Trust and obey
Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:6-9 NLT
When God calls us to serve, it boils down to the words, trust and obey. Serving God is not easy and oftentimes we make it harder than it was supposed to be. From the text, Joshua will take the reins of leadership because of the death of Moses. He will be leading the new generation of Israelites with a new challenge of conquering the Promised Land. God did not explain to Joshua how he would accomplish the task given to him by God. All Joshua knew was he was building upon what Moses had started and that the success of the completion of the task is dependent upon on how he will trust God. He must look upon God as the captain of his life. Christians live by God’s promises and not on explanations. They have to step out of faith and let God do the rest. Forty years earlier, the Israelites wavered in their faith because they failed to trust God. All they saw was that there are great warriors that are living in the Promised Land and there is no way that they could defeat them. Now that Joshua is leading, the circumstances are still the same but the difference is his resolve to be faithful to God’s call and trust Him that He will deliver them against the Canaanites. Joshua’s part in God’s work is to be obedient to His word and not deviate from it. He must study the “Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.” The lesson learned from the past should be a reminder to this new generation that obedience in the life of believers is a must. God already has provided us all His “spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). All He asks of us is to step out of faith and receive them. When a child of God remains standing still in their spiritual life, there will be a great tendency to step backward and not move forward. And when this happens, we will not experience what is in store for those who trust and obey God.
Blessings,
