Beloved: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who, in His immense kindness, has safely brought us into the eighth month of this year, the month of August. And my prayer is that our lives will know nothing but progress everyday of the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now one sure way to experience progress in every area of our lives is to take the word of God seriously. This is one thing that God emphasized to Joshua, as He commissioned him to lead the children of Israel into their inheritance. He said to him:
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Josh 1:6-9NIV)
From what God said to this man, it is clear that He was interested in his progress and success. It was because He was interested in his progress and success that He was telling him what to do to be successful and prosperous. And what was he to do? He was to take the word of God very seriously. How, then, was he to do this? First, he was to read and study it. Second, he was to talk about it to himself and to the people he was leading. And these two things constitute what it means not to let the word depart from one’s mouth. Third, Joshua was to meditate on God’s word day and night. In other words, he was to think carefully about the word to see how it applies to his life and circumstances, instructing himself in it. Fourth, he was to practise the word. And he would surely practise it, as God pointed out to him, if he would do his diligence in meditating on it.
Well then, was Joshua prosperous and successful everywhere he went and in all that he did or not? He was, as we clearly see in Scriptures. In fact, he just went from victory to victory, from conquest to conquest. Even in situations in which he met with temporary failure or disappointment, he simply went back to God to see what was missing. And when he did, he was shown what to do to get back on the path of victory. What this, then, means is that Joshua took what God said to him about the attitude he must have towards His word seriously. If he had not taken it seriously, he would not have been successful and prosperous as he was, even though God wanted him to be successful and prosperous.
In like manner, there are many that are failing in life today and whose lives are miserable not because God wants them to be like this but because their attitude towards His word is wrong. It is one thing for God to wants us to be prosperous and successful; it is another thing for us to be committed to doing those things that will result in our being successful and prosperous. And we will not do those things that will result in true success and prosperity for us, if we do not take the word of God very seriously. His word is our life. His word is our key to success and prosperity.
So, if want to get away from the path of failure, misery, discouragement and discontentment and get established in the path of success and prosperity, we also need to do what Joshua did with the word of God. We need to devote ourselves to reading it, studying it and talking about it. Also, we need to devote ourselves to meditating on it day and night, instructing ourselves in it, so that we may see how it applies to our various cirumstances and practise it. And as we do this, we too will without doubt experience success and prosperity wherever we go or find ourselves, just as God has promised.
Now remember that God will not force us to take His word seriously or to practise it. Yes, He is able to enable and help us to do this. But we ourselves must be willing to do so. I mean that we must want the kind of success and prosperity He wants for us enough to do what He says we must do to have it. And I pray that our hearts will be strengthened, as we go this month, to want what God wants for us and to do all that He requires of us to have it.
Do have a very pleasant month.
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By: J.O. Lawal | Date: August 02, 2020 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 9, No. 12