Today's reading is Joshua 1:1-9. It has one of my favorite memory verses in it, which was verse 8. The Message renders it this way:
And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed.
READ
I'm asked to read this passage as though I wrote and am reflecting on what I wrote.
THINK
Verse 9 is emphasized. I'm told to read it again.
Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take.
Is it hard for me to embrace these words in my life? Sometimes. Sometimes, it's easy. I think it depends on the current level of my intimacy with God. Right now, that level is pretty shallow. So it's easy to get discouraged. Are there times when I am scared? Not so much. Maybe a little. For example...there is a good chance that my wife might be facing back surgery very soon. This frightens me. Why? It shouldn't. Not if I believe all the things about God that I claim to believe. There's the rub. Do we really believe the things we say we believe? Bottom line: if we did, we would never worry about anything. Worry is sin. Period. It's sin because it means we don't believe that God is going to take care of us. We doubt.
PRAY
I'm asked to be blatantly honest with God about fears, worries, concerns, and anxieties. So I will do that. Then I'm told to re-read the passage as though these are God's words to me.
LIVE
When you find yourself in situations that expose your fears, remember the promises of God--his presence and his guidance for you into the future.
Give it everything you have, heart and soul.