Title Raise a person
Joshua (1) Raise people (Joshua 1:1-2)
< God delights in new things >
The book of Joshua is a book that describes the process of fulfillment of God's promise to obtain the land of Canaan to Israel. So, the biggest characteristic of the book of Joshua is that it is a ‘history of wars’ in which many wars were fought in a short period of time. In many of those battles, we won all but one defeat in the battle of Ai, and finally obtained the land of Canaan that God had given us. In a word, Joshua can be said to be a ‘book of victory’ or ‘a textbook for the fulfillment of a vision’.
How does this triumphant history begin? See verse 1 of the text. “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord...” We can read this verse casually, but it must have been a shocking and hopeless event for the Israelites. Moses was an absolute being, like God's representative to them. Now that he died in front of the promised land of Canaan, who do we believe in? Don't be discouraged by such situations in your life. We cannot live without ‘God’, but there is not a single person in this world who cannot live without ‘man’.
So is the church. A church without “God” cannot survive, but there is no church that cannot survive without “one person.” A church that will die because there is no powerful person is already a dead church. If there is a temptation in the church and powerful people leave, the church will die, but if there is only God, the church can survive. Without teeth, there is a way to live with gums.
God is the God who fills the void. Never allow difficult moments without measures. Even if there is a test for the children of God, it is a test they can bear. Therefore, as long as you do not lose faith, you can overcome any difficulties. Did God kill the great leader ahead of the land of Canaan? Did he tell you to be discouraged and frustrated? no. “Now start a new job!” is God’s will.
In fact, the old inertia of leading great leaders often prevents them from starting new jobs. So, no matter how great the leader, when he resigns, he must resign. The departure of a great leader is heartbreaking, but sublimating the departure of a great person becomes an “opportunity to do something new.” So a beautiful exit from a great leader is also necessary. God is more pleased with ‘new work for many souls’ than ‘one great leader’.
< Raise people >
Don't be discouraged when you face difficulties in life. For a child of God, a test is a test they can bear. Also, God provides a way of escape at the time of temptation. When God puts out a great leader, he always gives out a new leader. Who is that leader? According to verse 1 of the text, Moses’ servant ‘Joshua the son of Nun’.
What was the best thing you did during Moses' 40 years of ministry? That's what it means to 'raise Joshua'. As such, the most blessed thing in life is ‘leaving good posterity’. The Bible says that children are an inheritance from the Lord. A good heir is also an inheritance from Jehovah.
God's blessings are not in material possessions, but in people. The greatest achievement in life is to 'raise people well' rather than to 'get a lot of material'. In that sense, you don't know how important it is to raise your children well in faith. Whether you are a physical child or a spiritual child, when you work hard, dedicate your life, and dedicate your money and time to raising children of faith, that life is truly a successful life.
One of the greatest achievements during Moses' 40-year ministry was raising Joshua, the hero of the Canaan conquest war. Jesus' greatest achievement was not to heal sickness and perform miracles, but to leave behind the 12 disciples. The world has changed through those disciples. One of the greatest ministries the Apostle Paul did for 16 years was raising Timothy. The real success in life lies in nurturing people.
The Tower of Babel construction incident in Genesis 10-11 created a desperate situation. However, in such a desperate situation, God established Abraham and used it as the channel of salvation. The important thing is not to ‘build the Tower of Babel’ but ‘to nurture people of faith like Abraham’. Are you devoting yourself to raising people of faith now? Make raising people your best life goal. When you live with such a goal, that life will be the happiest life where you will get the best results through the best investments.