All in

The event in the Old Testament we are all very familiar where the Children of Israel are just about to cross the Jordan after wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years due to their disobedience before the Lord. The people had been here once before 40 years before but because of a scary report given by ten of the twelve people sent to spy out the new country, the promised land, the people became terrified and did not want to go any futher. You can see that account in Numbers 13 and 14. Now here they are again under new leadership with the death of Moses and Joshua the son of Nun is about to take them into the land.We pick up the account in Joshua 1:2 where Joshua is being spoken to by the Lord and he says"Moses my servant is dead; now therfore 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... 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, (my emphasis) that thou mays 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 therin day and night, that thou mayes 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.(my emphasis) Joshua 1:2,3,6-8Here Joshua is where he has been 40 years before and once again God is giving them the land but notice. He is telling him to be strong and courageous.... Why? He has given him and the Children of Israel the land?! We know the answer. The same walled cities, the same large people, the same giants in the land that were there 40 years before are still there and Joshua and the Children of Israel will still have to fight them to get the Land and claim it. Along with his commanding him to be strong and courageous though God also is giving him a checklist to make sure he and the people are walking in the right direction. By keeping the book of the law always before him by meditating on it day and night and doing everything it says... THEN they shall be prosperous. THEN they shall be successful. When people are playing cards and gambling with money there is a phrase I have heard when they are about to make their big move. "I'm all in." They say this to signify they have nothing left and they are betting that they have the best hand in the crowd. I submit to you that the Children of Israel were about to be in that position. They had been given an opportunity to cash in their chips 40 years before but because of their fear they had not. Now 40 years later they had come to the end of all of that, they had come to the end of all the games, they had come to the end of themselves and they were telling God, "I'm all in." That is where we need to be every day with our Lord. We need to show we have nothing left we have to cash our humanity in every day, every moment and push our sins across the table and say to our Heavenly Father, "I'm All In!!" By doing so we will be different from those gambling on the luck of the draw, we will be different by hoping we have the winning hand. We can confidently say “We are all in.” Our confidence is on God and He has won and we are totally in His hand.