Growing in Life Transitions, Part One

Here's part one from my sermon on Sunday morning:

Joshua 1:1-11

We have witnessed numerous changes throughout history: horse drawn carriages replaced by horse-powered cars; typewriters replaced by laptop computers; the ice age has been replaced with global warming which today is returning to the ice age…

With change comes transition. Life is full of them. Some of them are tough. Some of them require adjustments. Some changes are very welcomed. Some transitions can cause public uproar, like the suggestion to change the mascot at the Clear Creek Middle School from Bobcats to something else. When traditions are changed many people do not like it, besides the Board of Education is located on Bobcat Trail.

The name change is a big deal for some people. A coach from Gilmer wrote in about how difficult the transition could be as students move from loyalty and dedication to one mascot while the other middle school would maintain that name recognition of the high. Why make difficult years of growth more difficult?

Joshua faced this fear in transition. The people of Israel had been led by God’s man, Moses, over forty years. Now, they had finished their 30 days of mourning, and Joshua was expected to pick up and take up the leadership reigns and move the people. 40 years of uncertainties surrounded these people who had been promised a land flowing with milk and honey. I would have had some concerns myself.

Joshua just needed a simple reminder that a sovereign God was making the decisions. For Joshua to get through this huge life changing transition, he had to understand his role as leader and his role as a follower.

The same goes for us. As God leads us through transitions in life, we have to remember He is sovereign. He is supreme, superior and absolute. He doesn’t need us telling Him how it is done yet He can’t wait to hear from us.

Helping people understand the sovereignty of God goes beyond just telling them, “God said so do it.” It goes beyond saying, “God rules so get over it.” God’s sovereignty reminds us that a loving God has everything in His hands and His care is perfect.

Growing through life transitions helps us see that God is in control, God has a plan, and God seeks our obedience.