Today's Passage - Joshua 9:22-23

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Joshua 9:22-23   Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, "Why did you deceive us by saying, 'We live a long way from you,' while actually you live near us? You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."   Gibeonites used a ploy to deceive the Israelites, which does not please God. Even though they had the right intention, but they did it the wrong way. They wanted to be closer to God, but they were using human wisdom. That's why Joshua told them: "You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." Even though their hearts pleased God, their action brought forth punishment.   This is like how Christians used their own way to be closer to God. We all wish to come before God, but we forget to ask God first. In worship ministry, we often stress that God is a spirit, so we must worship in the Spirit and in truth, but we thought that "Spirit and truth" means we that worship our own ways, and get closer to God with our own "Spirit and truth," not the Holy Spirit and truth of God. We ought to worship according to God's will, not according to our own will.   Acts 15:16 clearly tells us that, during the end time, God will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Through praise and worship, our hearts will indeed be brought back to God. This shows that God has His own will in everything that He does. If we neglect God's will but do everything according to our own will, even though our intention might be good, we will ultimately suffer loss. What happened to the Gibeonites taught us that we must not try to be closer to God in our own way. May God have mercy on us!   Pray with Pastor Tong       Lord, we thank you because your love is revealed through your righteousness, but your righteousness is always revealed from your love. May the Lord's Spirit examine our mind and our action. Help to keep our hearts pure, and let us please you in your way. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!