Ted and Jo Stone

In my morning reading, I buried Joshua this morning. Whataguy! Moses has been the featured fellow up until now.  I thought of Joshua as a miniature Moses. Not true. Joshua was a man of great stature. Appearing to be an average man, this book reveals that an average man dedicated to God can be mightily used. I like him. He reminds me of my Ted. I wonder if they have met.

God had formed the nation of Israel out of the brickyards of Egypt. The terrible dangers of crossing the Jordan, facing an enemy in a strange land, encountering the unknown on every hand, and meeting fear on every side, had kept Israel running back to the Lord.  Joshua recognized that now since the people have entered into rest and are enjoying prosperity and plenty, they will drift away from God. That is the story of human nature which never changes. Joshua knew that.

Trace the rise and fall of every Empire down through the ages and then note what is happening to our nation.  Predictably.  The ungodly leaders of our nation are scrambling to mask their idolatry. Oh, that we had a Joshua to step up to the microphone and declare:  "Do you want to go back to the gods of your fathers, those pagan gods which they served? Or do you want to serve the gods of the Amorites? You can choose. But as for me and my house, we have made our choice: we are going to serve the Lord!"  With Joshua's declaration, the tribes of Israel were brought face-to-face with their covenant with God.  Tested with prosperity they had a choice to make. In like manner, America has been tested with prosperity. Have we completely flunked the test, or will God give us another opportunity to fall on our faces in humbleness and gratitude for His blessings that began with a  handful of godly people back at our beginnings as a nation?  Those few became righteously angry and dared to flee from the tyranny of the British overlords who, by taxing them into near extinction, made it impossible to openly meet to worship their true Father.  Our early leaders, even the Deists, made a covenant with God.

Like the older generation down through the ages who have "Tsk tsk tsked" themselves into the grave over the ominous future for the next generation, I am alarmed. Ted and I have always worked with young people. A popular saying a generation ago was: "Parents, do you know where your children are?" The current saying is:  "Children, do you know where your parents are?"

I work with two segments of teenagers. One segment is mostly home-schooled, taught by parents and a few parent-chosen adults. These kids are smart; they  have a world view that includes what is going on here in our nation and a perspective about how we got here. Most of them will put their finger in the dike to attempt to hold back Satan's complete takeover of our country.

The other group of teenagers I work with each week are in the public schools, show up for their home class each week with stress written all over their faces.Only one lives in a home with an actual mother and dad who are married to each other. There are many kids and teachers in public schools who have not followed the ways of Baal. Lord, keep these courageous teachers trusting You as they valiantly fight the enemy in what seems to be a losing battle with Satan for the minds of their students.

I can't at my age, tackle the dilemma our kids face on a big scale, but I can reach and teach a few kids. ...and I can write. ...which I have been doing this week. Years ago I wrote a book entitled: "Four Ways to Choose a Husband", based on Ephesians 5:21-33. It's language is outdated, but the scriptures will never be obsolete. This week I have written a simple study on these verses that give specific guidelines for making the right choice regarding the important decision young people must make: If and whom shall I marry?  I will let you know when it is available on our website.

Come now; let us reason together:  Would our Lord put His Son through the agony of shedding every drop of His blood to demonstrate the value He puts on a human being, and then abandon us all to figure out how to navigate through the landmines that hide under every step we take?  God doesn't abandon His kids. People do, but not God. He has given us clear directions as to how to fight the enemy on every battlefield. We have been promised "every spiritual blessing" ...just as were the Israelites in the Promised Land.  Am I, are you, putting the sole of your foot squarely on every promise?

                            THE BLOOD WILL NEVER LOSE ITS (RESURRECTION) POWER

The blood that Jesus shed for me way back on Calvary
The blood that gives me strength from day to day will never lose its power

It soothes my doubts and it calms my fears and it dries all my tears
The blood that gives me strength from day to day,
It will never lose its power.

IT REACHES TO THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN; IT FLOWS TO THE LOWEST VALLEY
THE BLOOD THAT GIVES ME STRENGTH FROM DAY TO DAY
IT WILL NEVER LOSE ITS POWER.

Love, Jo