Imagine if someone put you in charge of a nation tomorrow. Suddenly, you are the president of your own country! What do you need to succeed? A good army? Diplomatic skill and insight? A thorough understanding of economics and politics? This was the situation Joshua found himself in after Moses’s death. He was in charge of the nation of Israel, and to make matters worse, he was replacing the only human leader Israel had ever known. Joshua realized that to fill Moses’s shoes, the most important thing he needed was God’s word.
Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
What was true for Joshua is true of us today. The one guide everyone needs in life is the Bible.
God’s Word Can Give You a Successful Life
Studies show that nearly a fourth of all Christians never read their Bibles. If these studies are right, then it explains why so many Christians feel like the Christian life doesn’t work. Without the Bible, we rob ourselves of God’s guidance and insight. The insight for life the Bible provides is fundamental for growing closer to God.
The Bible has the power to help you “prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:8). This is a grand promise. It claims to be able to help you find success in every area of life. This is how the Bible could help Joshua lead a nation over 3,000 years ago and help you navigate the pitfalls of 21st-century life. If there are areas in your life where you feel like you are failing, then you need to ask yourself if you are letting the Bible guide you in those areas.
Read God’s Word Each Day
God told Joshua to “Study this Book of Instruction continually.” This means that the Bible helps you most when you read it each day. The sense of this verse is that the Bible is always on your lips, on your mind, and on your heart. This total saturation of the Bible in your life is only possible by daily reading what it has to say. Choose one of our many reading plans and start reading today!
Think Deeply About What God’s Word Means for You
God also gives instruction on how a person is supposed to read the Bible. He told Joshua, “Meditate on it day and night.” We might think of meditation as emptying our minds. This isn’t the kind of meditation God is talking about. The meditation God invites us to is to think deeply about the words we read. Don’t just read through the Bible as fast as possible. Think about what it means. Is there a promise that God makes to us? Is there something that he commands us to do? Is something surprising or confusing? As we find the answers to these questions, keep coming back to those verses or phrases that stand out. Figure out how they apply them.
If we don’t meditate on the Bible, then it will make very little difference in our lives.
Do What God’s Word Says to Have a Successful Life
God doesn’t want us to fill our heads with Bible trivia. God tells us to read the Bible so that it will make a difference in our lives. All of the study and meditation is meant to help people “be sure to obey everything written in it.” The Bible doesn’t give us successful lives by accident. We have to actually do what it says.
James 1:22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Does the Bible make a difference in your life? Does it change the way you live? If you can see that it does, then you are well on your way to letting the Bible guide you.
