the bigger the come the harder the call

The Bigger They Come, the Harder the Call
Joshua 1:6-7
“Be strong and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it, to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”
Jesus spoke a promise to Joshua, a huge promise. After Joshua is placed in authority, replacing Moses after his death; Christ promises Joshua that he would lead the Israelites to their fulfilled promised land. The vast layout of the land God promised Joshua, the promise of protection and power, all these things were spoken to Joshua preceding this command.
Who was Joshua? Joshua was an Israelite born in Egypt. He endured the slavery with the Israelites, saw the plagues, wandered the desert with the rest of them. He was placed as Moses’ helper during the Exodus. Joshua was known as a man of faith, for even during the time in the desert he was nearly stoned for his faith in Christ. And when Moses sent out the twelve spies to scout out the land God had promised, he, along with Caleb, were the only two to return with a good word. Joshua believed the land could be won through God’s help; however, the other ten likened themselves as too weak to win.
Why is Joshua’s character pertinent? Knowing the kind of man God is speaking to, reveals to us the type of men God looks to use. Faithful men, God fearing and hard working men. Joshua stood by Moses as a servant to him for forty years before God placed him in command of the Israelites. But, before to hastily seek to be like Joshua for the sole purpose of a incredible promise. We must realize the huge call of responsibility and character that was placed upon him as a result.
When God told Joshua to be STRONG and COURAGEOUS the definition of these words are as follows:
Strong- hard, harsh, severe, to strengthen, encourage, seize, hold to, and establish yourself firmly.
Courageous- to be strong, to strengthen, support, establish, persist, determine.
Basically God is saying: “Prepare yourself… Be determined and set in your ways.. Be ready to strive for, work for, struggle and fight for…” The bigger the promise the harder the call to pursue it. God placed stipulations to receiving this promise. Joshua had to be established in Christ and in obedience. Promises aren’t without conditions, expectations, and criteria. If you want to see them through, you have to CREATE WITHIN YOURSELF the strength and courage to see them to fulfillment. The next 20 or so years of Joshua’s life, all the way to his death were spent in seeing this promise fulfilled. And he did see it fulfilled!
“Be strong and courageous” one huge command, restated 4 times within one chapter regarding one HUGE promise.