The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers. For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. The men of the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. (Joshua 8:20-23)
How many times has the Lord said: “I have already done it”? Yes, we know the rest of the story; Ai was defeated. The king of Ai and his army misjudged Israel, the Lord, and their own strength. The Canaanites knew about the God of Israel, but they failed to transfer their trust from their gods to the Holy One of Israel. They paid the price for that failure. The choice was theirs.
A man received a phone call one morning from a friend with whom he had worked on a church project. The caller stated that his wife had just served him with divorce papers and he needed to talk. They met that morning and for over two hours went through scriptures. The man encouraged his friend to go home and discuss what they had just gone through with his wife. The friend called later that afternoon and asked if he could meet with both he and his wife. They met that evening and as a result, both the man and his wife surrendered their lives to the Lord and the divorce was canceled.
Looking In: Have you transferred trust to Jesus Christ? Are you prepared to share the Gospel using God’s Word? Do you know that the Lord desires that all become a part of his kingdom? Do you have faith that the Lord will lead in the sharing of the Gospel?
Looking Out: Do you know people in your sphere of influence who are not prepared for the coming of the Lord? Have you built relationships with non-believers? Have you warned them that a day will come when they will no longer have a choice? Have you explained that the Lord will come like a thief in the night?
“I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you” (Luke 19:42-44).
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