Joshua 23:11 "Take good heed therefore
unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God."
Joshua's life is coming to an end. He has been a faithful warrior unto the Lord and a blessed leader of Israel. His last days are spent with the elders of the tribes of Israel. In all that he says to them, today's text may be the most important words imparted to the people. "Love the LORD your God."
Doesn't that come as an automatic thing? Wouldn't it be understood that the people would love God. He has done so much for them. He released them from the bondage of Egypt. He miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea. He gave them water from a rock. Bread was sent from heaven. The flooded Jordan River was congealed in order for them to cross into the Promised Land. God brought down the walls of Jericho without the people touching them. Many many wonderful things had been accomplished by the Lord on behalf of the people. Why would they have to be reminded to "love the LORD your God"?
The problem is not in God changing; rather, the problem always lies in humanity. That is why Joshua began this statement with, "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves." I have no doubt that if we all examine ourselves, we would be able to look back and realize there have been times when we have not taken good heed unto ourselves. Our adversary, Satan, is always placing stumblingblocks in our paths. He is constantly seeking ways in which he can make us fall away from fellowship with the Lord. He knows how to make things "flashy and brilliant" in our eyes. We are human. Things capture our attention and in so doing, our minds begin to wander. It is easy to not pay attention to our minds. It can become habit forming that our minds are fed with things of the world instead of things of God. It is easy to neglect those things which matter the most.
"Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God." How can we "take good heed unto ourselves"? The paragraph above which states even some of the things the Lord did for Israel is a good way in which to take good heed even unto ourselves today. By reminding ourselves of the manifold blessings of God, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By having a daily Bible reading plan, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By reinvigorating our prayer life, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By seeking friends who are spiritually minded, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By actively participating in public worship, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. The more we remind ourselves of the goodness of our Lord, the more we understand our love for Him.
I sit here this morning and ask myself, "How is it with me?" How can I better take good heed unto myself? How can I better love my Lord? How can I be an encouragement to others? I want to take good heed unto myself and love the LORD my God.
Joshua's life is coming to an end. He has been a faithful warrior unto the Lord and a blessed leader of Israel. His last days are spent with the elders of the tribes of Israel. In all that he says to them, today's text may be the most important words imparted to the people. "Love the LORD your God."
Doesn't that come as an automatic thing? Wouldn't it be understood that the people would love God. He has done so much for them. He released them from the bondage of Egypt. He miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea. He gave them water from a rock. Bread was sent from heaven. The flooded Jordan River was congealed in order for them to cross into the Promised Land. God brought down the walls of Jericho without the people touching them. Many many wonderful things had been accomplished by the Lord on behalf of the people. Why would they have to be reminded to "love the LORD your God"?
The problem is not in God changing; rather, the problem always lies in humanity. That is why Joshua began this statement with, "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves." I have no doubt that if we all examine ourselves, we would be able to look back and realize there have been times when we have not taken good heed unto ourselves. Our adversary, Satan, is always placing stumblingblocks in our paths. He is constantly seeking ways in which he can make us fall away from fellowship with the Lord. He knows how to make things "flashy and brilliant" in our eyes. We are human. Things capture our attention and in so doing, our minds begin to wander. It is easy to not pay attention to our minds. It can become habit forming that our minds are fed with things of the world instead of things of God. It is easy to neglect those things which matter the most.
"Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God." How can we "take good heed unto ourselves"? The paragraph above which states even some of the things the Lord did for Israel is a good way in which to take good heed even unto ourselves today. By reminding ourselves of the manifold blessings of God, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By having a daily Bible reading plan, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By reinvigorating our prayer life, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By seeking friends who are spiritually minded, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. By actively participating in public worship, we are taking good heed unto ourselves. The more we remind ourselves of the goodness of our Lord, the more we understand our love for Him.
I sit here this morning and ask myself, "How is it with me?" How can I better take good heed unto myself? How can I better love my Lord? How can I be an encouragement to others? I want to take good heed unto myself and love the LORD my God.