This week, our devotion is on Joshua 1:8-9. I wanted to give some context surrounding these verses. Moses has just died and now Joshua is leading the Israelites into the Holy Land that God has promised them since He made His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15). If you aren't familiar with the Old Testament, I encourage you to take some time and read it through. I have learned that it is just as rich as the New Testament with God's promises, love and the imperfect people He used to carry out His Perfect Plan. Anyways back to Joshua leading the people to the Promised Land. These Israelites have been wondering in the desert for 40 Years! They were eager to finally settle down and God gives them a profound reminder and promise.
God called the Israelites (and us) to mediate on His Word day and night. Wow! That is convicting. I am lucky if I crack my Bible open once a day and digest the passage for a few minutes before bed. I feel convicted when I read that verse because I fill my day with so many other activities but not meditating on God's Word. Do you feel the same way? Have you read the Bible but not reflected on the meaning? I certainly have. The next sentence is even more convicting…"so that you may be careful to do everything on it day and night. Then you will be prosperous and successful". So IF we mediate day and night, commit to following it, THEN we will be prosperous and successful. However, NOT successful and prosperous by the WORLD'S STANDARDS, but by GOD'S STANDARDS!! Maybe that is why sometimes my endeavors or efforts fall through, I haven't spent time in the Word. I haven't followed God's will because I wasn't educated on it.
Here's a tid bit into my testimony, at least my biblical literacy! When I was younger, I didn't read the Bible much. Even when I started to go to Church in my teens, I barely opened my Bible and didn't know the stories other than Jesus' Birth and Death. It was almost a full year after I really decided to start to commit my life to Christ before I regularly reading my Bible. Every year, my Church always has Bible Reading Guides for the New Year. It was in 2011 that I decided to take one and commit to the readings. I have a pretty type A personality so checking the boxes off each day was my main motivator. Then that Easter, my wonderful Aunt, bought me a NIV Study Bible. I encourage you if you have difficulty making sense of the Bible and need help with context or you just are overwhelmed with how it applies to your life, a study Bible might be able to help.
It was like a code was cracked and I was able to start piecing information together. The reading guide wasn't chronological so I got to skip around and sample different parts of the Bible. I still didn't meditate on it or even put most into practice. It was just the foundation. Slowly and surely when I read, I felt convicted of changing certain actions and adopting new attitudes. I was feeding my soul the Food it desired for so long.
As I was reflecting for this post, I realized that I had no idea what it meant to be a Christian until I started to read my Bible. I wasn't confident on what God calls us to do, until I uncovered the Truths in His Word. I am certain that God didn't write the Bible so that He could be on the top of Best Sellers List every year, He did it to leave us a Life Manual. That idea came to me after my Bible Study Lecture (I attend Bible Study Fellowship, you should check it out :D there are groups all over the world! #shamelessplug) where my leader, referred to the Bible as our Home Security System. Isn't that another neat way to think about it? God has given us all the information to live the life He planned for us, in the pages of our Bible!! So for my life to be prosperous and successful, I better start mediating on God's Word more and following it day and night!! Join me!!
Lastly, He gave them a strong promise.
Doesn't it comfort you that The Lord is with you WHEREVER YOU GO!! You cannot go any place where God cannot find you. You may not be able to find Him because you aren't looking correctly (I have been there.) He will not abandon you, that is only the Enemy tricking you into think that He will. God is reminding the Israelites (and ultimately us) that He keeps His promises, the land is all their's and He will be with them while they adjust and forevermore.
When I first read these verses I thought I would reflect more on the second one because of my recent circumstances but God had other plans and prompted me to reflect on Bible literacy, I am just as surprised as you. Although, I will store this second verse in my heart for when I need the reminder, I advise you to do the same! I believe I stated it one of my previous posts but the one of the only ways I have survived that hardest season of my life (so far) is relying on the pieces of God's Word I have stored in my heart.
So let's read God's word, meditate and reflect on it, then put it into practice, all the while remembering that God is with us and will help us!
~A
p.s. shout out to my little sis who started her own blog!
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