Crossing Jordan

I had never seen the act of crossing the Jordan River as an event I would apply to my own life in new year. But associating the coming year with this mayor event of God's people as my today's devotional did is purely logical and inspiring.

When Joshua and the Israelites celebrated passover and ate of the produce of the land of Canaan they where drawing a line between the 40 years they had endured by the hand of God in the dessert, and the entering unto the precious land flowing with milk and honey. Although the Lord had been along with them in the dessert at all times, we have to remember Gods words to the initial group that left Egypt "For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey". This definitely means that everyone who left Egypt died one way or the other, making those 40 years a terrible time through human eyes. Yes, they saw miracles, yes, they walked with the Lord and fought incredible battles with His strength but there was at the end death awaiting the fathers of Israel.

So imagine now the celebration... the ending of this long, tortuous journey... the hope of a new life at this wonderful land God had promised them, even food was a main event! Mana had stopped right there (remember they were tired of Mana too...) and they were able to eat from the produce of the land of milk and honey!... that had to be an incredible feeling... 

     

Ok so what does that have to do with the New Year? Glad you asked... like I did.

     

We, in the hope of living better lives always desire a better year next year... and for all christians who are living God's will, the next year should always be better than the last. Let's remember it is not better through human eyes and human standards... it could happen that this year I do better at work, with my finances, with my appearance (finally dropping the weight I wanted) or any other human temporal goal, and that is not bad. But the improvement I am talking about is under God's standards... The growing in His word, the closeness with Him, better understanding of his Holiness and Wisdom... all those things that done with great diligence will certainly happen because He wants them to happen. So this means that every year we are standing right there at the border of the Jordan river waiting to cross and live a better life in Christ.

As I read this morning coming to this understanding I realized there was no way this year 2010 could be worse than 2009... not because 2009 was really bad (although some might think that... with good reasons) but because I have all my hopes put on the blood of Jesus, my Saviour that has bought me for price and has cleansed me and wants me to enjoy his never ending mercy and grace. If this year 2010 I meditate constantly on Col 3:1-3 there will be no doubt on my mind this will be the best year of my life... until the end of the year where I will be standing at the edge of the Jordan river again... awaiting to live an even better next year!

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" Col 3:1-3

May you have a year full of God's blessings human eyes have never seen before and probably never will.

     Eric Rivier