Joshua was not strong and courageous in his own right - he needed God to be with him. Joshua found strength from God’s faithfulness in the past, His presence in the present and His promise for the future. When Joshua received God's call he responded immediately and prepared to move forward with God. Like Joshua, our life should be one surrender and submission to God that separates us from the ways of this world. We should strive to be Christ-like as we serve Him.

Of the 12 men oppointed by Moses to explore the land of Canaan, 10 of these reported back of diffficult circumstances and forgot about God. We are prone to do the same thing in our everday life - we see the problems and forget about how God can lead us through them. Unbelief makes our problems big and God small. Joshua and Caleb put their trust in God and did not see the problems in Canaan that God could not overcome. We need to have this same trust that God has promised through His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we can overcome anything that life demands of us - we just need to be a person of faith, accept Jesus into our life and trust in Him.

In this passage Paul wanted God's holy people in Ephesus to realise that Jesus Christ dwells in the heart of believers - the enormity of God choosing to be in their hearts. He also wanted them to understand the vast extent of the love of Christ. Paul had sacrificed so much to make this known to the people of his time. That same realisation is true for Christians today. The challenge for us is: Are we bringing glory to God, that others will see, in our everday life? Are we living lives that are worthy of the call of God? Does everything we do point to Christ?

In this passage Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say I am?". Some people thought He was John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets. Peter responded that Jesus was the Messiah. We know that the Messiah will defeat sin and death. God's victory is gained through death and resurrection. We need to align ourselves with God's will. We need to trust on God's provision. 'I AM' changes who I am. How has Jesus, the I AM, changed your life?

The rich young ruler had his life full, then tried to squeeze God into it in some way. What will be our response at this Easter time as we reflect on the cross and the empty tomb? Are we going to have God first in our lives and allow Him to fill us or are we going to keep our lives and hold on tight to our worldly ways and walk away sad just like the rich man did?