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 in 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. but
act as urgently as we can. Today's a day for
action. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring.