Joshua 18:3  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?”

Sometimes, at gift-giving occasions, after the gifts have been exchanged it is discov-ered that a gift was overlooked. For the one receiving that gift it almost seems like a bonus! But I have yet to experience a gift that is all wrapped up and labeled that goes unopened. It’s there. The recipient sees it, but they just won’t open it.

The Israelites had been in the Land for awhile and had experienced many victories. Many of the twelve tribes had already taken possession of their part. But not all. Joshua gathered the ones that had not yet taken possession of their territory and he asked them an interesting question. “How long will you neglect to go and possess what God has given you?” He was laying the responsibility for their not having it yet on them. What had they been doing?

I think that they had been active. I think they had been going with the others and supporting them in their endeavors. But when it came to their own, they held back. To go and possess was going to require active faith and effort.

How often do we experience the same thing? We see other people growing closer to the Lord. We see others living in a close relationship with Him. We may even be supportive of them on that journey. But we hold back. Joshua would ask, “How long?” What are we waiting for? God has a plan and a purpose for each person. His ways are not just for others.

To go and possess what God has for us will require active faith and effort. I must not only believe that a daily time of encounter with God through Bible reading and prayer would be a benefit, I must do it! There are so many people that, for a variety of reasons, have not made the effort to ‘open the gift’ that God has for them. It isn’t that God doesn’t care about you. It’s not that He has plans for others but not for you. We just need to apply Joshua’s question to our life - “How long will you neglect to go and possess what God has given you?” - and start unwrapping!

Blessings,

Pastor Russ