Key Bible Verse: "I command you—Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9). Bonus Reading: Joshua 1:1-18

Remember your first day of school? Your heart thumped in your chest when you climbed on that big yellow bus all by yourself. Each step seemed like a mountain. You probably wanted Mom or Dad to go with you. Your parents could encourage you but they couldn't do it for you. That was one trip you had to take alone.

Somehow you made it through that first day. When school was out, you jumped off the bus and found those loving arms waiting for you.

Our trip to Calvary is a lot like that. When it comes to dying to self, no one else can do it for us. God will encourage us, but He will not do for us what we alone can do. Only we can crucify the flesh.

Is there a sin that easily entangles you? Do you cry for God to kill the sin in you? It's up to you to throw it off. Christ has already done all He can do. He faced Golgotha alone. No one else could go to the cross in His place.

So we climb on the bus, struggle to climb those steps, and follow Him in His death. Then we find Him waiting for us with open arms.

—Shawn Craig in Between Sundays

My Response: What fear is holding me back from a full commitment to Christ? Am I ready to take that step?

Thought to Apply: In war there is absolutely no substitute for victory.—DOUGLAS MACARTHUR (W.W. II commander in the Pacific)

Adapted from Between Sundays (Howard, 1998) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Give me the resolve and strength, Lord, to take a definite stand for You and consistently live it out.

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