7/9/24
Joshua 22:5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Joshua was about to send the tribes of Gad Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh back to their allotted land which was on the east side of the Jordan. However, before doing so he gave them a reminder. The reminder was to be VERY CAREFUL to observe the commandment and the law. That is to "love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Why did Joshua feel the need to give them this important reminder? The reason is the further you are from the followers of God the more likely you are to stray from His ordinances. Joshua knew they would not be in fellowship with others on a regular basis this means there is less accountability. It is so important that Christians hold each other accountable. I look at the area I live in and I see a huge diminishing of this today. Churches are dying left and right because we have focused on entertainment instead of worship. There is nothing wrong with having fun. In fact it is fun to be a Christian but there needs to be great reverence as well in the worship of God. Then we don't hold each other accountable for sin. We should seek that our brothers and sisters repent of their sin and seek reconciliation as they do the same for us. Then there is a lack of importance for the assembling of ourselves together. We can not operate correctly if part of the body is missing half the time. To fulfill the commandment, the law, and to hold fast to Him and serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul, we need all extremities of the body present. It is time for the church to heed the reminder of Joshua! If we don't the church will become a social club with the only recognition of God being in the name. Joshua didn't want this for the two and one half tribes and God doesn't want it for the church. So I say to you in this devotional Joshua 22:5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
A word of truth from God.
Love Bro. Scott