"I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness."
Joshua 24: 13-14
If you were ever looking for a good summary of the Bible up to this point, you will find that in the 24th chapter of the book of Joshua. The previous verses tell the story of God's deliverance of the people of Israel. Joshua ultimately would die nearly after this last address to the nation of Israel. But, he would first remind all of them about the faithfulness of the Lord. He reminds them of the covenant He makes with their patriarch Abraham. Joshua reminds them of all the grace and mercy the Lord provides along the way to the promised land. They are reminded of God's love for them even when, at times, they often turned away from the Lord, yet He was faithful to His promise and defeated all their enemies to have them inherit the promised land of Canaan. The scripture above points to this exact faithfulness and grace that the Lord has shown the people of Israel. They are reminded here of the perspective they are to have towards their position in life and with God. Joshua brings to the forefront the grace of the Lord in their lives; that He has given them, a "land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built.. fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant." As the book of Joshua comes to a close here in this chapter, and as Joshua is addressing the people for the last time before his death, I am reminded of the grace in my life. If we really think about, we all are in a land that we have not labored, we all live in cities we did not build, and we all eat fruit of other's labor, that we did not plant. It is so easy to get so prideful about the "stuff" in our lives. We can get a big head about the house we live in, or perhaps where we live, we can get significance about the job we have and where we work. We tend to charge our egos with cars we drive, food we eat, and friends we have. In reality, this is the truth... ALL GOOD AND PERFECT GIFTS COME FROM ABOVE (James 1:17). As Christians we need to be mindful of the grace in our lives. The reason we have the good things in our lives, is only because of the love, grace, and mercy of the Lord. The portion of scripture above should remind us of this, and not only that but should motivate us to serve and love our God. "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness." Now therefore, meaning, look around! See all that following Jesus has done for you and those closest to you in your lives! Therefore, because of all of the grace and love the Lord has bestowed upon you, because of Him being faithful and loving and merciful to you, even when you don't deserve it, now therefore, because of all of that and so much more, fear Him and serve Him in sincerity and faithfulness. Today, pray and thank the Lord for all the grace, mercy, and love He has for you. Be mindful of His presence, His goodness, His faithfulness to you. Allow your eyes to see your life the way the Lord does, and allow this great Love to motivate you to serve the Lord with a sincere and faithful heart! Love you all! Praying for you and yours! Have a blessed day, it's your choice!
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