Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - When to Take a Break | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 8:30-35

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. I'm Tanya Wilma. And I'm Patrick Miller. Right now, we're going through the Book of Joshua. 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. Have you ever had one of those weeks where you're so busy, you show up late,

Starting point is 00:00:34 to every meeting, accidentally double book pretty much once a day, and allow deadlines to creep up past you until you begin to trust your email inbox to function like a task list slash schedule keeper. Okay, maybe these are just my personal problems, but personally, I've been feeling that way for about the last four weeks. And the truth is that the pace of my life doesn't appear to be letting up. I hate even saying any of that because I realize it sounds like a, I'm crazy, busy, humble brag. But the reality is that I'm not bragging. This is really just an indictment of my time management skills. And I'm not just talking about scheduling. I'm talking about saying yes to too much and filling up my time with more things than I really have the capacity for. God wants us to work.

Starting point is 00:01:21 God wants you to be productive. Some people have an issue with that. A lot of us don't. It probably depends on the person. But I really wonder, for me at least, if after God said, let there be life, he followed it up by saying, oh, and let that life be busy. Well, actually, you really don't have to wonder. It's a moralist statement of God's humility and his gentle leadership that after creating all things, he decided to do what? To take a rest. A breather. Now, I don't think it's actually because he had to catch his breath. He is God after all. No, I don't think he needed a rest in quite that sense. And yet, I think it tells us something about God's nature. Doing isn't everything. Sometimes we just need to stop and be.

Starting point is 00:02:06 Sometimes we just need to stop altogether. You see, rest isn't just part of God's living rhythm. It's part of our own. We are made in his likeness and the lightness of the one who rests. So what if being busy isn't a badge of honor? What if it's one of the most clear signs that we secretly want to be God? We want to be the one who is limitless in his power and capacity, which, by the way, is hilarious because the limitless

Starting point is 00:02:33 God, well, he actually rests. Business isn't a badge of honor. It's a badge of foolhardiness. I wonder how much of your anxiety and exhaustion is simply a result of not just working too hard, but also of going nonstop. Nonstop work, yes, but then nonstop family, nonstop friends, nonstop entertainment, followed by nonstop phone, followed by a little sleep, and then nonstop emails, nonstop texting. You get the idea.

Starting point is 00:03:00 When do we just stop? embrace our limits, refocus on what really matters on Jesus, his presence, his love, his care. Thinking about this in the context of Joshua, because Joshua actually takes a break from all the warring to focus Israel on what really matters. And as it turns out, it's not the conquest of the land. The most important thing to Israel is their collective relationship with Yahweh. In the words of Deuteronomy, loving Yahweh their God with their whole mind, body, heart, obeying him because he wants what's best for them and teaching their children to do the same thing. And so Joshua, he takes a break from the warfare to rest in God's covenant promise and to help the

Starting point is 00:03:44 people rest in God's covenant promise to be with them and to renew their promise to walk with God. And so Joshua, he gathers all these people together and they're standing before two different mountains and they're going to renew their covenant with God. And so they sacrifice every single one of them. We pick up again in Joshua 8, verse 33. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials, and judges were standing on both sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical Priest who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native born were there. And right there in that spot, Joshua begins to read their entire covenant with Yahweh, verse 34. Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings,

Starting point is 00:04:26 and the curses, just as it had been written in the book of the law. So this is probably Exodus chapter 20 to 24, maybe the book of Leviticus, parts of numbers, and Deuteronomy. We can't be entirely sure, but he's reading from God's word. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and the children and the foreigners who lived among them. And this is a reminder for them of what they need the most. It's not conquering this land. The thing they needed the most is a living walk with the living God, which has lived out in life. Maybe you feel like you're under a pile of anxiety right now. Maybe you think, have I just got a few more hours in the day to work than I'd be

Starting point is 00:05:09 better? Well, I get it. I think the same thing too sometimes. Or maybe you're thinking that just a few more hours to work on family stuff or to get that house project done. Well, well, then I'd be better. I get it. I've thought that to you. Or maybe you feel like you're swimming in a soup of exhaustion and anxiety and you aren't even quite sure why. You just know that you need something more. Okay, I get it. And here's the thing. The answer is not to treat yourself. It's not to pour a glass of wine. It's not to binge on a show or whatever else you think is going to make you feel better. As good as those things may be on their own. What you need right now, what I need right now, is renewal with God. Renewal can be found in His Word. Renewal can only be found by slowing down, turning off

Starting point is 00:05:56 your phone, quieting your mind, reading your Bible and asking him, what do you have for me today? How will you guide me today? How do you want me to renew my walk with you today? I read a story recently about a jet blue flight that got canceled for a super unusual reason or at least a reason I've never heard of. Both the pilots said that they were too tired to fly. Now, if I were on that flight, I would obviously be, you know, a little frustrated about the change of plans. I'd say that's a little bit annoying, but I'd also be grateful because I don't want to entrust my life to an exhausted pilot. But then again, I'm entrusting my life to an exhausted pilot almost every day, myself. So maybe it would be a sign of maturity for myself at least, and maybe a great help, even if it's a

Starting point is 00:06:45 little bit annoying to those around me, if I would just admit that I can't pilot this next flight, that I need space to stop, to rest in Jesus. to calm my fears, to hear his voice, to get back on his path. Maybe you need to stop trusting the exhausted pilot in your life. Maybe you need to stop trusting yourself. Maybe you need to find time to listen to Jesus, to rest in him. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating.

Starting point is 00:07:21 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 - When to Take a Break | The Life of Joshua | Joshua 8:30-35

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.