Day 64, or March the 5th. Are you just going to stand there?
Our thought today is rooted in Joshua chapter 18 verse 3. So Joshua said to the Israelites,
How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD,
the God of your ancestors, has given you?
First the big picture around this verse. The boundaries and borders for each tribe dominate
the book of Joshua. There are chapters and chapters of them. There seems to be no end,
but whilst we may have difficulty seeing the relevance of them, all the people in Joshua's
day must have thanked God through Joshua for being so clear and transparent in his expectations.
Each tribe knew exactly what God had for them, and readily accepted it.
Now today's action step. Doesn't God love things to be well-ordered
and specific? The book of Joshua is a great example of God's accuracy and attention
to detail. In amongst the details, however, there is a little gem of a question. It can
be summed up in these words. How long are you going to wait before you do something?
I believe that's a question we should all ask ourselves. I've heard churches say,
as soon as we're prepared then we will move on, but we must take time to prepare. Preparation
is important, of course, but it must never be used as an excuse for inactivity. Sometimes
individuals will say, I just don't know enough yet, but as soon as I feel confident,
then I'll step out. No, you won't. You will never feel confident enough. Or if you
do, please ask a supplementary question. Confident in what or whom? Many tell you, all you have
to do is believe in yourself. You only have to watch some of the cringe-inducing performances
on reality TV to know that believing in your own ability is rarely enough. As believers,
we need to believe in God before we believe in ourselves and prepare as much as we can,
and act as urgently as we can. Today's a day for action. None of us knows what tomorrow
will bring.