Love Notes from Abby- Joshua 1:9 Putting It In Context

Transcript:

Happy Friday. My friends.

Today we are wrapping up our series on worry and anxiety, and we're going to take a little deeper dive into Joshua 1:9.

Let's look at the context of this verse to start with.

So what has just happened is Moses has just died. He had brought the people, the Israelites out of Egypt, but he was unable, because of his earlier sin (of striking the rock), to bring them into the Promised Land.

And now God has called Joshua to actually lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Three times in the first nine verses, God tells Joshua to be strong and very courageous.

Leading a group of grumbling Israelites into the Promised Land was quite the daunting task.

And so God was reminding him, time and time again, that I (God) have promised you victory. Trust me, obey me. I am with you.

That's the context of our verse, Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be Strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ”

— Joshua 1:9

So what does that mean for us? What does it look like in our lives?

I think it's very easy to pluck this verse out and then try to apply it to things that maybe it's not applicable to.

So it does not mean that if we're starting a new endeavor, that we are guaranteed success. That's not what God is promising the promise.

And Joshua 1:9 was specifically for Joshua, telling him, I have promised you that you will have success in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, but you must obey me and trust me and I am faithful.

So when we take it to today in our lives, is the promise still for us?

I think that the promise is in the principles of the verse, not the specifics.

And what do I mean by that?

My friends make fun of me because I always read the last chapter of the book, of any book that I'm reading, I read the last chapter first. I read the last chapter first so that I can enjoy the rest of the book.

I have to know how it ends.

You may be cringing or you may be celebrating right now, but that is what I do.

And what I've realized is in the book of life, in the Bible, we do know how it ends.

We win! Jesus finished it on the cross, when he bore our sins after living a sinless life and paved the way and is the bridge between us and our holy God, we win.

And I think that that is the context in which we have to apply the verse today and so the principles, the underlying principles are, when you are walking out your calling, when you are obeying God and going where He says to go, you can be strong and very courageous because He is right there with us.

As you are sharing the Gospel, as you are taking a righteous stand, as you are living out what God asks of us as Christians, you can do that boldly and confidently.

Yes, God is with us all the time. He never leaves us or forsakes, I hope that we can then be so encouraged.

My charge for you today is that I hope that you will begin praying for opportunities to share your faith boldly, that you will pray for opportunities that God would use you.

The key takeaway for today is to be strong and courageous in your obedience to God. Now, good take on your day.

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