bible study
title: that changes everything!
key passage: joshua 1:1-9
key verse: "do not be afraid or discouraged. for the lord your god is with you wherever you go" (joshua 1:9, nlt).
have you ever looked at a line graph depicting, say, the price of a company's stock over time? very rarely is it a straight line going up. if you follow the line closely you'll see it rise, then dip, then rise again, then dip even further, then climb steeply and then level off a bit and so on.
life is a lot like that. no one's life ever moves in a straight line going (hopefully) up either. by whatever measure you evaluate your life, some days will be good, some bad, some so-so and still some that are everywhere in between.
even though we can accept and adapt to these relatively minor changes daily, every now and then something comes along that changes everything. it doesn't even have to be something tragic like a your experience in combat or a family member's death. it could be graduating from college that changes everything. a new baby in the family will definitely change the way you live your life.
joshua had a moment of big change. moses, his mentor and friend, had just died and joshua was left in command of israel. on top of that, he and the rest of God's people were standing on the edge of canaan about to claim the land god promised to them.
did he feel fearful about the challenge ahead? probably. (see joshua 1:9.) did he wish moses could have stayed around for a couple more years and lead the conquest of canaan? maybe. but whatever his feelings were at this time, things had changed and nothing would put them back the way they were.
consider it
at the beginning of this book, God speaks with joshua and gives him some advice and reassurance for the future.
- how many times is the phrase "be strong and courageous" repeated in these verses?
- in verses 6 and 7, what does god say will bring joshua success?
- what reason is given for studying the book of law (bible) in verse 8?
- in verse 9, what promise does god leave joshua with?
apply it
you probably aren't standing on the border of a land that God has promised you. but you are standing on the edge of your future, and what you decide to do today will affect how you stand or fall tomorrow. one way you can be encouraged about the future is by looking at how god has guided you in the past. look at where you are now, and ask god to show you how he's been at work to get you here. write down what you learn in a journal.
express it
life can have its ups and downs, but God has promised to always stay by your side. take a moment to thank him for his promise. ask him for wisdom as you look to your future and the confidence to know that he is always there.