King James Daily Bible Study: Value The Promises
Date: Friday March 18, 2011
Chapters: Joshua 14 - 16
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-march-18
Details of Today's Reading: The nine and a half tribes receive their inheritance, Caleb receives Hebron, Judah's portion, their cities, and the sons of Joseph.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
While our works do not save us and take us to heaven, the work we do after we are saved not only determines the inheritance we receive in the Kingdom of God, but what we will receive here on earth as well. When we are serving God He pays attention and whatever we ask of Him He will give it to us, oh, He may give us a different version of what we anticipate, often even better, but He never goes back on His Word and always keeps His promises.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - II Peter 1:3-8. As we allow Christ to live in and through us He transforms us into His likeness and the closer we get to Him the more fruitful we become.

The time had come for the Israelites to receive the land promised to them, the amount given had nothing to do with how much they had done for God, it was given to them simply because God chose them to be His people. However, the amount of land received was according to the number or people in that tribe, with one exception, Caleb.

“Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God...Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.” - Joshua 14:6-9,12-14.

Caleb was one of two men, along with Joshua, that came from the first generation of Israelites to come out of Egypt. Forty-five years earlier Moses sent ten people to search the land of Canaan all, but Caleb and Joshua gave an evil report because they feared the size of the people and did not want to fight them. Even though Caleb and Joshua stood by their faith and assured the Israelites that God would help them through it the people had so much anger toward God that God said no one from that generation would step foot on the promised land, except for Caleb and Joshua.

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it...Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.” - Numbers 14:22-24,30.

Caleb asked for the mountain that God promised Him for following Him wholly and he got it. God will give us everything He promises us, the key to receiving it is having faith in Him, learning to wait on His time table, and wholly following Him. When we wholly follow God we are more likely to be obedient to Him, conforming into the likeness of His Son. We will never be Jesus, but we can become more like Him and the result is receiving the promises He made to us.

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” - I Peter 1:2-4.

You are the elect, God has chosen you. Why? Only He knows, but one reason is that you put your faith and trust in His Son. That alone is cause for receiving His promise, the promise of eternal life. God may call you to do only one thing in your life time for Him here on earth, but that one thing is very important to God and should be honored because He chose you to do it. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” - John 15:16. Praise God!

Caleb shows how he values the promise and insists on the mountain God had spoken of. The man of faith values that which is given by promise far above that given by providence only. We too are to value the promise, while all who call on Jesus to save them are saved, God has much more to give those who are content just to walk in the door. The key to receiving it is allowing Christ to live in and through you. “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep...And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” - John 10:9-11,28. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through Caleb, who wholly followed the Lord. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” - John 5:30.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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