Joshua 1:6-9
Be strong and courageous,
because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their
ancestors to give them. Be strong and very
courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn
from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you
go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your
lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything
written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have
I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with
you wherever you go.
To boil it down:
Be strong and courageous- Lead.
Be strong and courageous- Stay focused.
Be strong and courageous- Do what is
written in God’s word.
Be strong and courageous- Know that God is
with us.
If you reverse the order of the above
sentences, you could read the passage to say that to lead, to stay focused, to
act in accordance with God’s word and to know that God is with us requires
strength and courage.
Strength and courage aren’t always what
they seem. Sometimes it takes incredible
strength to be weak. Sometimes it takes
courage to acknowledge discouragement, fears and failings. Courage has been said to be not the absence
of fear, but choosing to not let fear and discouragement define our actions or
identity.
In my work at Redeemer I have the sacred
privilege of walking with people who wrestle these verses down in powerful
ways, choosing against adversity to hang onto them. I also work with people that guide me back to
these verses whenever I lean away from them.
It is God’s gift of the spirit to send us strength and courage when we
need it, sometimes in surprising ways.
May we open to God’s many gifts.
Each one of us has accepted the role of
being here at Redeemer with all the burdens and joys that that includes. Each one of us has a calling to contribute a
unique gift to the community here and beyond.
Let not one of us sidestep that.
Let none of us fear that we don’t have something to offer- or if we do
fear it, remember not to let that define us.
God knows our fears. God knows what
holds us back from the abundant life that is offered to us in faith. By God’s grace, even today let us work
together in strength and courage to lead, to stay focused, to do what is
written in God’s word and to grow in the knowledge that God is with us, awakening
to the reality that it is God who holds all things together.
Let us challenge each other with these
verses from Joshua, pray them for each other this week and see how God will
answer our prayers.
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