JULY 25, Joshua 11:15

God is holy and He loves us. He does not want us to sin because the result of sin is death. So, He gave us commandments on what to do and what not to do. He demands our obedience to His commandments because He knows what is good for us. So those who obeyed God received blessings and those who disobeyed were punished according to God’s Law. God has full authority over us because He has created us.

In his time, Moses received commands directly from the Lord. The Lord gave Moses the authority to speak His commands to His people. Then, Moses handed down God’s instructions to Joshua, who became the new leader. And Joshua faithfully obeyed all of the instructions of Moses:

Joshua 1:13 - Joshua reminded the people to obey Moses’ commands.
Joshua 8:30-31 - He built an altar to the LORD.
Joshua 8:35 - He read the Law of Moses to the people.
Joshua 11:12 - Joshua killed the kings and destroyed their cities, as Moses had commanded.

As children of God, you must obey God and the authorities He has set over you. These are your parents in the family, your pastor and elders in church, your teachers in school and the government of your country. If we disobey them, they have the right to discipline us. This is the law of obedience.

Do you obey your parents or elders? Do you abide by rules in school and class? And even if your answer were “Yes” to these 2 questions, do you obey willingly?

Dear child, the road to total obedience is a long one. It will take time and a lot of effort. And there would be times when you fall and give in to your old self and disobey. Never give up! Press on and pray that the Lord will grant strength to obey, and obey happily!

Thought: God has placed certain people in my life to help me grow in faith.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to heed Your commandments to obey my parents and those whom You have given authority over me. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.