Strength and Courage

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Joshua 1 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1-9, NKJV)


REFLECTIONS:
I wanted to write out the entirety of the nine verses that I was assigned this week to make sure that you read them.  If you’re like me, from time to time you might be reading this in a hurry and skip the whole passage of the day, allowing key verses and the personal writing to be enough.  Will you take a minute and pause and really let these verses wash over you.  

………

What a God of love we serve.  Moses has died and Joshua, as Moses’ assistant, will be taking the reins.  Can you imagine what it would have been like to have to fill the shoes of Moses?!  Obviously God did.  He comes to Joshua with these tender words of encouragement, assuring him of God’s care, protection, and presence, and urging him to obey His law.  God’s commission to Joshua is full of promise for him, the people of Israel, and for us.  Did you catch how many times in these nine verses God encourages Joshua to be strong and courageous?  Three times.  Over and over God is encouraging.  Joshua has no idea of all that is to come as he leads the people into their promised land, but God is telling him from the start that He will be there.  It’s a prime example of God graciously encouraging His servants.  As you go throughout your day I hope you can let the promises from these verses fill you with encouragement—no man shall be able to stand before you, God will be with you, God will never leave you or forsake you, He is with you wherever you go.  

What I keep being drawn back to as I read these verses is why God encourages Joshua to be strong and courageous—so that he might observe God’s commands, thus making his way prosperous.  When I think of strength and courage I conjure images of warriors and battles.  Joshua indeed goes on to become an impressive military leader, but he’s fighting spiritual warfare as well.  God knows it’s not always easy to follow His commands.  That we often get off track.  So He encourages Joshua more than once to stand strong and courageous in order that he might do what God says.  God says to meditate on the law day and night so that you will know it, and in knowing it, you will prosper.  While we’re no longer under the Law, the implications for us are still as real as they were for Joshua.  God’s heart is for us to know Him intimately, and by knowing Him we’ll have success. 


PERSONAL APPLICATION:
This passage makes more than one occasion where I feel like somehow Tres knew what I needed to be reading.  (God’s great, isn’t He?)  I think of times of trials in my life, and I see times where I’ve been strong and courageous and observant of God’s will, and others when I’d have to admit to being weak and fearful and disobedient.  It’s no wonder God wants us to let go of our fears.  It’s hard to stand strong when you’re scared.  Even now there are challenges in my life that I am feeling weak and fearful about.  I have been reading this all week, and it has been a solid reminder of God’s loving encouragement to me.  God is with me, He will not forsake me, I can stand strong and courageous in Him.  I’m holding firm to those promises.  And you can too.  


WHO AM I?
I’m Jennifer Babb, and I take SPOONS seriously.  This was an action shot from this year’s annual game when my dad’s side of the family gets together for Christmas.  Nothing like wrestling a spoon from your cousin for the sake of winning.  :)