The first "order of business" - for the first time in quite a while, I sat in a choir.  It's been a long time since I've done any sight-reading and I think I need to sandwich myself in between a couple of altos (and not next to a soprano).

(this is the second one of these devotionals that I've posted, if you'd like to get these in your inbox, there's a link at the bottom)

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Joshua 24:13

"I [God] have given you a land for which you did
not labor, and cities which you did not build,
and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards
and olive groves which you did not plant."

Not for Sale

During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton,
the founder of the Red Cross, was working in
Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to
her and offered to buy food for some of his sick
and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell
him what he wanted. Roosevelt could not
understand. He cared about his men, and he was
willing to pay for the supplies out of his own
funds. So he went to the surgeon in charge, who
said to him, "Colonel, just ask for it!" A smile
broke over Roosevelt's face. Now he
understood--the provisions were not for sale. "I
will ask for it," he said, and when he did, he
got the food at once.

Joshua reminded the people that all they
possessed--their land, their cities and their
vineyards--were not the result of their own
efforts. Certainly they had confronted the enemy.
Obviously they had engaged in many dangerous and
bloody battles. But those victories were not the
ultimate source of their possessions. Instead,
all that they owned was a gift from God.

God is not in the retail business. All of our
good deeds, our generous gifts, our religious
activities could not begin to buy our salvation.
But God is willing to give it to us. When we
receive Christ as our Savior, all that God has is
ours for the asking.

Enjoy God's gracious gifts today. Thank Him for
providing them without price and without cost.
They are yours not because you buy them, but
because God gives them.

God's gifts are free, but they are not cheap.
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