TRANSITIONS

…Joshua… summoned all Israel… and said to them: “I am old and well advanced in years. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done… Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left… you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now… Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed…  Joshua 23:1-3, 6, 8, 14

Joshua had taken the mantle of leadership from Moses, and now, in the Joshua portion of today’s OYB reading, he did several things to prepare the people of Israel for his own passing.

• He was intentional and took the initiative to prepare the people for the transition. “Joshua… summoned all Israel…” Maybe we are in situations where we need to take initiative to address transitions.
• He exhorted those coming after “to hold fast to the Lord your God… as you have until now…” Keep the course—stick with it.
• He reminded the people of God’s faithfulness to them up to the present: “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.” God has helped us in the past and we can count on Him help us in the future.

                                                                                                                                                                                 If we are creating a transition, or receiving one, let’s make it a good transition: “Be very strong.”