“THIS BOOK OF THE LAW!”

Joshua 1:5-9 (ESV) “5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 “THIS BOOK OF THE LAW” shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN IT. For THEN you will make your way prosperous, and THEN you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your GOD is with you wherever you go."” In earlier years, I was honored to serve as a member of the Board of Directors on the local school district. When the administration would bring a proposal to the Board of Directors, the request would normally say “We seek the Boards ‘guidance and direction’ in the matter”. In hind sight, most of the time the administration would be seeking the Boards approval, but asking for “guidance and direction”. The WORD of GOD, or better known as the HOLY BIBLE, IS where we as Believers are to look for “guidance and direction” for our daily lives. Joshua, and his cohorts, had only been exposed to the first five books of the HOLY BIBLE, called the “Pentateuch”, which many believe were written by Moses under the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT. GOD explicitly told Joshua that the Israelites should meditate on “THIS BOOK OF THE LAW” DAY and NIGHT, meaning that they should continually seek GOD’s “guidance and direction” as they made decisions during their journey. We all should learn and benefit from the instructions delivered to the Israelites, GOD’s chosen people. Staying in GOD’s WORD can make us prosperous and bring us good success, but not necessarily monetarily. We were created to Glorify GOD ALMIGHTY, and our main focus should on accomplishing what we were meant to be! Regardless of what some say, we aren’t created to enjoy our best life here on earth. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “But, as it is written, "What NO EYE HAS SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR THE HEART OF MAN IMAGINED, what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM". Our requests to GOD can become like the requests to the School Board I mentioned previously. We can try to put a “spin” on our requests by saying “in JESUS name”, but GOD knows our hearts...... and HE knows how time much we have been TRULY seeking to know HIM better by being in “THIS BOOK OF THE LAW”! It is amazing how the closer I get to the LIGHT, the more filth and dirt I can SEE! There MUST be a purpose for GOD instructing us to not depart from “THIS BOOK OF THE LAW”???