Joshua called the Israelites to remind them of all God had done for them in giving them rest from their enemies and dividing the promised land among their tribes. He urged them to have courage and be faithful to fully obey all that is written in God's law, without turning to the right or left, as God would continue to fight for them and drive out the remaining nations as they took possession of the land. Living the faithful life God calls them to requires courage to obey His word in every situation and trust that He will provide for all their needs.
2. Joshua 23 1 And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:
3. Joshua called and they came to him . They were no doubt, busy with affairs at home, But they came .
4. They didn't send any "can't make it" letters. They dropped whatever they were doing, And they came . God's Voice came to them through Joshua. He was God's spokesman . He was better than E.F. Hutton
5. We must learn to differentiate between the temporal things of this life, And the eternal things of God. 2 Corinthians 4 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Those things we see and strive for are all going to melt one day with a fervent heat. Our relationship with God and with His children are the only eternal things.
6. Too often we sacrifice the important upon the altar of the urgent . We fail to do those things God would have us do, While we are taking care of worldly business . We do have to live in this world, but God must come first .
7. 3 And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is He that hath fought for you. We need to be reminded and remember All that God has done in us, for us, and through us. God has been faithful to us; We must be faithful unto God.
8. 4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. 5 And the Lord your God, He shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath promised unto you. God had given them a land prepared for them, He had defeated every enemy they had faced;
9. And He would drive out the rest, as they possessed the land. But they had to have the courage and the will to follow through and possess all of the land. Too often God's children get satisfied with less than God's best . We get distracted by the world: its pleasures, its comforts, its riches, or its cares.
10. 6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; God said, "I have taken care of you until now; have the courage to trust Me from now on." To trust God is to do all things His Way. Do everything He says to do, without fail. Do nothing He says not to do.
11. It does require courage to obey God; The walk of faith is a courageous walk. Matthew 5 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. It takes more courage to turn the other cheek than it does to fight -- or run .
12. Matthew 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. The natural fear: "I'll end up being used and have nothing left."
13. Ephesians 5 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. "I can't trust my husband." He will make poor decisions. It's not a matter of trusting your husband. Do you trust God enough to honor His Word.
14. Ephesians 5 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; Colossians 3 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. A man has to trust the Lord enough to give him-self for his wife; to never be bitter against her. To be her provider, doing always what is best . To be strong enough to lead in God's Path. A husband is responsible unto God to know and do God's Will for his family. We can't just go along to get along.
15. 1 Corinthians 16 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him… 2 Corinthians 9 6-8 But this I say , He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver . And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all suffi-ciency in all things , may abound to every good work:
16. We must have the courage to believe that God will supply all our need according to His riches. Only then can we live as generous people. Only then can we pay our tithes without fretting that we won't have enough left to live on. It takes the courage of faith to give to needy people when we have abundance. "What if I need it later!"
17. It takes courage to believe and obey all the Scriptures. The Walk of Faith is a courageous walk. 6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;