What if the secret to a truly extraordinary life isn’t fame, wealth, or even impressive accomplishments—but the depth of your love, the faithfulness of your service, and the steel of your convictions toward the Lord Jesus Christ?
What if excellence isn’t measured by what you achieve but by who you are when the spotlight is gone and the applause is no longer audible?
When God created Adam and Eve, He set them in the Garden—not as prisoners bound by endless prohibitions, but as free people designed for joy, responsibility, and relationship with Him. Only one command marked the boundary of that freedom: Don’t eat from the tree in the center. Within that loving guardrail, they were free to live, create, enjoy, and fulfill their calling.
Yet today, many believers view obedience as something that limits rather than liberates—a spiritual diet meant to strip all pleasure away. But Scripture flips that thinking on its head. Obedience to God is not the enemy of joy; it is the pathway to it. Moral excellence is not a chain that restrains us —it’s the key to freedom and happiness.
The Charge of Joshua
After Israel conquered the land, Joshua knew the real battle was just beginning. It’s one thing to take territory; it’s another to hold it without losing your soul. In Joshua 22:5, he gives a rapid-fire charge—a sixfold call to action for followers of God who want to live with moral and spiritual excellence:
“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
These six words—Observe, Love, Walk, Keep, Cling, Serve—are not abstract virtues. They’re daily practices, heart postures, and spiritual anchors.
1. Observe – Live it Out
To observe God’s commands is not to stand by as a spectator, but to step into active obedience (Similar to when we “observe the posted speed limit”). A spectator may admire the game; a player sweats, struggles, and strives. Observing is carrying out God’s Word—carefully, intentionally, and with the seriousness of someone handling a priceless treasure.
2. Love – The Center of It All
The heartbeat of moral excellence is love—deep, loyal, covenant love for God. This isn’t a momentary surge of emotion; it’s the rooted affection Jonathan Edwards called Religious Affections—a transformation of the heart that compels every choice. Without love, obedience hardens into legalism; with love, obedience blossoms into joy. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
3. Walk – Step in Agreement
Walking in God’s ways means moving in step with His will, not out of grudge or reluctant compliance, but with joy and trust. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” To walk with Him is to align direction, pace, and purpose with the One who leads.
4. Keep – Guard and Conform
To keep God’s commandments is to guard them as precious and mold your life around them. This is more than memorizing verses—it is conforming the patterns of your habits, desires, and ambitions to His Word until His way becomes your way.
5. Cling – Hold Fast
To cling to God is to refuse to let go, no matter how fierce the wind or how deep the valley. This is covenant tenacity—faith that tightens its grip when trials come. It is Ruth declaring to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go… Your God will be my God.” It’s a grip that says, “I will not trade You for anything.”
6. Serve – With All Your Heart
Serving God isn’t a half-hearted side project; it’s the full investment of heart and soul. It overflows into how you treat others—counting them as worthy of your time, strength, and resources. True service is not transactional; it’s love in action.
Why This Matters
Picture a master craftsman, renowned for quality. He works with care even on hidden joints no one will see—not for applause but because the work itself is an expression of his heart. That’s the pursuit of moral excellence: living for the unseen Audience, shaping your life to reflect the God you love, whether or not anyone notices.
Joshua’s charge isn’t about meeting bare-minimum requirements; it’s a call to wholehearted devotion. As we climb the hills of success, comfort, or influence, these practices keep us from drifting into spiritual complacency.
The Challenge
When you reach what you’ve been praying for, will God still be your driving pursuit?
Joshua 22:5 reminds us: moral excellence is not about perfection but about persistent, love-fueled faithfulness—observing, loving, walking, keeping, clinging, and serving until the finish line is crossed.
Let that be the measure of your legacy.
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