–charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.”–Deut. 3:28

Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur, Missouri, had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis. Douglas Maurer was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They did not sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who had leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: “Douglas—I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I’m 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.” His face lit up and he said, “Oh!”

Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with millions of dollars of sophisticated medical equipment. He was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling more than a hundred years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman making $170 a week, who—by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go with what her heart told her to do—gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.

All it took was one short note of encouragement to give Douglas the will to keep fighting the cancer in his body. Many times one note or one “Keep up the good work” can help someone keep going. Notice our verses today. God was giving Moses some last commands before he was going to pass over the leadership of the Israelites to Joshua.

One of the commands God gave Moses was to encourage Joshua. Imagine being in Joshua’s shoes! He was now in command of millions of Israelites and it was up to him to lead them to conquer the land God had given them. These people were not willing followers but people with a record of murmuring, complaining, and rebelling. What a task!

As Joshua’s elder and mentor, Moses took time to encourage him in the task he faced. Even so, we can be a Moses today! There is someone around you, someone you know, who is facing a difficult task today. You may not always know what it is, but they can still use your encouragement.

Do you know anyone who is struggling? Maybe they lost a loved one, are having medical difficulties, or are going through a hard time financially. Drop them a note of encouragement today. Many times it is the small thoughts of kindness that gives someone the biggest boost of perseverance.(From Daily in the Word)

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 10:38-39

Andrei Sakharov grew up in Russia during World War II. After the war, he completed his college education and became one of Russia’s premier nuclear physicists. He worked on such projects as the Soviet atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and Russia’s megaton-range hydrogen bomb, with a design known as “Sakharov’s Third Idea.” Much of his career was spent advancing post-war Russia’s scientific defenses, earning him many prestigious awards. But in the 1970s, Sakharov’s view of his work changed. He realized the grave dangers that could be done by his advances and spoke out against the use of such dangerous weapons. His newfound work in social activism came with consequences, and for nearly five years he was exiled to a small apartment in Russia. It was during this time that Sakharov spent days hand-writing his memoirs with the help of his wife Elena. Adrei would write his memories, and Elena would type, edit, and organize his thoughts. Many times sections of his book would vanish, more than likely because of sudden government searches. On the day Elena was due home from a trip, Andrei met her at the train station, and through trembling lips and glassed-over eyes, muttered, “It’s gone. They took it all.” The government had searched the apartment, found all his writings, and had taken them. Although they were devastated, they began work again on the book, and this time Elena noted that Andrei’s memories seemed to be better than before.

For several years, Andrei lived his life to write his memoirs. He spent hours each day simply writing. Yet in one instance, his life’s work was gone. Everything he had done seemed to have been in vain. He must have felt that those years of his life had been wasted.

Have you ever worried that you would waste your life? Is what you are doing now truly meaningful, or are you simply biding time? No one wants to “lose” time by spending what little time we have on earth on meaningless pursuits. Yet many people are wasting their lives, and sadly, many of those people are Christians.— Christ tells us that spending a life pursuing fleshly desires and goals is equal to a life lost; but a life expended for Christ and His work is a life well spent.

So many people on earth get caught up in pursuing the “perfect life”-a good-sized house, an abundance of possessions, an accommodating job, and a comfortable lifestyle-that they forget about the most important things in life—-. Too many people are focused on the present without thinking of the future.

God promises you that living a life of dedication to Him is a life worth living. It may seem as if others are more blessed or enjoy more comforts, yet nothing can replace a life spent in service of the King. One day, when you stand before God and give an account for your life, you won’t wish you had more money, but that you had served God more.

Have you ever compared your life with the lives of others? Have you wondered if your service is making a difference? Don’t allow the pursuit of fleshly desires to overrun your life. Remember that God honors those who lose their life for His work, and blesses them with eternal riches.(By Dr. Paul Chappell)