Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How Do I Know What's Next for Me? | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 1:10-18

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. And I'm Patrick Miller. We are currently exploring some of our favorite Bible verses and how they've changed our lives. Also, if you want to connect with us, follow us on Twitter at TMBT podcast. You can also check out our hashtag, hashtag, AskT, TMBT, where you can ask us anything, and we'd love to connect with you. If you haven't had a chance to listen to 10-minute Bible talks for the last few weeks, you might not realize that we have added a new co-host, Tanya Wilmith.

Starting point is 00:00:40 She is a mom. She is a former English teacher, and she's a great Bible teacher. So I hope that you'll enjoy learning from her and listening to her. I think that she's got a lot of insights that will help draw you closer to God and help you love Jesus more. I love asking people questions and hearing their stories. I think it's the quickest and best way to really know them. I also love to read about people and learn their stories that way.

Starting point is 00:01:07 Hearing about how their past shapes the way they live can just be really encouraging and it can make our view of the world so much bigger. One of those stories that sticks with me is about a couple from our church. As they got close to retirement and started thinking about what the next phase of their life would look like, they knew they wanted to be in a place where they could keep serving. So when they retired from their jobs, they left their home and a lot of their things behind, and they moved away from their children and their grandkids to take care of another group of really special kids in Guatemala. They're there now, and they run an orphanage for children with disabilities.

Starting point is 00:01:43 And many of those kids come from places where they lack the resources to care for them. I don't think that means we all need to give up our houses or jobs and become foreign missionaries. But as I hear their story, moved by this couple, what propelled them to do that? Did they get a sign from God? did a magical door open somewhere for them to walk through,

Starting point is 00:02:03 or is this less about a breakthrough moment and maybe more about two people who were committed followers of Jesus just continuing to live out their lives? I don't want to put words in their mouths, but I think retirement just offered a different opportunity to follow Jesus. In our new series, we're getting to know a leader named Joshua, and he has a pretty amazing and action-packed life story. He's been commissioned by Moses, of course by God, but by Moses to lead the people into the promised land.

Starting point is 00:02:29 and he's just starting to take this command and step into the giant shoes he's been given to wear. His leadership, well, it came in a unique and pivotal time for the generation because they've been wandering around in the wilderness for a really long time, and they've heard about and memorized the words of God's promise to them, but they haven't seen it yet until now, and now it's time to go. So Joshua's first assignment is to get the people ready to travel, ready to cross the Jordan, all of them. Well, he must be a pretty good leader because he's a good leader, because he's a very good leader. He knows he can't do it by himself.

Starting point is 00:03:01 Right away, he starts delegating to the people he trusts. Joshua 1 verses 10 to 11. So Joshua ordered the officers of the people, go through the camp and tell the people, get your provisions ready. Three days from now, you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own. I imagine these people were a lot like us, and some probably felt like they'd been waiting all their lives for this moment, and their bags were packed and they were waiting at the

Starting point is 00:03:29 front of the line, ready to roll. And then there are probably others who have been waiting for 40 years, and they just need a few more days or weeks to get things together, because three days isn't enough. But Joshua doesn't tell them to wait for a door or listen for a sign from heaven. He commands them to listen to him, their leader. He's committed to follow Yahweh, the one who made the promise and created the very land they will inhabit. So out of a faithful obedience to Yahweh, Joshua says, let's go. Then Joshua turns his focus to a specific group of people. So he's talking to the Rubinites, the Gaddites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. And he acknowledges that his instructions to get together and cross the Jordan have a different meaning for these people.

Starting point is 00:04:11 I find their story particularly interesting because of what they were not only willing but eager to do to keep following and obeying God's commands. And you may remember that when Moses was their leader, those two and a half tribes asked to stay put on this side of the river. So they specialized in agriculture and livestock, and the ground on this side of the Jordan was ideal for grazing and feeding their herds. So at first, Moses reprimanded these tribes for not being team players. He thought it would jeopardize the group as a whole if some of them stayed behind. But they pledged their loyalty to God and his promise by saying they would still send all their fighting men to help conquer the new land before coming back home to rest and settle with their families. Joshua reminds them in chapter 1 verse 14, your wives,

Starting point is 00:04:59 and your little ones and your livestock, well, they shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan. But all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you. And they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession. So being settled didn't mean they could stop living for God and just live for themselves. And that's not what God means when he talks about living in a promised land. They were still supposed to follow God's commands and help the other tribes conquer the territory in Canaan. Their purpose, to this point, was to obey and follow God.

Starting point is 00:05:39 And that would always be their purpose. So the two and a half tribes, well, they must have known their calling was even more than being farmers and shepherds, because they said back to Joshua in verse 16, All that you have commanded us, we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go, just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. there's a command for all of us to give our lives away for him. Jesus says in Matthew 1625, for whoever would save his life will lose it,

Starting point is 00:06:08 but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. How do you find your mission and purpose for life? Follow Jesus. How do you know what's next for you? Maybe you don't, but it will involve continuing to give your life for Jesus. He promises that when you say yes to following him, you will never be lost. You will never like purpose. You will never be unfruitful. You will never need to search beyond him for contentment when you've given your life to Jesus. I have two friends in completely

Starting point is 00:06:39 different phases. Julia is 83 and she's been a mom, a nurse, and a teacher. She's a totally normal human and she has kids all across the states. She loves to walk on the trail and travel and read. after she turned 80, she started teaching the Bible and mentoring girls at a local juvenile detention center. When I saw her for the first time after the pandemic, she told me she spent the last year praying for them, and she can't wait to be with them again. I bet they feel the same. My other friend is 25, and she just finished a super fun but pretty exhausting post-college job, and she's patiently searching for her next job, her next house, and her next group of friends. basically everything in her life is at a pivotal point, and she's making big decisions about her future.

Starting point is 00:07:27 But those big decisions, they lose some of their magnitude as she continues to learn and grow in her small group and serve in her church and grow in her faith. The job she's searching for is just a new way for her to keep following Jesus. When it was time to move forward, all the people in Joshua said, Only may Yahweh be with you. That was all they needed. He was their why. They were moving into a new phase, but God's promises and commands remain the same.

Starting point is 00:07:59 No matter what phase of life we're in, our highest calling is to follow Jesus. Whether you're married or single, whether you're looking for a job or waiting for a child or taking care of an aging parent or deciding where to go to college, now is your time to follow Jesus. And no matter what you face in the future,

Starting point is 00:08:18 the same will always be true. Your highest calling will always be true. highest calling will always be to follow him. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How Do I Know What's Next for Me? | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 1:10-18

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