Joshua 1:8 –
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Joshua was handed over the role of leader when Moses died. His first job was to lead the people into the Promised Land, but before taking control God had a few things He needed to ensure Joshua understood. “Be strong and courageous” was said three times in this one paragraph. They were going into a hostile land, against a much stronger force, so Joshua needed assurance since this was the same reason they wandered the wilderness for 40 years.
Through all this “strength and courage” God was asking Joshua to have, he throws this into the mix. Basically, God wanted to make sure Joshua was solid in his foundation and never forgets or drifts away from the Word. Notice God did not say read this once and move on to the next study, no He said study “continually.” “Meditate on it day and night” means more than just read and set the book aside. God wanted to ensure Joshua was able to handle any situation with His instructions.
Now when you think about it this applies to us all the same. While Joshua is the leader of the nation of Israel, that does not mean we do not need to follow the same instruction. I pray our pastors take the same responsibilities Joshua did in leading their congregations. But again, does that dismiss us from having to do this? No, we must be just as diligent as Joshua. I am not saying after two years everything will be rosy and you will “prosper” in an earthly sense. Honestly I have been faithful at doing this since 2006 and have seen some incredible “low” times during that period. God did not promise us a rose garden here on earth, our prospering is in His eyes and not the worlds!
The key here is to just make some time in the day! If you cannot find it, do what I did and get up an hour earlier. Just make it a priority to do it every day for 40 days, then it will be habit and easy. The key is to work on little chunks and not try to do everything. As Nike says “just do it” and all will you will enjoy the insight you receive.