Moving on

 I have written so much and made so many cards since last August yet somehow I had lost myself in terms of keeping up on this blog.  I regret that in many ways, but at the same time I recognize that we all go through stages and this has been one of those times when I just did not have the heart for it.  That stage in my life seems to be coming to an end so I think I'll just pick up where I left off and move on.

Speaking of moving on, that is exactly what I saw in my devotional reading and study this morning.

Joshua 3:7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so will I be with you.”

 Our dear friend Billy passed away last week and all week long it seems like almost every activity has reminded us of something related to him.  Many conversations bring him up as we continue to mourn his death.  The first three chapters of Joshua seem to have that same kind of thing in them.  Almost everything that happens has Moses in the conversation.  We know Moses’ death played heavily on Joshua’s mind in those early days of his new leadership role.  God Himself as well as the Israelite tribal leaders told Joshua that they would support his leadership just as they had supported Moses.  Joshua in turn reminded the leaders about things that Moses had said.  Then, here in this verse, for one final time, God tells Joshua that his leadership is going to replace Moses’ leadership.  It looks like this is the last time Joshua’s leadership is spoken of in terms of Moses’ death.  Joshua has apparently been able to move on from living in Moses’ shadow and is able to be a confident leader on his own and even those under his leadership recognized that fact.  I am certain that Joshua never forgot Moses but he would remember Moses in terms of memories rather than in mourning.  That is how I see God work in my own experiences of mourning.  It is how, with God’s help, we move on even though we have lost a dear fiend or relative.

 

Keeping myself

Joshua 6:18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction.

God’s command to Joshua and the children of Israel was to not leave anything that lived and breathed when they took over the Promised Land because of their vulnerability to being led astray from God and His Word of commandment for a pure and holy life.  From the remaining part of this verse we know that to leave anything would bring trouble to them.  God knew how easily the people could be led astray.  As I read this verse this morning I was reminded that I too must keep myself from anything that is a part of the sinful world that might lead me astray in my walk with God.   In the words of the Apostle John, I must not love the world, neither things of the world because if I do love the world, the love of the Father is not in me.  This was true for Joshua and his time, and it is true for me in my time. 

Be careful

Joshua 23:6 Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.

It takes strength to not deviate from doing the right thing.  It is so much easier to “go with the flow” instead of staying on the right track.  This is true in just about every area of my life, be it spiritually or in other areas of my physical or emotional life.  It seems to always be easier to take the easier (and usually the more natural) path.  My sinful, undisciplined nature will always win out unless I am very strong, and am careful to obey what is right. It is God’s Word that will help protect me from being weak and from deviating from His perfect path for me.  The cautionary tone of this verse reminds me of the importance of staying strong and cautious in my obedience.

Building up my inheritance

I had begun thinking I was going to get through the entire winter season without so much as a cold, but it did not happen!  One of the problems with getting sick with a flu is that you lose your energy for all those "extras" that you like to do.  One of my "extras" is to write my Bible journaling, so I have fallen behind in my reading and writing. 

Joshua 19:50b And he built up the town and settled there.

The town of Timnath Serah was the town given to Joshua by the Israelites as his inheritance.  He had led them through the initial stages of the occupation of Canaan and this was his reward.  One wonders what made the town attractive to Joshua (he asked for it by name).  It was in the hill country of Ephraim and must have been small and maybe undeveloped, or in ruins after the fighting over the land.  But Joshua saw potential so he took the inheritance and built it up and settled there.  I should never be afraid to look at the potential of a situation, take possession of it, and do all I can to build it up and “live with it” (in a positive sense of that phrase!).  It is my inheritance from God.  I need to “own” whatever situation God puts into my life and make the best of it possible using the principles I see in what Joshua did.  I  want to be as strong and insightful as I see Joshua was.

Fear and discouragement

Joshua 1:9 Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Fear and discouragement are two things that can destroy me and destroy my effectiveness as I try to please God and obey His Word, so I find it especially meaningful to have these two things dealt with at one time and by the same remedy: the presence of God Himself wherever I go, whatever I do.  The awareness of God’s presence has the power to eliminate fear and destroy discouragement, so it is important to keep my awareness of God’s presence in my sub consciousness as I go through each day and face each challenge that comes my way.