By their fruits you will know them...

Week 2 of our backpacking adventure has us studying Joshua as he sends spies into Jericho to sniff out the situation. God seems to direct the secret agents directly to Rahab.

I would love to know how the fellas ended up in a prostitutes house. Makes me thort of thmell a rat. But I digress.

Rahab may have had a reputation as being a bad girl, but she had a heart of gold and just so happened to have a handy scarlet cord that would be a lifesaver to herself, her family, and the spies that she was playing host to.

Rahab had heard of God's deeds. She had heard about the whole parting of the Red Sea thing and believed. And she was ready to lay her very life on the line. She knew, by faith, that God could --and would-- save her. No matter her past. No matter her circumstances.

Not only that, but Sistah Rahab's faith earns her a place in the very genealogy of Jesus himself. That, my friend, is a God-thing.

God loves us, every one. We are so not worth it. We may not be living inside a city wall and we may never have need of a scarlet cord. But our lives and our testimonies are relevant. I may never save the lives of spies looking for information, but I may well be the one that shows my neighbor who Jesus is.

How important is it that I show the world Jesus? I tell my kids all the time that we have to give a good testimony. I remind them that if we call ourselves Christians, others will look at us and expect to see something different. Not different in a "Oh look at the Souths, what a bunch o' weirdos" kind of way, but in a "Wow, look at the South kids. They're pretty neat kids!" kind of way.

But it's not just the kids. It's me. If I gossip and complain, how does that bear fruit? If I lose my temper, who does that edify? If I'm a poor steward of my finances, what does that say? I *say* I have faith, but do I? Do my actions show that?

Rahab has so much to teach me.

I would like to think that if I were in the same position I would do exactly the same thing. But would I? C'mon, who am I kidding? Hide spies in flax on my roof while I lie to government officials about their whereabouts? I get all choked up when it's time to go to the DMV.

I am so not the girl Rahab was.

I can't say this about me, but I can say this about our gal Rahab. She totally exemplifies that great verse in Matthew:

"You can detect them by the way they act." Matt. 7:16 NLT or the NIV version: "By their fruit you will recognize them."

Rahab, you rock. I wanna be like you when I grow up.

Well, sort of like you. Wink, wink...