Have Courage

Good Morning,

Joshua 1:1-9 (NIV)
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. 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."

The verses we read today are meant to encourage us and help us along our daily walk with Jesus. Now, of course, not every word in these verses will apply to every person in every way. But, the encouragement that God is giving to Joshua here, is exactly the encouragement that each of us should take with us all the days of our lives.

You see, God WILL give us new territory in which we can help to spread His plan of salvation...the Good News of Jesus Christ. These "lands" He gives unto our influence may not be "from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Great Sea on the west," but it might very well be "from your doorway of your home down the street to the corner and around the block." This may be your new territory where "no one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life." We all have responsibilities, just as Joshua did those thousands of years ago, that come from God and that we are to carry out. And, just as we read about Joshua in these verses, God says to us, every one of us, "I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

God told Joshua that he was to be "strong and courageous" in his duties of leadership among God's people. I contend that God tells all of us, as individuals and as congregations, exactly the same thing. We are to be strong and courageous even in the face of the enemy who comes to attack us almost at every step we take in our efforts to spread the Gospel message. Then, just as we read what God said to Joshua, we are to "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the that you might be successful wherever you go." No, we are not UNDER the law any longer because of the grace granted by God through Jesus. We are now under His grace and forgiveness, of course, we know that. However, the "law" is still there to guide our steps and all of our actions. I mean, as someone once said, "He didn't call them the 10 Suggestions!" (Zig Ziglar, maybe?) We are to read God's law, His holy Word, just as God told Joshua, and to "meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it." Now, if we do that, there is a benefit from the next line in these verses..."Then you will be prosperous and successful."

God gives another bit of encouragement to Joshua that we all need to put strongly and permanently into our hearts and minds and even into our very souls, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

We have been given responsibilities by Jesus Christ Himself before He went up to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Mat. 28:18-20) This command from Jesus is every bit as important and meaningful as was what God told to Joshua.

We need to do what Jesus has commanded us to do. We need to do it without fear or any kind of discouragement, no matter what the world thinks of us or our actions. We need to do it with the full knowledge and confidence that God is with us every step of the way; that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us as we go about His business and do as He has commanded us to do.

Hallelujah!

Love, peace, and blessings,

David