When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” Joshua 5:13-14 (NLT)
Many Christians think God is like a fairy godmother, running around showering us with blessings and helping us live the life we want.
Sure it sounds good, but is that accurate? After all, the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus is following you. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27, NLT.)
God needs believers who recognize and follow His voice—like Joshua. After forty years of desert-wandering, the Israelites arrived outside of Jericho. The Israelites’ new leader, Joshua, suddenly saw a man in front of him with his sword drawn. When Joshua confronted him, the man basically declared, “I’m here for God’s business.” Joshua instantly fell face-down to the ground in reverence and essentially said in return, “Then I’m with you!” With that, the man proceeded to share with him God’s strategy for taking Jericho. Joshua recognized his priority was to serve God, and His obedience to the Lord’s leadership helped fulfill God’s plan for His people. (See Joshua 5:13-6:24.)
You see, even though Jesus died for us to enjoy pleasures, prosperity, blessings and good health, those benefits are not our purpose. Our purpose is to get to know Jesus, enjoy Him, and to follow Him.
It is easy to become self-focused on our blessings, our lives and our ways. Instead let’s be outward-focused and say, “Jesus, I’m listening for Your voice. What would You have me do?”
After all, we are here for God’s business!
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