The most important lesson we can learn from Joshua 1 is about God’s promise. After Moses died, The Lord spoke to Moses’s helper, Joshua, and gave him a promise. God then taught Joshua the way to make his way prosperous and to achieve success. After receiving God’s promises, people have to take actions in order acquire blessings. No action, no blessing. In Exodus, God had promised the Israelis the land of Canaan, but if they did not cross the Jordan River, they wouldn’t have entered the Promised Land. God has a plan for everyone, but God cannot lead people to the success arranged for them if they do not follow His lead. If God is a director, will we be a good actor and honor God’s plan?
Faith without any action is dead. We need a team so that we can help each other. We also need God’s words to strengthen ourselves. That is why we have to read the Bible, to pray, and to attend group meetings and church services; all these are for one purpose only－to keep us persistent in our actions.
Paul said that we are the limbs of the church; that is, we are the hands of the church. If a hand is malfunctioned, it cannot accomplish anything. Christians have been through many hardships, persecutions, and many other difficult situations, but many people in different churches persisted in their actions, and they have not been defeated by the circumstances. Many disciples in Acts, such as Paul and Peter, set up very good examples for us.
When God gives us a promise, we will see the miracle of God if we just follow God’s command. Some people may ask, “Why can’t I see miracle?” It is because those people haven’t taken any action! Although God promised that when a member of a family is saved, all other members will be saved, but if we do not take action, this promise would not be realized. God needs man to be the vessels, and vessels need to be filled by God in order to carry out their functions fully. Moses was a vessel of God, Joshua was a vessel of God, and now it is your turn to be the vessel of God!
What Joshua 1 shows us is that miracles come after our actions. After giving His promise, God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and to meditate the law of God both day and night and to observe it. When we take actions, sometimes we may be weak, and we need the words of God to strengthen ourselves.
We must trust God at the first place. We have to believe that God will provide us with everything we need. When we follow God, He will solve all our problems for us. If you always focus on your difficulties and your complaints, and if you stop reading the Bible or going to group meetings or church services, you would not be able to fulfill God’s plan for you. It would be your lost! When you do God’s work, your problems become God’s problems, and He will take care of everything. God will carry the burden for you.
