There’s an older song that has a bit of a ‘southern gospel flair’ to it that my girls used to sing in church with great harmony. And while my ‘playlist’ has never been filled with that particular genre of music, this particular song had a catchy tune to it. I can’t even tell you the title of the song, but the line I always referred to when requesting they sing it was “There’ll be joy on the other side of Jordan.”. I can still see them smiling radiantly as they played and sung that tune in the church we pastored for a few years. 

 ‘...Joy on the other side of Jordan...’. 

 There are other hymns as well that paint quite the vivid picture as to what supposedly happens when a departed saint dies and ...’passes over the Jordan River’. 

 As much as we can get attached to our beloved songs, one has to admit that they are not always ‘theologically accurate’. But goodness...as long as they have a catchy tune and make us feel good...and get us thinking about God...what harm is there in that, right? :- ) 

 Where the inaccuracy comes into play here is....the idea that the Jordan River somehow is a type of the great divide between the here and now on earth and... heaven. And there is just one little problem with that. It was the Jordan river that lied between the Israelites there in the wilderness dividing that land and Canaan Land where God was going to lead them into to take possession of that which He had promised Abraham many years previously. And while this ‘promised land’ was truly a place flowing with milk and honey with an abundance of fertile fields and fresh water, there was something else spread throughout this territory. It was quite the host of multiple tribes of people that according to God, were quite evil that practiced wickedness and were godless. 

 And God wanted them off the land. As in evicted, and destroyed. While some might take offense to that every idea and find it problematic, all I can say is if you think you are smarter than God or know more than Him, you can take it up with Him on your own. 

 The very fact that this land was littered with opposing forces of evil and people who were ‘stronger and mightier and larger’ than these Israelites, would be reason enough to shoot down the idea of the land of Canaan being a fair or accurate portrayal of heaven. 

 Crossing the Jordan River was not a type or foreshadowing of entering heaven. On the contrary, it is quite the story and picture of our ‘walk of salvation’. Once we begin to adjust our thinking or perception of this rich history written down for us upon ‘whom the end of the ages has come’, you begin to see so many more ‘dots connected’ as to what God intended to do in our lives. (1 Cor. 10:1-11) 

 What is interesting and quite amazing actually to consider...is the amount of time and teaching and exhortation that was given to these people...BEFORE...the ‘crossed over’ and ‘began this walk’. Hence, the rich volume of the book of Deuteronomy with added emphasis on chapters 4-12 and 28-32. We’ll come back to this later. 

 But when you do study and read here, you see several underlying themes that are repeated multiple times. One of them, is the importance of ‘following and obeying’ God’s leading. Moses did nothing close to standing up before the people and telling them to ‘just believe God’ and hang in there and have a good life. 

 This idea of ‘following and obeying’ is a theme that carries right over in to the New Testament writings and teachings of Jesus...and Paul and Peter and James and John. So to suggest that ‘all a person needs to do is to utter some words suggesting you believe Jesus is the Son of God and died on a cross and rose from the dead three days later’ ...and all will be well with your soul, is probably one of the greatest lies and deception ever passed down to the church. 

 Yes, I said it. And I’m not here to debate what a person must ‘do to be saved’. I will continue my line of writings as to what it means to abide in Jesus. Abiding in Him is everything. If you are a believer in Him, abiding is not some ‘option’ for ‘super-saints’. If you are Not abiding in Him, you are in a very precarious place. 

 I’m cutting it short here today and want to leave you with two passages to look up, mark, maybe write out, and then give careful and prayerful consideration to...asking the Holy Spirit to give you more insight to. (2 Tim. 2:7) 

 The first one is in Galatians 5:18. Paul writes: ‘IF....IF....you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” 

 It is just so ridiculously easy and common for us to just glide over verses in our bible readings so we can ‘check off another box’ on how many chapters we read today...and then give no serious thought to what we just read. Remember how Jesus warned how the ‘devil comes immediately to snatch the word from our hearts’? 

 Now read that verse over and coney what might be the outcome of a person is NOT...being led of the Spirit. Is it possible that they might be...under or subject to...this ‘law’ we read about? And what are the implications of that? 

 Which leads us to ask...what does it mean to truly be ‘led by the Spirit’? Seems that might be a good thing to know given it is the ‘children of God who are led by the Spirit’. (Rom. 8:14). 

 How does one even know if they are being led by the Spirit? 

 Well, Galatians 5:16, 19-21,24 seems to help us out with answering that suggesting if we are being led or ‘walking in the spirit, we won’t be fulfilling the evident deeds and lust of the flesh nature.’ 

 Have I ever mentioned that all this talk and life of being a ‘believer’ might be a tad more serious...and involved than what we have been taught to believe? 

 See you tomorrow?