As Joshua came near to Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The man replied, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (Joshua 5:13-14 NIV). When Joshua recognized the man as coming from the Lord, he immediately fell face down to the ground in reverence and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:14 NIV).
Notice Joshua’s response to the Lord’s messenger: “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” As the Lord’s servants, what would our response have been? Joshua’s positive attitude of service in his response, is indicative of the true spirit of obedience. Will this obedient attitude be seen in our response to the Lord’s message?
On the day of Pentecost, when the Jews learned through Peter’s message from God, that Jesus was both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), they cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Then, in a spirit of willing obedience, about three thousand souls responded to the gospel message (Acts 2:38-41).
We see this same spirit of obedience in the life of Saul of Tarsus (as a Roman citizen, he used his Latin name, Paul – cf. Acts 13:9; Acts 22:28-29), as he rendered willing obedience to the Lord’s instructions (Acts 9:1-22). Later, Paul became one of the most zealous proponents of Christ and His message (Galations 1:11-24; cf. Acts 28:17-31; Ephesians 6:10-20).
After becoming a Christian, there’s no better question to ask than the question that Joshua asked so long ago — “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” That message is clear and plain (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). What will our response be?
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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