Remember Your Commitment

"To the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 'Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, "The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land." Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them, until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.' They answered Joshua, saying, 'All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you as He was with Moses.'" -Joshua 1.12-17

The time has come, and Joshua is preparing the people to cross the Jordan. As he does he calls the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to remember the commitment they made to Moses. They have been given their share of the inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, under the condition that they not settle until they have helped the other tribes claim their inheritance.

Moses is gone, and the new leader is not who they made their commitment to. They could easily have decided to stay put on the east side and begin settling. But that isn't what we see. They tell Joshua that they will do what he commands and go wherever he sends them. They tell him that he will be obeyed just as Moses was, and ask that God will be with Joshua as He was with Moses.

When a leadership change happens it can be easy to go back on a commitment that has been made. The new leadership wasn't there when the commitment was made, but for the man of God, the commitment is not made to men. With these three tribes, God allowed them to settle east of the Jordan with the promise to help take the land. Their commitment was made to God, and that commitment must be kept.

Men, do you honor the commitments that you have made? When the time comes to honor your commitment what do you do? Are you a man of honor whose word is good? Or do you simply say what needs to be said in the moment to advance yourself?

Let us be men who not only remember our commitments, but follow through on them. Let our word be good and trustworthy. Let us be men who can be counted on.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

God's Command

"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1.6-9

Before Moses died he charged Joshua to be strong and courageous (Deuteronomy 31), and here God is speaking to Joshua giving him the same command. Joshua is about to lead the people into the land that was promised to Abraham, to do so he must be strong. He must be resolute and determined. This is no easy task that he is about to undertake. The road ahead is full of battle and peril. Joshua must be strong and persevere to the end. He must be courageous. He needs to be bold as he leads the fighting. The Promised Land is not going to be taken sitting down, it will only happen after battles have been won, so as the leader he needs to have extreme courage.

But there is more to leadership than simply heading up the charge. He must be committed to God, steadfast in his faith, refusing to waver for any reason. He is to constantly teach and proclaim the law, and meditate on it day and night. He is to deeply contemplate and reflect upon the words of God so that he can carefully observe them and model them for the people.

God's final command to Joshua here is again to be strong and courageous. There is no need for fear or discouragement because God is with him wherever he goes.

Men, do you meditate on the word of God, and proclaim it in word and action? Do you choose strength and courage? Remember fear is a choice, as is being discouraged. Let us focus on God, always knowing that He is with us, and the closer we get to Him the closer He will draw to us.

Let us be strong. Let us be resolute and determined to endure through the hardships we face on the road to claiming God's promise. Let us be courageous. Let us be bold, rejecting fear, and move forward to victory. God is with us wherever we go, let us live like that is true.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

God's Promise

"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." -Joshua 1.5

As Joshua prepares to lead the people he isn't doing it alone. God has called him into leadership, and God will be with him. No army will stand before him because God is leading them. And we see the promise that God will be with Joshua just as he was with Moses. He will not fail him or forsake him.

If you look back to Exodus 33 when Moses left the tent of meeting, Joshua would remain. He spent time with God before he was a leader, and so God was able to be with Him as a leader. God's promise of His presence and victory can be given to Joshua because Joshua has invested time in drawing close to God and learned to communicate with Him.

Men, is God promising His presence in your life? Are you seeking His face and learning to communicate with Him? God wants to be with you, and if He is, He will not fail you or forsake you. That is His promise.

Let us live a life that seeks His presence as Joshua did. Let us embrace the courage that God calls us to, and live in His presence and promise.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Taking the Lead

"Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.'" -Joshua 1.1-4

The time has come for Joshua to take on the leadership of Israel. Moses has fulfilled his role and God has taken him. Now God instructs Joshua to rise up and lead the people into their inheritance. What must have been going through his mind at this moment?

I remember when I took my first role as a lead pastor. I did not have the pressure of following in the footsteps of Moses, but at the time I was only 24, and stepping into a congregation that was made up mostly of people my grandparent's age. At first their was excitement about finally being able to do what I was called to do, and I thought it would be the first step in a bright future. Then there was the uncertainty. Having never done this before, not having a full grasp on everything that I would need to do, made me hesitant to even look for a position like this. And then there was my second Sunday on the job. I was called to the hospital to be with a family who didn't know if a husband, father, and grandfather was going to make it through the night. It was an overwhelming moment and I'll admit that I broke down and cried privately.

I was only responsible for a group of about forty, not over a million. I didn't have to follow the greatest leader Israel had ever known. But God had called me to lead, and to an extent I think I can relate to Joshua.

I'm sure there was some excitement, the time had come to enter the land, and he would get to lead the people forward. I'm sure he felt uncertain about leading such a multitude of people, following such a great leader. I'm sure the must have been a moment when he broke down in an overwhelming moment. But Joshua took the lead. He didn't rush forward in excitement, he waited for God. He didn't shrink back because of the unknown, or flee because of how big the job was. He listened to God, and moved forward.

Men, what happens when we are called to take the lead? Do we jump in with both feet out of sheer excitement, not pausing to consider the best course of action or even survey the situation? Do we look at the task at hand where we look at how inadequate we are either because of the job or the shoes we'll have to fill, and hide from the call? Do we look at the difficulty and simply run away, refusing to play the part God has called us to because it is too hard? Or do we wait for God to speak, trust Him, and move forward taking the lead by following Him?

God has created men to lead, and calls each of us to some form of leadership. Let us be men who patiently, and humbly take the lead. Let us not be too excited that we fail to count the cost. Let us not be afraid and refuse to act. Let us not be overwhelmed and run away. Let us trust God, depend on God, and take the lead.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor