trips out of the country, having energy when it should just not be possible, a work situation that exploded in the past year and many other speedbumps of life - it is a sweet time to just sit back now and be amazed at how exactly God arranged and worked everything out when it certainly did not make sense to us at the time. That wonder leads me to the last two thoughts - appreciation and anticipation.



Appreciation - Want to... but not gonna do it, I won't make a list of all the people that God has blessed us with and rehearse the many ways they all blessed, encouraged, challenged, supported, prayed for, prayed with and in many other ways ministered to us. I won't because God is to get the glory, I won't because they would all want God to get the glory and I won't because I would inevitably forget some people which would be a shame.



Anticipation - It is time - not to close the books (I have a list a mile long of those I intend to read and have begun reading). It is time - not to finish learning (I have begun my Rosetta Stone lessons for Tagalog already!). It is time rather to place an emphasis on what the Lord has called us to as He was being faithful to helping us complete what He had called us to initially.


2Ti 1:12
(12) For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.



We are very eager to begin following God's leading to the Philippines. We are at the beginning stages but God has put many people and situations together in amazing ways in order to cast the vision to us and bring us to a point of eager anticipation. From the Kodak trips to the Perkins family, to Dr. Keen, the Lewis family, to books and especially through prayer and God's word - the path is clear and our God is reliable...

God has burdened us for Him and has burdened us for them!

We appreciate and covet your prayers.

he shall read therein all the days of his life

Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

As we have in Deut 17 the instructions to the king, let us not forget our royal lineage and responsibility.

1 Peter 2 says that I am part of the royal priesthood, Romans 8 tells me that I have been adopted into the family of the KING of Kings and Rev. 1:6 tells me that Jesus Christ has made me a king and a priest unto God and His Father.

Being royalty as a child of God, we are obliged to take great consideration when reading this text.

Not multiply horses to himself - greed and covetousness
nor cause the people to return to Egypt - this king must be an example of separation and standards as well as a watchman that warns of the pitfalls of the world (Egypt)
Ye shall henceforth return no more that way - this king has been saved from that world, why should he ever want to return, why entertain even a portion of it and why would he not consider that the slightest association that he maintains with the world will only be magnified by those he influences by thinking "if it is ok for the king..."
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away - Solomon was warned and fell in this area. There is to be one wife, she is to be loved and ministered to, the kings are not to wander elsewhere. Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence... Matt. 5:27-28 - adultery is not just physical, Job 31:1 - make a covenant with your eyes, Ps 103 - set no wicked thing before your eyes, 2 Cor. 10:5 - cast down imaginations, Prov 5:14-23 - rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold - 1 Tim. 6:10-11 - the love of money is the root of all evil. Not only will it corrupt and destroy you in greed and covetousness but the king has been made God's steward with the noblest of causes - SPREADING THE GOSPEL - the resources we have been given should be used for that cause - time is short - how much will we regret standing before God having built up storehouses for ourselves that will never get used for the spreading of the gospel, much less at such a time as this when the need is so great.
he shall write him a copy of this law in a book - we can praise the Lord that we have the Bible in written form and beautifully bound already but this writing of the law is less about having a copy for personal reading; after all, the king could have had a scribe do that. The writing is about writing the law of the Lord upon the tables of our hearts (Prov. 3:3; 7:3; 1 Cor. 3:3). Some in times past have hand copied out the scriptures - I think that is wonderful and would be a worthy undertaking. Other will take that to mean memorization - I am a big proponent of memorization as I believe in God's ability to bring thing to RE-membrance which implies initial "membrance - memorization." What better thing could you put in your mind than Bible. More than that though is Ps 119:11 which (as we all know) says Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. This is more than writing, reading or even memorizing. It is the moving of the words in your mind to the Truth manifested, understood and vowed allegiance to in your heart.
And it shall be with him - in mind, in heart and as a testimony to others of the dedication you have to the Bible. The physical presence of a Bible in your hand, on a desk etc has an impact and also places a serious measure of accountability on the one that is carrying it. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid - Mt. 5. A city on a hill is seen from a distance. This is not something that you have to have personal contact or relationship with. From far away, a city on a hill will stand out as blatant as a 6'8" guy in the Philippines :). So should there be a difference in a king - not only inwardly, but outwardly. Many have used outward dissimulations of piety for selfish reasons but that ought not to take away from the fact that a Christian should not look like the world. The fashions and immodesty of the world should not be part of the kings attire. It is a royal priesthood - and the priest had certain garments that identified him with the priesthood. Jesus did face the hypocrites and tell them their outside was clean but inside was filthy - the remedy that was suggested was not to make the inside clean and let the outside be filthy - He desired both to be clean...
and he shall read therein all the days of his life: - ok, this one is as obvious as it sounds. Never is the king to think himself as having attained. Never should we think that the perfect law of liberty has nothing left to show us. Every day we must tremble before the living, cutting, discerning, edifying and true words of God. May the Lord help us if other reading ever becomes more sweet or important as the word of God or if we think we have a good enough grasp because we can put messages together efficiently.
Also keep in mind that the scanning of 3 or 4 chapters in a reading plan will have little effect without the help of the Lord

Psa 119:18
(18) Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Notice the colon after that phrase - the next points are sub points or things that will be gained from the daily reading of the word.

• that he may learn to fear the LORD his God - we must tremble in reverence and awe before a God whose holiness exceeds what our minds can comprehend. I taught Sunday School last week on sort of an overview of the wilderness wanderings. We talked of all the times the children of Israel rebelled against God's authority and were not content with His provision - to see the earth open up, fire consume, plagues move across the congregation, fiery serpents etc - my fear of the Lord was increased. The more we stand still and meditate on His holiness and then His mercy on us, the more we should fear and love Him together. Lam. 3:22-23 say that it is only God's faithfulness, mercy and compassion that we are not consumed every day!
• to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them - knowing what the word of God says only means that you cannot plead ignorance with God - the expectation is not just to know it or understand it but to live it. Ezra 7:10; Joshua 1; Deuteronomy 6; Psalm 119; James 1:25 and the list could go on. I won't comment on the foolishness of pleasure seekers who want to disregard the law in the name of "liberty." Paul was the one who penned this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - did he live in opposition to the law? Ceremonial law, yes, this is well documented - moral law? - read Romans 6. Salvation - faith that works. Sounds like Lk. 16:15 to me when people try to justify themselves using Galatians.
  Joh 14:21
  (21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
• That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren - surely it is the Bible that teaches humility. God does not want us ever to forget that SUCH AS WERE SOME OF YOU...BUT! We all deserve hell and it was God that made the way of escape, that orchestrated for us to hear the gospel, that convicts of sin and that does the saving work. After salvation it is God which works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. He will perform and do what He says in our lives - the only glorying that we should ever do is that we understand and know Him! (Jer. 9:23-24; Gal. 6:14)
• that he turn not aside from the commandment - our deceitful hearts are prone to wander - it is that daily focusing on God's word and seeking His help in keeping it that will keep our feet from sliding in due time

THE RESULT

to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children - follow the instructions of the king and not only will you continuously dwell in the realm of God's kingdom (by seeking the Kingdom of God - Mt. 6:33) but consider the impact on your children. Whether that be your physical earthly children that will be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord or spiritual children - disciples that you have the privilege of influencing with your witness, conversation and teaching.

What did the Lord show you today?

Put some of thine honour upon him

Num 27:15-23
(15) And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying,
(16) Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
(17) Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
(18) And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
(19) And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.
(20) And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

The verses before this text were God telling Moses that he could go look at the promised land but not enter because of what happened at the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Yet we don't read of Moses whining and pleading for another chance. We don't see him trying to reason for his own cause but rather interceding for the people, something he made a habit of doing.
Moses knew the great need that Israel had for a leader. Moses also knew that Caleb and Joshua were the two oldest and likely two most respected men because they were the only ones from the previous generation allowed to enter. Joshua had been with Moses on the mount and was likely very well respected and anticipated as the leader. Moses had invested time, teaching and his wisdom on this man. Discipleship had been taking place but when the time came for the new leader to be appointed - Moses knew the call must be from God. Had Moses just said, "hey, this is the guy", we can well assume there would have been some questioning of his authority over time. The call of the leader must be of God and when God calls, He makes His choice apparent. We have in this situation the call from God for Joshua to lead. The call was given through Moses with specific directions for what to do in this wilderness ordination.
1) Lay thine hand upon him - shows the transfer of authority - the formal transfer of leadership as commanded by God from Moses to Joshua
2) Give him a charge in their sight - the expectations are set. The accountability standards are laid out. The people now know clearly what Joshua is responsible for in this crucial period for the children of Israel. You can read further account of this charge in Deut. 31
3) Put some of thine honour upon him - this was a sign of making Joshua a partner and colleague of Moses. Moses sign of approval, personal testimony perhaps of Joshua's faithfulness and the confidence that Moses had in him. This was an important factor in the people having confidence in him.
So here we have a model for the ordination of a pastor/missionary. An important note is that the leader invested in the one that was faithful, demonstrated the spiritual giftedness necessary for the task (God equips those He calls) and desired to be in that particular ministry. The chain of discipleship needs to be one where the one discipling should be basically multiplying themselves. In other words, the pastors need to be investing their time in the future pastors and missionaries and the Sunday School teachers in future Sunday School teachers etc so that we are maximizing our investment of time, wisdom, experience and skill sets. Although Moses had spent 40yrs as a shepherd, he wasn't training shepherds - since his position had changed, those he discipled changed. Pastors and missionaries in training need the time and investment of those already in that position, both in the classroom and out.

Of course there is no one clear pattern, a common pattern is as follows

• God changes man through salvation
• As man comes to know God better through prayer, the Word of God and teaching/preaching - his desires become more and more in line with God's desires (Jer. 9:23-24; Ps. 37:4)
• Man becomes skilled in the Word through the working of the Spirit and personal discipline, he is faithful in the congregation, bold in witness, a leader in his family as he draws nigh to God. There is a manifestation of the charactersistics of a pastor as laid out in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1
• The Pastor invests in this man through teaching, sharing ministry experience, seasons of prayer, fellowship etc
• God calls the man to ministry (This may take place almost anywhere after salvation but it does take place)
• Pastor acknowledges this through attesting to the spiritual gifts God has given, the faithfulness, zeal ajnd conversation of the individual and the testimony of the man and his family. This is where we would see a group assembled for an ordination committee. (Putting his hand on him)
• Pastor publicly charges him in the roles and expectations of the ministry. Encouragement, challenge, warning and blessings are shared. (Gives him a charge)
• Pastor recognizes/titles/ordains/certified/licenses (whatever) this man in a way that the congregation and community recognize that God has called him, he has trained and he has demonstrated the ability to yield to God and perform the requirements of the ministry (put some of thine honour upon him)

Moses likely had no greater joy than to see Joshua succeed him. This was his promised land and reward.