Under Gods command

Under Gods Command

Joshua 18:3-6 – So Joshua said to the Israelites. “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north. After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the LORD our God.

Joshua asked why some of the tribes were putting off the job of possessing the land. Often we delay doing jobs that seem large, difficult, boring, or disagreeable. But to continue putting them off shows lack of discipline, poor stewardship of time, and, in some cases, disobedience to God. Jobs we don’t enjoy require concentration, teamwork, twice as much time, lots of encouragement, and accountability. Remember this when you are tempted to procrastinate.

Under Gods Command

Joshua 13:13 But the Israelites did not drive out the people of Gusher and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.

One reason the Israelites encountered so many problems as they settled the land was that they failed to conquer fully the land and drive out all its inhabitants. The cancer-like presence of the remaining pagan peoples of Canaan caused unending difficulties for the Israelites, as the book of Judges records, Just a they failed to move completely the sin from the land, believers today often fail to remove completely the sin from their lives-also with disastrous results. As a self-test, reread the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Ask yourself, Am I tolerating sinful practices or thoughts? Have I accepted half-measures as good enough? Do I condemn the faults of others but condone my own?

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

It’s difficult to know when God has been disciplining us until we look back on the situation later. Not every calamity comes directly from God, of course. But if we rebel against God and refuse to repent when God has identified some sin in our lives, he may use guilt, crises, or bad experiences to bring us back to him. Sometimes, however, difficult times come even when we have no apparent sin. Then, our response should be patience, integrity, and confidence that God will show us what to do.

Under Gods Command ( Warning Against Enticement)

Proverbs 1:10-19 (10): My son, if sinners entice you do not give in to them. (11): If they say, “Come along with us; lets lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul; (12): Lets swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; (13): we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our hoses with plunder; (14): throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse- (15): my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; (16): for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. (17): How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! (18): These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! (19) Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Sin is enticing because it offers a quick route to property and makes us feel like one of the crowd. But when we go along with others and refuse to listen to the truth, our own appetites become our masters, and we’ll do anything to satisfy them. Sin, even when attractive, is deadly. We must learn to make choices, not on the basis of flashy appeal or short-range pleasure, but in view of the long-range effects. Sometimes this means steering clear of people who want to entice us into activities that we know are wrong. We can’t be friendly with sin and expect our lives to remain unaffected.