Carefully...

If I placed a ticking bomb in front of you right now and told you to disarm it - would you rush through the process and not think about it?  Or would you take your time and think about each step in order to make sure you got it right?  I mean, we wouldn't want to confuse the red and blue wires now would we?  It would be in our best interest if you were very careful!

Joshua 22:5 - Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him will all your heart and with all your soul.

Did you see all of those "ands" in there??  That is one long sentence.  But I want you to catch something: Only be very careful to...with all your heart and with all your soul.  Everything in the middle there (the dot, dot, dot) is framed by be very careful and with all your heart and soul.  So let's put it this way:

Only be very careful to:

• Observe the commandment and law
• Love the Lord your God
• Walk in all His ways
• Keep His commandments
• Hold fast to Him
• Serve Him

And do ALL of these things with all your heart and with all your soul. Or as Wesley puts it, "with the whole strength of your minds, and wills, and affections."  

You see, these aren't options.  This is God telling us how to be, how to live - "What good counsel was here given to them is given to us all.  God give us grace to take it" (Henry).  This verse doesn't just say "be careful."  It says "be  very careful."  'Very' in the Hebrew is the word m@ 'od which means "exceedingly. much" (Strong's H3966).  'Exceedingly' holds the idea of going above and beyond the norm.  We should be following these instructions as if we were disarming a bomb!  We should be thinking through all of our actions, making sure we get each step right...  

Clarke states that "they must ever consider that their prosperity and continued possession of the [promised] land depended on their fidelity and obedience to God."  In the same way, our promise of eternal life and glorification depend upon our fidelity and obedience to God!  We can't live our lives ignoring the law, neglecting our relationship with God, and serving everyone but Him.  We must be exceedingly careful to observe His commandments, to love Him, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with ALL of our hearts and souls!  Our very lives depend on it!

Look back up at the list again.  Which of those 6 things do you struggle with the most?  Take some time today and focus on that weak link.  Look at that link as if it were a bomb about to explode.  Give it the attention it needs today to be secure tomorrow!  Take it one step at a time....