Follow the Instructions
Scripture: Joshua 1:7-8
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."
Observations:
God's first words to Joshua as the leader of Israel instructed him to give special attention to His commands that Moses had written down for the people to follow. By following the plans God had already given to them, Joshua would ensure that the people of Israel would in fact successfully enter the Promised Land and prosper just as God had said they would. But just like the rest of God's promises, this prinicple of success was conditional upon their obedience. Knowing that their success would be determined by His people's obedience, God gave them very specific instructions about how to ensure that they would not fail at this critical point in time- "follow the directions I've already given you. Read them & study them (constantly), and then do them (constantly). That is your only hope of success."
Application:
In our world we have a virtual buffet of methods and strategies for success, many of which don't even consider God a relevent factor to begin with let alone the Bible. But if we want to succeed in life we can't afford to allow the world's definition of success to define us or influence the way we live our lives. God's definition of success is consistent obedience to His Word, but the reality is that unless we give special, focused attention to God's commands, we are a lot less likely to follow them. But thankfully, God knew that already and gave us instructions about the instructions! We can't expect to succeed in anything we do without doing it God's way, and fortunately for us, He wrote it all down. Now it's just left up to us to learn His ways (by constantly studying His Word- hint hint) and then actually doing what it says. How often do we really even look at the instructions, let alone "study" them? Is it any wonder then that we don't experience God's kind of success more often?
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word that instructs us about the best possible way to live. Give us a hunger for Your commands and a heart that desires to obey You. Help us to prioritize our lives around the study of and obedience to Your Word in everything we do. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."
Observations:
God's first words to Joshua as the leader of Israel instructed him to give special attention to His commands that Moses had written down for the people to follow. By following the plans God had already given to them, Joshua would ensure that the people of Israel would in fact successfully enter the Promised Land and prosper just as God had said they would. But just like the rest of God's promises, this prinicple of success was conditional upon their obedience. Knowing that their success would be determined by His people's obedience, God gave them very specific instructions about how to ensure that they would not fail at this critical point in time- "follow the directions I've already given you. Read them & study them (constantly), and then do them (constantly). That is your only hope of success."
Application:
In our world we have a virtual buffet of methods and strategies for success, many of which don't even consider God a relevent factor to begin with let alone the Bible. But if we want to succeed in life we can't afford to allow the world's definition of success to define us or influence the way we live our lives. God's definition of success is consistent obedience to His Word, but the reality is that unless we give special, focused attention to God's commands, we are a lot less likely to follow them. But thankfully, God knew that already and gave us instructions about the instructions! We can't expect to succeed in anything we do without doing it God's way, and fortunately for us, He wrote it all down. Now it's just left up to us to learn His ways (by constantly studying His Word- hint hint) and then actually doing what it says. How often do we really even look at the instructions, let alone "study" them? Is it any wonder then that we don't experience God's kind of success more often?
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word that instructs us about the best possible way to live. Give us a hunger for Your commands and a heart that desires to obey You. Help us to prioritize our lives around the study of and obedience to Your Word in everything we do. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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