Joshua 1:5
“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life…”
Have you ever wondered why some Christians seem to have great success in their personal lives? They seem to make better choices, commit less sin, and have more success in serving the Lord than others. I am not talking about one minister who has a larger church than another; but believers who walk more faithfully with the Lord, and live out their Christianity. I think the secret to successful Christianity is summed up in the instructions Joshua received after the death of Moses.
First, he was given a promise to cling to: “I will be with you and will not forsake you.” Essentially, Joshua must understand the secret to his success would not be his own strength or gifts. Understanding this, ensured he would never trust in himself, his ways or his deceptive emotions. Too many believers never quite come to the place where they stop trusting in themselves. When things become confusing, rather than clinging to the Lord and His Word, they run after whatever they think is best, only to pick up the pieces of the mess they have made. Step one to successful Christianity is learning we cannot trust ourselves.
Second, Joshua was instructed to keep the commandments found in the pages of God’s Word. The specific tasks Joshua was called upon to accomplish, was leading the people into the Promised Land. To accomplish this He must follow, explicitly, the directions from the Lord, no matter how difficult they may seem. To get into the land, they would follow God’s instruction, and part a river. Later, they would defeat Jericho with loud shouts and trumpets. Joshua must understand, to succeed in following the Lord, he must do things God’s way.
Third, Joshua had to learn, the only way to know the commandments of the Lord for daily living, was to be in the Word on a daily basis. He was commanded not to let the Word depart from his mouth, but to meditate upon it day and night (Joshua 1:8). Daily Bible reading ensures you have instruction for daily living. In addition to being fed spiritually, God has a way of speaking to our personal lives from the pages of His Word. The more you commit to getting to know your Bible, the more success you will find in living it out.
Pastor Jim
The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind all the ministry that will take place in the book of Acts. Jesus had commanded His disciples to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel message, but before they went, they were to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Their personal lives, their ministries, and their world, would forever be changed because the Holy Spirit came upon them.
This verse makes me think of a high school performance where two students are selected to play the horse. One lucky young man gets to be the head, while the other is stuck behind him as the tail.
On the verge of entering the Land of Promise, Moses reminds the people they have a choice to make. Upon entering the land, they were to gather the entire nation in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim. On one mount, half of Israel‘s leaders were to read the blessings that would befall a people who obeyed the Word of God. The remainder of Israel’s leaders stood on the other mount to declare the curses that would befall them if they ignored, or rebelled against the Word. In addition to the spoken Word, they were to write the Word on large, whitewashed stones that were easy for all to read. Beyond question, the key to Israel’s success and happiness was their obedience to the Word.
John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible because in twenty-five words it captures the entire message of Scripture; there is a loving God who will freely give eternal life to all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 13:4 is similar in that its twenty-eight words capture so much of what it means to walk with with God. Moses gives six steps that will lead to success in following Christ.
The commandments of God were given to the people of God so they had a standard by which to govern themselves. These laws were given the highest place of honor in the nation. They were placed within the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holiest place within the Tabernacle. Years later, when the Tabernacle was replaced with Solomon’s Temple, the only articles remaining in the Ark were the two stone tablets containing the commands of God. We need to understand, God’s design for His people was that He be at the center of their personal, and their national lives. The center of the nation was the Temple, the center of the Temple was the Ark, and the center of the Ark was the Word. The people of God must always be governed by the Word of God.
Every generation likes to think of themselves as more advanced than the one before them. I recall one of my children, when he was about four, asking what life was like back when things were in black and white. He really thought color was only seen by his generation and the rest of us had grown up in the gray hues of a silent movie.
I imagine if any of the people in this massive caravan were asked where they were headed, they all would have given the same answer, “We are going to the Promised Land.” They had grown up with stories of a land flowing with milk and honey; had been dreaming of this day for generations. Their goal was to reach a land where they were free from the tyranny of Egypt. At the same time, if we were able to look up and ask the Lord where this multitude of people was headed, His answer would not be the same. To Him the destination was somewhere entirely different. God said “I am bringing them to myself.”
Have you ever heard the proverb, “curiosity killed the cat?” It speaks to that part of our nature that wants to look into things that we shouldn’t. Not all curiosity is bad, in fact it can often lead to some pretty amazing opportunities. However, when our curiosity leads us to disobey the clear commands of God, that will always lead to danger.
Have you ever wondered how different the story of Exodus would read if Pharaoh had only listened to the Lord? Instead, Pharaoh is an example of what we should not do, when we hear the Word of the Lord. We read, Pharaoh refused to allow his heart to be moved. Before ever hearing the Word of God, he had already determined he would not obey. A good friend of mine went on a vacation to a new hotel that was selling time shares. They received a very inexpensive rate on their room, under the condition that they would sit through a sales pitch. Before entering the meeting, he and his wife made a pact, they would not allow themselves to be swayed into purchasing something, no matter how good it sounded. That may be a good way to approach hard sales, but it is a terrible way to approach listening to the Word of God.
Jim Gallagher 