Christian life vs promised land
I was reading Joshua today and I somehow felt that my life is similar to the whole story regarding the isrealites occupying the promise land.
Promised land to me today, talks about deliverance, blessing, God’s will - His planned gift. It’s about His blessings and goodness.
As similar as it can be and as relative as it can be, I find that many Christians are in the same walk as me.
We were in bondage for as long as we live and crying out to as many gods as we know ever since we were born. The gods of luck, gambler, money, love and wat-so-ever. Then somebody came in the name of God(EL Shaddai) and try to bring us out of our bondage and slavery. This very step will cause a warfare as the evil one wants to trap us and to own us.
After we got out of Egypt, which means we have believed in Christ and born again, this is usually where our journey really begins.
We often hear about God’s promise on our lives before we believe in Christ, but after believing in Christ and not seeing the good things, we start complaining / doubting about His promise. Like the people in the wilderness, they complain about any and everything. When Moses told about the 10 commandments, people don’t follow. When Moses goes up to mountain, people start worshipping other gods. When Moses build Tabernacle, people ask about promised land. When God rain bread, people say Egypt and slavery is better. Many of us, we are the same. We focus so much on God’s promises alone until we got blind about His presence, His goodness and His love. 40 years is a long time, but what should seperate us from God? Should distress or suffering or pleasure? Nothing should seperate this bond Jesus Christ suffered for.
More often than not, we get to the promised land even though the complaining and cursing along the way. And we often thought that life should be a bed of roses after we get there - not. We start to panic and complain when our promise land is filled with giants and fortified cities. Other than Caleb and Joshua, no one actually have the faith to believe our God is bigger than the giants. And there, we say to ourselves, Egypt is better. We complain again, “God! why you give me the land but still put giants in it? You bluff me!!” I guess faith is for us to make right decision in believing. In every of our situation.
After we enter our promised land, we still can’t sit back and watch, we need to do things(sometimes with no logic) and fight before we can possess our promised land and truely enjoy His blessings. Those who chickened out didnt get to enjoy the land filled with honey and milk and it shall be the same for us in our walk.
I come to understand that, receiving God’s ultimate blessing for us in our lives may not be an easy task. We are often so focus and impatient for blessing until we got foolish and faithless. There are much to do in our lifes, preparation, repentance, charater development, clearance of obstacles, and so on. Be it the promised land of your life be your destiny in Christ according to will of God, Paul says we never stop running, never stop fighting, win the prize that will last eternally.
No matter which step you are in now, always remember, God is doing your things ahead of you, and He is all you need in your race.