“So Joshua said to the people of Israel, ‘How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?’” – Joshua 18:3

That’s certainly a very blunt question, isn’t it? Joshua challenged the remaining tribes of Israel to stop making excuses, stop sitting around passively, and move forward into the good future God had already prepared for them. Have you ever been like that? Have you ever preferred the familiar status quo to moving into an uncertain future to which God is calling you? Have you ever made excuses rather than live out the glorious life that already belongs to you in Christ?

Let’s consider a few of the ways followers of Jesus can put themselves in exactly the same position as those reluctant tribes of Israel. Stuck… passive… missing out on God’s goodness and provision… One way is to fail to experience the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is your Lord, then God’s Holy Spirit already lives in you. He not only marks you as belonging to God, He lives in you to challenge you, convict you of sin, empower you for service, and transform you to become more and more like Jesus.

Jesus meets every person where they are, saves us from our sins when we believe in Him, then calls each of us to live a new life in Him. A radically transformed life full of joy in imitation of Jesus Himself. Nonetheless, Christians often fail to live that transformed life God has prepared for them. Usually that’s because we remain stuck in our old habits, patterns, and sins from before we met Jesus. Continuing to live and act as we did when we weren’t believers quenches the power of the Spirit within us. It prevents the Spirit’s fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – from forming in us. If you’re a Christian but aren’t living a transformed, Spirit-filled life, how long are you going to put off going in to experience what God has given you in Him?

Another way is when we fail to do the good works God specifically prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Every believer has good works prepared for them to do in the name of Jesus. As you do them, you experience purpose, joy, satisfaction, and God’s pleasure. You change lives and your life is changed. Are you doing those good works? Or are you making excuses about time, energy, money, busyness, ability, convenience, comfort, safety, or anything else? Don’t let excuses keep you from experiencing what God made you to do! If you’ve been playing it safe with the work Jesus is calling you to do, stop! How long are you going to put off going in to experience what God has given you in Him? #FollowJesus

“But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.” – Joshua 13:33

The Old Testament is tremendous attention to God’s promise of the land to the people of Israel. Their covenant included many laws intended to keep each tribe and family’s inheritance intact across all generations. The book of Joshua is particularly focused on the conquest and allotment of the land. And yet, God still includes this beautiful reminder that some things are infinitely more important and valuable than land, property, wealth, and stuff.

The tribe of Levi was given a unique inheritance. Not land but the call to serve in the Lord’s presence. To devote their lives to supporting the sacrifices, caring for (and carrying) the Tabernacle, leading worship, and serving God’s holy purpose among His people. The Scripture is clear – they didn’t lose out on this deal. They received the greater blessing! Even in a portion of the Bible super-focused on land, property, and earthly inheritance, their inheritance is a special treasure.

Always remember this truth, especially in our hyper-materialistic culture. Stuff can be nice but there’s a far better and more wonderful inheritance freely available to everyone. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ. That eternal inheritance in God’s presence is available to everyone who believes in His Son, regardless of tribe, language, or nation. In Christ, the Lord is our inheritance and He cannot be corrupted, scammed, or stolen from us. The Lord is our inheritance and He is worth infinitely more than all the acres of land and shares of stock on earth. As a Christian, never forget to treasure your real inheritance! #FollowJesus

“These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” – Joshua 9:13

Looks can be deceiving! The people of Gibeon, recognizing the danger posed by their newly arrived Israelite neighbors, created a clever deception. Counting on the Israelites’ unfamiliarity with the region, they created the appearance that they’d come from a long way away to make peace with God’s people. Their story was so convincing that Joshua and the other leaders were completely sold. They relied on what they saw and heard, trusting their own judgment while neglecting to pray about the people and their proposed treaty. Because they did, Israel went against God’s commands and made peace with a local pagan people.

God’s people are called to be discerning. Not suspicious or mean. Not cynical or uncaring. Prayerful, careful, and discerning. Jesus sent His first followers out into this difficult, deceitful, and dangerous world with instructions to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The same is true to day. We must be kind, caring, loving, gentle, and above reproach personally. We must carefully guard our hearts against become jaded, cynical, or closed off to caring for those in need. However, that doesn’t mean we should be unquestioning about any story told to us. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do prayerful due diligence when asked for assistance or partnership.

If we must err, Christians should err on the side of being taken advantage of rather than the side of being cruel and uncaring. That said, we should really try to walk the narrow path of prayerful, Christ-like discernment as we steward the resources of time, energy, and treasure God entrusts to each of us. #FollowJesus

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.’” – Joshua 5:13-14a

In that moment, Joshua was thinking exactly the way we usually do. We wonder (or assume or claim or pray) whether God is on “our” side or “their” side. We advocate for our cause by claiming God is on our side. We do this with disputes within church congregations and in wars between nations. But is it true? As the commander of Heaven’s armies says, that whole way of thinking is flawed. This mindset simply reveals our fundamentally self-centered way of thinking and our very earthly focus. The answer is “No”.

God isn’t on “our” side or “their” side. He is on His side. At all times. He seeks His glory and accomplishes His will. Believers in Jesus are invited and commanded to follow Jesus. If we truly follow Jesus, then we will be on God’s side. That’s how it really works. We will pursue His glory and seek to accomplish His will no matter what. It’s a very different way of thinking but it’s exactly what Jesus calls His followers to do. Get on God’s side.

This is what it is to take up your cross daily. Stop being concerned about God being on “your” side and concern yourself with getting and staying on His side. Not seeking to wrap your opinions and battles in the trappings of Christ but covering yourself in the blood of the lamb. Living, thinking, speaking, and acting as a blood-bought citizen of Heaven who earnestly desires His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. So, whose side are you on? Yours or God’s? #FollowJesus

“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” – Joshua 4:23-24

God is always working to accomplish His ultimate will – the salvation of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth. Even when He performs a miracle that seems to benefit just one group of people at one point in time, He’s actually working at many levels to accomplish His will and bless all people groups. When the Israelites finally entered the promised land after 40 years, God made the way for them in a remarkable fashion. He stopped the flow of the Jordan River, while it was at flood stage, so they could walk across on dry land.

For those people that day, this miracle was a reminder and encouragement that God was with them as they did what felt impossible to their parents. However, this miracle also served as a testimony for the following generations of God’s reality, power, and presence. AND this miracle provided God’s seal of approval on Joshua’s leadership. Just as Moses led Israel across the Sea of Reeds on dry land, Joshua led Israel across the Jordan on dry land. AND this miracle was done to be a testimony to all the nations on earth. It was a powerful statement that the God of Israel is the one true God over all the earth.

Even in this moment that was so essential to Israel’s formation as a nation, God’s purpose was to reach every nation with the truth of His existence. To prepare them to accept His offer of redemption and yield their hearts to Him in worship. What looked like a first step for Israel was actually a first step for the salvation of the world, which is God’s ultimate desire. Step by step, God was preparing the world to hear and believe the Gospel and be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. Every story, every miracle, every step was working toward His ultimate will. #FollowJesus