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9/5/12. Joshua 18:1-19:51. HOW LONG WILL YOU WAIT?-devotional

9/5/12. Joshua 18:1-19:51. HOW LONG WILL YOU WAIT?-devotional

Wednesday, September 5, Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

Joshua 18:1-19:51  Key Verse: 18:2-3

 

“2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. 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?”

Dear Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for blessing our time together as a family. Thank you for helping us to bond together and accumulate many memories that we can cherish together. Lord, I also pray for your help to help me adjust to the “new normal” in terms of ministry. Help me to see things as a new beginning. Help my relationship with you grow and also the relationship with my family and also with the people you have brought into my life. Help me to experience and live in and advertise the full life that is in Jesus Christ. Grant me one word to hold onto through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Do Not Wait Any Longer (18:1-10).

18:1-10 reads, “The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control, 2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. 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? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. 5 You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north. 6 After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the LORD our God. 7 The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the LORD is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the LORD gave it to them.” 8 As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, “Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.” 9 So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.”

Seven tribes had not yet been assigned their land. Joshua cast lots to determine which allotments they would receive. After receiving their land, instead of obeying God’s command to destroy the remaining Canaanites, these tribes pressed the “easy” button. They feared the high cost of warfare. Joshua asked why they were putting off the job of possessing the land. Often we delay doing what we know we must do. Continually putting things off reveals a lack of stewardship and even disobedience to God.

In this passage I hear the words of Joshua in verse 3, ““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?” How long will I wait. I am grappling nowadays with the land defining the land that God wants me to take hold of and how. I need to step back and find out what it is. It looks like now, the land is a type of UBF/Kishwaukee# Bible# Church# hybrid. How do I minister the gospel to my family when disciplined Bible study is getting further from our present reality? How do I follow God’s leading? What is God’s leading? I need to know what I need to take hold of before I take hold of it. I can take hold of the 1:1 Bible studies with the people whom God has placed in my life. I can take hold of things by finding my place in #Kishwaukee Bible Church#. I can try to minister to my family through relationship building and trying to minister the word of God at opportune moments. I can give my heart to daily bread writing and posting of devotionals and praying for and serving the people I could pray for at Kish Hospital.

I need to do something. I just can not stand around in limbo, feeling extremely sorry for myself. I need to ask God to define the inheritance I should be taking hold of while living in this life and ask myself, “What am I waiting for?”
I really was impressed by my visit to Mackinac Island. There I saw the fruit of the missionary efforts of Marquette and Freed. They are catholic and protestant missionaries from the 17th and 18th centuries. The fruit of their labors still lasts today. God worked through them. They were simply taking care of their land that God sent them to.

Part 2: Stewards Of Their Own Inheritance (18:11-19:51).

Well-defined boundaries were created for the promised inheritance of each tribe since the time of Jacob. The boundaries reduced territorial and resource conflicts. Local loyalty and unity would strengthen each tribe and help them to develop and mature. But mostly, in this way, each tribe could practice ownership. We must grow and mature where God leads us by taking responsibility and stewardship.

I like this principle. Each person is given their own sphere of influence to take stewardship over. This is related to the principle of forming semi-autonomous churches and a clear mission field to pray for and serve. University campus’ are good lands to take stewardship over. They are well defined with clear boundaries. Each fellowship of believers can take initiative and develop programs and a community together. They can grow and mature in the Lord. There need not be regional conflicts. There are more than enough campus’ for people to go and plant a church of a fellowship on. NIU campus and the people of DeKalb are a clear mission field. I need stand up and be a good steward of the mission field. I just need direction on how to do it. Please Lord, guide my heart and my family.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to do the things I know you want me to do. Show me what to take stewardship of and how to take stewardship of it. Help me to have decisive faith when the time is right.

One Word: Define your inheritance and take stewardship of your land while living in this world.




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