This past week, I've been working on a sermon, which I preached this morning. I was looking at Joshua 1: 1-5, a wonderful passage about what's been and what will be. Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the desert, and to the brink of entering into the Promised Land. This was Canaan, the land promised by God to the Israelites. Moses never entered the land, but died, leaving his next-in-charge, Joshua, to be the one to enter this land 'flowing with milk and honey', as the Bible describes it. God tells Joshua: Moses is dead - in other words, it's time to turn the page on this chapter of Israel's history, and move forward into the next chapter. Then God tells Joshua that he will lead the desert wanderers into this Promised Land; that is, they will move forward and claim their rightful inheritance from God, claim the territory which God promised to them. God says that's it's time to do this - the waiting is over, the wandering is over.
Now the people need to move boldly forward into the future - a future that is unknown, but one in which God has given to the people yet another promise: I will never leave you nor forsake you. People, never means not ever- God will always be with you; God will never leave you; God will never forget you nor forsake you. Know it; acknowledge it; live it!
Promises... God promises His people a new land; God promises He will never leave them; and God promises that they will always live in victory if they remain faithful to Him. God is speaking the same thing to us today - we can leave what's in the past, we can move forward into the future, knowing that God is with us every step of the way! Now, I don't know about you, but don'tcha think this is something to rejoice about! Dont'cha think... it's time!
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