Joshua
Joshua 1-3
Joshua is chosen by God to be the next leader of the Israelite people after Moses. His name in Hebrew is Yehoshua which means “Yahweh is deliverance.” God delivers on his promise to the Israelites by using Joshua to lead the people to the promised land.
Joshua has some big shoes to fill. Moses was the one who led the Israelite people out of slavery through the red sea and gave them the ten commandments. The people of Israel have been waiting to enter the promised land for 40 years. A whole generation had to die before the Lord allowed them to enter the promised land.
I can imagine that Joshua was nervous but we don't really see that. We see that God gives Joshua some reassurance in Joshua chapter 1, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”
From then we see Joshua be a man of obedience. There is a massive task at hand in taking the promised land. Joshua takes small steps of obedience and continues to listen to the Lord for his next steps.
Just like Joshua, we are called to take small steps of obedience every day. Living a life on mission for Jesus can be overwhelming when we think of the big picture. We are called to be a part of the Great Commission making disciples in our contexts.
Our role is to be obedient to the small ways that God is leading us. Joshua trusted God and God delivered on his promises. God will deliver and he wants to use us to impact the world around us. The reality is that God doesn't need our obedience to fulfill what he is going to say but he desires us to live into his design by obeying his commands.
Being obedient to God in the small ways often looks like dailiness in our faith. We are being influenced by the world on a daily basis through our technology and the people that we interact with. We should strive to be influenced by Jesus every day as well. This takes discipline and a community of people around you to encourage you.
This week I would encourage you to take a look at the ways you relate to Jesus. Some examples are reading the word, enjoying a meal with community, listening to worship music, praying to him, and so many other things. See how you could change some of those rhythms to participate daily in your relationship with Jesus.
