GOD vs SIN

In Joshua 6:26 it is written:

"Then Joshua laid this oath on them, Cursed is the man before the Lord who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."

"Joshua fought the battle of Jericho."

We sing a lot about the battle of Jericho and how the walls came tumbling down. It was a divine act which brought down the walls. They were thick enough to have houses built into them. They were indeed mighty in a human sense. But when God began the judgment of Canaan in earnest, nothing was going to stand in His way. And the walls of Jericho were merely fodder for His anger against the sins which had provoked the Almighty God to action. (Don't forget that God was not merely moving people out of a land they had inhabited for hundreds of years simply because He wanted to give Abraham's descendants a home. No, these people had sinned to the point that their cup was full.)

When the battle was over, Joshua spoke words in the hearing of every one around. ANYONE who should ever attempt to rebuild Jericho and restore it to its former glory would be CURSED. Joshua was stating that destroying the place of sin was not enough. It was to be left desolate. Its walls were to remain DOWN in order to show forever the testimony of God's power and His sovereign rule over nations. All people who passed by the city for generations to come were to see the walls and remember that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel had brought this to pass, and they were to worship Him.

When God judges wickedness, He does it in a way that is to be remembered. Why? Because He loves people and wants to warn them that their wickedness will not go unpunished. The places of sin must be judged, but having been judged, they must be remembered as places of God's visitation.

MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON US.

FOR EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED. (Romans 10:13)

God's grace reaches out to everyone. EVERYONE. Black. White. Yellow. Red. Poor. Rich. Famous. Unknown. Loved. Hated. Despised. Appreciated. Clever. Stupid. Moral. Immoral. Faithful. Unfaithful. Kind. Mean. Ugly. Beautiful. Introvert. Extrovert. Talented. Limited. Awkward. Graceful. Friendly. Hateful. "Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Period.

Remember the people that YOU know about who were unlikely candidates to receive mercy, grace and forgiveness. Remember the people no one ever expected to make it through to God's gift of salvation. YOU INCLUDED.

Remember how the sinful nature dominated you. Remember your own separation from God. You and I were headed for an eternity of unfathomable punishment and damnation because we were not in relationship with Him. We despised His outstretched arm of grace until sin put us between a rock and a hard place.

CHRIST JESUS HIMSELF is ever available to whoever is willing to come to Him, inspite of how bruised, broken, beaten, and battered they are.

I'll be ever thankful He received me in my totally deplorable and utterly despicable state.

RUN TO HIM FOR MERCY, JUST AS YOU ARE.

John 3:16 (Amplified Bible)
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

A BRUISED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK, AND A DIMLY BURNING WICK OF A LAMP HE WILL NOT QUENCH; HE WILL BRING FORTH JUSTICE IN TRUTH. [Isaiah 42:3]

So pivotal is this Scripture that it's repeated in Matthew 12 v20.

The bruised reed in this verse is an illustration of a person who has been battered and broken through life's experiences and circumstances, and whose faith is failing or whose resolve in life has worn thin, or for some, worn out. This person is at a total breaking point. He or she has hit the wall. It's too much. Life is hopeless and meaningless.

But a broken and bruised heart and life that is given to God can become an instrument of great value that He can use for His greater praise and glory. We must never forget that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17). When a broken life is placed in the hands of God, He is able to mould it and fashion it into a life of proper meaning and absolute purpose.

Others may consider you a good-for-nothing entity. You may consider yourself worthless. A life to be trampled underfoot and snuffed out. But the Lord Jesus is God's good and gracious Servant Whom He has sent to heal the broken-hearted, the depressed, the oppressed, the down-trodden, the abused, rejected, neglected and forsaken. But God Himself says "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU." (Hebrews 13:5). He gives strength to the bruised reed and nurtures it back to life.

The dimly burning lamp that is nearly out, He will foster and cherish and feed that life with His own new oil till it burns brightly again. He has said "COME UNTO ME ALL YOU THAT ARE HEAVY LADEN." (Matthew 11:28)

People may have given up on you. You may have given up on yourself. BUT NEVER EVER WILL GOD GIVE UP ON YOU.

I personally know this from experience.