Today’s Scattered Seeds
Nearing the end of my journey through The Book of Joshua, I came to chapter 22 where the Eastern tribes return home. You see, not all of the Israelites went on to live in the Promised Land West of the Jordan River. Two and a half of those tribes desired to stay in the land on the East side, and so Joshua blessed them and they returned to their land.
In verse 10, we read,
When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. (Joshua 22:10, NIV)
When the rest of the Israelites heard that they had build this altar, they were furious. After all, the tabernacle was on the West side of the river. That’s where the Israelites worshipped–not on the East. They couldn’t understand why their brethren would do such a thing. Had they turned their backs on God?
Reading further, we see that wasn’t the case, and in fact, their intentions were pure. The purpose of the altar was to remind their descendants that they were one with their people on the other side of the river. And, it was to serve as a witness between the two groups that they were one in the Lord.
As I got to reading that today I was reminded how the Christian church is divided by locations, denominations, and organizations. Of how many of us serve the same God and yet the walls divide us. I was reminded to embrace my brethren regardless of where they might be, as long as they’re walking in Spirit and truth. I was reminded that it’s not so much where we worship, it’s Who and what we worship that matters.
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Tilling the Soil
Read the rest of this story in Joshua 22.
Planting Hope
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. (John 4:23, NIV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife