Daily Devotional
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
2 Corinthians 5:17; Joshua 5:9
God told Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” This wasn’t just about circumcision or even about entering the promised land. It was about identity transformation. Israel was no longer defined by 40 years of wandering but by God’s covenant faithfulness.
This is the heart of the gospel message: our identity isn’t established through our achievements but through our relationship with God. We’re not who we were, and we’re not defined by our past failures or current circumstances. We are who God says we are.
The rolling away of reproach reminds us that God specializes in removing what we cannot remove ourselves. That stain of sin, that burden of shame, that weight of failure – only divine grace can wash it clean. And God doesn’t just remove our shame; He replaces it with honor as His children.
Joshua 5 shows us that crossing into God’s promises isn’t just about external circumstances changing. It’s about internal transformation – from fear to faith, from shame to honor, from wilderness wandering to purposeful living. This transformation comes not through human effort but through divine grace.
Today's Challenge
How has God's covenant faithfulness transformed your identity? What old reproach do you need to let Him roll away completely? How can you live more fully in your identity as His child?
Prayer
Father, thank You that my identity is not based on my performance but on Your covenant faithfulness. Thank You for rolling away the reproach of my past and establishing my identity as Your child. Help me to live not in the shame of who I was but in the honor of who You've made me to be. I am not defined by my failures but by Your faithfulness. In Jesus' name, Amen.
