Greed.

I am going to give a quick update on what is going on here, then I am going to turn my focus to something I was reading this morning. Here we go...

Yesterday, we went to Batsapata High School, but no kids were there. We aren't sure why, but that is ok. Then we went to Batsapata Primary School and were told that because of the strike they were behind and needed to catch up, so we waited for about 2 hours for an opportunity to talk to the kids. We acted out a skit of Lazarus and the Rich Man, which was fun and the kids seemed to follow it really well. Then we practiced the stuff we had already taught them (this was our 4th? time with them). Then, we headed back towards Orurillo. A couple of interesting (not necessarily good) things that happened...
1. We found out that the kids are on break from July 15th through 31st for the Independence Holiday (so today will be our last visit to schools)
2. Some of the younger kids were screaming that "the gringos are going to take us" which is a common belief among the natives here.
3. I had some of the best fried chicken from a roadside stand in Batsapata.

Then, in the afternoon, the girls went to meet with a believer, but I my head was pounding, so I laid down for a little while. Around 6, we ate our typical egg sandwich for dinner and went to meet with Victoria, the wife of Fausto, who is in the hospital in Ayaviri. However, she was not there so we came back and the girls made chocolate oatmeal cookies, which I gladly ate.

Today, we will be going back to Batsapata (by automobile this time) to talk to the kids one last time :( Then, we have bible studies in the afternoon/evening.

Now to my journey through Joshua...

We all know the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho in Joshua 6, but there is a story in Joshua 7 that I think is just as powerful.

Here is a summary...Joshua and the Israelites are moving towards the next town, the town of Ai. Joshua's generals are so confident that they tell Joshua that they only need about 3,000 men to do the job. So, they went on to fight the people of Ai and were soundedly defeated and ran back to camp. Then Joshua cried out to God, asking God why he allowed this to happen. God replied that there was sin amongst some people in the camp. You see, God had told them not to take anything from Jericho, but as we find out later in the chapter someone broke this commandment, causing God to turn his back on his people in anger. Then, God told Joshua that he would call all the people together and make known the person who had done this...I will quote the verses for you...

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don't hide it from me." Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold that weighed more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest." -Joshua 7:19-21 (NLT)

Achan's sin did not go unpunished, actually the Israelites stoned him and his entire family, then burned their bodies. Then, the Lord was no longer angry with them.

Do we realize how much God hates sin?
Do we understand that God is angry with us when we have sin in our lives?

We are blessed that Jesus died for our sins so that we aren't stoned to death for the greed in our lives. Achan did what many of us would have done, he saw gold, silver, and expensive clothes that God told him to stay away from...but he took them anyway. Ever bought anything that you KNEW you shouldn't buy? Greed is a dangerous sin. I was so convicted by this passage...our lives aren't about how nice our clothes are or how much money (gold and silver) we have. Its about pleasing an all mighty God.

So, lets stop being greedy and start pleasing God.

Do we think we can hide our sins from God?

Achan buried his treasure in the ground under his tent...I don't think I need to speak further on this...we can't hide sins from God.

Wow...Joshua 7 really brings the heat. Man, my God be with us today so that we do not fall into the trap of greed.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson