Take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Deut 1:8
I don't know about you, but I'd really like that verse to read something like, "Here you go. Walk in and enjoy. It's all yours." I'd like to sit here and wait for God to plop something in my lap. I don't want to "take" anything. To take means I have to be proactive. Capture, grab, seize, grasp, and snatch are just a few of the synonyms for "take" according to dictionary.com.
I like being the background person - the person behind the person, the mom. I like to take care of the one who is in the lime light whether the "lime light" refers to homework, soccer, cheer-leading, youth group, or business administration. It's comfortable here. No one is staring at me. I don't like people staring at me with expectation. I quit softball after a season or two in grade school because standing at bat, knowing that everyone had their eyes set on me was more than I could handle. I want to hide behind the performance of my child, husband, or boss. It's very safe here.
My children are grown and out of the house (have been for -gulp- almost six years now). I could SO easily stay busy with the stuff of life, keep the status quo. In many ways, that's exactly what I've done these past years, but as God does so well, He's highlighting this area of my life right now: Do I want more of what He has for me or am I content to hold steady?
I'm pretty sure that God has more in mind for you and me than simply staying busy until it's time to go home. He has land - lots of land. The problem is that we have to take possession of it. We have to want it. We have to want it so much that we're willing to fight for it - and more often than not, I'd venture to say, it may just be ourselves, our "inner demons," our fears, that we have to fight.
It's much easier to stick with the status quo. I mean, the Israelites wandered around for forty years. They were comfortable with that. It's what they knew. Why mess with something that works, right? They saw the promised land. It looked great, but fight for it? Wandering around the desert would be simpler, but God isn't after simpler. He never is. He wants more for us. He's wants fruit in our lives, and you can't even plant a vineyard if you're wandering in the desert much less produce fruit.
So (I'm preaching to myself now) follow God into the promised land and take what's yours. Believe that God is bigger than the myriad of giants you'll face, and you will face them. Step out of your safe place, your comfortable place and take possession of the land flowing with milk and honey that God is giving you to possess.
By God's grace, I'll see you there!
I don't know about you, but I'd really like that verse to read something like, "Here you go. Walk in and enjoy. It's all yours." I'd like to sit here and wait for God to plop something in my lap. I don't want to "take" anything. To take means I have to be proactive. Capture, grab, seize, grasp, and snatch are just a few of the synonyms for "take" according to dictionary.com.
I like being the background person - the person behind the person, the mom. I like to take care of the one who is in the lime light whether the "lime light" refers to homework, soccer, cheer-leading, youth group, or business administration. It's comfortable here. No one is staring at me. I don't like people staring at me with expectation. I quit softball after a season or two in grade school because standing at bat, knowing that everyone had their eyes set on me was more than I could handle. I want to hide behind the performance of my child, husband, or boss. It's very safe here.
My children are grown and out of the house (have been for -gulp- almost six years now). I could SO easily stay busy with the stuff of life, keep the status quo. In many ways, that's exactly what I've done these past years, but as God does so well, He's highlighting this area of my life right now: Do I want more of what He has for me or am I content to hold steady?
I'm pretty sure that God has more in mind for you and me than simply staying busy until it's time to go home. He has land - lots of land. The problem is that we have to take possession of it. We have to want it. We have to want it so much that we're willing to fight for it - and more often than not, I'd venture to say, it may just be ourselves, our "inner demons," our fears, that we have to fight.
It's much easier to stick with the status quo. I mean, the Israelites wandered around for forty years. They were comfortable with that. It's what they knew. Why mess with something that works, right? They saw the promised land. It looked great, but fight for it? Wandering around the desert would be simpler, but God isn't after simpler. He never is. He wants more for us. He's wants fruit in our lives, and you can't even plant a vineyard if you're wandering in the desert much less produce fruit.
So (I'm preaching to myself now) follow God into the promised land and take what's yours. Believe that God is bigger than the myriad of giants you'll face, and you will face them. Step out of your safe place, your comfortable place and take possession of the land flowing with milk and honey that God is giving you to possess.
By God's grace, I'll see you there!
Lori,
ReplyDeleteA friend of Tony's was telling him about a situation in which someone was chronically complaining. "I hate this" they kept saying. Tony's friend's comment was, "They don't hate it enough." And that has resonated with me.
Your blog today reminded me of that. I'm not sure the Israelites were content with their wandering - they never stopped complaining to poor Moses! And for generations after they settled, they complained to God and their leaders about everything, but they didn't hate their sin enough to change their lives and do something different! What a dilemma!
That's why I love Caleb and Joshua so much. They said, "Let's do this!" when everyone else was unhappy but not so unhappy that they were inspired to act. I want to grab some gusto in life, too. Take what God promises is mine and bring everyone I can with me! Let's do it, Lori! Let's go take some land for God!
Thanks for sharing this lesson,
Jenni
Jenni- your words, "...they didn't hate their sin enough to change their lives and do something different!" Put into perspective the day that I was saved (about 7 months ago now)...I hated my sin enough to change my life and I did something different. Thank you both!
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