“But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day” (Joshua 15:63 ESV).
Joshua recorded that Judah received a rich inheritance, yet they did not fully drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. Even within the promised land, the people of God experienced unfinished conquest and unresolved conflict. Jerusalem remained occupied by the Jebusites, revealing that the land inheritance, even in Judah, was incomplete and contested. This pointed forward to the reality that Israel had not yet entered a full and lasting rest. Joshua’s narrative therefore revealed a tension between promise and possession. The land was truly given by God, yet not fully secured by His people. In this way, Joshua pointed forward to a greater King and a greater rest, where Jerusalem would eventually become the city of David and ultimately the setting where God would accomplish redemption in Christ.
We see in this passage that incomplete obedience leaves enduring strongholds. Like Judah, we can receive God’s promises yet still fail to fully remove what God has called us to drive out. What we tolerate spiritually today often becomes what troubles us tomorrow. We may settle for partial obedience, but those unresolved areas of sin and compromise can remain with us and shape our future. Therefore, we must take sin seriously and pursue wholehearted obedience, refusing to make peace with what God calls us to remove. At the same time, we rest in the truth that our ultimate hope is not in our own effort, but in Christ’s work in us. For we trust that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Christ’s return (cf. Phil. 1:6).
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to walk in full obedience to You and not settle for partial surrender. Reveal the areas where we have tolerated what You have called us to crucify, and give us strength to deal with sin decisively. Keep us from the long-term damage of spiritual compromise. Strengthen us to depend on Christ, who has accomplished the complete victory and secured our true rest. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise” (Luke 18:32–33 ESV).
As Jesus draws near to Jerusalem, He tells His disciples what will soon take place. He speaks of His betrayal, mistreatment, death, and resurrection. But just before this, in verse 31, He says that everything written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
Jesus is not taken by surprise. Every detail of His suffering was part of God’s plan, foretold in Scripture. The prophets had spoken of the Messiah’s rejection, the servant’s suffering, and even His victory over death. His resurrection on the third day was not just a miracle—it was the confirmation that God’s Word is true.
The fact of His resurrection gives proof that everything else He promised will come to pass. The same Scriptures that predicted His suffering also point to His return. He rose from the grave, and He will come again.
We can trust God’s Word, even when life feels uncertain. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about His first coming, so we can be confident He will keep His promise to return. His resurrection gives us a living hope. For Christ is our hope.
As followers of Jesus, we may face suffering too, but we do so knowing how the story ends. Because He rose, we too will rise. Because He lives, we can live with joy and purpose. Let’s anchor our faith in His promises and walk in His power until He returns or calls us home.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us that every word of Scripture can be trusted. You suffered for us, just as the prophets said, and You rose again in victory. Help us to hold tightly to Your promises and live with hope. When life is hard, help us persevere. Strengthen our faith until the day when we see You face to face. In Your name we pray, amen.
‘And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight”’ (Luke 18:41 ESV).
When a blind man begging on the roadside near Jericho heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he commanded that the blind man be brought to Him. Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Why would Jesus ask this? Couldn’t He tell that the man was blind? Wasn’t the blind man’s need obvious? Yet, Jesus insisted on having the blind man give a specific request. When the man responded that he wanted to receive his sight, the Lord healed him, commending his faith.
The currency of the kingdom is asking. “Ask, seek, knock” (Matt. 7:7-12), this is the teaching of Jesus. Asking the Lord in prayer is an exercise of our faith. Do you have the faith to ask God for help? Get specific with God. Ask.
PRAYER: Dear Father, have mercy on us. Bend your ear to us and hear our prayer. We are Your children and we put our great expectation upon You. Where we are hurting, heal us. Where we are anxious, give us Your peace. Where we are striving, give us rest. Where we are forgetful, remind us. Where we are selfish and blind, open our eyes. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
“Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help” (Psalm 86:1 NLT).
David sought the Lord in prayer. He cried out to God like a child to his father, asking Him to bend down His ear to hear his prayer. He admitted his need for help, expecting God to answer.
Can you see David looking up and the Lord bending down to answer? For David approached the Lord like a child to his father.
There is much to learn about prayer in the psalms, but perhaps the greatest lesson is this: Humble yourself like a child before the Father. As Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
Have you learned to become like little children before the Father in prayer?
PRAYER: Dear Father, Abba, we come before You today asking for Your help. For we are poor and in need. We are small and You are great and mighty. Heal us. Protect us. Provide for us. We look to You as Your children. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Jesus told His disciples that they were going up to Jerusalem where the prophecies concerning His death and resurrection would be fulfilled. He had told them this on many occasions, but now the time was near. Yet, His disciples didn’t seem to understand.
Jesus had spoken of this not only to His disciples, but even to those who rejected Him. When they asked for a sign to prove He was the Messiah, the only sign He offered them was the “sign of Jonah” (Matt. 12:39), who was in the belly of the fish for three days. When they asked for a sign of His authority, He told them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19).
And then the day came when they turned Him over to the Romans, mocked Him, beat Him, and crucified Him, just as He said. Yet, three days later, an angel told the women visiting His tomb, “He is not here; he has risen, just as He said” (Matt. 28:6).
Who is this man who predicted the very manner of His death and kept His promise to conquer sin, death, and the grave? He is Jesus the Christ and He has risen just as He said!
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Jesus! His victory over death has become our victory. For we have received Him and believed in Him as our Lord and Savior. He is risen just as He said! In Jesus’ name, amen.
When a blind man begging on the roadside near Jericho heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he commanded that the blind man be brought to Him. Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Why would Jesus ask this? Couldn’t He tell that the man was blind? Wasn’t the blind man’s need obvious? Yet, Jesus insisted on having the blind man give a specific request. When the man responded that he wanted to receive his sight, the Lord healed him, commending his faith.
The currency of the kingdom is asking. “Ask, seek, knock” (Matt. 7:7-12), this is the teaching of Jesus. Asking the Lord in prayer is an exercise of our faith. Do you have the faith to ask God for help? Get specific with God. Ask.
PRAYER: Dear Father, have mercy on us. Bend your ear to us and hear our prayer. We are Your children and we put our great expectation upon You. Where we are hurting, heal us. Where we are anxious, give us Your peace. Where we are striving, give us rest. Where we are forgetful, remind us. Where we are selfish and blind, open our eyes. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
When a blind man begging on the roadside near Jericho heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he commanded that the blind man be brought to Him. Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Why would Jesus ask this? Couldn’t He tell that the man was blind? Wasn’t the blind man’s need obvious? Yet, Jesus insisted on having the blind man give a specific request. When the man responded that he wanted to receive his sight, the Lord healed him, commending his faith.
The currency of the kingdom is asking. “Ask, seek, knock” (Matt. 7:7-12), this is the teaching of Jesus. Do you have the faith to ask God for help? Get specific with God. Ask.
PRAYER: Dear Father, have mercy on us. Bend your ear to us and hear our prayer. We are Your children and we put our great expectation upon You. Where we are hurting, heal us. Where we are anxious, give us Your peace. Where we are striving, give us rest. Where we are forgetful, remind us. Where we are selfish and blind, open our eyes. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. He followed the Lord’s instruction in assigning the land to his people. The lands were allotted according to the twelve tribes with one exception, the land allotted to Caleb. Caleb was one of the two men who had given a faithful report when Moses had sent twelve men into the land to spy it out. He and Joshua were the only two who returned with a good report, while the other ten gave a fearful one, causing the people to turn away and wander in the wilderness for the next 40 years. Caleb and Joshua were the only men still left alive from that whole generation. And God did not forget Caleb. The Lord “commanded” Joshua to assign land from Judah’s allotment to Caleb and in a fashion true to his character, the 85-year old Caleb chose the mountains where the giants of Anak dwelled.
So, Caleb was given the town of Hebron, the place where Abraham and the patriarchs had been buried in the Cave of Machpelah. For the Lord did not forget Caleb. As the Lord has said, “those who honor me I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30).
Many come to Jesus, attracted to His person, but unwilling to admit their own spiritual bankruptcy. So it was for the RYR (“Rich Young Ruler”). He thought to add Jesus to his portfolio of good works. Yet, Jesus saw his heart. Jesus challenged him to die to his former life and leave everything behind to follow Him. This filled the RYR with sorrow, for he had great worldly wealth. It also revealed his failure to keep even the first of the ten commandments, putting his love of money ahead of his love of God.
The invitation to follow Christ is not a call to religious effort (i.e. “What shall I do?”), but a call to come and die, that you might be born again in newness of life in Christ Jesus (Rom.6:4, 11).
When a blind man begging on the roadside near Jericho heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:35). So, Jesus stopped and asked him the above question. Why would Jesus ask this? Couldn’t He tell that the man was blind? Wasn’t the blind man’s need obvious? Yet, Jesus insisted on him making a specific request. When the blind man responded that he wanted to receive his sight, the Lord healed him, commending his faith. The currency of the kingdom is asking. “Ask, seek, knock” (Matt. 7:7-12), this is the teaching of Jesus. Do you have the faith to ask God for help? Get specific with God. Ask.