Usually I post my Bible study takeaways each morning.
Not today.

For those of you who have adopted these as your morning devotions, thanks and think on this as today’s substitute.

“I am the Lord your God” appears hundreds of times in the first 5 books of the Bible, called the Torah.

The phrase “I am the Lord your God” serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and power, and encourages people to trust in God’s ability to provide and deliver, which he demonstrated over and over again.

Most notable, the phrase opens the giving of the 10 commandments.

God’s very personal introduction is the bond he makes with his people. You are included in his reference.

It’s both humbling and satisfying to know the God of the universe establishes his ownership of us so many times with that phrase.

Think on that. I do all the time.

Have a wonderful day today. 

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The extended daylight allowed the Israelites a decisive victory over the Amorites and underscored Joshua’s unique relationship with God as an undefeatable ally of Israel.

Not every winning strategy is initiated by God. He allows and welcomes the initiative and wisdom of his people to carry out his will.

All too often we put off decisions in wait to hear from God when he clearly has already equipped us to think and decide prayerfully for ourselves.

Hasty decisions are often those stuck in and overwhelmed with emotions. But if you can reason to a good decision or conclusion, you should. There’s little sense to be made for further delay.

And leave some wiggle room for an unexpected miracle or two provided by God as a reward for your wisdom, boldness and confidence.

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.

It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off.

So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

They all knew they were to cross the river, yet none knew it would happen in the same way as their Red Sea crossing out of Egypt.

I think we all long to be part of a grand miracle only God could craft. And twice in a lifetime? What a faith-builder!

But blessed is he who has not seen, yet believes.—John 20:29

Today, most of us rely on a spiritual diet consisting of God’s promises and daily provisions we rarely view through a miraculous lens. At least not water-parting miraculous.

But the fact that a perfect creator would seek out and redeem an imperfect creation is kinda miraculous in itself. And that his only condition for the gift of eternal life is to believe it to be true and to act that belief out in our lives is also a bit of a miracle to say the very least.

So until the actual seas part ahead of your journey, humble yourself.

Reframe coincidences, outcomes of your prayers, and rescues against all odds as personal evidences of the living God in your actual life and boldly cross over to the other side on dry land and into your promised land.

Tomorrow is just another day.

A fresh beginning to a new year, a clean page on life’s calendar, a symbolic start to better intentions, clarity in focus, or maybe nothing more than a simple sentimental morning to contemplate the parade of your life thus far.

I hope you will use the day off work with a little extra time to clear slates and imagine how the new year might unfold for you.

Others will wake desperate for aspirin and coffee, football distractions or to clean up wild night messes before sleeping away the day’s remains from which they only recently arrived home.

I suspect more than a sober few will be thinking deeper thoughts throughout the day. Plans for self-restraint, how to be a little nicer, quit a bad habit, or start one better.

For curious and contemplative minds the options are limitless.

So, applause to those making use of this new day as a personal prompt for positive change, at least in thought, if not in deed. It’s a good day for it.

Some require an external catalyst, a nodal event, or an arbitrary date of a year to propel them into deeper thoughts and richer inner lives.

Shocked or startled, they may shake to their cores, begging for change, repeating that awful truth that once again, they waited for something to force their hand.

Regardless, there is a glorious redemption that the only difference between last year’s regrets and this year’s successes is just another day, like today, and how we will use it.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Crossing the Jordan River to claim the land promised by God was as much an anticipated turning point for the Israelites as was their exodus from Egyptian slavery.

They were preceded by Levites carrying the ark of the Lord which was a miracle itself as its weight was crazy heavy.

They were ready. Communities ahead were nothing short of petrified, and the revered ark of the covenant was advancing ahead of their victories.

The long awaited moment had arrived.

There’s something powerful to be said for having a plan sanctioned by God with assured victory in your path.

For some, the new year symbolizes manifestations of new goals and big changes.

Cheers to them.

Cheers also to those who have faithfully and successfully executed bite-sized plans all year long and enjoy the equally divine results of a disciplined life.

Whatever gets you to your promised land best, may the Lord bless your journey and give 2025 victoriously over and into your hands.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some scholars count a total of 613 commandments from God in the Bible.

While most have been commuted or replaced in the New Testament with the death and resurrection of Jesus, those that remain age timelessly.

Fear and discouragement are emotions circumstantially dealt to all of us and are notorious faith killers: intentional monkey wrenches delivered by the enemy.

Confidence and conviction that our Lord is always with us through every circumstance is the sufficient solution to the emotions of fear and discouragement.

Not a suggested remedy but a commanded one.

Whether it’s a February, an October, or the entrance to a new year, the unknown is always upon us.

An intentional, deliberate, and ever deepening journey into faith and following God equips us for each encounter of the unknown with a strength and courage we can’t summon by ourselves but only through a vital, living relationship with God.

So once again, connection to and with our creator is essential for getting through and past every circumstance.

Ring in the new year with confidence in this commandment recorded in Joshua, and empowering your future with all its unknowns.

It’s irrational to want change in the world and its programs and not expect your circumstances to have to change at least some to accommodate those changes.

This new administration is all about creating second-order and third-order changes that will make our nation more structurally sound and resilient for generations to come.

While changing might be a little individually uncomfortable for a moment, continuing on the same path will be grossly more uncomfortable for all future lifetimes ahead.

Be the generation willing to accommodate change and its temporary discomforts as our gift to all who follow.

Upon the death of Moses at 120 years old, the baton was passed.

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭34‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Death brings new life.

While Moses ascended to the heavenly promised land, Joshua continued the Lord’s work in the promised land on earth.

Passing of the torch is difficult but not as challenging as the weight of receiving it.

Just as Solomon shunned all other possessions preferring the gift of wisdom instead, Joshua was endowed with wisdom to continue leading the Israelites in the ways of Moses and, indeed, of God.

Your highest and potentially most profound desire lies in your prayer for godly wisdom.

Wisdom’s guidance conquers all and creates abundance for all.

Make pursuit of wisdom central to your purpose every day in prayer.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God, without fault, in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The earmarks of a warped and crooked generation are grumbling and arguing among believers, demonstrating that the scope of a depraved generation infects and extends even to followers of Christ.

The passage from Philippians highlights the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and unity among believers, contrasting this with the characteristics of a “warped and crooked generation.”

Grumbling and arguing can seem minor violations, but in the context of the verse, they are symbolic of deeper discontent and division that can detract from the light believers are meant to shine in the world.

The choice of words like “warped” and “crooked” suggests that these behaviors are not just petty but are indicative of larger spiritual and moral decay.

It implies that even small actions like grumbling can contribute to a negative atmosphere and undermine the collective witness of a community.

By overcoming these impulses, believers can exemplify purity and blamelessness, standing out positively in a world that otherwise fosters negativity and discord.

In this light, the call to refrain from grumbling and arguing is a call to elevate one’s character and impact above the world narrative, emphasizing that even the smallest of actions can have significant implications in the broader context.

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭46‬-‭47‬ ‭NIV‬‬

They.

Are.

Your.

Life.

The search for truth and meaning in today’s world begins and ends in the same place.

So critical to our existence is the word of God it eclipses all philosophies, politics and personal preferences, providing divine purpose and momentum to direct our days.

“What is the meaning of life?” is singularly answered by the word of God revealed as we study scripture.

So if that still remains a salient question for you in 2024, open your Bible in 2025. Get the app, dust off your hard copy, or ask me how to access what has been forever the best selling non-fiction book about your own forever.

They are not just idle words, they are your life.