Joshua 23, Proverbs 7, 1 Timothy 6

Don't let your guard down. Joshua reminded the people of all the mighty things the Lord had done for them. Then he said, in essence, "Don't let your guard down in the future." They had fought battles and the Lord won them. But it wasn't over. Because it's never over. There are always temptations. The only way they witnessed God-sized miracles like the parting of the Jordan River and the fall of Jericho was because they listened to God and obeyed what He told them to do. The key to obedience and hearing God speak is a relationship with Him. Joshua knew this. That's why he told them to remain faithful to the Lord and never follow other gods. When we are in a close, personal relationship with God, when we listen to Him and obey what He tells us to do, we'll see Him accomplish God-sized things through us, too.

Don't let your guard down because it is never over.Proverbs 7 reads like a story. A cautionary tale. The chapter begins by telling the reader the secret for avoiding the scenario that follows. It is never over. Temptation is everywhere. Only keeping and treasuring God's words will prevent falling.

Keep fighting and don't let your guard down. Another kind of temptation is money. Keeping the words and doctrine of Jesus Christ produces godliness (v 3) but failure to do so produces chaos and haughtiness. Staying pure and in right relationship with the Lord is described here as a fight. (12) So no matter who we are, or what century we live in, we must stay on guard, fight off temptation, read the Bible and pull in close to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we can say, along with Paul and Joshua, that as our days on earth end, we are content, remembering all the God-sized work accomplished by Him through us.

Joshua 22, Proverbs 6, 1 Timothy 5

Well-meaning intentions can easily be taken the wrong way. Caution on both sides is advised. The Israelites became so agitated over what they perceived as the motivation for the actions of the two-and-a-half tribes that they prepared for war. The two-and-a-half tribes should have stopped to think how their actions might be interpreted by the rest of the nation. A little communication before the deed would have gone a long way. If our actions might be seen as something sinful, it might be best to back up and trust God to take care of the situation. When we try to "help" God it can make His job caring for us more difficult!

Stop to think about the consequences of your actions before you act. Or in the case of the "sluggard," consider what will happen if you stay lazy. Every action does have a consequence. Satan's favorite ploy is to blind us to the truth by dangling pleasure before our eyes. Wise people see around the pretties to what lurks behind.

Actions have consequences. The church was charged with caring for "real" widows: those who had no husband or living children, who were over the age of sixty. Why the rules? Because of the sinful actions of some. Paul also gave more cautionary instructions about accusing an elder. Stop. Think.

If we will always follow this exhortation to stop and think before we act or speak, we'll avoid much heartache and make God's job easier!