Last fall I had decided to start reading the Old Testament. The Bible has been a part of my life since I was a little girl, but I have never read it all the way through. You grow up learning the usual Bible stories, Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah, Moses, and my mom's favorite-the story of Ruth and Naomi.
We have been taught that we should "liken the scriptures unto ourselves". And while reading in the first chapter of Joshua, the scriptures came alive for me. Moses had died and it was time for Joshua to lead the people into Canaan. I'm sure he was overwhelmed with the calling that had just been given to him.
Sometimes my life gets a little topsy turvy, stressful, and my self-esteem goes downhill. Ever have days like those? I am sure everybody has them. What would life be without trials and obstacles that can help us grow and become who Heavenly Father wants us to be--like His Son.
How amazing to me that the Lord speaks to us in various ways-through prayer, through the words of our leaders and through scripture reading. Here are the verses that the Lord spoke to Joshua in just the first chapter. They gave me strength and a reminder of how mindful our Heavenly Father is of each one of us.
Joshua 1:5--"...as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
Joshua 1:6--"Be strong and of a good courage"
Joshua 1:7--"Only be thou strong and very courageous..."
Joshua 1:8--"This book of the law (scriptures)...shalt thou meditate therein day and night."
Joshua 1:9--"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Joshua 1:13--"...The Lord your God hath given you rest..."
In reply, Joshua said to the Lord in Joshua 1:16--"All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.""
And last, in Joshua 1:18--"..only be strong and of a good courage"
For all of Heavenly Father's children, there are things we must do, places where we must go; but the Lord is by our side, asking us to be strong and of good courage, and he will never forsake us. He is with us wherever we go. I have thought so much about these scriptures. One of the places I go is within myself, going into depression. There are meds that I am on every day, but sometimes I still slip and fall. But, I know that the Lord is with me by my side; although at times, I don't feel like He is there. He promises us, though, that he will never forsake us.
Joshua was told to "meditate therein day and night". Having the scriptures in my life and likening them unto myself, has given me the strength I need especially during times when life is just a little bit too much to handle.
Be assured that the scriptures are for all of us and the promises are for each one of us. How blessed we are to have them in our lives.
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2 comments:
you always make me feel good when i read your posts...except...your venting one!? where did it go? it kept on sending me to the church website---hmmmm....divine intervention perhaps?
It's a long story what happened to my venting blog. Let's just say that there is someone very smart that somehow got into my blog and arranged it so my blog would go to the church website. I decided why mess with it and just took it off. I love reading your blog. You make me laugh. Wish you lived in Beaumont. Guess I won't be seeing you as much once David and Jasmine move to New Orleans. That makes me sad.
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