Joshua 1:1-8 “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Having been over taken by death, Moses vacated the place of leadership. God turned to Joshua, a faithful servant of the past. The question was, “Is he fit for the task of the present?” Could Joshua successfully assume the role of leader? God knew that Joshua could lead if Joshua maintained a right relationship with the Word of God. Joshua was to love the book, “shall not depart out of thy mouth.” It must be the first thing he reached for in the morning and the last thing when he lay down at night. A powerful preacher of days gone by adopted this practice, “No Bible, no breakfast.” Joshua was to learn the book, “thou shalt meditate.” The word “meditate” means to ponder, study, imagine or talk about. I wonder if we spent as much time studying the spiritual as we do the secular, what kind of impact we would make on the world about us. Joshua was to live the book, “observe to do according to all.” The whole purpose for studying the book is not so we can define our position or project our intellectual accomplishments. We study the Word so that it can become an integral part of our will and our walk. We must take on the image of the Word. Everything Joshua needed to be an effective leader was tied to Joshua’s relationship to the Book. When it comes time, will you be ready to lead?