Moment With The Master
“Victory and Love”
Categories: Moment With The Master“One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.” (Joshua 23:10,11)
Joshua, the great leader of Israel, is addressing the nation. The mission has been accomplished, and Canaan has been conquered. Before retiring, Joshua delivers his final charge to the nation. It is full of encouragement, warnings about the future, and reminders of the past.
God has already delivered the enemy into their hands, and he will continue to do so. Even today God's people have adversaries, but victory is assured. Even when it looks like the odds are against us, God is by our side fighting for us. He strengthens us through prayer, and directs us with his marvelous word.
Connected with this promise, is an admonition: “take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God”. A perfect love of God involves a strong relationship with him. It is manifested in our delight of his law, our implicit trust, our yielding obedience, and our longing for his presence.
Why would Israel need such a reminder? Simple. Israel's past was not always pretty. Through the wilderness wanderings there was a yearning to go back to Egypt. Throughout their journey there were times when Israel lapsed into licentiousness and idolatry. It is still easy for God’s people to look back and be tempted by their past sinful life. Thus, we need to “take heed”!
In addition to the past influences there are current challenges. There are times when God’s demands seem unreasonable and painful. We live in a world where our peers are self-serving. These temptations may blind us from the heavenly vision.
But scripture encourages us to devise a plan and press on. Too much is at stake if we fail. God could withdraw his help, and we could miss the home God has prepared for us. Thus, we must frequently meditate on God's wonderful character, and the blessings that he offers.
God is still calling his people to be a holy people, separate from the world. He promises them victory over the enemy and finally a marvelous inheritance. Therefore, we must “take heed”.
By George Slover
