e-votional
Wednesday September 10, 2008
Many of you are new to our e-votional list. If you would like any of the previous e-votionals, just reply to this email and let me know. Likewise, if you would like to stop receiving them.
7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. – Joshua 1:7-8
It is amazing how we get place to place today. We have “gps” systems in our cars or in our cell phones that tell us exactly where we are and exactly where we need to go. These “global positioning systems” are incredible tools that help us get where we are going faster and easier than ever before. No more stopping for directions at the gas station or fighting to refold a road map. Those things have gone the way of full service gas stations and Burma Shave signs (ask your parents).
Unfortunately, in an age when we can get places easier than ever before, fewer and fewer of us really seem to know where we are going in life, or even how we are going to get there. Every day of our lives we must make a decision as to what will be our guiding principles. Where do we turn for directon and guidance? As God charges Joshua with taking the Promised Land, He challenges him and his people to be careful to do everything in accordance to the Scripture. He says, “Do not turn from it to the right or to the left.” This is the key to success.
For too many of us, we approach the Bible as a buffet. We pick and choose what parts we want. We like the stuff about forgiveness. We nibble at the blessings and the promises. We look to it for help in times of trouble. We are not so keen on the sections about righteousness and holiness and surrender. The Bible is not a buffet. It is a well-balanced meal. For us to be effective in our lives, we must consume “the whole counsel” of God’s truth. It breaks my heart that too many of us treat the Bible as a paper weight. It never leaves our desks or our coffee tables. We do not read it. We do not carry it to church. We do not study it. No wonder we fail to live it. We need to read it. We need to meditate on it. We need to apply it. Simply put, we need to live it.
With all the voices shouting out directions to us today, it is so important that we embrace to the one that knows where we are going and the best way for us to get there. God has given us a perfect road map for how we are to live. He has placed the best-selling “success guide” right in our hands. Let’s be sure not to depart from it.
Pastor Darrell
