Be Strong and Courageous

July 15, 2026

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
-Joshua 1:1-6 (NIV)

It seems that a lot of us are very busy and for some, it’s hard to clear up some time and take a few moments to reflect on where we are in life now. 

Perhaps you haven’t done so in a while and if that is the case, I encourage you to pause here to do so.

If we’re honest with ourselves in self-reflection, maybe at this point in your life you thought life would be different.  Maybe there are certain goals or milestones you had planned and for some reason you haven’t accomplished them or reached a certain point of satisfaction.  If you have children or grandchildren, maybe you thought they’d be in a different life stage by now too.  To this I say God has a greater plan and purpose to any setbacks and whatever the case, now is not the time to shrivel up in defeat and I have these words to offer you….

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.

These are the instructions given to Joshua from the LORD.  Scattered throughout the book of Joshua these commands are mentioned five times!  You would think once is enough.  Keep in mind that Joshua was there by Moses’ side since his youth (Num. 11:28).  Therefore, we must remember Joshua was there for almost all the miracles associated with Moses and the Israelites and Joshua helped to fight the fearsome Amalekites (Ex. 17:10).  Amongst the miracles Joshua was there when the LORD parted the Red Sea and drowned the ferocious Egyptian army (Ex. 14:26-28).

You would think after all of this, Joshua would have an indomitable spirit and unshakeable faith, so then why do we keep reading the LORD telling him and the Israelites to be strong and courageous?  Because the LORD foreknew they would face tremendous obstacles, hardship and even danger – and this happened many times while going through the promised land and facing various enemies of the Israelites. And that does not mean God spares us from tremendous hostility and seemingly unsurmountable odds, but time and time again the LORD guides his followers through such harsh conditions!  Some people may think, “Why would a God of love allow us and even wants us to go through absolutely brutal situations in our lives?”  Because out of great love, Romans 5:4 tells us that suffering eventually produces hope!  And Paul figured out the relationship between suffering and hope in Phil 3:10-11 when he says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”  Thus, it’s through our sufferings that produce hope in Christ and it’s through sufferings we know Christ more and the power of the resurrection.  Typically, in times of distress, we are propelled to turn to Christ more and seek the goodness of his presence, mercy, love and grace!  And because our hearts are so timid and naturally unwilling to obey God at any given turn, then of course Joshua needed to be reminded time and time again to be strong and courageous.

Look!  By earthly vision it’s easy to crumble and fall apart at any unwanted matter.  But I encourage you to be strong and courageous and to know the LORD is with you, guiding you through this process.

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.

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O Canada

July 1, 2026

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
-Jer. 29:4-7 (NIV)

On July 1, 2026 Canada celebrates 159 years!  Happy Canada Day everyone!  Maybe this is a place I took for granted (being born and raised in Toronto) and being a somewhat recent Moncton transplant.  Maybe I never stopped to think too deeply on the rich Christian roots of our country.  Maybe I’ve never really reflected on the fact that our nation and national anthem “O Canada” was founded primarily by Catholic and Protestant, in other words, Christian leaders!  In fact, our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was also founded by Christians as well.

And for those in attendance during last Sunday’s worship service, I really appreciated hearing about our Parliament building having biblical passages etched, carved and inscribed in it.  For those that don’t know, here’s the video clip from the Canadian Bible Society:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adU6F6-YL5Q

Of course, being a Raptors fan that video got me more excited because it was narrated by the Toronto Raptors announcer, chaplain and pastor, Herbie Kuhn.

Now have I seen changes to our nation that I’m not happy about?  Sure!.....”But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..” (Phil. 3:20).  This world is not our home and we’re not there yet, and until we get called there we have a mission to spread the gospel and bring people to Jesus Christ.  For that reason as Christians, we can all say we’re just sojourners, visitors and temporary residents wherever we may find ourselves on earth.  None of us know how long our stay here is (God holds the duration of our lives), but if that is the case, then how can we live well wherever we may find ourselves on earth?

Let’s look at Jeremiah 29:4-7.  In this text the Israelites were exiled into Babylon and they thought it was going to be a short stay.  Many of them probably felt feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, losing a sense of identity, losing a sense of fulfilment and belonging, etc., and probably most if not all of them felt an intense longing to be home.

Can anyone relate?  Have you experienced dramatic changes to your city, town or the place you grew up in?  Maybe for any reason you were forced to move.  Whatever the case may be, there are great insights to learn these verses. The LORD instructed the Israelites (sojourners) to build houses, settle down, plant gardens, eat what the locals produce, build marriages, build families, and increase in number.  From this we know the LORD didn’t tell them how long they’d be there for until verse 10 when the LORD said they’d be there for seventy years!  That’s a very long time and chances are most of them (if not all of them) probably felt very gloomy hearing this from the LORD.  But the LORD didn’t give up on them, even though their exile was punishment for being disobedient and idolatrous.  Furthermore, the LORD basically instructed the Israelites to settle down in this foreign and hostile land and live out their lives.  How could that be?  Didn’t God care for them enough?  Didn’t God want better plans for them?  Of course he did for both questions.

And look what verse 7 says.  The LORD wanted them to experience the peace and prosperity of the city.  See that? The LORD doesn’t give up on his people!  And of course, when we get to verse 11 (which many people know), he flat out tells his people the long-term plans for them to prosper regardless of the conditions.

And as it turns out for us here and now, finding ourselves in a modern Canada that we haven’t known before where many things have changed, let’s continue to seek the LORD and pray for the peace and prosperity of the city we find ourselves in, and that more than anything we experience God’s grace through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! – Not because we can earn it, but because our LORD is so merciful and good!

Happy Canada Day!  God is with you and he loves you!

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