Good Advice

Josh 22:5 "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Joshua was giving the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh a pep talk before they left the other tribes and went to possess the land that they had been given on the other side of the Jordan. They had been faithful in helping the other tribes fight their battles in order to possess the promised land. Now they were being released to go back and inhabit the property that God gave them. The pep talk…the final words…the charge, here it is: Be careful to obey God's word. Love God. Walk in His ways. Obey His commands. Hold on to Him. Serve Him with all that you are.

Not bad advice. In fact it is advice that we should still listen to now.

To take careful heed actually means take exceedingly much observance of God's word. Sometimes I wonder if we do that? Those of us who say that we are believers, that we are part of the family of God, that we are Christians…are we diligent to pay attention to the word of God? Or do we yawn? Do we go to church and listen to the preacher preach and find fault in what he says, or do we go out of obligation, or do we hear but don't really listen? I mean, if you were to ask the average church goer: "What did you hear on Sunday?" I wonder if they would remember? Why don't we? Because we are not exceedingly diligent with God's word. Beyond that, however, what about getting in it? What about studying it? What about meditating on it? The one thing Joshua charged these people with was to pay attention to God's word. Great advice.

Then he said: "Love the LORD your God." Jehovah, the existing One, the eternal One, the One who made it all and is orchestrating it all…Love Him. Have a relationship with Him and not just a casual one. A close one. An intimate one. A personal one. Spend time with Him. Talk with Him. And…

"Walk in all His ways". This actually means to walk down His road. To follow His direction. To do what He does. I wonder, do I? Or do I go down my own road, do my own thing, follow after my own desires? And…

"Keep His commandments". Keep is the same word as heed earlier. How about this one: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." John 14:21 How do I really know whether I love God? If I obey Him. If I do what He says. If I pay close attention to His word and then do it. I fear that many of us show that we really don't love God because we don't do the things that He says. And…

"Hold fast to Him". I love the KJV word: "Cleave to Him" Stick to Him. Stay close to Him. Be one with Him. I wonder if I can say this about my relationship with Christ. Am I so close to Him, am I so stuck on Him that I move with Him? Where He goes I go. What He does I do. What He says I say. What He thinks I think. What a challenge. And…

"Serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul". This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it all shakes out. Serve Him actually means to work. Do the work. Work hard. "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." The Christian life is not for the lazy. We should work. We should get tired. We should work for Him with all that we are heart, soul, mind, strength. I know that I have been guilty of wanting to get lazy. To take it easy. To chill. This is not Biblical Christianity. We need to serve Him in whatever capacity He calls us, in whatever way He has gifted us. Don't turn down opportunities to serve. Run after it. Be a servant.

Good advice. I need to listen.