Last week I attended a Polishing the Pulpit lectureship series that focused on the book of Joshua. What an incredible and in-depth look at this book that described how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. I would like to share with you the notes that I took from the 27 different sessions I went to, but I don’t have room to go into all of that. I am, however, going to share with you a few of my favorite quotes and insights from this past week:
-Enjoying the fullness of what God intends for us requires a full commitment – After the Israelites crossed the Jordan river, it flowed again, blocking any retreat. Furthermore, once they were camped in enemy territory, all the men were circumcised, making them totally reliant on God for protection for about a week. -Cliff Goodwin
-God’s people must be holy and separate from the people of the world. When you can’t tell Christians from people of the world, you’ve got a problem. -Cliff Goodwin
-How often do we make our problems bigger and our God smaller? – Mike Vestal
-Success in one battle does not mean that the campaign is won. – Mike Vestal
-There is folly in not consulting God; Israel THOUGHT that they were doing what was right (referencing Israel’s battle against Ai without getting instructions first). – Mark Howell
-Entitlement breeds excuses. -Cliff Goodwin
-It is a sad thing when the resolve of the enemy is stronger than the resolve of the church. -Cliff Goodwin
-If you live like God’s enemies, you’ll die like God’s enemies. -Mike Vestal
-We can be too big for God to use us. But we can never be too small. – Daniel Webster
-A big mistake we make is trying to speed God up to suit us. -Mike Vestal
-You are as close to God as you chose to be. -Mike Vestal
-Are we on God’s side? Or are we expecting God to be on our side? – Andy Baker
-God keeps all of His promises; even when we don’t. -BJ Clarke
-If you are not as close to God as you used to be, who moved? -BJ Clarke
Something that I’m always reminded of when I attend studies like this: there is always something to learn about Scripture. I have studied Joshua in depth before, but during each lecture there was always something (usually many things) that I had never noticed or had not thought about. And if we had another week studying Joshua, I’d find that there is another week of material that I still don’t know. Spending time studying God’s word is crucial. Find a good study and immerse yourself in God’s Word.