No one is fearless, so we all need our Savior. Joshua followed every command of God; it is the key to his success and victory, and it is also what we need to learn from him.
Anyone who thinks that he/she has done enough, or that there are always someone who has done less, he/she should think about what Jesus said; “what is that to you? You must follow me.” We cannot force others to follow Jesus, or to do more for God, but we have to remember that we all must answer to God in the future.
In Joshua 1:1, God spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun and Moses’ servant, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise.”
God told Joshua that the land had been given to them. God wanted them to be strong and courageous and go in to possess the land. After God had spoken to him, Joshua did not wait for a very long time to take actions. He waited only for three day in order to build up a consensus.
Every spring, the snow on Mount Hermon would melt, widening the Jordan River to 1 kilometer. Jordan River is not still water, it flows 10 km/hour from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. When you know the geography of this place, you would know how difficult the task of the Israelis was. Joshua were not strangers to miracles; he had seen the Red Sea separated in front of him. However, the other Israelis were not familiar with miracles. When God says, “I will be with you,” many people would still be afraid, that is why we need trainings, practices, and examples for us to learn from.
God always lead us ahead. The Israelis were 2000 cubits behind the Ark of the Covenant, so everyone can see it from afar. The four priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant were the bravest of them. When they step into the water, the river was stopped; it rose up in one heap, 30 km away at Adam. Not only the Israelis saw it, but also the people in Canaan.
God only told Joshua to be strong and courageous. So we know that leaders must take up responsibilities, and the others must love each other. That is, we need to Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength. We must all fulfill our roles in order to complete our task which is to go and make disciples of all nations.
God uses every one of us. No one is unusable for God, but we cannot be usable just by saying so ourselves. We need to be obedient to, and be equipped by God. We do not serve after we are fully equipped, but we are being equipped as we serve. Our life and knowledge will grow as we serve.
Jordan River so fiercely flowing in front of Joshua, but the Israelis can cross it as if walking on dry land because of their faith. May God help us to receive visions from Him. May we not only listen to the words of God, but also do as He commands so that we can all influence others with our lives wherever we go.
God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. So we must all go to win over one more soul for the Lord.
