After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”Well let me start this off with two things:
1) I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day and a great first and second days of the Christmas season! My family got together and exchanged gifts today since peoples' schedules clashed with one another, but it was wonderful. We're all sitting around, watching Duck Dynasty and drinking hot cocoa. I'm happy.
2) I think it's just gonna be a normal thing for me to not post on these things for weeks at a time. I need to change the blog title from daily devotionals to whenever-I-can-find-the-time devotionals. Apologies!
So I would just use bits and pieces of this passage, but really all of it is important for me to expound upon it. I love this passage so much, it's so uplifting when I'm not doing well and need some encouragement!
So here's basically what's going on. Moses was originally leading the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan, the land promised them by God. But then Moses dies. So basically God is like, "Hey Joshua, you're the man now. Time to step it up." He explains what is needed of him which, to me, would overwhelm me and I'd probably be weary of accepting the call. But then He says, "Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." What a simple yet powerful relief that is. Just as God was with Moses through all he did, so He would be with Joshua to be with him and guide him. He goes on to say that He will never leave him nor forsake him. And that is also true to us today! Just as God was with Moses, with Joshua, and everyone else in the Bible and in the past, so He will be with us, leading us with strong hands. I find it notable that He tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three times in this passage.
The latter part of this passage is just as helpful and just as applicable. He reminds Joshua to meditate and store the Law in his heart in order to be prosperous. Though the Law talked about in this passage is not exactly what our Law is today, it still holds true. Holding fast to the Word of God and filling our hearts with it will ensure success and prosperity. Simply put, Psalm 119:11 says, "I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." Knowing what is within the pages of Scripture is a powerful weapon against darkness. Devotionals (not like this one, haha) can really help you to organize what you're reading daily. On the most popular Bible app developed by lifechurch.tv, there is a Plans option where you can do topical daily devotions that even notify you if you tend to forget to read one day! Do whatever you can do to get the Word hidden in your heart!
God's hand will never leave us. HE will never leave us. Rely on Him for your strength and your courage. He will never fail!
Once again, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!
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