“6. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; 7. That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves to them: 8. But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.”
Israel has accomplished some great battles under the leadership of Joshua, but more importantly through the power of God. Israel has inherited much of the land God promised, but as Joshua becomes older in age he gives guidance that following the Word of God(law of Moses) and courage is still necessary to complete the mission and inherit the rest of the land. Verse 7 also gives clarity not to walk with or join in with the ungodly nations. The day a soul accepts Christ, there is a great victory that is won, but there are still battles ahead. It will take courage to continue moving forward and conquering every battle of life. There are only two paths in the Christian walk, either growing or dying. What path are you on today? Verse 6 of the context is the most important part of today’s devotion; “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses,….” Its easy to think that keeping sin out of your life will cause you to live a victorious life. Keeping sin out is a great thing to do, but that wont necessarily cause you to grow in the Lord. For example the law tells us in Exodus 20 that lying is a law that we should desire not to break, also taking God’s name in vain, stealing, coveting, etc. Its easy to think that if you don’t smoke, and don’t drink, and don’t curse, and go to church on Sunday you will live a very successful life as a Christian. Our relationship with God is not defined by the things that we don’t do, but is by the things that we do. Lets say your hunting buddy has been a friend for a long time. Over the course of your life he has noticed that you go to church on Sunday, you don’t hang at the bars with others, and your language is cleaner than any other friend he has had. You could be a good honest friend trying to keep God’s law in every thing you do, but the truth is, if you never tell him about Jesus Christ he will die and go to hell. Today as a Christian you may be keeping the law, but the bigger question is; Are you doing the law? Mark 12:30 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” If you don’t tell your friends and family about Jesus Christ, how are they ever going to know they have to be saved to have true victory? You don’t have to be mean or harsh about it, just ask God to give you the courage and wisdom to share the gospel with them. God wants us to live a holy life, He wants us to keep the law and not allow sin in, but more importantly He wants us to do the law. If your not giving the Lord your all, your probably not growing and your surely not doing. Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” The word go is an action of moving, going from one place to another. Are you putting your best foot forward? Are you doing? Are you filling the church pew or are you worshipping the King of kings and the Lords of lords? Keeping the law is necessary, but doing the law is what strengthens your walk with Christ! Where is your heart today?
Memory Verse Week 10/1/18
Joshua 23:6
“Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;”
