Joshua 1: 5-9 - No one will be
able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As
I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never
leave you nor forsake you. "Be strong and
courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit
the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the law my
servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right
or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua stood in the presence of the Lord and received his
charge to lead the people of Israel. Moses
was gone…the people had mourned him for 30 days...but Joshua must have felt his
absence more than most. The weight of
leadership had to have been a huge worry for him...because God comes to talk
with him and set him at ease. He tells him to remember who he is serving…and he
can only succeed in this new role.
Success for Joshua means obedience to the laws God
gave Moses. Joshua is reminded to be
courageous and strong….to follow each law exactly as it is written…God tells
him to meditate on the laws day and night… so he will know them…and not turn from
them in any situation. God tells him that he will always be with him…just like
he was with Moses.
The advice God gives Joshua is good advice for us all.
He has a charge for us all….and our success means obedience to the directions
he gives us. We find some of those
directions in the Bible…and the others we hear him speak when we meet with him
in prayer. We need to meditate on his
word day and night… and develop an attitude of prayer all day long…so we won’t
miss anything he says to us.
Father…I thank you for the time you give me each day
to read and study your Bible. Bless this time and help me to uncover even more
of the wisdom you placed there for me to have a happy and content life. Stretch
my understanding of your words to include the task you need me to do for you…so
more people can join me in heaven someday. Help me father with the prayer side of this
message from Joshua…for you know how I struggle to find time to really pray…..deep
prayers from the heart…that claim and voice the words from your Bible. Develop in me a passion to kneel in your
presence every day…and speak with you as you did to Moses and Joshua. Amen
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