June 10; Day 17 - Joshua 14-Judges 3

Every night as we tuck in our kids we have a small blessing we say over them and that they've come to recite with us. As part of this final blessing, we encourage them by saying... "God has created you for a purpose... and your purpose is to bring glory to God." I'm beginning after 35 years of life to understand more and more of my purpose in life and it has less and less to do with the titles I have associated with my name.

To be rooted somewhere means to take on an identity. For me sometimes that rooting has meant where I grew up... or where I went to school... or where I've chosen to live... or where I'm employed . Each of these locations has given me an identity. And I've often searched for purpose in this location/identity. However, from today's reading it became glaringly obvious to me that location is meant to establish identity but physical location must be associated with spiritual location to give us true identity.

Joshua divided the land with each of the tribes and reviewed with them the boundaries of their territories. While seemingly mundane to read it became more and more obvious that God wanted these tribes to inherit the land He'd promised but not for the sole purpose of consuming its resources but to establish an identity. This means a lot to me having been reared in a small town and undestanding the need for community and relationships. Now living in a larger city where the population is more transient I don't see the same depth of relationship or connection. It is much more difficult to develop this depth when it is neither recognized nor desired. Yet boundaries are not meant to prevent us from reaching out or to isolate us. All too often I see this happening as well. The walls of our house, the fences in our yards ... the doors on our cars....if we let them, these boundaries can isolate us. And ultimately God designed us to have an identity but to live in community with others and ultimately with Him. How tragically we've used physical location to isolate rather than combine with spiritual location to establish identity.

As I was reading this I was also realizing that God in His goodness did what He promised completely! Despite the people's rebellion and their waywardness - His plans were achieved. Josh 21:44-45 records "Not one of their enemies withstood them the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of the all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one ws fulfilled." What awesome encouragement this is. What He has promised, He will deliver! Oh how I need to remember this in these troubling days. I was watching the news the other night and here in Indiana now we've just experienced some of the worst flooding we've seen in quite some time. So the majority of the news was consumed with this tradgedy and loss of property and devistation. Then the news continued on about the rising fuel prices. Speculation is that gas prices could reach as high as $6.00 per gallon. Then a story on rising food prices. Then a story on other natural disasters around the world.... enough! It was enough to cause me to become fearful. Yet... I was comforted by this reading realizing that God is always in control. He has already told us how the story would end. He has also told us to expect trials of many kinds. Yet not one of his good promises have failed.... every one is beging fulfilled. Help me remember this in times of trial and worry.

So to bring these two points together.... God had given me a territory to establish an identity. In my life He has blessed me with a lot of territory. Most importantly He has given me a family to love and to lead. He has given me walls of a house to protect us. But also these boundaries are meant to give me an identity. If I let it these boundaries can isolate me... but if I choose to these boundaries give me an identity as a child of God and a recipient of His blessings. In times of worry or anxiety I can retreat within these boundaries fearful of what might happen to me or my family - thus chosing isolation. OR I can choose to place my trust and faith in His promises that I know will be fulfilled - thus choosing to let these boundaries identify me as a child of God. In Joshua chapter 24 we see Joshua forcing the Israelites to make the same decision.... - "Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Later in Judges we read of how the Israelites inherited the land they served the Lord through Joshua's lifetime but after he died and the subsequent generation died "another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10b) I could preach a whole sermon on this verse alone... but suffice it to say that this is a clear warning to me to establish an eternal view point as I lead my family. It admonishes me not only to teach them about the things the Lord has done, BUT also to do everything I can to introduce them to the Lord so they know Him personally. By viewing my "territory" as my family and by making a choice to serve Him means to take the viewpoint that I'm to establish the identity of training my family to achieve multi-generational faithfulness. I'm beginning to learn my purpose in this world.... and for the generations that will follow.

So with this, I declare Joshua's promise as my own today - yet with a whole new perspective In today's uncertain enviroment the one thing I know I can cling to is God's unchanging promise... and as for me and my household (those living here today and those that will come after us...) we will serve the Lord.... even in uncertain times.