Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not worship them or bow down to them. Instead, remain faithful to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.     Joshua 23:6-8 HCSB

If you have never taken the time to study and review the life of Joshua, I strongly recommend it. I have a lot of respect for him. He was Moses’s assistant and went on to be his successor. He was a great leader, warrior, and faithful man of God. We would do well to learn from him and practice the type of faith he had. He didn’t take his salvation for granted.

Joshua is giving his farewell speech here, and he goes on in verse 10 to talk about how good God has been to the Israelites.

As Warren Wiersbe pointed out in his commentary, Abraham and his family were idolaters when God called Abraham to leave Ur and go to Canaan. Abraham didn’t seek God; God called Abraham. We are all saved by God’s grace. It’s God’s goodness that saves us; it’s nothing special that we do. There was nothing special about the Israelite nation, yet they were God’s chosen people.

Friday, we will celebrate Good Friday. I used to wonder why we called it Good Friday when Jesus died on that day, but as I grew older, I realized that Jesus died to save us from our sins, and when he rose from the tomb, he conquered sin and death.

This gives us hope that we can have eternal life. Jesus paid the price on the cross so that we could spend eternity in heaven.

Many of the Israelites rebelled against God. They took the fact that they were God’s chosen people for granted. They had seen Him send the plagues in Egypt, which eventually led to their being freed from their Egyptian bondage. They had seen Him part the Red Sea. They had watched Him guide them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They had seen Him rain manna down to give them their daily bread. They had seen Him draw water from a rock to rescue them from their thirst. Yet, still, most of them ended up dying in the wilderness because of their grumbling, complaining, and disbelief.

They took for granted that they were God’s chosen people. They took all the miracles He performed to rescue them and save them for granted.

I cringe when I think about how much I’ve been like those Israelites. For so long, I took my salvation for granted. For so long, God took good care of me, yet I complained and grumbled about the hard times, not realizing that He was there walking with me and easing my suffering and pain. I chose to do things my way instead of His way.

And most importantly, I grumbled and complained about how hard I had it. I failed to realize how hard it was for a loving God to send His only begotten Son to die for a miserable sinner like me. I failed to realize how hard it was for Jesus to be falsely accused, even though He had never sinned. I failed to realize how hard it was for Him to be flogged and take on the sin of the world, including my sin. I failed to realize how hard it was for Him to suffer on that cross.

Now, however, when the going gets tough, I remember all the times He parted the Red Sea for me. I remember all the times He walked with me through the fire and the flood and all the times He carried me when I couldn’t stand on my own.

God loves you. I beg of you not to take that for granted. Turn to Him and trust in Him. You will never regret it.

Have a great day!