Tuesday, June 28, 2022

            Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel’s leader.  After Moses died, God chose Joshua to lead the people in their conquest of Canaan.  In some Bibles, the heading for Joshua 1 is “The LORD commands Joshua.”  The LORD assured Joshua that a blessing awaited both him and Israel if they remained true to the LORD’s commands and instructions.  God said, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses” (Joshua 1:3).  We learn that the Lord does honor our obedience to Him.  This honor may not always be what we would expect or wish, but God does honor us.  There are benefits and blessings to gain from walking with the Lord God.  Moses and the generation that left Egypt in the great exodus could have enjoyed the Promised Land almost immediately if they had remained obedient and faithful to the standards that God had placed before them.  But their disobedience would cost them dearly and leave them stranded unnecessarily in the wilderness where they would die.  We often have to recognize that disobedience will never take us where we want to go.  And defiance will never gain us the victories and blessings that God has for us.
            Confidently, God promised Joshua protection and victory through this obedience.  The Almighty promised, “No one will be able to stand 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” (Joshua 1:5).  Likewise, we never have to worry about the Lord departing from us.  He is faithful to His promises and faithful to His people.  He is able to deliver us to salvation, eternal life and victory over the enemy.  We do not have to wake up each morning wondering whether the Lord is with us today or not.  He is with us and He does not forsake His people.  We can draw strength from the Lord’s message to Joshua in 1:9, “For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  This ancient promise remains relevant and valid today.  We can claim it and cling to it for ourselves and the circumstances that we encounter today.
            At the end of Joshua 1, we find the words “only be strong and courageous” (1:17).  That command speaks to us.  God calls us to be strong and courageous in our faith and service.  We are to place our hopes and confidence in Him and serve wholeheartedly in the places where He make take or lead us.  Someone once wrote that we should pray and trust like everything depends upon God and serve like everything depends upon us.  There is truth in such a statement.  When we trust in the Lord and seek Him, we do learn to serve with courage and boldness.  And as we serve, we learn that God can be trusted to provide, bless and enable us.  You may remember Joshua’s powerful words near the end of 24:15 when he declared to the people, “but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  We can stake a similar claim today to stand firm for the LORD no matter how situations, culture, individuals and adversity may challenge or accost us.  We plant a flag of boldness, courageousness, faith and service just as Joshua did. 
            Have a great Tuesday!  Continue to pray for our sports camp and our current mission trip to Soldotna, Alaska.  Remember you can always share our worship with others at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.  And may the Lord both bless and encourage Him as you follow and serve Him down the different roads where He may lead you on this day that He has made!