Day and Night

“Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them for only then will you succeed.^” (Joshua 1:8, TLB)

Joshua (the assistant to Moses) didn’t always have that name. He was born Oshea. It means “a prayer for salvation or rescue.” Moses changed his name to Jehoshua (or Joshua), which means God will save and rescue. He was probably nineteen at the Exodus from Egypt. At forty, Joshua was originally one of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land.

He performed lots of different leadership duties under Moses’ command (from leading a military battle against the Amalekites to going with Moses up the mountain to get the Ten Commandments). Plans were when Moses died, Joshua would be in charge.

Eventually that vision happened. He was now the earthly leader of the nation of Israel as they readied to take over the land of Canaan, which had  a population of close to two million individuals. God wanted Joshua to be successful in all his endeavors. The only way that could happen for him (and us) is to have face time with the Almighty by always being connected into His true source of divine power (found in His words).

Before a person reads and studies the Bible, they must pray to the Almighty to clearly communicate His words to them. The following suggestions may be helpful in this biblical venture:

·        Use a modern translation of God’s Word for accurate understanding. (I suggest www.biblegateway.com to look up a variety of biblical translations.)

·        A daily Bible reading plan may be helpful in your scripture reading goals.

·        Get your guidance from the Almighty’s opinion in the Bible and not a human being’s viewpoint in a devotional book.  

“Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible. The other 99 will read the Christian.” (Dwight Lyman Moody)

Reflect (or meditate) on what you have just read. What does your Heavenly Father want you to learn and apply to your life from this scripture passage?

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” (Ronald Reagan)

Respond (or act on) the message God has laid on your heart. Recording these thoughts in a notebook (or journal) can aid in making you’re your commitment to what you’ve read more permanent in your life. Close in prayer by communicating to the Almighty about what He’s taught you.

“Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves.  Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror.” (James 1:22-23, ERV)

“We often miss hearing God's voice simply because we aren't paying attention.” (Rick Warren)

“You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces; turn the world upside down; and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”(Mahatma Gandhi)[i]

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[i] Inspired by the sermon “Face Time: Listening to God” (installment two) Sunday, August 27,  2017 Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH

 

Additional source used: “Joshua 1-8” by Pastor Bruce Plummer