Dear family,
I was reminded this morning that I’ve been asking you all you memorize Joshua 22:5. I was
reminded,
because I haven’t been doing a very good job myself. I must ask forgiveness, I fell short on what I asked you to do. So for those of us who haven’t yet memorized it, let’s rise to the challenge today. That meant for me, this afternoon I wanted to be intentional to make sure I had it memorized. I also wanted to share with you the context this verse comes from.
Joshua was thanking the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh who came from the east side of the Jordan river and helped their brothers conquer the west side of the Jordan river. In verse 2 Joshua commends them for keeping all the Lord’s commands. In verse 3 he tells them they have been careful to “keep the charge of the Lord your God.” So then in verse 4 he releases them to return home to their families. And this is where we find ourselves
with
verse 5. I found it very challenging that Joshua doesn’t let them off the hook. These people have followed God, obeyed his commands, helped their brethren; but we don’t see Joshua say, good job, go home, relax, and take it easy. No, instead he starts verse 5 with “Only be very careful to observe the commandment…” He reminds them that they have been faithful, but now that the tough stuff is over, to still be careful to remain faithful. It’s easy for us to lose focus on the Lord’s commands when we have everything we need and we’re settled in peace. It’s in those moments we need to be very careful to continue to observe all that God has commanded us.
One other thing, as I was working on memorizing this afternoon, this tiny little word in verse 5 hit me. We’re told in the middle of the verse to “walk in ALL his ways.” It’s a good reminder that we don’t get to pick and choose the commands we want to obey, or when we feel like it. God expects us to walk in all of his ways. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” Psalm 128:1
Please be praying for our children as they start school this next week. AWANA is also starting up and has been a great outreach to our community. Pray for more relationships built and opportunities to point parents towards the truth.
Our church has a wonderful opportunity coming up in October. We were approved to host “Worship Night in America,” put on by Chris Tomlin. It will take place Tuesday night, October 25, but we must have enough people purchase their tickets by October 15 for the event to happen. For more info or to buy your ticket please see the link below. I’m looking forward to a great night of worship!
I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday. We will be closing out our parenting series looking at James 2. Have a wonderful weekend – Pastor Justin