JOSHUA 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (NIV)

TO PONDER

Edmund Pevensie felt alone, he didn’t even feel like he belonged in his own family, his response to his perceived aloneness was selfishness, which alienated him from all around until he was finally trapped, and truly alone.

In case you missed the post from yesterday’s verse of the day, Edmund Pevensie is a character from the book by C. S. Lewis “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. So I will again allude to our Edmund-esque-ness in today’s post. (Romans 3:9-26)

It’s when we forget our place of belonging, our identity is forgotten as well. Edmund had forgotten or chose to ignore where he belonged, separating himself from his family, his identity. In today’s verse we read how God was reminding Joshua who he was by stating who he belonged to. Joshua’s leader Moses had just died and now his identity had seemingly changed from supporter to head-honcho. Joshua could have fallen into an identity crisis like Edmund but God called him back to his belonging, his family.

In Ephesians 1:4-5 Paul reminds us of where we belong when he says; “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.” (MSG). So even in the midst of our Edmund-esque our identity is sure because our belonging was decided before God even created time.

So be strong and courageous!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, I thank you that my identity is sure because I belong to you, you adopted me into your family since before the beginning of time. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside