"Then Joshua had grown very old, the Lord said to him "You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over." (Joshua 13:1 NIV)
Don’t you love it when God affirms the obvious in your story? Newsflash, Joshua: you are old and your job isn’t anywhere near done.
I feel for Joshua. He should have been in the land thirty-nine years prior. The plan was for him to fight the battles in his youthfulness, not in his twilight years. But tragically, his fellow countrymen’s disbelief yielded dire consequences. They all wound up wandering around the desert for a few extra decades. As a direct result of doubt, the expulsion of the enemy was unfinished and Joshua’s personal expiration date was looming. Delayed obedience makes divine tasks far more difficult, even when the delay has to do with the reluctant disbelief of others.
This past Thursday, my dear friend and I spent the bulk of the day painting her pantry. To be fair, her pantry is probably half the size of my kitchen and hasn’t seen the business end of a paintbrush since the house was built twenty years ago. While acres of sturdy shelving are practical, the painting of said shelves proved tedious. Bonus: the entire experience provided a great backdrop for deep conversation.
I suppose it was due to our hours crawling around on ladders and floors with crabby joints, but at some point I mentioned being middle-aged. My friend balked at my notion: “We are not middle-aged! My mother is middle-aged!” Further inquisition revealed her mother to be sixty-five. Since I have no intention of making a hundred and thirty trips around the sun, her exclamation reaffirmed my belief that forty-three is, in fact, middle-aged. I am staring down my second half of life and I want to spend it well.
This verse in Joshua makes me think about my collecting years versus my assigned task. I am not looking to conquer Texas or unseat any local rulers, but my battles are just about as bloody. They lie within. When I consider the size and scope of my heart and soul; I know that there is still a lot of ground to be taken. Like Joshua, if we wait too late to start, we will not finish our holy directive. If we stall out or take breaks on our personal sanctification, we may, also, arrive at our expiration date with unfinished business. Thank the Lord for the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weakness, who empowers us for transformation and equips us to share our faith with the world around us.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what to pray for but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:26 NIV)
Friend, we have a divine appointment to accomplish. The Lord Himself is calling us to spiritual maturity for the sake of the souls around us. We can’t hardly love others if we haven’t learned to love God fully. There is much land to take, so we must begin today. If not, we will surely reach our expiration apart from maturity.
We’ve discussed before how the Holy Spirit is our scout. He knows the land ahead: both internally in externally. We can trust His expertise in leading us forward, conquering the territory within and searching out souls without.
“Conversion is not a one-time spiritual event. God intends that every day we humbly invite the wind of the Holy Spirit to form us more deeply into people who love Him and others like He does.”
(Peter Scazzero)
Today I began my day on the porch swing: pause app playing aloud and heart wide open. Seventy-five degrees is a blessing amidst a hot and dry summer. I noted the gentle breeze seemingly embracing me amidst this prayer: “I pray the river of life would fill me, restore me, renew me, surround me. I need more of You, God. Saturate me with Your love. Saturate me with Your life.”
Our ongoing labor as believers is this continual cooperation with His Spirit for the sake of personal sanctification. The more land God gains in our soul, the more He can accomplish in our story. We don’t haven’t any time to waste.
Lord, we thank You for loving us and leading us toward wholeness. Often the wilderness between the slavery of sin and the Promised Land of total sanctification is daunting terrain. Come close. Encourage us. Help us hear You clearly in these barren stretches. Stir us up as we learn to surrender more and more of our internal territory to You. Empower us to the clear the land by Your Spirit. My our effort to grow up into Your image be observed by the world and may we consistently extend an invitation to the those around us still mired in the misery of sin. Have Your way within and without as we walk in immediate obedience to You. Amen.