Passage of the Day:
Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. 4 And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,” Deuteronomy 31:1-8.
Reflection:
Sometimes when you meet an individual for the first time, you get the impression that they are merely following a script. Perhaps, this person is afraid to be who they really are, playing it safe in this initial discussion. As for Joshua, he reminded consistent, despite being outnumbered as one of the twelve spies sent to do reconnaissance of God’s Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua each gave a positive review of Canaan, believing in God’s power and promise to Israel. Joshua possessed the same courage as David, seeing beyond the physical features of Goliath toward an Almighty God.
Prayerful Action:
“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,” Joshua 1:7.
Building Up Bible Believing Behaviors:
When Americans think about courage, images of the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz may pop into your head. Despite his size, this character lacked the courage to face his fears until a trip with Dorothy to see the Wizard. The 2011 film entitled Courageous provides different scenarios where the cast is forced to rise above the trials in their lives. Recognizing that this will be difficult to achieve on their own, an accountability group is formed to help one another with the obstacles in their path to becoming courageous. As Joshua is introduced as Moses’ successor to lead Israel into the Land of Canaan, he calls everyone to be strong and courageous. Joshua realized that this journey isn’t going to be easy to complete, but if you bear down, we’ll make it safely to the other side. This is courage in action.
Song of the Day:
Final Thoughts:
As a former stutterer, I never imagined that I would become a teacher and preach from time to time. If I allowed my fears as a child to remain within, my path in life would have been much different and limited. If courage led David to slay a giant, this quality can help you defeat the giants preventing you from being a courageous Christian today. Have faith to stand tall.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 