David Mainse discusses using the gifts that God has given us and not stopping short of all He has for us.

Today’s Reading: Joshua 18

Key Verses – Joshua 18:1, 3

The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there…Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?”

Just imagine the excitement in the air as all the tribes came together. Think about thousands of animated conversations. Perhaps some said, “If only our parents were here to see this, but they refused to believe that this could happen. They refused to follow the leadership of Moses, Joshua and Caleb. We could’ve been born here in the Promised Land, instead of in the wilderness. Instead of just getting our borders settled, we would’ve been well established for 45 years already. Here we are, gathered around the Tabernacle as we did when we were children on the other side of the Jordan. But listen, Joshua is going to bring us a message from God. It sounds the same as we remember Moses saying to us before we crossed the Jordan. What’s wrong with us? Can we not learn to obey God fully?”

In Hebrews 2:1-4, we read of “neglect” relating to our salvation. In Hebrews 10:23-25, we are cautioned not to forsake corporate worship.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, God of our fathers, I believe that I need to possess all that You have given me. Grant me the grace, the determination to go forward, not stopping short of all You have for me. Give me a greater fervency of spirit, because I know that You respond directly in proportion to the level of my fervency. In Jesus’ strong name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I'm very thankful for all the people who prayed for me while I was was in a battle with MDS acute leukemia. I felt lifted up spiritually and physically. I have had the honor to meet professionals in the cancer research field who are exceptionally gifted by God, who are believers in Jesus, and who are filled with the Spirit of God. In Paul’s letter to young Timothy, he writes of “stirring up the gift that is in you (through)… “the laying on of hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). We all have “gifts” that need to be stirred up and put to use for God’s purposes in the lives of precious people.