~ Be Strong and Courageous ~

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Joshua 1:9 (NIV84)

This passage of scripture jumps off the pages into my core this morning! You see, when you get to that place of total abandon in your life to do the will of the Father, every day is a walk of faith and requires strength and courage. That is where I am, that is where I've been for some time now. Walking with God can sometimes take us to places that are out of our comfort zones, places that go against what our flesh wants to do. But he promises to be with us every step of the way. It is a time to be strong and courageous.

I woke up this morning feeling as though God was drawing me to this passage. As a little history, Moses has just passed away and now God is calling Joshua to take over and lead the Israelites on to the Promised Land. First up, crossing the Jordan River.  Now, I have to just ponder here for a minute on what Joshua was probably mulling around in his head. I mean, these were pretty big shoes to fill. I imagine there was some fear he was battling and probably some feelings of unworthiness, but I love what God says to him here in verse 5,

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Joshua 1:5 (NIV84)

What assurance from our Lord! He called Joshua to this huge task but also promised that he would never leave him and also protect him. That is just like our God! No matter what the task he calls us to, he will be there every step of the way and protect us through it all. The next four verses really grabbed my attention this morning.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV84)

In these four verses, God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. The first time, "be strong and courageous", then he says "be strong and VERY courageous", and finally, "have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous."

Ok, it's just my opinion here, but I have found that if God repeats something in scripture, He REALLY wants us to get it. Here, he repeats himself three times. Joshua, are you getting this? He is commanding you to be strong and courageous! Now, here is where I come in. When God is calling me to go, wherever it is he leads, he commands me to do the same thing. "Be strong and courageous, Allison." Wow!

You know, he doesn't just leave Joshua there. He tells him to follow his guide map that he has given to him.  Verses 7 & 8 he tells Joshua to obey the Law and not turn from it. Do not let it depart from his mouth. Meditate on it day and night. If he does that, then he will be prosperous and successful.


He has given me the same guide map. Do I just go blindly? No! He has given me his Book and I am to obey it, meditate on it day and night, and not turn from it. That is the only way I will be prosperous and successful. If I follow the  "gospel according to Allison Jordan", I am going to fall flat on my face. But if I go with strength and courage armed with God's Word that I have immersed myself in, then I can be successful for the glory of God!

Oh, what I need today! Strength and courage for the journey! Am I still willing to go where He calls me to go? I have to stay in the Word and trust my God, even when that journey is alone...me and God.  I have to daily remember that if He calls me to it, He will see me through it. And, YES, I will go where He wants me to go! 
So, I grab hold of his hand and go...wherever he leads! 

This journey is yours, Lord. Wherever you lead, I will follow. I will meditate on your Word. I will be strong and courageous and I will find comfort that you will never leave me nor forsake me! It's all about YOU!

More Than Just a Doughnut!

Callie and I went into town for a couple errands yesterday and decided to surprise the boys before heading home with a stop by Dunkin Donuts. We had our BOGO coupon and were picking out favorites for the boys. As we were about to pay, the manager comes out and says, "I hope you enjoy these. They were just baked fresh!" Well, who doesn't like a fresh-made doughnut? What really struck me was the amount of pride he had for this product he just finished for his customers. He was the epitome of what a good worker is to me. He was passionate and stood behind his product to give the absolute best to his customers. He also took time to talk to us and let us know why this product was great. Let me say, that really impressed me! It also rubbed off on his employee because she too had a bubbly personality and showed great customer service. I expressed to him my gratitude for such wonderful customer service and Callie and I both left with smiles and excitement to support them and enjoy these freshly baked doughnuts!

Shouldn't that be how we all are with our jobs? Shouldn't we all display that kind of excitement and passion about what we do? As a child of God, my ultimate responsibility is to work for the Lord. All I do should honor and glorify him so I should give it my all....with a good attitude.

This passage of scripture from Colossians addresses just how we are to work:

"Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work."

Colossians 3:22-25 (MSG)

No matter what our jobs are, whether out in the work force or right at home, we are to honor God first in all we do!

What a beautiful testimony yesterday by that sweet man in Dunkin Donuts! He blessed my heart with his passion! And he was right...that doughnut was AMAZING! ;)