NOT A SINGLE ONE

In God's very first conversation with Moses at the "burning bush", God spoke of what He would do for Israel. God promised to bring Israel, under the leadership of Moses, "into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey." Exodus 3:8
Following that conversation, many promises were made by God through Moses. All of them were centered on the land God would one day give them, where they would live and honour God. Under the leadership of Joshua Israel finally, after 40 years, enters the Promised Land. They have to fight for it, confronting many small city states, or battling several allied city states at one time. As God had promised, He guides and empowers Israel so that they are consistently victorious.
Their work is not done, but by the latter part of the Book of Joshua, the land has been essentially occupied by the Twelve tribes of Israel. At that point, the author makes a great statement - echoed through the centuries by many of God's people.
"Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true." Joshua 21:45
We may sometimes struggle with God's timing when we pray. We may wish He always answered "yes" when we ask, instead of often seemingly saying "no, that is not best" or "not yet, be patient". But we are convinced that God is totally reliable. He always keep His promises. We need to be careful not to claim thoughtlessly biblical promises made to an individual or an individual group as though they were made to each of our specific situations. However the promises, both OT and NT are  given to those who trust and obey.
It is good to trust the Lord. In a world of broken promises and shattered vows, He alone has the power and the will to keep every promise He makes to us. "Everything he has spoken will come true." You can count on that.

WHOLEHEARTED AT ANY AGE

Caleb is a great role model for any of us who are over 60. Actually he is a great role model for all of us. Only he (age 40) and Joshua, of the twelve spies, believed that God would guide and protect the infant nation of Israel if they followed His command and invaded the Promised Land. (See Numbers 13 + 14) Because of their faithfulness to God, they alone of all the men of their age lived to enter the Promised Land, 40 years later.
After a number of battles as Israel was conquering the new country, at age 85, Caleb was still in great shape and feisty enough to be "looking for a fight". Actually he was looking for what was promised to him by Moses - that he would would walk on the land that he and his children would have as their inheritance in the Land. So at age 85 he asked Joshua to designate "this hill country" as his. He reminded Joshua of what they had experienced together four decades before.
What I notice in this passage, more than Caleb's age, his energy, faith or vision, are the words used to describe him several times. Depending upon the translation, Caleb himself, Moses and the author of Joshua, describe him as a man who: "followed the Lord wholeheartedly" or "followed the Lord fully" or "followed the Lord with his whole heart". (Joshua 14:8, 9, 14)
What a great description for any woman or man who claims to be a Christian, a Christ follower. It is too easy to be "1/2 hearted, or 3/4 hearted" in our obedience or loyalty. It is too easy to slip back from a full commitment to Christ to an easy, half-hearted attitude. Without even noticing it, we can develop the lifestyle of: "I will serve and obey Him unless it becomes uncomfortable or too demanding."
God is looking for those who at age 40 and at age 85 are following Him "with their whole heart."
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

"Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” (Joshua 14:12)

BUILDING CONTINUES

It seems you cannot travel for more than 3 or 4 blocks in this city without seeing some sign of construction. It may be something small like a new entrance way. It may be something larger like adding two more storeys to a small building - we are watching them put the roof on the fourth floor of one, just 100 meters from our building.
It could be a significant project like the one next door and 19 floors below us. We are not sure what is happening but it is interesting to watch. The elementary school was built as a quadrangle with a large uncovered space in the center. That space was used as parking for parents' motorbikes when collecting their children; as the outdoor gymnasium, as the assembly hall, etc. However over the past two weeks crews have knocked down two of the quadrangle walls. We are waiting to see what will replace them. Work goes on 24 hours a day. Fortunately with ear plugs we hardly hear the machinery at night. :)
Then of course there are the large office and apartment towers across the street that had been built before we arrived. We have watched the painting of walls and balconies and other finishing work being gradually completed.
Often as I look over these and other building projects, I also look over the city, and am reminded that Jesus is building his church here in Hanoi. It is not as visible as all of this construction. In fact as I have related in an earlier blog, there are only two Protestant church buildings (as far as I can discover) in this entire city of 6 million people. But buildings are not needed for Christ's church to continue to grow. The stones for His building are people, and each week His church is becoming larger here.
"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house ---." I Peter 2:4, 5
Spiritual construction is going ahead, one life, one family at a time. This city and country will be blessed in wonderful ways as Christ's church is built. Thanks for your prayers.

LIFE IN VIETNAM

We went with Canadian friends to a local Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant this week. The staff spoke only Vietnamese. We were seated at a "hot pot" table - the kind that has four hot pots, one in front of each person in which you cook your own food.
We wanted to order food like what those who just left two nearby tables had enjoyed. There was no way to communicate why this should be a problem. Fortunately a Chinese manager came over to the table. He did not speak English, but fortunately our friends were Chinese Canadians. After some time the conversation was translated for us. The two large tables were provided with special food for a special occasion. Apparently only certain foods were available. It would take too long to make something like that for us. So we went to another restuarant. Without our friends we might never have known why we could not order what was on the menu.
We had a church leadership meeting tonight. A friend called and asked if he could share a taxi with us. Our taxi driver couldn't quite understand why we were asking him to drive slowly along a major street, until we stopped for our friend. With little Vietnamese - and taxi drivers with little or no English - anything out of the ordinary (as in the restaurant) is impossible to explain, even with sign language.
Our friend wanted a ride because he was just feeling too tired to drive himself. Driving himself would have meant on his motorbike in heavy, very challenging rush hour Hanoi traffic. Not advised if very tired. It would have also meant riding home in the rain. On the way home he and we caught a ride with one of the few men in the church who has a company car and driver.
Occasionally I remember those days when Jan and I each had a car and drove ourselves everywhere. How simple that was. Was that less than 18 months ago?

GREAT LEADER, GREAT PROMISE

The book of Joshua begins with Israel's new leader being encouraged by God. It always intrigues me that  Joshua is told to be "strong and courageous" so many times (twice in Deuteronomy 31 and 4 times in Joshua 1); by Moses, by Israel and four times by God.
Yet this morning, what caught my attention was how encouraged Joshua must have been by God's promise to him. Joshua had been Moses right hand man for years. He was allowed to go with Moses into God's presence in a way that no one else in the nation was allowed. He observed the miracles God performed through Moses and knew that God had defended Moses leadership when it was threatened by the complaining, rebellious Israelites.
So when God said "I will be with you like I was with Moses; I won't ever leave you or forsake you", Joshua knew what a huge promise was being given to him. He faced a great task in leading the people into the Promised Land. But now, if had any doubts, he had received a great promise from God: he would be kept and strengthened by God just as his mentor Moses had experienced.
And we are told that we can claim that same wonderful promise: our God will never leave or forsake us." Hebrews 13:5

On another note: we received an encouraging note this week from a young woman serving over here. Jan and I learned that she and a colleague were not receiving the full amount of financial support promised when they left home. When we heard this, we gave each of them a small gift to encourage them. In her note of thanks she mentioned that both young women had been wondering how they would afford to eat in the coming week - and then Jan handed them our little gift in an envelope.
We were grateful that we had been able to give this practical help at the right time. However we were saddened to think that these young women are living with such financial pressure as they serve the Lord here. And we were saddened that "the folks back home" were not giving more faithfully to the meet the needs of these women.

THE POWER OF SONG

 God is speaking giving Moses final instructions before he hands over leadership to Joshua and goes up on the mountain to die. God wants to help His people remember that the blessing or curses they will experience in the future is entirely dependent upon them. How they respond to God will determine how He responds to them. They will tend to forget His instructions. He wants them to remember. So God tells Moses: teach them a song!
"Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them." Deuteronomy 31:19
Their is an innate power in music. Singing words seems to imprint them in our memories so much more. So God tells Moses, use music to help these words be memorable; to help these disobedient, forgetful people remember to obey!
The power of song! Yesterday in a powerful Sunday morning service, we sang, back to back, a worship  song and then an old hymn. Some of us were deeply moved, words choking in our throats, eyes  moistened. We sang "How can it be, that you my King would die for me?" and then we were singing, "How marvellous, how wonderful is my Saviour's love for me." These familiar songs and words moved me once again. But more than an emotional feeling, the words were reminding me and others of great truth. Christ loved and loves me so much! I am glad those songs are familiar; glad that I can sing those words (silently for the sake of others) to myself. Thank you Lord for the power of worship hymns and songs that move us and that imprint great biblical truths!
The power of song? Just ask me what I remember best: the words of my sixth grade teachers or the Elvis Presley songs I was hearing that year?

JESUS IS THE BREAD

The season of Lent began last Wednesday. I am again "enjoying" the discipline of fasting. I was going to choose a "larger" once a week fast, but decided that I really need a daily fast of some kind - the kind that makes me realize something is missing in my normal life, something that daily brings my mind back to Lent, to Christ and to prayer. For me it is to deny myself certain foods and a certain eating pattern that I enjoy. The discipline is good for my soul and "ups" my awareness of Christ.
Since it is the Lent Season, today I will begin a seven Sunday series of sermons coordinated with the pastor of our sister congregation here in Hanoi. We are preaching on the seven I AM statements of Christ in John's Gospel.
Here is the familiar first bold statement:
"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35


Jesus truly is the only One that satisfies our deep soul hunger and the only One who guarantees this satisfaction will last long after death. He calls us not to his teaching, important as that is, but to Himself. May you, on this first Sunday of Lent, choose to draw closer to the One who is the Bread of Life.