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In more than three decades of my Christian life, I have been blest by 2 types of Daily devos'
(matter not exceeding 500 words) in universal Christian literature. Not only those Devos'
which have a different theme everyday but also the ones which revolve around a certain
theme over a period of time, say a fortnight, have richly edified me. In fact, both
styles have their own inherent advantages. If the former style caters to the varying
spiritual needs of a christian from day-to-day, the latter aims 'to ground'
a child of God in a certain subject in order he derives the full benefits of the
deep insightful study of a certain topic, spread over a fixed span of time.
In my Daily devo page, I have consciously tried to go in for 'a blend of both the
styles' whereby within a constant theme, I would be aiming to focus on different
facets of it which admittedly is a closer imitation of the 'Constant theme' style
than the 'Varying topics' one.
Having dwelt on the topic of Christian journey in the previous month, now in the month
of Febraury, I intend to focus on a monumental piece of Jewish history….the
Conquest of Canaan, with its particular relevance to modern day breed of
Christian spiritual warriors.
Once again, let me wish you a happy and an edifying read…
Suresh Manoharan
February 1st
A responsible response to a staggering responsibilty
Moses said to the LORD,” May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind,
appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will
lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit,
and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire
assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so
the whole Israelite community will obey him. –
Numbers 27:15-20
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As the time was drawing near for Moses, the peerless leader of men to depart from the scene making way for new,
younger leadership, we see a particularly historical moment unfolding in the Jewish history- the one of
change of guard.
Analyzing the situation from Joshua’s point of view, would he have expected when he left Egypt as a
young tribal leader that at one point of time the entire responsibility of leading his nation
into the Promised Land would rest upon his shoulders? With Moses and his brother Aaron firmly in command,
he- a perfect team man- was so content all along to play second fiddle to them.
Yes, there were times when he showed remarkable military leadership
(Exodus 17:8-13) and a stand-out faith
(Numbers 14:5-9) in the face of severe adversity but he never would have imagined that one day the
mantle of Moses of leading people into the Promised Land would rest upon him. Maybe,
he may have thought that after entering the Promised Land, he may take over the reins after the
tenure of Moses had run its course, but the daunting prospect of leading the conquest itself? Certainly,
he may not have bargained for the same!
Fully aware of the challenges such a staggering responsibility would bring in its wake,
we see Joshua calmly accepting the responsibility as most importantly, he had realized by then
that it was God’s will for him to do so. As any show of reluctance, wouldn’t bring honor to
God’s matchless name, we see him confidently stepping forward to accept the
authority without an iota of hesitation.
Dear friends, what a lesson for all of us, if it is His will for us to take-up a
God-honoring responsibility, let’s do so with a calm disposition as He who calls us is well
able to equip us too with all that is needed for us to fulfill that responsibility perfectly.
Prayer:
Father, none in this world who has trusted thee has been let down. Put in us that confidence at
all times to say ‘Yes’ to thy commands, whatever the situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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