The book of Joshua ends with Joshua's final words to the nation of Israel, as well as the account of his burial and Joseph's burial. Here's what it says about Joshua:
"After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel."
Reading through Joshua the Israelites actually make many mistakes and often turn their back on God. Joshua even gives them a chance in this final chapter to turn their backs on God once and for all, knowing that their hearts were so unfaithful to God. You even get the sense that he knows that they've hidden idols of other gods in their tents and worship them when they believe no one is looking.
And yet scripture tells us that the Israelites served the Lord all of Joshua's days, and the days of all of the elders that Joshua appoints.
What this says to me is that even though our church may make mistakes, and even though it may seem like our ministry is not making any difference, things may be better than they appear. God is at work, always.
This renews my hope to continue serving God, to continue putting my heart into preparing sermons and bible studies, organizing activities, and reaching out to people. I may notice a lot of little and even some big things that I don't like and that I believe God wants to change (both in me and in others), but I can't let those things overwhelm my hope.
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