Judges 1, Proverbs 9, 2 Timothy 2

Is God satisfied? The Lord told Moses and Joshua--and both men told the people--that God would give them all the land and that they should drive out all the inhabitants. But for some reason, the Israelites stopped short. A few excuses are mentioned, such as "chariots of iron" and determination on the part of the inhabitants of certain cities or regions. But that's all they were - excuses. Since when is God limited by mere facts? It can be easy to get most of the way through a difficult project, become comfortable with the victory so far, and rationalize putting off any further actions. "I just need to rest a while," we think. But that thought can turn into "This is enough for me. I'm satisfied." The question ought to be, "Is God satisfied?"

Is God pleased? Wisdom works hard. Folly drinks stolen water. Wisdom fears the Lord and gets to know Him. From a personal, loving relationship flows the desire to please God, to do whatever He asks. Wise people are students of the Bible who learn from God.

Is God finished? There is no half-way or almost-there stopping point with Jesus Christ. Warriors, athletes, and farmers all know this. The real truth is found in verse 12. "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." Also, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (verse 15) Jesus Christ completed His work on the cross and His will is for us to stay faithful to Him for the rest of our lives, no matter what happens or how hard life becomes.

Joshua 24, Proverbs 8, 2 Timothy 1

Just before Joshua died, he called the leaders of Israel together for one purpose: to seal in their minds and hearts devotion to the One True God. He reminded them of all the mighty works of God on their behalf in the past and he cautioned them about the future consequences of changing their minds and following other gods.

Remembering what God has done for us in the past is a powerful tool for sealing our commitment today. Joshua's famous statement in verse 15, ". . . Choose this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," voiced what the rest of the people also decided.

There was just one catch. They had to put away their idols. Is it shocking to discover that they possessed idols at this point in their saga? Take a moment to assess where you are in your journey. Do you carry around idols, even though you say you're following God? The consequence of continuing with them is that we become unable to worship and follow God as long as we hold anything back. And that leads to personal chaos.

Choosing to follow God means choosing wisdom over wealth. But the end result is incredible wealth. Does this mean the Lord will give us "silver" or "gold" or "rubies" if we follow Him? Maybe. Maybe not. Tangible silver, gold or rubies, anyway. When we choose to follow the Lord instead of any other thing, that question becomes irrelevant. Our focus changes. We recognize the wealth of our relationship with Him. Verses 30-36 mirror the caution Joshua gave the Israelites. Choose the Lord, because any other choice brings death.

We cannot judge the faith of a person by the outcomes in his life. Paul, by the time he wrote this chapter, had been betrayed by most of his followers in Asia. He actually uses the word "all." He also mentions Timothy's "tears." Life was terribly hard, with little evidence of reward. But Paul never forgot the real wealth of his choice.