“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
And, I might add whatever you hear!
- Luke 8:17 and Luke 12:2-3 These verses explicitly state that nothing concealed will not be revealed, and nothing secret will not be known.
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. “Luke 8:17 (NIV)
“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” Luke 12:2-3 (ESV)
Behind this lush summer greenery you will find neighbor’s trash bends and side of a garage. The lush and green as viewed now will disappear as fall and winter approaches and you will see in full view the trash cans being on daily duty. As well as hear the valuable use of the cans being used.
I thought to myself I have just left reading the morning political views and watching a bit as well. Confused how there could be grown professional adults reading, seeing and hearing the same cries for help and say they read, saw, and heard two very different things! Could that be possible?
What about me? my family?, my friends? and my enemies? Could we be deceived and believe a lie? Tell a lie?
Joshua chapter 9 describes how the people of Gibeon deceived the people of Israel. “They wanted the Israelites to believe they lived far away from the land of Canaan, and therefore posed no threat to Israel. In fact they lived nearby.”
Yet, God told Joshua knowing a trap had been set for the people;
1) be strong and courageous, 2) keep the law of Moses, divide the land among the people, and 3) study and meditate on the word of God continually.
Can we believe the same today;
“For the word of God will never fail.”
Luke 1:37 NLT
thedailylily.com 
The dense, lush greenery in the beautiful photo, Sara, sure does look like a lot could hide in it or be hidden by it, illustrating your shared verses from Luke so well!
“The lush and green as viewed now will disappear as fall and winter approaches and you will see in full view the trash cans being on daily duty.”
This reminded me of a chapter in your retreat book, Sara, Designs of One’s Heart/Hearts are Seasonal Much Like the Four Seasons.” The chapter is titled, “Winter Tells Us”, and the scripture for it is Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” And a description is of a Winter scene that involves a reflecting pool. “Yes. We stand in the Garden of Gethsemane where the fruit of the olive tree has been pressed out, producing oil for our use. A Winter scene; agony of the soul. Friends going to sleep when they should be praying, family members betraying us that could even cost our life. The cost, a tree dying in the Winter scene. And the wood was used to make a cross, a sacrifice for us all.” And further on… “And that’s why we meditate while looking in the reflecting pool. Our face is reflecting the water showing us our hearts as you go and your heart meets with another heart. What are you and they seeing? What is coming from your mouth? When you’re offended what do you say or do? When your friends leave you, even unto death, what do you do? Do you sing songs of praise? What are you boasting about at that time? What a lousy person he/she is? Examine yourself.”
Then Sara, you state and ask, “Confused how there could be grown professional adults reading, seeing and hearing the same cries for help and say they read, saw, and heard two very different things! Could that be possible?”
As I read on in Luke 8 from the scripture you posted, I read this in vs 18: “Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
So, this may help to address your question as to why people hear two very different things.
Good points Debi!
“Joshua chapter 9 describes how the people of Gibeon deceived the people of Israel. “They wanted the Israelites to believe they lived far away from the land of Canaan, and therefore posed no threat to Israel. In fact they lived nearby.”
How did this story end?
“Joshua chapter 9 describes how the people of Gibeon deceived the people of Israel. “They wanted the Israelites to believe they lived far away from the land of Canaan, and therefore posed no threat to Israel. In fact they lived nearby.”
How did this story end?”
The story ends with the Gibeonites being cursed by Joshua for their lies and deception. Joshua proclaimed that, “From now on you will always be servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.” (vs 23). And then in vs 27 it says, “And that is what they do to this day.”
This ending may have been avoided if Joshua and the Israelites had consulted the Lord initially about the things the Gibeonites had told them, but they didn’t. Vs 14, 15 says, “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.” Once they did that, they were bound to keep their vow, even after finding out the truth. “But the leaders replied, “Since we have sworn an oath in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel, we cannot touch them. This is what we must do. We must let them live, for divine anger would come upon us if we broke our oath. (vs 19, 20).
This story makes us realize, I think, how vital it is to consult the Lord for everything and do what you wrote, Sara: “1) be strong and courageous, 2) keep the law of Moses, divide the land among the people, and 3) study and meditate on the word of God continually.” May God grant us the help and grace to do that.
The footnotes for Luke 8: 16,17 says: (NLT) “ “When the light of the truth about Jesus illuminates us we have the duty to shine that light to help others. Our witness for Christ should be public, not hidden. We should not keep the benefits for ourselves alone, but pass them on to others. In order to be helpful, we need to be well placed. Seek opportunities to shine your light when unbelievers need help to see.” Grateful for this blog to shine our lights for Christ 🙏
I’m enjoying the reading and hopefully learning and applying the helpful notes both Debi and Tammy have shared with us. Makes a Monday morning shine bright to start our week. Let’s try them!
“…vital it is to consult the Lord for everything…” we do’ (Debi’s Notes)
“In order to be helpful, we need to be well placed. Seek opportunities to shine your light when unbelievers need help to see.”(Tammy’s Notes)