Study
Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from
them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful
in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in
it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. (Joshua 1:7-8)
Canaan was full
of new, strange, alluring voices. Hence, the pre-Promised Land words of caution.
God was calling Joshua to lead two million ex-slaves into Canaan to inherit
their inheritance. He was equipping the general for the mission of a lifetime.
And what command did God give Joshua? Read the Word of God. Like you and me,
Joshua had a Bible. His Bible had five books – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and at least portions of Deuteronomy – which were carried alongside
the Ark of the Covenant. But it wasn't enough for Joshua to possess the
Scriptures; God wanted the Scriptures to possess Joshua. "This Book of the
Law shall not depart from your mouth." (v. 8)
Though he was
the unquestioned five-star General of the Army, Joshua was subject to God's
law. God did not tell him to create law or invent statutes, but to be regulated
by what was "written." God didn't command Joshua to seek a spiritual
experience, pursue a personal revelation, or long for goose bumps-giving
emotions. And God's word to him is his word to us: open the Bible. The Bible is
the most important tool in our spiritual growth. The key to spiritual growth is
not increased church attendance or involvement in spiritual activities. People
don't grow in Christ because they’re busy at church. They grow in Christ when
they read and trust their Bibles. So engage with the Bible. Meditate on it day
and night. Think and re-think about God's Word. Let it be your guide. Make it
your go-to book for questions. Let it be the ultimate authority in your life.
Don't chart your course according to the opinions of people, or the suggestions
of culture. If you do, you’ll make the mistake that the farmer's son made.
The father sent
the boy to prepare a field, reminding him to till straight lines. "Select
an object on the far side of the field, and plow straight at it." Later,
when the father checked on the boy's progress, there wasn't a straight furrow
to be seen. Every row was uneven and wavy. "I thought I told you to select
an object and plow toward it," the dad said. "I did," the boy
answered, "but the rabbit kept hopping." A straight line, like a good
life, requires an unmoving target. Set your sights on the unchanging principles
of God. Let God's Word be the authoritative word in your world. This decision,
of course, rubs against the skin of our culture.
We prefer the
authority of the voting booth, the pollster, or whatever feels good. That kind
of resistance is not novel. When Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, the apostle
was helping the young pastor deal with the rage of selfishness in his culture.
Paul listed nineteen characteristics of the people (2 Tim. 3:1-5), each of
which was a fruit of rebellion. The way to deal with such self-absorption?
Return to the Bible. “But you should continue following the teachings you
learned. You know they are true, because you trust those who taught you. Since
you were a child you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you
wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people
what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live
right.” (2 Tim. 3:14-16)
But, we wonder,
is the Bible really inspired? Can we believe Paul's assessment that "all
Scripture is inspired by God"? I think so. First, it’s remarkable in
composition. Composed over sixteen centuries by forty authors. Written by
soldiers, shepherds, farmers and fisherman. Begun by Moses in Arabia, and
finished by John on Patmos. Penned by kings in palaces, shepherds in tents, and
prisoners in prisons. Would it be possible for forty writers, largely unknown
to each other, writing in three different languages and several different
countries, separated in time by as much as sixteen hundred years, to produce a
book of singular theme unless behind them was one mind and one designer? Probably
not.
But the Bible is
remarkable in its durability. It is the single-most published book in history.
Translated into at least twelve hundred languages by an army of translators. It
has outlived all its opponents. Bibles have been burned by governments and
banished from courtrooms, but God’s Word endures. The death knell has been sounded
a hundred times, but God’s Word continues. It’s also remarkable in prophecy.
Its pages contain more than three hundred fulfilled prophecies about the life
of Christ, yet they were all written at least four hundred years before he was
born. What are the odds? That’d be like finding a book written in 1901 that
prophesied two world wars, a depression, an atomic bomb, and the assassinations
of a president and civil rights leader. Wouldn’t we trust it?
We also want to
know if the Bible makes a difference. Does it work? Do the teachings of the
Bible change us? There’s only one way to find out: click the Save button. We all know what the Save button is. I do, and I’m a remedial
computer student. What great satisfaction occurs when, having created a document,
we reach up and press the Save
button. That click reshapes the landscape of the hard drive. Words on the
screen descend into the core of the machine. As long as the words are limited
to the screen, they are vulnerable and exposed to the irascible cursor. It
earns its name. We curse the little monster as it gobbles up our hard work. But
once we save it, it is safe. Are you clicking the button on Scripture?
We Save truth when we deliberately and
consciously allow what we've heard to become a part of who we are. Jesus said,
"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John
8:32) As we know (Save) truth, the
truth makes us free from guilt, fear and anger. Saved truth has a shaping,
reconfiguring impact on a heart. Only when you allow the truth of Scripture to
be the authority in your life can you know whether it works. When Scripture is
mixed with obedience, a healing elixir results. God's Word works, but we must
click the Save button.
The disciples of
Jesus needed that reminder. On one occasion he told them, "Let us go over
to the other side." (Mark 4:35) They did. En route to the other side of
the Sea of Galilee, however, their boat encountered turbulence. "A furious
squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly
swamped." (v. 37) The sky opened, and buckets of water fell, and waves
threatened to upend the boat. The disciples turned to Jesus and found him sound
asleep. They screamed, "Don't you care if we drown?" (v. 38) Jesus
woke up, stood up, commanded the storm to shut up, and then said to the
disciples, "Do you still have no faith?" (v. 40) What a stunning
rebuke. The sea was raging; the water was churning. Why did Jesus scold them?
Simple. They didn't take him at his word. He said they were going to the other
side. He didn't say, "We’re going to the middle of the lake to
drown." Jesus had declared the outcome. But when the storm came, the
disciples heard the roar of the winds and forgot his word.
Storms will come
our way. Winds will howl, your boat will be tossed, and you’ll have a choice.
Will you hear Christ or the crisis? Heed the promises of Scripture or the noise
of the storm? Your best days require an ongoing trust in God's Word. Wilderness
people trust Scripture just enough to escape Egypt. Canaan dwellers, on the
other hand, make the Bible their go-to book for life. As God told Joshua,
"Meditate in it day and night." (Josh. 1:8) Literally, "you
shall . . . mutter over this torah document." The
image is one of a person reciting, rehearsing, reconsidering God's Word over
and over again. Canaan is loud with enemy voices. The devil mega-phones doubt
and death into our ears. Take heed to the voice you heed. "Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another."
(Col. 3:16)
Chew on it.
Swallow it. Speak it. Begin with a prayer, then with an open heart read until a
message hits you. Great rewards come to those who do. God promised Joshua,
"You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
(Josh. 1:8) This is the only place in the Old Testament where the two words “prosperous”
and “success” are found together. In other words, this is an emphasized
promise. So, align yourself with God's Word and expect prosperity and success.
Don't cringe, now. Joshua 1:8 isn't a guarantee of early retirement.
In the United
States we often associate prosperity and success with money. The Bible is not
so narrow. Its promise of prosperity occasionally
includes money, but it far more often refers to a wealthy spirit, mind and
body. God prospers the leader with new skills, the worker with good sleep, the
teacher with added patience, the mother with deeper affection, the elderly with
greater hope. Scriptural fluency leads to spiritual affluence. “Blessed is the
man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of
the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted
by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf
also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Ps. 1:1-3)
God's command
was enough for Joshua. He responded with direct obedience. He told his men,
"Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross
over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is
giving you to possess." (Josh. 1:11) No hesitation. No reservation. Unlike
Sarah, who said, "I am too old." (Gen. 18:12) Unlike Moses, who said,
"I'm not a good speaker." (Ex. 4:10) Unlike the disciples who said,
"We don't have enough food to feed the hungry." (Matt. 14:17) Others
resisted God's call, but not Joshua. God said it. He believed it.
Do likewise.
Grace,
Randy
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