Today I’m sharing a teaching for First 5 from Joshua 13. Here’s a preview . . .

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Today’s Reading: Joshua 13:1-7

Joshua 13:1 (ESV) “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.'”

I have a love-hate relationship with to-do lists. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from checking tasks off my list, but I feel defeated when I realize I didn’t get anything done. Sometimes I have to cross out “Monday” from the top and replace it with “Tuesday.” Many days, there aren’t enough hours to get it all done, and some days, there aren’t enough hours to get even one thing done.

In today’s passage, God pointed out that Joshua was “old and advanced in years” (Joshua 13:1). This reality creates tension in the story because there was still “very much land to possess” (Joshua 13:1). As we read about the regions that still needed to be conquered, we might start to get nervous. Will Joshua be able to finish the job in the time he has left?

We find the answer in Joshua 13:6b-c, where God said: “I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.” Joshua had his marching orders from the Lord, and they didn’t include fretting over how much still needed to be done.

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Click here to read the entire teaching, and you can also download the First 5 app to join us on our journey through the book of Joshua!

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Today we’re kicking off our study of Colossians in the First 5 app, and I’m sharing a teaching on the epistle’s first two verses. Here’s a preview . . .

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Today’s Reading: Colossians 1:1-2

Colossians 1:2 (ESV) “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

I have a confession to make: My emails are usually longer than they need to be. In most situations, it seems rude to write only a few business-like sentences. I might start my email with “I hope you’re doing well” and end with “Have a great week!” These sentiments are sincere but not necessarily critical to the message.

Sometimes I’m tempted to skip over the first few verses of Paul’s epistles as if they’re the “Hope your Monday is off to a great start” of biblical times. But there are no insignificant words in God’s Word. (2 Timothy 3:16) Today we’ll consider the importance of the words Paul included in his greeting here and in many of his other letters: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father” (Colossians 1:2).

God’s grace is His undeserved favor freely given to sinners through faith in Christ. By God’s grace, we don’t receive what our sin deserves (God’s wrath), and instead we receive that which we could never earn (God’s gift of salvation and eternal life).

Jesus Christ is our source of God’s grace. John 1:14 tells us that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” Our salvation is rooted in this free gift of God’s grace in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

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You can head over to First 5 to read the entire teaching, or download the app and join us as we study Colossians together!

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