Being Careful To Do

Nov. 8

Read: Joshua 1:1-9

Being Careful To Do

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” - God to Joshua (V.7)

Strength and courage must travel with obedience. The strongest and most courageous follower of Christ is ineffective without obedience to the direction of the Lord.  God was not telling Joshua something that was inconsequential… He was not instruction Joshua with pointless tasks or meaningless endeavors. To lead the people of God, Joshua needed strength, courage, AND obedience to the Lord’s direction.

I know that we do not earn our salvation from our works. I know that in Christ we have a different “law” or covenant that we function under and are not bound by the same law that Joshua was bound by. I know John 15:5 where Jesus says we can “do nothing apart from him” - I am not implying that we can do good apart from Christ. None of these caveats change one bit the reality that obedience is important and believing trust and loyalty to God is what matters most. I understand that we will make mistakes as Christ followers. I understand that sanctification is a process. It just seems that these sorts of objections can distract us from the truth that God is sharing with us as his people.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Cf. Rom. 8, Psalm 139) This is not some framework to get God to love us more… but it is a biblical truth regarding how we are called to function in this world. The Lord is calling a people who will courageously and with strength live lives of action and obedience to him. He is speaking to us as guiding us as his people through his written word, his Spirit, and his people. The Lord knew that it would be crucial for Joshua to pay attention to and obey the words that the Lord had given to him. Look at what he tells him again in verse 8:

“Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Our law as Christians is the law of the Lord that has been written on our hearts by God. Our law is the new law of the new covenant - given by Christ. Although we do not fixate on the same “book of the law” that Joshua - the principle remains. The “book of the law” for Joshua was the instruction that he received from the Lord. We look to our instruction that comes from the Lord in the same way… we listen to the voice of the Lord as he speaks to us today and think on what he says to us. We do not stop talking about what God is doing… or what he has called us to - this is our “book of the law” and it should never “depart from our mouth”. But all the meditation, thought, and discussion in the world cannot take the place of actually DOING.

God tells Joshua to “be careful to do everything that is written in it…” (v.8) God is asking us to be careful to actually DO the things he is leading us into… what he is calling us into in Christ! “Doing” does indeed matter… and we can only “do” via Christ in us! It is Christ in us that fuels us todays as Christ followers. It is Christ in us that is working and moving… he is the one we “abide in”.  (John 15) God does not seem afraid to speak of “prosperity” or “success” in relation to Joshua’s following his instructions. (V.7,8) This is the truth, without the courage, strength, and obedience that comes from the Lord, we will not enter into the “promised land” that the Lord has for us… the fullness of life that has been given to us in Christ Jesus. Our loving Heavenly Father is guiding us into LIFE and fullness in him. May we be strong enough and brave enough to obey! Love you guys. - JDP