Be Watchful!

Reading:  Joshua 20 - 24
My Verse:  "Be very watchful of yourselves, therefore, to love the LORD your God" (23:11).

I really like this admonition that Joshua gives to the Israelites as he prepares them for his death.  He tells them they are to be courageous and do all that is written in the Word.  He tells them to not turn to the left or to the right.  He tells them to "cling to the LORD their God."  Finally, he tells them to "be watchful of yourselves."

How important this is for us!  We need to be ever vigilant and watchful of ourselves!  It is way too easy to stray, to lose faith, to become disheartened, to disobey, to wander to the left or to the right.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Tim 4:16).

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Mat 7:15).

"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Mat 16:6).

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you" (Mat 24:4).

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mat 26:41).

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap" (Luke 21:34).

"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise" (Eph. 5:15).

Because we are told so frequently throughout scripture to be watchful, we do well to pay attention and heed the warning!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!