Make Adjustments

Note from today’s Bible reading: Joshua 8-11

After a decisive victory at Jericho (Joshua 6), the Israelites moved on to what would be the second city conquered in the land of Canaan – Ai. In what was surely a shock to them, they were defeated (Joshua 7:4-5).

Afterward, it was discovered that Israel was defeated because of one man’s sin – Achan (Joshua 7:10-21). Once this was discovered and the offender punished (Joshua 7:22-26), Joshua made plans to attack the city of Ai again.

Interestingly, they did not use the same strategy when they attacked the second time. Instead, they set an ambush, drew the men of Ai out of the city, then captured the city and fought the opposing army from two sides (Joshua 8:3-22). They made these adjustments and easily defeated them.

Sometimes when we deal with mistakes we have made in the past and try to improve our lives, we only focus on areas of sin and try to eliminate those. To be sure, we need to keep from repeating the sinful actions of our past (cf. Romans 6:1-2, 6-7, 11). However, we should also consider how to do things more effectively and efficiently. This is part of conducting ourselves with wisdom (Colossians 3:5) and making the most of our time (Ephesians 5:15-16).

So make adjustments. Just because we did something one way before does not mean it is the best way. We need to learn from the events that happen to us and use the wisdom we gain – assuming, of course, that it is in harmony with the instructions found in the word of God – to be more effective in what we endeavor to do.