Living Boldly

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.This verse is perhaps one of the most comforting verses I lean on. I have recently shared this verse with two very dear friends who are facing serious medical issues. After all, knowing that God is with us wherever we should go, whatever we might face, God is right there with us. Encouraging words that hopefully help us to live and love boldly. Knowing that God is always with us, acknowledging that His presence, helps us to feel loved and safe. The confidence and courage to make choices based on faith and trust is necessary.Our faith calls us into action. To experience that confidence and be guided by our faith, we must do our part. We are told over and over to obey God’s law. The world tells us we should do what benefits us, makes us happy and feeling satisfied. If we aren’t careful, the goal is not based on the common good, but rather on what we desire for ourselves, not for what God would call us to do and be.Place yourself in Joshua’s shoes or maybe sandals. You have been Moses trusted assistant for many years as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land. And now, the responsibility has become yours. These hundreds of thousands of people, more than we can dare imagine, are tired, impatient, discontent and probably sick and tired of hearing about the Promised Land. How do you manage to remain steadfast and lead them on?Joshua trusted God; He prayed; He obeyed. I’m not pretending that Joshua’s life or decisions were easy. However, he was faithful, stayed true to his call while trusting and loving God. His own example for the people of Israel was bold and courageous. After all, he suffered alongside them. Joshua was warned to keep close to the word of God – no matter how big or challenging the task or goal. He did! With God’s help, he knew he could be strong, and withstand any pressure because God was with him every single step of the way. In this case Joshua was aware and knew that he must trust God to deliver Israel, not just himself or his family. While there was no certainty, Joshua had faith, real faith, trust and love for and in God who led him every day.For us, today, we must have faith in God’s plan for us. We must live boldly, love boldly and allow others to see faith in our lives as we make decisions, face adversity and seek His will. We must prepare ourselves by spending time in scripture and prayer and follow in obedience. Just as God honored Joshua with success, He honors us with His constant presence and abiding love. If we love as we are loved by God, we will live boldly for Him and our lives will be blessed. We can’t always predict the blessing, but it will be ours. With God before you, within you and behind you, wherever you go you must live and love boldly.May we pray together…. Gracious God, we are so grateful that you never leave us and that you have plans for our future. Guide us as we spend time in your word and prayer so that we may live and love boldly and lead other to know you more. It is the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Lisa Blackwood. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.