It takes tenacity to keep climbing the Mountain of God. In today’s scripture Joshua is now “old and well advanced in years” (Josh. 23:2) and the mission of conquering the promised land is complete.  “Be strong” Joshua cries to the people.  May we each ask the Lord to give us an internal drive to keep on growing in our faith.  Overcome the temptation to coast. It’s a temptation to do as little as possible/ the minimum to get by.  Doing as little as possible is an attitude that can creep into our faith…fitting God into our lives when it is convenient.  

I found some advice on how to coast in school… how to get by with a minimum amount of work:
      Know the minimum requirements for what is considered "doing your homework." If you just have to write a line or two for a question, write that.
      If someone else's class is before yours with the same teacher, ask to see their quizzes or tests, if the teacher gives them out early.
      If you get the annoying assignment of reading and taking notes, only do the reading. Then copy someone else's notes in school or something. Not that hard. (Wiki-How  “How to Coast in School Easily)

The temptation is to coast in our faith.  You can only coast downhill.

And they lived happily ever after.  NOT.  If the book of Joshua were a fairy tale, the story would end in Josh 22:10 with the words.  “And they lived happily ever after.”  Joshua and the Israelites entered the Promised Land with instructions to defeat the inhabitants so they could live in the land as their own.  Along the way they see walls come a tumbling down, fight giants, discover thieves among themselves, defeated by a little city and so many other elements of a good fairy tale.  Finally the people get a strong foothold in the land and the property is divided among the tribes of Israel.  What a good fairy tale to end with a rousing victory speech of the much loved and victorious leader, Joshua, in Josh. 22:1-9…. “Good job” he says, ‘Well done,”  “obeyed me in everything I have commanded” “You’ve been faithful” “the promises of God are complete” READ Josh. 22:8-9.  If this were a fairy tale, Josh 22:10 should read, “And they lived happily ever after.”  

15-20 years ago a men’s movement took the Christian world by storm: Promise Keepers.  The thought was that people’s lives would be enhanced as men learned to make and keep promises, promises to God, promises to their wives and children, promises to themselves, their work, whatever commitments.  The idea was to build stability and confidence, to bring people closer together as trust was built.  Obviously, as humans, our promises are imperfect because we are sinners.  But God is the ultimate promise keeper.  He is 100% dependable. Today we look at the character of the promises of God…

A Story: “Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound …    I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything … and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, the parents told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe…The next day…Shane seemed calm petting the old dog for the last time... Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”  Startled, we all turned to him. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, 
always run to greet them.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps. 
Run, romp, and play daily. 
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. 
When you’re happy, dance and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
(My edits Story found many places on internet….)