Jump Start # 1125

Joshua 1:2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”

Moses My servant is dead. That was the shortest funeral address ever. For the past forty years, Israel woke up every morning to Moses being the leader. He brought them out of Egypt. He led them through the wilderness. As a new generation grew up, it was Moses the leader. Now as they were ready to finally step into the promise land, a change was taking place. Moses was dead. Joshua would lead them. Would Joshua be as good as Moses? Would Joshua know what to do?  Would the Lord remain with Joshua? Would they like Joshua? Many questions. Many fears.

This simple verse reminds us of some profound truths.

1. Change is a part of life. Only in eternity do things remain the same. Things here do not remain the same. For some, this is exciting. New adventures. New chapters in the book of life. Students move through the school system and graduate. Off to college. They graduate. They find a job that launches a career. Often that is away from hometown. New people. New places. New congregation. Change. Some do well with that. Others don’t. Others want things to remain the same. It never does. Some change is very hard to adjust to and deal with. The spouse that returns from the cemetery to an empty house. Things will never be the same. Change. The parents that see that last child move out. Things will never be the same. Change. The aging parent that must move out of his home and into assisted living. Things will never be the same. Change. Some of these changes brings tears to our eyes. We want things to remain as they were but they cannot. In the midst of all this change, God remains on the throne. For Israel, Moses was gone, Joshua was the new leader, but it was the same God, the same plan and promises, the same hope that they had. That helps us. The God we have prayed to for years, is the same God that sees us now and walks us through the new changes.

2. Sometimes we make the transition to change harder on ourselves by resisting what is happening. God prevented this with Israel, but leading the way and announcing the change. It was God approved. God wanted Joshua leading the nation. To resist Joshua was to resist God. The changes in our lives are not so “divinely” chosen. As a result we can go down kicking and screaming and resisting change and all that does is make life more unpleasant and it takes much longer for things to move forward. An aging parent resists leaving their home for assisted living. This is not easy on any one. Health and safety demand that this be done. There are no other options. The parent can make this an easy transition or it can become a nightmare. A church changes preachers. That happens. I’ve been the preacher who is the new guy in the pulpit. Some accept things and make the transition very easy. Others constantly make comparisons to the former preacher, thus making the transition very awkward. I’ve found that the sun still comes up, the birds continue to sing, and life moves on, after change. There is no going back and reversing the change that takes place. So we can fight it, pout about it or move on as God wants. Moses was dead. There was no bringing him back. Israel could stay where they were. They could refuse to move on into the promise land, but that’s not what God had planned. God’s goal for them was to move on without Moses. Death makes change very hard. It forces us to change when we do not want to. Those unprepared, such as having no will or life insurance and savings, put their loved ones into positions of having to encounter more changes. The family may not be able to afford the house now, which means another change. We all change. We age. We can anticipate, plan and help those around us with the change or we can make things harder than they have to be. Forward looking, thinking about the next five years, the next ten years, helps with the change process. Churches need to do that. Families need to do that. Each of us need to do that.

3. Someday I must face my death. We don’t like to talk about that. It often frightens us. Ignoring it, putting it out of our minds, does not change the fact of what will happen. It is appointed unto man once to die, is what Hebrews tells us. This will be the greatest change of all. Death isn’t the end of our story. There is no “The End” to our lives. The cemetery is not where the journey ends. We live on and on, as one of our hymns goes. Living today, living short sighted, fails to see what awaits on the horizon. Living today ignores consequences of sin and eternity with God. The Lord prepared Joshua to lead Israel. It wasn’t a random choice. It was the obvious choice. Joshua was groomed long before he knew he would take that role. The same with David. God was shaping him to be a king before he ever gave that much thought. Preparation. Plans. Putting things in place. Stewardship demands this. Love requires this. Thinking these thoughts can make us sad, morbid or they can lead us to laying foundation stones, making plans for smooth changes. The wise servant of Christ is aware that someday will be his last day. He does move through life with a cloud above his head. We walks by faith. He makes each day a blessing. He does what he can. If he is given another day, he continues on. Each day is a gift. Each day is a blessing. Each day is an opportunity. We make plans, but we also know that someday will be the last day. Change will take place. We will move on to the eternal where all things will remain. There is not hurrying up because I have somewhere else to be, not in the land of the eternal. That is our destination. That is where the journey is completed. That is where we stay.

Change. It happens all the time. It happens right before our eyes. Some change is easy and some very hard. Moses was dead, yet Israel had things to do. Life was moving on with God. And so it is with us.

Roger