The story of Joshua is one of my favorites. Joshua was the one who was able to lead the people into the Promised Land, an opportunity that was denied Moses and his generation as those Hebrews lacked the faith and gratitude to be worthy to enter.
First of all, the parallels between Joshua and Christ are all over the place. They share a name (in Hebrew, Jesus is Yeshua, which translated is Joshua). Also, we see Moses' inability to lead the Hebrews to their final destination, which is a symbol or type of how the Law of Moses cannot lead us to the Highest Glory - only Christ can do that.
But apart from all of that, Joshua is just a really cool guy. After getting the Hebrews to the place they wanted to be more than ever, he spent the rest of his life reminding them of how they needed to live. I would venture to say that those of us living in the Promised Land today can use a little reminding every day about Who is responsible for getting us here.
In the end of his book, Joshua exhorts his people to "choose ...this day whom [they would] serve" (Joshua 24:15), and closes the verse with "...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". And after that powerful statement, goes on to list all of the things the Lord has done for them, including leading them from bondage, showing them signs, showing them the way to go, driving out their enemies, etc.
He then makes a covenant with the people and God that they will forsake all other gods and only serve Heavenly Father. He writes this covenant on a great stone and sets it in a place where all can see it and be reminded of Whom they serve.
What do we have around our homes that remind us of the covenants we made with Heavenly Father?
We could easily make the same list of things the Lords has done for us such as guiding our forefathers to this place, driving out their enemies, and specifically doing everything good that has guided us all to where we are. Let us fill our homes with "great stones" that help us remember to be grateful for what we have, and also remind us of the covenants we have made to always serve Him.
Besides, by doing so, we will just find more and more reasons to make that list a lot longer.
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The scriptures are the best self-help book in the world. By studying intensely we can unlock the keys to living the most fulfilling and prosperous life possible. This blog is a journal of my search for that kind of knowledge in the Standard Works.
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Posted by
Eric Hanson
Monday, February 22, 2010
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