Taking The First Step Series

I talked to a couple people this week who told me that they’ve drifted away from Bible reading. I think most people who stop reading Scripture don’t do so intentionally, they just lack a plan. May I encourage you to read the Book of Joshua this month? When you’re finished then read the Book of Judges and continue on through Esther. Let me give you a goal that may stick with you: “Take 11 in ‘07.” If you aim to read eleven minutes a day in ’07, God’s Word will become dearer and clearer to you. We also have a one-year Bible Reading Plan available at the Welcome Center. This would be a good time to make a commitment to attend an adult IMPACT class on Sunday mornings, to join the monthly men’s breakfasts for a study in Galatians, or one of the Women’s Bible Studies. When the new Dive Deep schedule comes out, pick a class or two and commit to attend.

4. Practice the presence of God. Don’t you love the fact that God is always with us? Joshua needed the assurance that God was now going to be with him, just like He was with Moses. Look at Joshua 1:5: “…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The Hebrew reads like this: “I will never make you sink; I will never drop you.” In Exodus 33:14, God says: “My Presence will go with you…” Friends, this same promise is given to believers today in Hebrews 13:5: “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

This reminds me of the 4-year-old who was trying to recite the Lord’s Prayer. One Sunday he prayed in a loud voice during Sunday School: “Our Father, who art in Heaven, I know you know my name.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, do you have the confidence that God knows your name and is with you right now? Some of us struggle when we can’t feel Him nearby but it is at those times that we must claim this truth.

5. Worship while waiting. In Joshua 1:11, we read: “…Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land…” In 3:5 they are told to worship and “consecrate” themselves. This word suggests separation but interestingly, it also means “shining.” When we give ourselves fully to the Lord we’re separated from selfish desires and we end up shining to those around us. Sanctification must come before service because being right with God is our ultimate priority. While they are worshipping, they must wait for the third day. It’s common for God to ask His people to wait patiently and some of you have been waiting for a long time. As they waited, they had a growing awareness of the human impossibility of what God was calling them to do. The river wasn’t getting any lower or slower. They knew there were “giants” on the other side and they probably started feeling like grasshoppers again.

A three-day waiting period is common in Scripture.

Joshua 3:2 “After three days the officers went through the camp…”

Exodus 19:11 “Be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down.”

Esther 4:16 “When this is done [three days] I will go into the king.”