Passage Joshua 23:6–11
In this Advent season let us be united in our devotion to God for His saving grace proffered to us in Christ Jesus as we glean from this passage in Joshua who reminded the Israelites that the Lord their God is, first and foremost, devoted to them.
In verses 6 and 7, Joshua gave prominence to the written Word of God, putting emphasis on the need to be very strong and very careful to obey God’s Holy Word.
Being devoted to God’s Word would keep them, as well as us, from accepting and being negatively influenced by the bad counsel of the pagan world.
Therefore, in their acknowledgment and response to God’s devotedness to them, the people were to respond by being devoted to Him with the following guidelines laid out by Joshua:
• They were to be very strong ‘to keep and to do’ all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left (v 6)
• They were to continue to ‘cling to the Lord’, as they had been doing. (v 8)
• Their obedience to God was not to spring from a sense of duty but rather from their undivided love for the Lord. (v 11)
The lesson for us is that devotion to God should not be considered optional.
Rather, it must spring forth out of deep gratitude in our hearts towards God’s faithfulness.
And what constitutes sincere devotion boils down to a matter of the heart.
Let us, then, spur one another on to deepen our devotion to God as we reflect on the birth of our Saviour and as we look forward to His return.
Let us be very strong in keeping and applying God’s Word in our lives, and continue to cling on to God not out of a sense of duty, but rather, out of our sincere love for Him.
Prayer
Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unfailing love and undying faithfulness. In this Advent season, help us build a strong devotional life in You. Help us to be devoted to Your Word and to live out Your teachings daily.
Stir our hearts to love You with all our strength, mind and soul, and spur us to experience the depth of Your love as we express Your love to the people around us.
In Christ name we pray. Amen
Rev Daniel Lee
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