God knew that if what He said to Joshua
should make an impact in his life, it would require him to poise himself to
receive the word. Every success in any accomplishment must first begin with
one’s attitude. He helped Joshua first to look at the magnitude of the promise
that he and the people of Israel would inherit. The purpose was to enable him
to see the goal of the mission. God wanted him to envisage the plan He had for
His people. It was a land much larger than what they could ever conceive. God
was casting the vision for Joshua. Like him, we too need a life vision and
mission larger than ourselves. God wants to help us to attain a life that is
much bigger than our small thinking can conceive. Our limited thinking is,
quite frankly, often the barrier to our accomplishments in life. Remember that
every accomplishment in life is created twice. Once in the mind and in the attitude
before it can become a reality. How large a plan we hope to accomplish must
first be seen in our mind before they can be realized. So, God helped Joshua to
frame the vision before he embarked on the mission. Herein lies a principle for
success. We need to know our goal if we are to accomplish our plan.
Knowing God’s promise is just the first
step. Accomplishing it requires faith, courage, and obedience. Three times in
these four verses God told Joshua to “be bold and courageous.” Believing the
word of God requires action. It meant that he must act on his belief.
Otherwise, it is merely giving mental assent to the word. The call of God to
Joshua, as well as us, is found in the phrase “Be bold and courageous.” Being
bold is a call to trust without reservation. It is a call to have confidence in
God to fulfill what He has promised. Joshua must believe that he has the
capacity to lead the people of Israel to inherit what God had promised. He must
show the courage and have a fearless confidence in God, who had promised to be
with him. And then all that must be translated into action.
To do so successfully, Joshua was also
required to keep the instruction of God stipulated in the law of Moses. He was
to stay focused on the instruction and not be side-tracked. Verse 8
categorically prescribes what he must do. It says, “This book of the law shall not 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 success.” Like Joshua, we are also called to meditate
on the Word of God incessantly, whether by day or by night. Not only that, but
we must also be careful to act on what we have mused and then live out
God’s truth. That’s the only way to guarantee success in life.
Meditating
and acting on the Word of God is an indispensable action if we are to find
success in life. There are many ways to row a boat, but the only the way to row
successfully to shore is to row it God’s way. It is specified in His Word. Traveling
together with God in life requires that we adopt the disposition of faith,
courage, and obedience. To entertain apprehension and fear tantamount to
unbelief. Remember without faith it is impossible to please God. To please Him
we must believe that He exists and that He is the rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him.
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