Scripture Union Daily Guide 7 September 2024 For Today’s Devotional (Saturday) Topic An Executive Summary!
TOPIC: An Executive Summary! (Daily Guide for Today 7 September 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional)
Daily Guide Devotional For Today 7th September 2024 (Saturday)
SCRIPTURE: JOSHUA 24:1-33
24 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7 And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
11 And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;
17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.
27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
Question(s) for Reflection
* Q2: Is there any example for me to follow or not to follow?
* Q3: Is there any command for me to obey?
* Q5: Is there any warning for me to heed?
Scripture Union Daily Guide 7 September 2024 Message:
In vs.2-13, Joshua summarized the entire history of the Israelites. Who is his audience (v.2a)?
From a pagan background (v.2): Notice the reference to the practice of ‘worshipping other gods’ by Abraham’s extended family. From what background did the Lord call you? Beware of the temptation to return to it.
Birthing of the Israelites (vs.3-4): The journey that God took Abraham through was intentional to separate him from his paganistic background.
The great deliverance, exodus and wilderness experience (vs.5-7): The graphic description of the deliverance from Egypt, the destruction of the Egyptian army and the crossing of the Red Sea is a constant point of reference for and among the Israelites.
The conquest of nations and kings (vs.8-13): The defeat of the Amorites, the conversion of Balaam’s curse into a blessing, the fall of Jericho and the defeat of the seven great nations form an important part of Joshua’s summary history. Do you take note of the victories that God grants you in your daily walk with Him?
Notice Joshua’s challenge (v.14) to which the people readily responded the same way Joshua had done for himself and his family (vs.15-18, 21-23). This is a statement of total commitment with serious implications. Similar to the marriage vow, it is not to be taken lightly hence Joshua’s response in vs.19-20&24.
To decide to serve God is to enter into a covenant relationship with Him.
Notice the legacy Joshua left behind in v.31, a challenge to Christian leaders and parents. For the background to the event in v.32, see Genesis 50:24-25 (cf. Hebrews 11:22).
* Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?
Daily Guide Devotional For Today 7 September 2024 (Saturday) Anthem
O Lord of heav’n and earth and sea
1 O Lord of Heav’n and earth and sea,
To Thee all praise and glory be;
How shall we show our love to Thee,
Giver of all?
2 The golden sunshine, vernal air,
Sweet flowers and fruits Thy love declare;
Where harvests ripen, Thou art there,
Giver of all!
3 For peaceful homes, and healthful days,
For all the blessings Earth displays,
We owe Thee thankfulness and praise,
Giver of all!
4 Thou didst not spare Thine only Son,
But gav’st Him for a world undone,
And e’en that gift Thou dost outrun,
And give us all.
5 Thou giv’st the Spirit’s blessèd dower,
Spirit of life, and love, and power,
And dost His sev’nfold graces shower
Upon us all.
6 For souls redeemed, for sins forgiv’n,
For means of grace and hopes of Heav’n,
What can to Thee, O Lord, be giv’n,
Who givest all?
7 We lose what on ourselves we spend;
We have as treasure without end
Whatever, Lord, to Thee we lend,
Who givest all.
8 Whatever, Lord, we lend to Thee,
Repaid a thousandfold will be;
Then gladly will we give to Thee,
Giver of all.
9 To Thee, from whom we all derive
Our life, our gifts, our power to give;
O may we ever with Thee live,
Giver of all!
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to fear you and serve you with all faithfulness.
Prayer for the week
* Pray for financial support for Christian ministries • Pray that God will raise genuine partners who are honest and are living holy lives • Pray against devourers in the businesses of partners
Offer a prayer of faith in line with Isaiah 32:17
One Year Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading Plan: Day 251- Ezekiel 37-39
NATIONAL PRAYER BULLETIN 7 SEPTEMBER 2024
PRAYER FOCUS
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called and whom He called, them He also justified and whom He justified; them He also glorified. Rom. 8:30.
THANK GOD FOR:
‣ The National Council Chairman, Dr. Willy Onu and his family.
‣ The manifestation of His wisdom upon him in piloting the affairs of the Union and his secular work.
‣ His provision, protection, preservation and sound health for him and his household.
PRAY FOR:
‣ Continual release of God’s anointing on the National Chairman for spiritual and visionary leadership in the ministry.
‣ Sound health for him and his family as he shoulders the responsibilities of the Union and his secular work.
‣ Divine insight to handle the challenges associated with the spiritual and secular work committed into his hands.
PRAY AGAINST:
‣ The network of the enemy projected against the National Council Chairman, his work, his family and the work of God in his hands.
