Joshua had been used of God in many remarkable ways. His faith blossomed from that of a simple testimony from a young man to that of an old man acquainted with miracles. The verses in Joshua 23:1-16 are the deathbed testimony of that old man. These are the words of advice from such a good man.
The good man offered suggestions about himself. He said do something to look back on. Many people struggle with the present life they are living. Other people struggle with their past. Another group of people, some of which may look towards the future, but there are those who dread the future. He also said to never compromise what you have because if you make a compromise on what you already have, you are giving away all that you own which could include your own identity. Also, about yourself, when being involved in a battle, consider it yours. Take possession of your obligations. Exercise your duty. Know that other people may be relying on.
The good man encourages his hearers to be reminded about God. Ironically, there are those people who forget or ignore God. They don’t take into consideration his importance in day-to-day living. They act as if he is an option. Being conscious of God is a reflection of him. Allow God in your thoughts, for your guidance. Depend on God to do his part. Assuming that we are doing our part, is a conscious decision to rely on God for his next step. There are those who find it difficult to obey all of God’s word, but that is absolutely necessary if we are going to have a righteous pathway before us. Disobeying him and his word cannot be an option, either. Picking and choosing what part of God’s word is appropriate to your life means that all of it is not part of your life. We know that God loves us. The Bible says that because he does, we love him. However, our love of God must be complete. Just like not picking and choosing parts of the Bible, we cannot have a love devotion to him that is fractured, that is selective.
The good man in our text offered warnings about life. We must acknowledge that there really is only one way to serve him, to gain access to his throne room, which requires us to be serious. The pathway we travel in life is full of potholes and logs that have fallen across our way. It is wise of us to recognize them, to deal with them as they occur. This is important because God’s blessings are on an “if” basis. He will provide good things to everyone, but to his children he wants to provide special blessings out of his love. Following this, blessings can cease. Case in point is the Israelites. They were blessed in so many ways but turned to idols that cost them dearly. God will not tolerate abuse. In fact, blessings can have their opposite in curses. God knows how to respond to our disobedience.
We might find ourselves in a bind of regrets verses accomplishments. Knowing that no one can change history. All that we have is what life is right now. The Laodicean church is a good example. In following the advice of a good man, we must also ask ourselves who is important to us. Who is consistent and how in your life. Along with that, how do you measure your own self-worth without following this advice? The bottom line is what is important to you? Are you going to take this advice or not?
Christian Writer 