Trust and Obey

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

TRUST AND OBEY

Josh 1:10-18

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'" 12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers 15 until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise." 16 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

NIV

Within this command of Joshua concerning the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there is a parallel that we cannot ignore. It is their response that we have our takeaway which we use today, or should apply to the way we live. They said, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, wherever you send us we will go”. Of course, this was all about taking possession of the Promised Land, the land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants. We have another Promised Land, a heavenly home, the place that Jesus has prepared for us, whatever that looks like, we know it is there and someday we will take possession of it. Well, it may not be ours in that sense, but we will take up residence in the place, so in some sense, it is taking possession. However, are we under the same condition the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh are? We know that we are saved by faith, and not by our works, lest anyone of could boast. If we could boast, that would mean we be in a competition in the church to see who can do the most good works. But we don’t need to do that for our salvation is free, by the grace of God, Jesus. Yet, at the same time, we still need to be living under the authority of our Lord, meaning we must obey His commands. Our response should always be, “Whatever you command us we will do, wherever you send us we will go”. We could go through many of the commands that we must follow such as getting rid of all those attitudes and behaviors we are told, bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander (gossip), malice deceit, hypocrisy as well as others. Then there is His new command He gives us, to love one another as He loves us, then about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and body and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We know better not to ask who are neighbor is, for we know everyone is our neighbor, even those who might despise us. However, we must always respond to our Lord, “Whatever you command we will do, wherever you send us we will go” How that looks for each believer we cannot be certain, but what we know, those commands must apply to us. Can we fully obey one hundred percent of the time? That is doubtful but that must be our goal. To trust and obey, when we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.