Shechem
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
Deuteronomy 11: 26-28
These words were spoken in Shechem to the Israelites prior to them entering the promise land. It served as a reminder - that though we are given choices, it is in our best interest to obey God and His commands. His way is better than our own way. I’m sure coming out of the desert after years and years that sounded like a pretty easy command to follow. But in reality we all come in and out of seasons of life in the wilderness and still make choices that are a little bit “me” focused instead of God focused.
Now back to the physical location of Shechem. It is a valley, it is in between two mountains, one lush and full of life and the other desolate. This space the Israelites were in prior to the Promise land was a physical reminder of what life looks like when we make good and bad choices.
This struck me this morning as I think about the decisions I make on a weekly basis in regards to the direction of the organization. In particular the decisions made re: Shechem. This Shechem project has quite literally been a daily step of faith. We get a little further and I am tempted to look in the rear view mirror to see if it’s too late to pull out without being a failure. I believe we are called to do it, I know I currently have a part in that. But if I’m honest some days I’m overwhelmed by it, scared of it and over it. I need to be reminded. It’s in those moments that I realize those “feelings” are a whole lot more about me, than they are God. Those feelings validate my own personal desire to be viewed as capable, confident, a good leader, etc. When in reality if I don’t hold that in tension with obedience, bold, faithful obedience - than I should be scared. God is so far out ahead of us. We are in His story not our own. As we move forward with Shechem and all the other things He has orchestrated in and around Hope Street we will remember to keep our eyes fixed on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Father, may we quite simply remain obedient to you. Give us eyes that see and ears that hear. Be our strength and increase our faith. Thank you for the opportunity to join you, keep us out of the way in the times we want to make things more about us and not you.
Amen. Ash
P.s. if you would like to hear more about Shechem and the exciting new updates - we are hosting a free Known viewing and Shechem update at Spring Creek Church on Wednesday, July 24th at 7:00 pm. You can register here:
https://www.hopestreetministry.org/events
