Dear Friends, “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 whatever you have inherited. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it...Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” How can we grasp an ironclad hold on this? Don't stay discouraged. God is with you! God immediately said all of this to Joshua, after the death of Moses, What confidence God placed in this young man who will replace the friend of God, Moses. And here is the Promise to Joshua---this is how you can know that God will use you. And an undaunted Joshua receives this calling as he witnesses the death of the unabated man who ran everything and the promise of God unearthed in minutes.
What I see in the Book of Joshua: The severity of what is wrong in the hearts of the Israelites and in my own heart is real. But Oh! The Wonder of a Beautiful God moving through history, our story, to move us into holiness. Oh! The enormity of what He is doing in our lives. “Be strong and very courageous." So, right where you are fixed with all emotion and involvement and commitment and confusion---God is with you in the midst of your mess. But make no mistake, you’re a beautiful mess. And, you are all deeply loved! These little ones in this photo. I hope you know in deep places how God is with you every step of the way when you read this someday and I'm gone. You are so loved by God more than any person in the world. He is With You!
PHOTO: A family gathering in Spicewood Springs
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