This post is published as a companion to Unit 8, Session 3 of The Gospel Project for Adults Vol. 3 (Spring 2022): From Conquest to a Kingdom.
Scripture: Joshua 23
Word can kill and words can heal. Words can bring death and words can bring life. How difficult it is to know what to say in the right way to help people turn towards God.
Joshua’s Last Words
In his last years of life, Joshua gathered all the people to give them one last speech, to plead with them and emphasize to them how important it was to follow the Lord and not follow the nations around them. In one sense, Joshua spoke words of death and life. He warned them of what would happen if they strayed from the Lord—that the nations would be a snare to them, that the Lord’s anger would burn, and that they would lose the land (Joshua 23:13, 16). But he also foretold what would happen if they obeyed—God would keep His promises and bring about good (23:14).
When we talk to our sisters and brothers in Christ, is it always just chit chat? Is it just small talk? Or if it does go deep, do we talk about sin? Do we talk about how to get deeper in our relationship with Christ?
Encouraging Each Other To Love God
Sometimes we avoid talking deeply because we don’t want to sound “holier than thou” or we don’t fully trust the person we’re talking to, or sadly, it’s just not on our mind to. Yet how important it is to speak words of life, encouragement, and gentle rebuke to others as the family of God.
In Joshua’s farewell speech to the Israelites, his people and his family, Joshua knew he had to remind them to follow in the ways of the Lord. He had no guarantee that they would. They would have to choose for themselves. But his greatest emphasis seems to be in verse 11, telling them ultimately to “love the Lord.” This reminds us how much loving God and obeying God goes together. You cannot say you love the Lord and then disobey Him and follow and worship other things.
Speaking Truth
Sometimes when we talk about encouragement, we only think of what God does for us, His love, grace, and mercy for us. And it’s important to remind each other that God loves us, no doubt. But it is just as important to remind each other to love God, and thus, obey God. Let’s be better at speaking truth in love for God’s glory and our good by pleading with each other, like Joshua did, to love the Lord and continue walking in His ways. Only in this way can we really speak words of life to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Only in this way can we build each other up as a holy priesthood. Only in this way can we all grow deeper in our sanctification process.
Words have power. Let’s use that power for good, in ways that stretch us and stretch others to grow deeper and stronger in the Lord.