Prepare: As you follow the story of Joshua today, ask God to give you insight into the mind of a man whose desire was to share God’s love with those who had never heard. A challenging reminder Time has passed; God has driven out the tribes who opposed Israel (v 9) and the land has been blessed with peace (v 1). We are gathered at the feet of Joshua, an old and revered leader of God’s people (v 1), to hear a challenging reminder of the nature of God’s love. Although God had been working out his plan before their eyes (v 3) and in their generation, there was a danger that ‘might’ could become ‘right’ and that the children of Israel might forget and mistake God’s providence for human endeavour. Hold tight Joshua knew that although he had the privilege to lead the assault (v 4) it was through God’s strength alone that victory had been achieved (v 3). Because God knew of the dangers which lay in religious contamination (v 7), he demanded their obedience to his laws (v 6) and faith in his promises (v 5). God alone can save, God alone is holy. The Israelites were to ‘hold tight’ to God (v 8, The Message) because he first loved them. Like the Israelites before us, we too need to ‘be careful to love the LORD [our] God’ (v 11). Respond: We are co-workers with God in Christ – a challenge as well as a privilege. Ask God what he wants you to do to display his love to the world. wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-06-13
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:52:34 +0000
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