Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
If we truly want to preserve and protect our relationship with God, then we will learn to live in complete obedience to Him.
Bible Verse
Joshua 22:5 5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Obedience
To walk with God, we must learn to live in obedience to Him. Joshua was talking to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as they were returning from beyond the Jordan. Joshua warned them that they must be very careful to observe the commandment of God. First and foremost, we are to love God, walk with Him, keep His commandments, and serve Him completely. We cannot have hidden corners of our lives that we try to reserve for ourselves and keep from God. That never worked for the Israelites. It always ended in catastrophe. And we should learn from Joshua’s instruction. To have a vibrant relationship with our God, we must be fully committed to Him in every aspect of our lives.
Application
The world, and those in it, often work to subvert our relationship with God. We must treasure and protect our relationship with God before everything. Joshua saw and experienced firsthand what happens when people allow the world to infect their lives and their thinking. Greed, self-reliance, and selfishness take over and a grand delusion occurs. Sometimes we think God will not see or know what we have done. Many times we think we know better than God. Other times we just want to do things our way. And in every case throughout the Bible, we see that this ends badly for the people who are deceived into taking this path. If we truly want to preserve and protect our relationship with God, then we will learn to live in complete obedience to Him.
Are you living your life in complete obedience to God?
If not, what is preventing you from living the way God wants you to live?
Meditate on this verse and ask God to show you how you may live in more complete obedience to Him.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the teaching of Joshua. Help me to live a life of more complete obedience to You today.
If you want to know more about having a relationship with Jesus, see the resources: How to Know God and God’s Plan of Salvation.