Joshua 3:1-4:24, Luke 14:7-35, Psalm 80:1-19, Proverbs 12:27-28
Pray: Every person yearns for significance in her or his life. We want our lives to matter. One of the hardest things to do in life is to come in second place. It has been noted that a Silver medalist has a much more difficult time after the Olympic games than the Bronze medalist. Why? It’s hard to come in second. To think you could have been Gold except for…..you fill in the blanks. Not fast enough, not strong enough, not disciplined enough, not quick enough off the start. Joshua could have spent most of his life feeling like he was second place behind Moses but God had another plan. Ask God for divine favor to see if part of your story intersects Joshua’s story today. Seek God’s insight for you today as you read the text.
Read: How do you see God’s greater purpose accomplished today in His elevating Joshua as a leader on the same caliber as Moses? Notice what the Lord says to Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.” Who made Joshua a great leader? Yes, Joshua’s character is vital, his commitment to God is essential in leading others, but it was God who made Joshua a great leader. The crossing of the Jordan River with the ark mirrored the Hebrews crossing the Red Sea. God has the power to back up the mighty flow of a river in order to accomplish His purpose through you. Do we believe this about God?
Edify: Many people will drive around looking for a parking space close to the front of the mall or a retail store. I’ve seen people shove to get ahead in lines at ball games and I’ve seen others cut people off in traffic to get ahead one or two car lengths. Why do we insist on being first or sitting in places of honor? Jesus says to watch out, for if you choose to sit in the place of honor the host may ask you to take another seat farther away from the distinguished place of honor. The real kicker is when Jesus says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” vs. 11 Better that you and I go first rather than having to be humbled by God or circumstances later in life.
Practice: Grace is free, but discipleship will cost you! There is nothing you and I can do to earn the salvation that God freely gives through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is a true unconditional gift from God. However, your response to God’s unconditional love is your gift back to God. You and I can choose to accept this indescribable gift of mercy and love or we can reject it. If we choose to accept His grace then our lives are filled with gratitude and awe. The next right thing to do is to practice obedience. We must be willing to leave our father, our mother and our surroundings to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Abraham was called “a friend of God”. Why? Simple, he and Sarah left everything, their familiar surroundings, and went in the direction that God showed them as they did not know ahead of time where they were going. This is called faith—trusting in God. What is God calling you to do right now but fear is keeping you from practicing faith? The fear of being rejected by others, the fear of failure, the fear of insecurity and not having enough. What if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you do for God out of faith?
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