Perspective Change
As I look at the story of Joshua, my first thought is about all the fighting and conquering he was involved in with the Israelites. There are page after page of “holy butt kicking” going on, it is absolutely crazy. But as I dig a little deeper something else rises to the surface. And It may be the biggest challenge tackled by Joshua and his leadership team - the Jewish people themselves.
At this point in the story of Israel (the Jewish people), they had been slaves for 400 years and then wandered around in the dessert without a home for 40 more years. That is almost 500 years, generation after generation, of slave or wanderer! Now they are staring at freedom and a new home, both of which would seem exciting and an answer to prayer. But do the people following Joshua know how to live “free”? They would need a drastic change in perspective. Their view of life would have to change from one in chains to a free life, from homeless wanderers to home builders in a Promised Land!
I think this is why God’s command to Joshua to meditate on The Book of the Law is so important. (God had given Moses the Book of the Law, which is the Ten Commandments and all the other laws and rules used to govern the Jewish folks. This would come to be known as the Jewish Bible or the first five books of our modern Bible.) In order to full understand what their free life would be like, Joshua and the people following him would have to know all about God and how He created them to live.
There are a great deal of similarities between the people Joshua was leading and you and I today. Think about that for a moment, moving from a slave (consumed by something whether it be addictions, battles of self-worth, always wanting more but never having enough, a continual state of spiritual wandering) into a free life in Christ. A perspective change is called for and it is not nearly as easy as it may sound. We (you and I) cannot do it on our own. This is where meditating on Scripture comes into play for us today! Taking it in, consuming God’s Word, speaking it over and over, so it becomes deeply rooted in our lives.
When we allow the words of the Bible to permeate our hearts and minds our perspective changes. The Holy Spirit begins to teach us and change us. Jesus told His disciples about the Holy Spirit and the help the Spirit would bring. “But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.” (John 16:12 MSG)
We are called and designed to live a free life in Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:1, 13-15). So there has to be a perspective change. In order for that to take root and grow we must absorb God’s Word into our lives. It is what feeds our souls as we walk in freedom. It also becomes our weapon as we fight, battle and build God’s kingdom. Start today! Start now! Free life is yours in Jesus! Meditate on this truth today!