In our Evangelism class this afternoon, we took a look at Joshua chapter 7, and spent some time thinking about how this passage applies to the lives of college students. And I came away thinking, for the umpteenth time, ‘Wow. There is SOO much hidden in each and every passage of Scripture…how do I keep forgetting that?!’

Joshua 7 is chronicling the story of Achan, and takes place directly after Joshua 6 (no duh, eh?! oh, how exciting…numerical order is such a beautiful thing) where Jericho falls to the Israelites…and so the Israelites have just come off of this tremendous, amazing victory…and they get comfortable, and maybe a little cocky. And there’s this little town called Ai, and they think, pht, we’ll just send a few guys up there to wipe these dudes out, and we’re all good…sweet thing we’re such a powerful, imposing military force, right, Joshua? Woot, woot! And maybe there were a few congratulatory chest thumps…and then they were off. Only they didn’t wipe Ai off the map. And at the end of the day, thirty-six Israelite men had been killed in a battle where they probably didn’t expect to have even a single casualty. What happened?!

As we discussed the passage, there were a few (ok, maybe more than a few...I am SO far from succint on these things, alas!) key take-away questions that we came up with…things that we need to be asking ourselves every single day, and questions which, if unasked, can lead to Ai situations in our own lives. And because these questions made me think critically about who I am today, where I’m headed, and what God’s plan might be for my future, I’m posting them for you…and hoping that at least one of them challenges you to sit back and think about your purpose on this quirky planet, and about how awesome our God is.

So here we go, with additional blonde commentary in red italics, which does not mean it was divinely inspired:

1. Have you relaxed and let down your guard? Are you vigilant even in the “easy” times…when everything is going well? And what do you do in your free time? What does/should that tell you about where your heart is?

2. Have you underestimated or failed to recognize the “real” enemy? Am I willfully mislabeling sin in my life in order to pretend everything is all good? Or am I “fighting the good fight” on the forefront while allowing an ungodly friend or unhealthy relationship to sabotage me from behind?

A poignant demonstration of the phrase "Unequally yoked." Sorry. I really couldn't resist when I found this photo...

3. Have you lost track of your vision and purpose in life—to follow Him regardless of the cost? Am I so sidetracked by “ministry opportunities” or so busy flitting from here to there socializing that I’m drifting all over in my spiritual life? Am I living with vision?

4. Have you focused too much on pleasing yourself rather than God? When I hear myself speak, how often does the word “me” or “I” come into that conversation?!

5. Have you passed the buck of responsibility by playing the “Blame Game”? Am I owning up to my problems, and am I willing to take responsibility for my faults and make things right when I’ve blown it?

6. Have you forgotten the seriousness of sin? Do I grieve when I’m confronted with my own sin? Can I say with the broken-hearted humility of King David, after Samuel came to him regarding Bathsheba, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

7. Like Achan, have you chosen to disobey with no regard as to consequences? And do you care? Am I rebellious? Do I stubbornly live in the sinful pleasure of the moment in the face of Biblical mandate rather than requiring myself to live up to God’s standards?

8. Like Achan, have you forgotten the importance of accountability? Deified your own desires? Remember: you are hurting others. The correct question is not “is it hurting anyone?” but rather, “is it helping anyone?” You never sin in a vacuum…when you sin, you ALWAYS hurt other people, and there are ALWAYS eternal consequences. When I’m in a situation where my will and God’s will conflict…who wins?

9. Closing charge: If you do not want to become a statistic, if you want your life to count, you must seek purity and obedience. That is, dig the foundations for the pillars of your character deep. Protect your heart! Make up your mind to follow Christ—and then do it.

So yeah! That’s probably not any new information for most of you, but sometimes we forget—or at least, I forget—so this post was for me. Because it’s so imperative that we remember. :-)