"Doing what we are TOLD!"

“As the LORD had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses had commanded Joshua. And Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the LORD had given to Moses.” ~Joshua 11:15 NLT

This morning as I read through this section of the Bible where many of the battles for the Promised Land are recorded I was struck by one little phrase in verse 15:

“And Joshua did as he was told…”

In this simple verse we see the passing down of leadership principles and God’s initiatives from one generation to the next. But what makes this such an important verse for us today is Joshua’s example.

Joshua, one of the two remaining spies, a desert wanderer, and a nomad not of his own choosing was given the leadership of the Israelites who were some one million strong in population by the time they ended there 40 years of wandering.

The Bible records for us the words of God given to him after his appointment as the new leader shortly after the death of his predecessor:

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:6-10 NLT

These words spoken by someone who had to be given his own pep-talk from God as he was chosen to lead the people out of Egypt could easily have been heard and not lived. But just in case Joshua chose simply to not heed the words of Moses, God himself in the passage above entered the picture ahead of the conquest of the Promised Land with His own reminder.

BUT here’s the thing!

Even when we hear from God and we are TOLD what we need to do the problem with humanity (a problem that goes right back to the Garden of Eden) is the same thing cannot be said of us and it was of Joshua in chapter 11 of the book that bears his name!

The reality is we are a stubborn, self-focused, and often do not like to be told what to do at all! And this is not just a childhood issue this is a problem that plagues probably more adults than it does the younger generations!

Time and time again I see people who “KNOW” what they should be doing, and who even confess that they know the right thing to do… who simply choose to not do it! Honestly it is simply crazy to me (although I have also been there done that one) that we would disobey God, when all He truly wants for us is to walk in right relationship with him, both on this planet and for eternity!

So, here’s the deal!

I don’t know where it is in your world that you need to make a U-turn back to obedience! That is between you and God! But here’s what I know and that is simply this…

“Isn’t it time to give up doing life for yourself and simply return to doing what you have been told?”

I know for Joshua, his obedience to simply do what God told him time and time again proved to be a pretty successful strategy for his lifetime! He decided early on as he looked over the massive people gathered on the plains of Moab to simply “DO as he was TOLD!” It is a strategy for a successful and prosperous life before God and “IF” it was good enough for Joshua, I think it might be good enough for me to!

Learning to obey each and every day…

Rev Trev