“Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them.” Joshua 23:13 ESV
Something big just about always starts as something small. A Sequoia redwood seed is the size of a small sunflower seed, nestling easily into the human palm. Yet after 500 years of earthly nourishment, it can tower as high as 27 stories (270 feet) above the earthly surface in which it was originally planted. A newborn African elephant weighs about 200 pounds but after its average life span of 70 years, it can tip the scales at a whopping 14,000 pounds. And in something that starts big yet gets even bigger, a Blue Whale calf births at around 5,000 pounds but goes on to grow to a staggering 330,000 pounds, possessing a tongue that weighs as much as the adult elephant mentioned above. And as we mention the idea of small things only getting bigger, we come across the same principle mentioned in the Word of God, but not in a good way. The world and its evil snares seek to lure us away with small temptations that will eventually grow into towering mature beasts intent with one singular goal…to pull us away from the truth of Jesus Christ.
As I near the end of studying through the Old Testament book of Joshua, I find him issuing his final words before God takes him to heaven. And folks, a man’s last words usually carry the emphasis and wisdom of the entire life. A rich culmination of skinned knees remembered and the hard lessons that resulted from each of them. And usually, those last words are given to guide the next generation in a path that will avoid those same pitfalls and pain. And so it is with the brave warrior and leader Joshua as he delivers a powerful one two punch of what he sees as the crux and foundation of living a holy Godly life…know, do, and keep the Word of God…and don’t fall in love with the world.
For those of you that know me or know my 5 Minute Challenge ministry (the5MC.com), you know my love and passion for the Word of God. The Word of God is a miracle that God has gifted us as His children to teach us, guide us, protect us, correct us, and train us up for the work He has created for each of us. Just think of it as a father that leaves a video to his unborn son to remind him of the powerful fact that he loves him ever so deeply and wants him to have the best, most joyous life possible. Folks, that is the Word of God. God spoke, collected, issued, and then has been protecting His Words from the ravages of mankind for over 3,500 years. All so that we could open the nearest Bible and glean from His very Words. Yes, it is true, the Word of God is an anvil that has worn out many a hammer…yet it remains.
But of course, the only thing that matters is what you do with the Word of God. Here Joshua, as he is about to die, gathers the most powerful imagery he can attain and compares our walking path in this life with the Word of God. You see, this life is indeed a long path. One that no one fully knows except the One that creates and manages it. Our job? To stay in the Word, do and keep what it instructs us, and to not be distracted with what lay on either side us as we walk in this world. Yet this is exactly where we can make the Christian life, at times, compromisingly complicated.
As we walk the straight and narrow of God’s path and are tempted to window shop the wares of the world that lines our path, we can (and will) be pulled off our intended course. Joshua is warning the Israelites that if they do shop the wares of this world, it will pull them into intermarrying with the peoples of Canaan, adopting their false gods, worshipping them, giving their attention to them, and before you know it, they are not only well off the straight path, but can’t even see it anymore. And folks, sadly, this is the cyclical history of the Israelite nation all the way up to the point that their shameless coveting of the world leads God to send them into Babylonian slavery. Yes, something small always becomes something big.
Today, I encourage you to simply slow down your hectic, rushed, busy life, stand still, and look at your feet. What path are they on? Are you walking in the Word of God, doing and keeping the Words that afford you a straight path through this crooked and complicated world? Or are you toying with what the world promises will bring you what you seek? Wealth, power, prestige, material goods, self-importance, luxury, convenience, and comfort are all snares of this world that entrap. And satan, who currently controls this world (1 John 5:19), will use any or all of these, loudly calling out to you from the sides of the Godly path and tell you it’s ok to partake of them. Just to take a little taste and see how good you are, how hard you work, and how much you deserve the praise, the recognition, and more money to buy all the things you deserve. But folks, God knows better. Joshua knew better. And Solomon, the son of king David, the wisest man that has ever lived, (1 Kings 3:12) knew better when he penned these Holy Spirit-inspired and life-learned proverbial words…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Today resist the urge to love the world and the idols and false gods it proffers and instead choose to love the straight path your Lord has created just for you. Any other path you are on will only lead in one direction…away from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessings to you, if you are reading this you are being prayed for ~ Dan
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 ESV
“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” James 4:4 NLT
Comments