Concerns

Day one hundred ninety-three

I am really thankful for all the blessings that are coming my way lately.  It is a little overwhelming and I am having to trust the Lord a lot more, which is a good thing, but something that doesn't always come easy.  So I thanked the Lord for all He is doing in my life and for the lesson I am learning in trusting Him.  I did ask that He would be with me and give me the strength to do all that He is asking me to do right now.  I know I can't do it alone!
Joshua 23:1-8

Israel has acquired the land that God had promised them and their faithful leader, Joshua, is old and is preparing to die (v 14).  Before he leaves them, however, he wants to share with them  some things about serving the Lord. To do this, he calls two meetings. The first, in chapter 23, is held with the elders and leaders of the people. The second, recorded in chapter 24, involves all the people of Israel.

Today I would like to focus on chapter 23. As Joshua, their faithful leader, prepares to leave, he wants to encourage Israel to stay the course for God. He knows that the old guard, that is, those who knew Moses and Joshua are swiftly dying off. He knows that a new generation is coming along that did not see all the miracles and all the wonders of the Lord in their midst. Before he dies, he just wants to remind them of the God they serve.

We live in a day when many have forgotten about the glory and power of God, and those who have known about such things are becoming fewer by the day. God is not placed in high regard, but is being taken away or pushed to the side.  It would appear that Joshua's message to the Israelites is just as pertinent to us today. We need to be reminded of the power and glory of our God and so does the upcoming generations.  Let's start with Joshua's concerns:
  
Joshua's Concerns
As Joshua nears the end of his life, he sees some things beginning to happen in the lives of the people of Israel. He sees things that he does not like. So, like any good leader, he feels duty bound to point out these things to the people before he departs.

Three things Joshua fears:

Complacency (v 6) - Joshua is afraid that the people of Israel might begin to take the Law of God for granted. He fears that they might become complacent in their walk with the Lord and begin to let things slide in their lives. Sadly, he was right, this is exactly what they did!

Compromise (v 7) - Another fear Joshua possesses is that the people of Israel will decide to follow the dead God's of Canaan. He fears that they will compromise their standards and bow down to idols. Again, what he was afraid would happen, did happen!

Commitment (v 8) - It is not that Joshua fears that they will be committed to the Lord. Rather, he fears that their commitment will become slack and that they will not cleave to the Lord as they should. Once again, we see, from the history of the nation of Israel, that Joshua was right to be concerned.

Today's Concerns
Sadly, all three of his concerns are prevalent today. 

Complacency
This is a genuine situation in the lives of many people today. It is considered uncool for people to strive to serve the Lord, instead many are self-satisfied and sure that they have arrived spiritually with little effort. This seems a dangerous condition to be in!

Do you remember the story of the Laodicean attitude?  "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth " (Rev. 3:14-22).  How many people would be characterized as 'lukewarm' in their spiritual endeavors?  The Lord wants you to choose His side and stick with it!

Compromise
What about people today, are they just as guilty as the Israelites? Certainly, many worship the gods of self, success, materialism, career, etc. The truth is, many are guilty of compromise in their lives. They allow themselves to indulge in activities that they know God disproves of and justify it with, "Well, so and so does it!" All the while smiling and singing of how much they love Jesus. It has a hollow ring to it. Oh, how we need to avoid the trap of compromise! 

Commitment
How important is our commitment to the Lord?  "Now is the time to commit yourself to the Lord as to what you will become during this mortal probation."  ~ John B. Dickson

Our commitment to the Lord determines what we will become in this mortal life, which in turn affects where we will spend eternity.  Commitment is important!  It requires doing anything that the Lord asks and having the discipline to do it even when it may be inconvenient or unpleasant.

M Russell Ballard asks the question: "When the time comes for you to sacrifice for that which you believe, will you have the faith to make that sacrifice?"  That is a good question for all of us!

The Lord has given me some important questions and topics to think about today. I have been guilty of all three of these concerns and continue to work on them daily.  It is difficult not to focus on the disappointment in myself or the disappointment that I have caused the Lord, but I don't think that is the message the Lord would want me to focus on.  Instead, I think He wants us to be aware of the issues and commit to doing better.  I think it is an invitation to lean on Him for help and to draw closer to Him to find the strength to overcome such weaknesses.  That is an invitation I plan to accept!