Bryan Richardson

Do

Re:Verse reading–Joshua 7 (day three)

“What are you doing down on your face?” When is it time to be done with prayer? The answer is the one the Lord gives to Joshua: When prayer becomes a substitute for doing what needs doing. Now, we do not ignore the Bible’s instruction to “pray without ceasing.” We do, however, recognize the temptation to use prayer to stall for time, to keep confrontation at bay, to delay conflict. If you’re honest, you know you would often rather ask questions of God than answer the question that has been put to you. If action never follows prayer, to what end are we praying? The steps will be faltering, awkward, arduous. But so are a baby’s, and we cheer him on. You’ve prayed. Now what will you do?

Go

Re: Verse reading–Joshua 3:5-17, 4:14-24 (day three)

“As soon as…their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.” Approaching a violently flooding river will not soothe your mind. And that’s the inglorious, unappealing, discomforting reality of faith. It’s easy to think of faith as enticing: Come on in, the water’s fine! Except it’s not. Certainly not at the Jordan’s banks. Not at the base of Moriah. Not at the edge of the trackless Sinai. Not at the feet of the only one who could possibly heal your daughter. Not in front of a crowd of religious leaders with rocks in their hands. No, faith isn’t comfy. That’s because faith involves going where you don’t know. Here’s what you can know, however: You can know the one who has brought you to this moment. That’s why it’s possible to go ahead.

Ground

Re:Verse reading–Joshua 2 (day three)

“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord.” Some people hear of the Lord, and they recoil in fear. They loathe the thought of turning their allegiance to anyone higher than themselves, but the sweat runs cold when they consider that the Lord might be powerful enough to call them to account for the way they live. Anyone so inclined is doomed, as the Bible clearly communicates. Other people hear of the Lord, and they sigh with relief. They finally see that the universe has a solid ground on which they can rest their lives. The Lord is now the reference point for everything they see, think, and do. Anyone so inclined is saved, as Rahab testifies: “God is God in heaven and on the earth below.” Do you recoil in fear, or sigh with relief?

Build

Re:Verse reading–Joshua 1 (day three)

“Moses my servant is dead.” The question for Israel was this: How would they go on now? As gifted as Joshua was, no amount of passion, reason, talent, skill, principle, vision, or sense of history can bear the weight of the future without one crucial element: love. Moses made the point: Love arises only when a person places his heart, soul, mind, and strength at God’s disposal, and then radiates that character towards all others. Paul elaborated on that point: Without love, my skill set won’t matter in the long run. When a leadership era ends in a nation, in a movement, or in a family, these groups often disintegrate when they depend on vision alone, or principle alone, or passion alone. Without love, none of these traits will generate an eternal kind of life. Learn love, and build to last.

Don’t

Re: Verse reading–Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 (day three)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.'” Before Jesus walked among us, the command not to fear invited us to trust God in the middle of the reality that the grave was never far away: The Lord would protect us from death. Now, after Jesus’s resurrection, the command not to fear invites us to trust God who has altered reality: The Lord has defeated death. The death of a perfect man was necessary to pay sin’s terrible price. And so, Jesus tells us, don’t fear. Don’t fear, because his death was the last death–the last necessary death. We could still die, but it would be the result of rejecting Christ. “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Don’t be afraid, because you don’t have to die.

Exit

Re: Verse reading–Matthew 27:32-54 (day three)

“They came out of the tombs…” This little section of the passage can seem outlandish: Jesus dies, an earthquake occurs, tombs get split open, and the bodies of previously dead holy people come alive, walk into the city, and appear to a significant number of residents. What? But consider: The death of Jesus was the last act of death’s mastery over the human race—or more precisely, it was death’s first failure. Death had always had the final say over families, communities, nations, the world. Humanity could never answer it—only accept it. But after Jesus’s final breath, death would no longer go unanswered. In this new reality, resurrection isn’t bizarre, it’s the way life goes. Tombs are no longer everlasting places of entry, but now permanent places of exit, for all who count on Christ.

Bullet

Re: Verse reading–Matthew 26:47-50, 57-66; 27:11-26 (day three)

“Friend, do what you came for.” We can read this as if Jesus were telling Judas, as we might phrase it, “Just get this over with.” After all, here was a betrayal by a (publicly apparent) friend. But was Jesus biting the bullet here? Certainly our Lord possessed courage, toughness, and–as evidenced by the term “friend”, which he used without irony and with absolute sincerity–love. But the “let’s do this” frame of mind would necessitate his holding something in reserve in order to bring off the crowning feat of victory. That sounds satisfying, but we need a Savior, not an action hero. Jesus spoke to Judas of sacrifice, not grit. In Paul’s grand language, Jesus “emptied himself.” He didn’t bite the bullet. He took it. Do you know he did this for you?

Merit

Re: Verse reading–Matthew 20:1-16 (day three)

“Are you envious because I am generous?” If the universe is a meritocracy, it’s only sensible to make sure you gain an edge over others. But if in fact we live by way of mercy, wouldn’t you hope that God is generous to those without a leg up? We are dependent on God’s generosity, which flows from his mercy. Sometimes we might see someone and think, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It’s a small step, though, from thinking you’re better off to thinking that you’re just better. Perhaps we would train our minds toward Christ if instead we think, “Because of the grace of God, I have no less of God’s attention than that person.”

Remember

Re: Verse reading—Matthew 18:21-35 (day three)

“Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” The ability to forgive does not come from mustering up the fortitude to forgive, or from trying really hard to forgive, or from reminding yourself that you need to forgive. The ability to forgive, Jesus reveals through the story he tells to Peter, comes from remembering how much you’ve been forgiven. Until you do that, forgiveness lies out of reach. Never forget how much you’ve been forgiven. If you will remember, you can forgive.

Sight

Re: Verse reading–Matthew 13:1-23 (day three)

“Blessed are your eyes because they see.” Some eyes see revelation, others see barriers. So it was when men looked at Christ. Some looked at him and saw a Savior. Others looked at him and saw a hindrance. Some saw him as the Son of God, others as useful revolutionary. Such observation continues in our day. Some see him as the Lord who will make us holy and acceptable to God, others see him as an inspirational teacher who will coach us to become our best selves. But what kind of sight did Jesus call blessed? He called blessed the sight that perceives Jesus as the one who will lead us into life under the reign of God. That means we forsake our plans, our ambitions, and our “best selves” for life as his apprentice. Do you see this?