Good News

A series on God’s calling: Rahab
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Joshua 2:1-24 

[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the Bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]

 

There are certain events that I can still remember when I heard the news even though it happened years ago. One of those was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was in my fifth hour history class in junior high when the principal announced over the PA system that Kennedy had been killed.

 

Bad news travels fast! And the media loves to spread it. Everyone knows that a sensational headline sells. Even in Old Testament times, bad news traveled fast. Rahab the prostitute was a firsthand witness of it.

 

Even though news traveled by word of mouth, Jericho was in a prime location to hear widespread news accounts. It was on an east-west trade route that connected two north-south trade routes making an H-shape in the region.

 

Because she was a prostitute, Rahab likely had many travelers visit her house, telling her the latest bad news. In fact, all the people of Jericho had heard about the Israelites and their God. As a result, their “hearts melted in fear”.

 

But Rahab was presented with an unexpected opportunity when two spies that Joshua had sent came to her house. You could call it a perfect storm of circumstances. Because of what she had heard about the Lord, Rahab firmly believed “that the Lord has given you the land”. Here is what she said to the spies.

 

¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.     NIV

 

That’s quite a statement of faith. Rahab recognized that the God of Israel was greater than any god that she had ever encountered. Because of this, she believed that this unexpected opportunity could give her a chance to live. Therefore, she made a deal with the spies.

 

God isn’t limited in how he calls us to ministry to serve others. It doesn’t have to be through a burning bush or dreams or a mentor. It could be through a perfect storm of circumstances providing an unexpected opportunity. And when it happens, we need to be prepared to respond like Rahab.

 

Because of her faith and actions, she is mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. James also praised her for her faith, which was visible by her deeds. But maybe the greatest praise of all is that she is mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.

 

⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse the father of King David.  NIV

 

Bad news does travel fast. But God used it to bring Rahab the prostitute to faith. A faith that eventually led to the birth of Christ. That’s what I would call Good News!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Gung – ho for God

A series on God’s calling: Joshua
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Joshua 1:1-18 

[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]

  

As a little boy, I loved to explore the area around our house. To the east, was a gently sloping hill, covered with brushes and trees. It went down to the Pine River which was about 100 yards from our house. I especially enjoyed exploring along the riverbank where I would catch turtles.

 

To the north, was a deep field of weeds and sumac. But if you walked far enough, you’d find a deserted salt mine with small mounds of dirt, which must have been tailings from the mine. One time while exploring there, I found an arrowhead.

 

As a young man, Joshua had an enthusiastic faith in the God of Israel. And why not? He had personally witnessed the miracles of God including parting the waters of the Red Sea. Joshua was gung – ho for God!

 

Therefore, it’s not surprising that when Israel was about to possess the Promised Land, that Joshua was chosen by Moses as one of the twelve men to explore the land. Like me, Joshua was an explorer.

 

After forty days, the explorers returned. Ten of them fearfully described the inhabitants as being powerful and the cities fortified. But Joshua, with the enthusiasm of his youthful faith, countered their negative report. He confidently proclaimed that the Lord “will give the land to us” and “we will devour the people”.

 

But the damage was done, and the people of Israel rebelled. Because of this, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years never to enter the Promised Land. By the time the next generation had grown up, Joshua had experienced some significant changes.

 

First, he was forty years older. In addition, he’d been wandering in the wilderness with people who had rebelled against the Lord. Finally, the Lord had chosen Joshua, in place of Moses who was very old, to lead the people into Canaan.

 

It’s hard to say how all of these life circumstances might have affected Joshua’s faith. Be that as it may, as Israel prepared to cross the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua giving him these final instructions.

 

⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.          NIV

 

⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.   NIV (This was repeated three times.)

 

⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.     NIV

 

These instructions still apply to us today. The Lord promises to always be with us. He encourages us to be strong and courageous in the face of obstacles. He reminds us that we need to meditate on his Word and to obey him.

 

If we follow these instructions, then like Joshua, we will be gung – ho for God!

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Pablum or Dreams

A series on God’s calling: Joseph, son of Jacob
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 37:1-11; 42:6-9; 45:1-8 

[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the Bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]

  

Being the youngest of four, I was very spoiled. Nowhere was that more apparent than at the dinner table. If I didn’t like what we were eating, I’d ask Mom to fix some Pablum for me. And she would oblige me, even until I was eight years old!

 

As an adult, this became a problem because my siblings teased me mercilessly every time we got together. After years of them poking fun, I decided to go on the offense by accusing them of being jealous, even if they weren’t. Joseph, the son of Jacob, had a much more serious problem with jealous siblings.

 

Like myself, Joseph received special treatment from a parent. In his case, it was his father, Jacob. One time Jacob had an expensive robe made for Joseph as a special gift – the “coat of many colors”. His brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more.

 

Joseph also had a unique gift from God. That is, God spoke to him through dreams. Sometimes they were his own dreams. But other times they were the dreams of another person, and he would interpret them.

 

As an immature seventeen-year-old who was full of himself, he didn’t seem to recognize that God was speaking to him through his dreams. Instead, he used them as a way to boast, or even provoke his brothers – which it did.

 

One day Joseph’s brothers were out watching the flocks when they saw him approaching them in the distance. At first, they plotted to kill him, but later decided it would be more advantageous to sell him to a caravan of traders going to Egypt.

 

Despite their evil intentions, God was with Joseph in Egypt. It didn’t matter if he was a slave of Potiphar who had bought him; or a prisoner due to false accusations; or in the presence of Pharoah when Joseph interpreted his dreams. God blessed Joseph in all he did.

 

The result was that Pharoah placed Joseph in charge of managing the whole land during a season of prosperity, followed by a severe drought. It was during the drought that his brothers came to him for food. Not recognizing Joseph, they bowed down to him. And he remembered his dream from twenty years before.

 

With all the adversity that he had faced, Joseph could easily have become a very bitter man, and seen this as the perfect opportunity for revenge. Instead, when he finally disclosed his identity to his brothers, he forgave them. And as he wept, he explained how God had been in control during the whole time.

 

^4b “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you”.   NIV    Genesis 45

 

Joseph realized that God had always been with him and had been working in his life to draw him closer. In fact, God had been calling Joseph to be his servant since his youth through dreams. Joseph had finally understood and fulfilled his call.

 

God isn’t limited in how he calls us into his service. His only limitation is our own shortcomings. How is God calling you into his service? With Pablum or dreams? Or some other means?

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Calling You by Name

A series on God’s calling: Moses
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Exodus 3:1-22 

[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the Bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]

 

Do you ever wonder how your life would’ve been different if…? Fill in the blank.

 

For instance, if I had stayed in college at Michigan Tech, I would never have met my wife, been the father of my daughter and grandfather to my grandkids. But, in order for all of those things to happen, a whole lot of circumstances had to change. Not the least of which was dropping out of school at Tech and moving to Lansing.

 

This mostly hinged around a summer discipleship program in Lansing where I decided that working with urban youth, not rocks, was what I wanted to do. From there, the circumstances fell like dominoes which led to the past fifty plus years.

 

The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. During most of that time, the Egyptians enslaved them and made their life bitter with hard labor. However, centuries before that, God had told Abraham this would happen and promised to rescue his people. The time had come to fulfill his promise. But he needed a leader.

 

Moses was the man for the job! He was well educated having been trained in “all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” As a prince of Egypt, he was confident and had a position of power. Also, having been raised as a child of privilege, he believed that he was capable of doing anything, and getting what he wanted.

 

But he wasn’t ready to lead Israel! Moses needed to make significant changes. Although he was a man who “was powerful in speech and action”, he was also impulsive, acting out of his own will and pride. He wasn’t ready to follow God’s leading, or to submit to God’s will.

 

Forty years after fleeing Egypt as a fugitive wanted for murder, he was a humbled man. He had gone from being the prince of Egypt to a common, lowly shepherd; he had fallen from a position of power and prestige to a hardscrabble life. He had learned his lesson, but it had cost him his home, his family and his people in Egypt.

 

That is, until one day when he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep on the far side of the wilderness – on Horeb, the mountain of God. It was just another day at work for Moses when he saw a burning bush, but it wasn’t consumed by it. When he went to investigate, the Lord called out to him by name, “Moses! Moses!”

 

The Lord proceeded to tell Moses that he had seen the misery of his people; that he had heard them crying out; that he was concerned about their suffering. And as a result, that he had come to rescue them from the Egyptians to take them to the Promised Land.

 

About this time, Moses may have been wondering why God had appeared to him to tell him these things. He was about to find out. The Lord said:

 

¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”          NIV

 

Circumstances were beginning to fall like dominoes. Moses’ life could have been totally different. But God had been at work through all those circumstances; all those changes. He had been pursuing Moses for decades, preparing him to lead his people. It was time now, and Moses was ready.

 

¹ But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.    NLT   Isaiah 43

 

Isaiah could have written these words to Moses. He also could have written them to you and me. God is calling us by name. Just say, “Here I am Lord. Send me.”

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Acadia National Park

A series on God’s calling: Abraham
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 12:1-5 

[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the Bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]

  

Recently my wife and I took a trip to New Hampshire to visit some friends who had moved there last year. Since we’d never been to Maine, and they lived right on the border, we took a side trip to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.

 

When we told friends at home about our plans to go to Acadia, we received lots of advice and even tour books. We learned what sights to see, where to park, what restaurants to eat at and most importantly, where to eat lobster. Since we’d never been there, it was all very helpful.

 

Leading up to Abram’s calling from God, the “people of the world” had settled in Babylonia. In their pride and arrogance, they decided to build a city and then a tower to demonstrate how great they were. In order to stop them, God scattered the people by confusing their language.

 

Once again, the Lord needed someone to save humanity from themselves; to restore the world to him. He chose Abram.

 

¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.      NLT

 

Abram didn’t know anything about the land that the Lord had called him to. He’d never been there. Making his decision even more difficult was the fact that he would have to leave his home and everything that made his life stable. But he obeyed.

 

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.   NIV

 

We’re not told how long it took or what kind of adversity Abram might have faced during the journey. We don’t know if he had second thoughts about continuing the trip. Only that he obeyed God and eventually arrived.

 

⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. NIV

 

Unlike my trip to Acadia National Park, Abram had no idea where to go or what to expect. Yet, by faith, he went. And it was his faith that the Lord counted him as righteous. Abram listened when the Lord spoke; he acted; and he completed God’s call when he arrived in Canaan.

 

His call was a seismic shift in how God works. Because now God’s strategy was to work through one man and his descendants to a specific location. God’s promise that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”, is the beginning of his redemptive plan to restore all humanity to a personal relationship with him.

 

God’s covenant with Abram included land, descendants, and blessings. But its ultimate fulfillment came in the person of Christ, the Messiah.

 

¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.           NIV    Galatians 3

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Three Man Weave

A series on the book of Hosea
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hosea 1:1-3 

[The story about Hosea is a story about the relentless love of God. Hosea was a prophet who spoke out against the idolatry of the Israelites as they pursued the pagan gods of Baal and Asherah. His life became an allegory about the unfaithfulness of Israel and the relentless love of God.]

  

As a sophomore in high school, I made the Junior Varsity basketball team. I can still remember one of the drills that we used to practice every day. It was called the “three man weave”.

 

This is where you and two of your teammates, run the length of the court first by passing the ball to one of them. Then you run behind him. It goes back and forth like that until you reach the other basket and shoot a layup.

 

The purpose of the drill was to prepare us to run a fast break during a game. However, we never used the three man weave in an actual game. But, even though it didn’t seem to serve any purpose, we practiced it every day. We did it not just because the coach said to, but because we trusted that he knew what he was doing.

 

Sometimes obeying God is like that. We really don’t understand the reason for what is happening. It doesn’t make sense. Life feels like it’s spinning out of control. I can imagine that’s how Hosea felt to the nth degree.

 

In today’s verses, we learn that “the word of the Lord came to Hosea”. This gave him the authority to preach. Then there’s a “time stamp” given through the list of kings that ruled during Hosea’s ministry. Finally, a person’s ancestry was very important in the ancient world. Therefore, we’re also told who his father was. 

 

But then, Hosea received a very bizarre calling from the Lord.

 

² When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”     NLT

 

Wow! Can you imagine the shock that Hosea might have felt? His calling wasn’t that of a high-profile prophet who would share the word of the Lord with a Jewish king. Instead, he was to marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.

Plus, as a single, young man, marrying a prostitute to start your family with, wouldn’t have been his lifelong dream. This was an awful calling that would lead to a lifetime of pain and heartache.

 

Questions must have flooded Hosea’s mind. “Why God? Will she be a temple prostitute? Will our children even be mine?” You also wonder if Hosea felt completely overwhelmed with doubt about God; anger towards him; and confusion about the purpose of his life.

 

Whatever the case may be… he obeyed.

 

³ So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son.             NLT

 

You may not have received a bizarre calling in your life from the Lord. But sometimes, like Hosea, life doesn’t go the way we plan or expect. And when that happens, we just need to keep running the three man weave, and trust that the Lord knows what He’s doing.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Choosing Sides

A Series on God’s Call to Ministry

Luke 5:1-32

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%205%3A1-32&version=NIV,NLT

[Preface: How do you know what your calling in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly, almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]

Growing up, when we were going to play a pick-up baseball game, teams were chosen by using a bat. The two captains decided who chose first when one would toss the bat for the other to catch. Then they would grab the bat, hand over hand, moving up the handle. Whoever could grab the last piece of bat, got the first choice.

Of course, the whole idea of choosing a team was to pick the players who would help you to win. So you picked who you thought was the best player available. It makes perfect sense, and is a great strategy for winning. It’s the same strategy that all the professional sports teams employ when drafting players; they are choosing sides.

However, Jesus didn’t seem to use this strategy when calling his disciples; when choosing his team.

Consider the interactions that he had in chapter 4. First, he called four fishermen to follow him. On the surface this doesn’t seem like a bad choice. After all, they were business men who ran their own businesses. No doubt they could bring that experience to the ministry of Jesus; along with their hot temper and impulsiveness.

Next he healed a leper, but did not call him to be a disciple. Instead, Jesus sent him to go see a priest, according to the Law, and to not tell anybody. This seems like a real missed opportunity. After all, a healed leper would have a tremendous testimony to share with others.

Then he healed a paralyzed man who was dramatically lowered through the roof of a private home by four of his friends. The text states that Jesus healed him, “because of the faith of his friends”. And yet, he did not call even one of them to be his disciple.

Finally, Jesus called Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. Tax collectors were notorious sinners because they were Jews collecting exorbitant taxes from other Jews with the blessing of the Romans.

Choosing sides… Jesus seems to be following the pattern of his Heavenly Father who called imperfect sinners to faith. In the following passage, Jesus explained why he called who he called, particularly with reference to Levi.

²⁹ Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³² I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”           NLT

The thing is, Jesus wasn’t trying to choose sides to build a winning team; he wasn’t trying to add notches to his evangelism belt; he wasn’t even trying to build a massive movement. What he was trying to do, was to call those to follow him who knew they were sick; who knew they were sinners; who knew they needed help.

Using the link below, listen to the words of the song, “Come to the Table” by the Sidewalk Prophets. It describes just who is invited to follow Jesus.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXxLwxfo0U

What Was God Thinking?

A Series on God’s Call to Ministry

Luke 1:26-38

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A26-38&version=NIV;NLT

[Preface: How do you know what your calling in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly, almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]

It’s not unusual for a teenager to say “NO”! It’s not unusual for a teen to rebel against the authority of their parents; to try and take control of their own life; to flex their decision making muscles.

What if Mary had said “NO!”? What if she had told the angel Gabriel, “No thanks, I’m only a young teenage girl? I’ve got the rest of my life ahead of me.”? Do you think God had a Plan B? Did He have a short list of young virgin girls to call on?

And why did God choose Mary? After all, she was already engaged to be married. He must have realized how the neighbors would talk; how it would look; how scandalous it would be. What was God thinking?

Then there’s the whole thing about choosing a virgin from Nazareth in Galilee. Why didn’t he choose an up and coming girl from the city; from Jerusalem? Instead, He chose Nazareth where it was said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth”.

The only detail that God seems to have gotten right was choosing Joseph as the engaged husband to be. At least he was a descendant of David. Otherwise… what was God thinking!?!

To say that Mary was afraid, is no doubt a huge understatement. She was in the presence of an angel who was saying things that didn’t make any logical sense. In fact, what he said implied an unimaginable future for her.

Up to this point, her life was all planned out. She would get married to Joseph; raise their family; be a part of the community; and be a support to her husband in his carpentry business. Surprise! God had something else in mind.

³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”   NLT

You probably haven’t had an angel tell you to do something, let alone something that seemed crazy. God works that way a lot. He calls us to do things that we feel totally unprepared to do. But His promise is that He will always be with you; that the word of God will never fail.

When writing this devotional, I made a short list of things that the Lord has called me to do during my lifetime. They include things that I had no logical reason to do; no confidence to do; no experience to do. What was God thinking?

Using the link below, listen to the song by Faith Hill titled, “A Baby Changes Everything”. Then, consider how that baby has changed your life. And, like Mary, remember that “The Lord is with you and that His word never fails”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0_wNPSOaw