Don't Bother Me with Details! - Crosswalk the Devotional - April 14

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Don’t Bother Me with Details! by Katherine Britton So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war. – [Joshua 11:23]( Every so often I take out my old “Dear Diary” from when I was eight years old, and thumb through it for the sake of hilarity. Most entries go something like this: “Today I woke up at 7:47 a.m. Then I ate pancakes for breakfast! I love pancakes! Then I did school, and I brought my magnifying glass with binoculars with me to co-op. Then we played outside in the afternoon. I scraped my knee when I fell off my bike, but I rode all the way around the house on the grass!” Riveting, no? Amusement carries me through about three (very short) “Dear Diary” entries, then I close the flowery notebook and get back to my current life. After I’ve read through a week of what I had for breakfast, I’m done observing my former status as a “cute kid.” Every little detail that I thought was so important when I was eight just doesn’t thrill me now. Unfortunately, I’ve had a tendency to take the same approach to certain portions of Scripture. You know the ones I’m talking about – “This is what Moses had given the tribe of Gad… from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.” All the territories and distances and kings of what city etc. are very much like those breakfast entries. That’s nice, God, but frankly, I don’t really care anymore. I didn’t think it was possible to make a sermon out of such details, but a pastor proved me wrong on Sunday. In fact, he made a sermon out of all nine chapters detailing which tribes and clans got what land when the Israelites finally took Canaan. And – unbelievably – I found myself reveling in the “inane” details. Consider that this doling out of territory was 600 years in making. A promise made to Abraham six hundred years before this moment, before Egypt happened, before Abraham even had an heir of his own kin. Six hundred years later, God’s promise that Israel would possess the land of Canaan finally comes through – and in all that time, God has not lost sight of the details. In the midst of this plan that span more than half a millennium, the Lord of Israel comes from the span of heaven and picks out every plot of earth that every clan will inherit. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [10 Things Christians Get Wrong about Loving Their Neighbor]( Kelly O'Dell Stanley We all make mistakes when trying to love our neighbor. Even if we’re intentional about reaching out, there are things each of us could do better. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Should I Attend a Gay Wedding?]( Dr. Roger Barrier I've loved my niece her whole life and care about her partner. If I attend their marriage, however, I feel I’m lying by showing support for an unholy union. And if I don't attend, future relations may be forever damaged. Please help us sort this out. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2021 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](