Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Josh 1:8-9
8 This book of the law
shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:
for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
9 Have not I commanded
thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:
for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Most of us live more or less happily with the hope that
things will get better soon. This is the hope that keeps us more or less happy.
If you think hard about this, it is also a confession that we also live our lives more or
less un-happily! We want what Joshua was promised. We want good
success however we have a difficult time in defining it for ourselves. We are
often told by friends that we have already attained success but
we do not feel it for ourselves. There is always this constant nagging that one
day things will be better. Well, I’d like to suggest a four step plan for
achieving good success.
Find a philosophy worth following! “This book of the Law
shall not depart out of thy mouth!” Study the Bible continually! Jesus
said in John 5:39 “Search the
scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me.” Most philosophies made by the best minds leave us empty but
the Bible is worth being the foundation upon which to build a life.
Follow the philosophy diligently! Meditate in it day
and night! Read it, memorize portions of it and refer to it often throughout
the day. Measure every act and thought by its teachings. Do not stray from its
principles even when you seem confused. Trust the truths found in
them. Meditate is the word hagah (daw-gaw'); to murmur; by
implication, to ponder. The idea is
to mumble to yourself, to always be engaged in conversation with yourself
regarding these principles. Examine the color, taste and texture of every
teaching. Apply the teachings until they become habit. Practice the habits
until they become part of your nature. Then you will have good success.
Trust the Philosopher! Any good philosophy is only as good as the
philosopher who penned it. Jehovah God says in verse 9 “Have not I commanded
thee?” Joshua had just been commanded to do something he feared to do. He was
doubtful of his abilities and of the outcome. He wanted to remain in the safety
of the NOW because he was more or less happy which also meant that he was more
or less un-happy. God challenged him to move forward, to venture into the
future and to try the uncertain. It went against conventional wisdom and forced
him to engage his philosophy by trusting the Philosopher.
Enjoy His companionship! God read Joshua’s mind and told him to be
strong because Joshua felt weak. He told him to be of good courage because he
did not feel courageous. He told him not to be dismayed because Joshua felt the
burden of the task and feared failure. Then God said
something that brought the sunbeams through the dark gloom for Joshua. God said,
“I will be with you wherever you go!”
Good success! That’s what God promised. It is the Hebrew word sakal (saw-kal'); which
means to be circumspect and hence, intelligent. It means you will become
prudent and skillful. It means you will develop understanding and wisdom. You
will be able to behave wisely. I want that!
Dear Lord, thanks for
the encouragement of Scripture and the promise of your abiding presence. Help
me to not be afraid but to follow on to good success. AMEN
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