March 23, 2006 - Joshua 13-15 and Luke 1:57-80
I pray that you are having a great day already. What did God say to you as you read this passage today? It is one of those passages that makes us stop and reflect. I believe we can see a lot if we step back and look at the big picture at this point.
Chapter 13 begins by telling us that Joshua was getting old, and all of the land had not been conquered yet. Is that how you feel sometimes? I do. I think how old I am getting and how much still needs to be done in my life. I believe that is what we should see in this passage. The Israelites had conquered part of the land together, but now they needed to go ahead and divide the land among the tribes, so each tribe could conquer its own territory. Isn't that what God does for us today? There is a certain amount that can be done in concert with other believers in our family and in our church, but most of the things God wants to accomplish in us are personal. We have to tackle them ourselves. How are you doing on receiving the inheritance He has prepared for you in this world? You will only receive it all by total obedience. The truth is that Israel never conquered all of the Promised Land because of partial obedience. (13:13; 15:63) We must not let that happen to us, or we will never know what God could have done in our lives.
Another point in this passage is that the inheritance of the land was done by lot for the most part. They did not get to choose their inheritance. That is how it is with us. We do not get to choose our families or where we are born. We don't choose our spiritual gifts or our mission in life. However, God's inheritance is better than what we would choose, if we just trust Him and receive all He has for us. The problem is we miss His full inheritance many times because of partial obedience. Then, for Caleb there was a special inheritance for his faithfulness. He had to wait for it 45 years, but God gave him a special land and victory over giants because of his faith. God will do that for us today, too, if we are faithful to Him.
In Luke 1 Elizabeth and Zacharias are a good example of this principle. God blessed them with a very special son, because of their obedience. They had to wait a long time, and they had to endure a lot, but God was faithful to them. He is always faithful to us, too. However, we can't be impatient. We have to continue in patient endurance as we serve Him and worship Him alone.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 16-18 and Luke 2:1-24.
Chapter 13 begins by telling us that Joshua was getting old, and all of the land had not been conquered yet. Is that how you feel sometimes? I do. I think how old I am getting and how much still needs to be done in my life. I believe that is what we should see in this passage. The Israelites had conquered part of the land together, but now they needed to go ahead and divide the land among the tribes, so each tribe could conquer its own territory. Isn't that what God does for us today? There is a certain amount that can be done in concert with other believers in our family and in our church, but most of the things God wants to accomplish in us are personal. We have to tackle them ourselves. How are you doing on receiving the inheritance He has prepared for you in this world? You will only receive it all by total obedience. The truth is that Israel never conquered all of the Promised Land because of partial obedience. (13:13; 15:63) We must not let that happen to us, or we will never know what God could have done in our lives.
Another point in this passage is that the inheritance of the land was done by lot for the most part. They did not get to choose their inheritance. That is how it is with us. We do not get to choose our families or where we are born. We don't choose our spiritual gifts or our mission in life. However, God's inheritance is better than what we would choose, if we just trust Him and receive all He has for us. The problem is we miss His full inheritance many times because of partial obedience. Then, for Caleb there was a special inheritance for his faithfulness. He had to wait for it 45 years, but God gave him a special land and victory over giants because of his faith. God will do that for us today, too, if we are faithful to Him.
In Luke 1 Elizabeth and Zacharias are a good example of this principle. God blessed them with a very special son, because of their obedience. They had to wait a long time, and they had to endure a lot, but God was faithful to them. He is always faithful to us, too. However, we can't be impatient. We have to continue in patient endurance as we serve Him and worship Him alone.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 16-18 and Luke 2:1-24.