Promise, Destiny and Participation
God's future for us as His children is an exciting one. The scriptures are full of pictures of our destiny, both in this life and the next:- "For I know the plans I have for you - to prosper and not to harm you" (Jer.29)
- "All my days were written in your book" - (Ps.139)
- "...a life of good works which God has prepared in advance for you to do" - (Eph.2)
- "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" - (1Cor.2)
The destiny God offers Joshua is the Promised Land, victory over opposition and His constant presence.
I think the promise of land can be translated in all sorts of ways. I think many of us may not possess physical land, but our "territory" could be impact, influence and legacy.
The interesting thing about Joshua's "land" is that he has to set foot on it. Money in the bank means nothing until we withdraw it. A promise means little until we act on it. Influence is only effective when we leverage it. Very often we have incredible resources at our disposal, but we sit back and wait for it to happen instead of recognising that God chooses to have us participate in our destiny. We are not passive share-holders - God wants us to be co-workers in His plan for us.
This requires courage. We have leave the known behind and take a plunge into unknown territory. But we have God's good promise: "I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you."
| I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua1:3-5) |
