“Not somehow, but triumphantly.” These words inspired an earlier generation to take the good news of Christ to the ends of the earth. How do they strike us today as we face a changing world? Our verses today appear in interesting places like coffee cups and on the letter jackets of high school athletes, including one of my sons. What is the way to success? How is God involved in leading us to achieve our goals in life? Let’s think for a moment about the gifts God has given us to enable us to succeed.
Joshua found himself trying to fill the enormous shoes of Moses. He could be forgiven for feeling a bit inadequate. How, exactly, do you follow a legendary leader? As a general over the army of Israel, Joshua had used the gifts God gave him. Now he found himself fulfilling his calling following Moses as leader of Israel. He had stood outside the Tent of Meeting when Moses met with God. God’s words enabled him to succeed. Moses left Joshua with the law, the very words of God. Joshua was to keep those words in his mouth so that he might obey God exactly.
To be clear, it is actually possible to do what God wants us to do. Sometimes I hear people say, “Doing what God commands is just too difficult.” G. K. Chesterton once said, “The Christian life has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” What if we did the things God has made clear to us in his word? How would we live? Fearlessly. Courageously.
The world is still a scary place. Fulfilling the Great Commission of making disciples in a country and world increasingly antagonistic toward our work seems like a tall order. Listen to God’s words to Joshua again. “As I was with Moses, I will be with you" (Joshua 1:5). Jesus promised in the Great Commission that he would be with us as we make disciples of all nations. God’s words in scripture are a great gift. His promise of his presence is an even greater gift. We not only have God’s words in the Bible. We actually have God going before us and with us. How then shall we live? Successfully. Victoriously. Triumphantly.
