Joshua 22:3–6 ‘But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.’ (v5)
Taking care demands caution, something I have had to discover for myself. It demands a disciplined approach, to pause long enough to consider all angles. Joshua is an experienced servant of God.
Apprenticed to Moses (Num. 11:28) and then selected to lead God’s people, he reminds them of his own God-given mandate (Josh. 1:7–9). We may conclude that this is the source of his resilience and perseverance through the challenges encountered during occupying the Promised Land (Gen. 15:17–20).
Scripture still presents us the same life-giving insights into how God’s servants are to live. We are such by our own free choice, and we do well to observe God’s Word as our own mandate in how to live life best.
Whilst God’s Word is an ancient text made up of the Jewish Bible (or Old Testament) and the writings following Jesus’ ministry (New Testament), it is equally contemporary in its insightfulness and instruction.
Indeed, it offers us a clear introduction to the reality of God, even though, apart from what we observe in the earthly life of Jesus, it gives little definition to who God is.
He remains a mystery, in whom we place our faith and to whom we owe total allegiance, even though, as we deepen our intimacy with God, we grow increasingly aware of the practical challenges and therefore the changes we must make in our own behaviour.
Like all organic relationships, God’s Word acts as the yeast that causes our hearts to rise towards God to embrace His purpose entirely.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Deut. 6:13–25; Ps. 40:1–8; John 12:20–36; Acts 11:19–30.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Find ways to read, understand and apply God’s Word daily;
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, open my eyes so that I can continuously see wonderful things in Your Word. Amen.’
