Joshua 1:8-9

The importance of Scripture and having a good grasp of it is evident and stated in a "simple" passage. Knowing Scripture can direct our footsteps down God's path if we so choose to allow it to do so. Obeying the Word of God is a guide for us and will lead us to be prosperous and successful. I don't believe that this pertains only to our prosperousness and successfulness in our "earthly lives". Our hearts and minds will prosper in God's Word which could very well lead us to success here on earth, depending somewhat on how we define success.

Another point is that God is with us everywhere we go!!! While faith is believing and trusting in things not seen, the Word is Christ (the Word being the Bible which we can see and touch and read and very much tangible). So while God dwells in our hearts and our minds, Jesus dwells in our lives through the Bible, whether we physically possess or carry a Bible or it flows mentally through our bodies in the form of thoughts and actions.

The phrase "God is with you wherever you go" took on a new meaning today and gives my favorite verse (Joshua 1:9) more importance to me. Not allowing the words of Scripture to depart from us means God is with us in even MORE ways than we usually imagine. I know God is with us even though we can not see Him, but the Scripture (God-breathed words of Scripture) gives us a tangible meaning. We do have to be aware of the danger of only knowing Scripture and not being in RELATIONSHIP with God and that just knowing Scripture does NOT mean we KNOW God intimately like He wants us to. Meditating on Scripture gives "God Thoughts" and I can always use a "God Thought". From there, God will prosper us in His love and we will succeed for God by His grace.
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"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. This is my command -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
~*Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)*~
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In response to some of the previous thoughts and "obeying everything written": I firmly believe that obedience to our Lord God comes from an intimate, deep relationship with Him. Spending time with Him is unbelievably important and consists of more than Scripture reading in my own life. Do I fail every now and then and fall a little bit to the "legalistic side" of "obeying the rules"? Yes. I definitely catch myself in a "works-based/obey the rules" mindset quite often. The Scriptures, however, provides a means of seeing how we can choose to live our lives. When we look at the life of Christ and see how He lived every day for his Heavenly Father, it gives us a picture of how we should live, love, and stand in obedience to God. As I stated in many previous blogs (and focused on quite a bit in "A Thought for the Day") God does NOT force us to obey Him but He does allow us to make decisions in our lives. He asks something of us and we have the option to obey or disobey.