Be Careful - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional
Be Careful
Joshua 9
They did not consult the LORD. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them. (Joshua 9:14-15)
THE NIGHT BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION, Jesus told the Father he had completed the work he had been sent to do (John 17:4). The flip side of this statement implies that he did not do what he had not been sent to do. He did not take on responsibilities that had not been given to him; he did not say yes to every request; and he did not align himself with people who were not aligned with his mission. Instead, he remained focused on the specific assignment God had given him.
Joshua made the mistake of binding himself to a promise that he should not have made and with people he should not have partnered with. We can hardly fault him for doing so; we have done the same thing on many occasions. Like him, we default to our own best judgment rather than consulting with God and listening for his guidance. Like Joshua, we trust our eyes and not the leading of the Spirit. And like him, even with the best intentions, we end up in relationships, commitments, jobs, and other preoccupations that were not part of our calling.
We cannot afford to let a false sense of obligation, faith in our own common sense, or careless agreements divert us from our God-given assignments if we want to live out the purposes he has for us. He expects us to honor our commitments even if they are misguided, and his grace will cover our mistakes. We are not punished or dismissed from his plans; Joshua and Israel remained in the Promised Land after their blunder. But they lost something in the process, and we will too. Unholy alliances will limit our opportunities to serve and be fruitful.
Be careful about your partnerships, commitments, debts, and promises. Other people may have a strong idea of what you should do, but you are under no obligation to follow their lead. Your assignment, like that of Jesus, and of Joshua before him, is to do what God has given you to do—to live with a heart that senses his direction and with feet willing to follow it. Ask, listen, and bind yourself only to his ways.
{Lord, protect me from unholy alliances; guide me into strategic relationships and opportunities; and let me live freely. Tune my heart to your voice alone. Amen.