Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua 1:7
The phonics program that I teach at school has a little exercise that always baffles the kids at first. You probably did these when you were in school. At each step, you change only one letter to make a new word, and you have x number of steps to change it into the final word. It might look like this:
give
__________ (solution: live)
__________ (solution: love)
lone
Once I observed a student just copy the first word twice because he didn’t read the directions. Often students change more than one letter at a time, or just add a letter.
But very commonly I see them looking off into outer space to come up with a word. So if the first word is “give,” they’ll look into outer space (where they always expect to find an answer) and they might come up with “gave.” I say, ok, you changed the “i” to an “a.” Then I tell them to look at the word they’re trying to get to, in this case “lone.” It doesn’t have an “a.” I tell them to look at the page, look at what they need, and think about how they can get that.
I can’t help but notice a life lesson here, and you probably see it too. It doesn’t matter what your goal is— if you don’t keep your eyes on it and work toward what’s needed to accomplish it, you’ll never get there.
My high school choir director used to talk about how, if you look to the left or right when driving, you’ll start to veer that direction at least to some degree.
You can’t help it. Where you look is where you’ll go. (I’m guessing most of my students are destined to be astronauts.)
We do this with career goals. You want to be a welder? This is the training program and here’s how long it takes to receive your certification. You want to sell real estate? Study this information and prepare for this test.
When we have a goal, we find out what it takes to accomplish it. Then we either do it or we don’t. But if I want to be a welder, it makes no sense for me to sign up for the real estate exam, even if for some reason that strikes me as a neat thing to do.
In Joshua 1:7-8 God said to Joshua, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
God’s recipe for spiritual success sounds a lot like what we say to drivers about safety and to students about finding answers. Keep your eyes on your goal!
We all want to get to heaven some day. That’s a no-brainer. This life is full of heartache, sickness, and trouble. Of course we want to go somewhere better. But do we sometimes just look toward heaven and imagine our own way of getting there? Do we look around at all the neat things there are to do in this life and sign up for those, but neglect finding into what God requires of us, and doing that?
You won’t become a welder by taking the real estate exam.
And even an astronaut is not going to get to outer space by staring at it and wishing.
Reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13b-14).
…holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain (Philippians 2:16).
Dear God and Father in heaven, through Your mercy and grace You have provided the way for us to have eternal life. Help me hold fast to the word of life, not looking to the right or to the left, but keeping my eyes fixed on Your way, Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In his name, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Walk Worthy 