Verse:
"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Thought:
Facing the difficulties of
life on a regular basis can certainly bring us down. Add into this the present conflict and war
abroad and you have quite the mixture and recipe for trouble. In front of us is a time of concern
possibly fear. Yet, there is a phrase found throughout scripture, as if it is a mantra of sorts,
to remind us what to do and how to respond to troubled times like this.
Hear the Good News, just as God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous, he calls us
to the same. After Moses' death, Joshua was commissioned by God to lead the people to the promised
land. The people were left without their leader and faced a time of uncertainty. There must
have been doubt and concern, yet God delivered this commission to Joshua. With the commission
came direction, responsibility and promise. First, Joshua, like us, was to understand God
teachings, meditating and studying the law, knowing it like one friend knows another. Secondly, he
was to live by this law, and realize that God would not leave His side. Through Christ we have this
same commission. We are to accept the invitation of Christ to transform our life, accept the
commission given to us to be not only Christian, but ministers according to this commission. As we
are ministers in the world, we must live the life Christ has called us to live, redeemed as well as
being redeemed, knowing that God does not and will not leave our side. Be strong and courageous.
Prayer:
Gracious God, I understand a commission has been given, and it is in fact given to me. I am to be a minister of Yours. Called to serve You in a capacity that is a reflection of the gifts You have given to me. This ministry and these gifts are easy to understand and share when things around me are going well and without conflict, but sometimes when I feel the pressure of the world and my situations closing in on me, I want to run and hide, I want to disappear. By Your grace You have called me to be strong and courageous, allow me to not only hear this call, but to accept this commission for my life. Thank You for all you have done in my life and all you will continue to do, for I come to You through Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior! Amen.