God chose Joshua to fulfill the promise that He had made to Abraham around 800yrs before. I can't even tell you what happened 800yrs ago. That is so long ago, that was before Columbus discovered America.
For 800yrs they have been waiting on this promise to be fulfilled and here they go. Can you imagine the intense fear and responsibility that Joshua had to feel was on his shoulders? The only thing I can think for us to compare it to would be the second coming of Christ.
God speaking to Joshua.
5 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.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7Only 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.
8This 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.
9Have 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."
I think God realized Joshua was scared too. I cannot fathom having nearly a thousand years of promise on my shoulders. I love in vs. 7 where God says: Do not turn from it to the right or to the left...the Law shall not depart from your mouth, meditate on it Day and Night.
If you want to follow God, you can't do it apart from Him.
Joshua kinda knew what to expect. He saw every hardship Moses had faced leading this crews parents. He saw every time the Israelites came before Moses complaining, grumbling and doubting God. He saw them build idols to worship. He saw how angry Moses had gotten with them. However, he had also seen the miraculous. He saw how God provided.
It's one thing following the leader, but a whole different story when you're called to lead the followers.
What Joshua was facing was no walk in the park. He's about to send men into Jericho to scope out the land. He knew his men were not about to be met with open arms. Many upcoming battles he's about to face, with no option of retreat or putting it off, until he felt it made more sense. Also, he knew he was about to have to take control of the Promised Land. I don't know about you but I don't think people take "too kindly" to someone coming in and taking them from their home, especially with the intent to destroy everything in their path.
Joshua had alot of "Promise" on his shoulders, but even though all was "promised" he wasn't able to have a seat in his Lazy-Boy and come out once the trials were over. No! He had to walk by faith. He was commanded, "do not turn from the Law to the right or to the left. Follow ME! Do not be afraid but follow ME!"
I was thinking about my son. If I asked him specifically to go clean his room, and 3 months later, out of what he considered obedience to my command, he got up, pulled the vacuum out and vacuumed the hallway.
Is that obedience or disobedience? Oh how often we try to justify God's command versus our own logic.
I'm afraid many Christians sometimes expect that we've accepted the promise of salvation. We claim the cross, but only when it's convenient. Many say a "prayer of salvation" at 6 yrs old and don't ever know God.
Many people say a prayer of salvation at 6 years old, grow up in church, attend Sunday School, can recite a few, even many, stories from the bible - but they don't know God.
I'm afraid that many parents played church, and didn't seek Christ with their lives, and their children saw their example and followed their leaders.
I'm afraid the children that came to church without parents saw many leaders acknowledging God with their mouths but their lives were very different from what they claimed.
I'm afraid we're faced with a generation who, if they haven't seen the hypocrisy and wiped their hands of it, they're following the example their "Leaders" have laid out before them.
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today... is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him with their lives. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - DC Talk
It's time for this Generation to evaluate ourselves. How much do you know about God, versus, HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW HIM!!! Because there's a difference. There's a BIG difference. I've been on both sides of the tracks and it breaks my heart that I was on the apathetic side for so long.
It's time that we shred what's been modeled before us and follow Christ's model. It's time for us to throw out the garbage we have learned by example and learn our faith by scratch in accordance with His word. It's time for a generation to Realize:
" He is my GOD, I am not His!!"
When He says go, we GO. When He says stop, we Stop. When He says:
"be careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.
Do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
that you may have good success wherever you go.
8This 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.
9Have 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."
We take Him seriously!
When He says die to yourself - Done!
When He says Take Up Your Cross, I don't look for a time that would be more convenient or logical, and I don't wait for others to join me.
It's time to accept our role as Leaders and Lead in the example of Christ!
It's time to get our rear ends out the Lazy Boy and live the faith we claim!
It's Time for us to quit saying that we'd like to see a Revival or for this generation to experience Christ and START PRAYING FOR IT!
It's time for the alter to be filled with a broken people.
People who have finally seen God for who He is versus what we've accepted as truth! It's time for this generation to stand as leaders in the faith. Accepting that "We will face opposition - EVEN From Within the Church - and that's no joke!" (accept it, get over it, move on!)
It's time to believe what we say, when the verse says
"DO NOT FEAR for I AM YOUR GOD" (Isaiah 41:10)
and "If God is for me who can be against me, "
(Romans 8:31) [Side note: This is exactly what that verse
is talking about. It's not referring to some stupid softball league or a fancy job promotion. It's talking about Walking in Faith!!! It's time for us to get over ourselves and accept our roles as His children!]
is talking about. It's not referring to some stupid softball league or a fancy job promotion. It's talking about Walking in Faith!!! It's time for us to get over ourselves and accept our roles as His children!]
It's time for us to weigh what we have accepted as truths against the Truths of Scripture and not the truths that have been handed down from one generation to another. It's time for a generation to WAKE UP, and be the Joshua's God's calling us to be.
Whether you feel like you're ready to be a leader or not - you're already leading! It's not a choice.
However, your choice here is: you can learn to lead others in following Christ, or you can lead others in the false religion this culture has created:
- The trying to fit God into your life somewhere, vs God IS your life.
- God must be proud of me because at least I don't do that. vs. Lord how is my life reflecting You? Remove any area of my life that is not glorifying to You!
- God is here to make me happy and if he doesn't he must not be god vs. Lord how are You going to get glory out of my life.
- It's time for us to evaluate: how much do we know about God vs. how well do we know Him?
Everyone is a leader. Whether you choose to be or not. You're always leading. The question is who are you going to follow?
Joshua 24:15
15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living;
but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
There is SO much here that is is hard to know what to comment on because I agree with all of it. I think this generation is dissillusioned by leaders who do not practice what they preach. But our faith as Christians is centered around Christ, not leaders. Not only do we need to lead with intrity but we need to take our responsiblity as leaders much more seriously and also acknowledge that Jesus is the ONLY one worth following.
ReplyDeleteYes maam.
ReplyDeleteMatt. 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
Luke 17:1-2 And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
It is very scary to be in a position of leadership -this would also refer to the role of Parents in their childrens lives- Man another reason it is SO important to die to yourself Daily and to be clothed in His righteousness. May I never lead in the way of my own opinion but in light of God's word. Thank you Shanda! :)
Strong, courageous.
ReplyDeleteDo not look to the left or the right...
This last part, God gave me before I went to She Speaks. He wanted me to the solely focused on Him. It's so easy to get distracted by what everyone else is doing, but if we do, we forget the call on our own lives.
I agree with you. It is not just how you lead...it is who you follow. And, the question-trying to fit God in, or God is your life.
ReplyDeleteThoughts to make me choose wisely, daily.
Following through facebook. And, I voted for you!
Thanks Jackie! Exactly!
ReplyDeleteAnd Jen that is So true. We are constantly bombarded with things to make us question ourselves it is vital that we cling to the cross and "Not look to the Right or the Left" :)
I was just reading this morning how God was so angry with the Israelites because they were grumbling and ungrateful. Moses indeed had a hard time leading them. But Joshua was different. He and Caleb were the only ones who remembered God's power and promises. We need to be like them!
ReplyDeleteWell I certainly think I know Him more than I know about Him (Did that make sense?) but neither is at a level it needs to be at.
ReplyDeleteOkay that sentence REALLY doesn't sound right.