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It's not over
Jeff WeinkaufJoshua 3:5-6
5Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
Reading Joshua is always exciting to me. The Israelites were standing on the edge of the promise land, and in view of their future. They were merely steps away from the end of what had been a long and difficult journey. I have to believe the excitement was real in camp that night, people literally leaning into the possibilities of what was to come.
There are some real parallels with this story and our church life right now. We’ve finally purchased land, and are preparing for the blessing of a permanent home. Joshua reminds us of two important things as we too stand at the edge of the Jordan.
First, we must prepare (consecrate) our selves for what the Lord will do next. Yes NEXT. Turns out the goal of a permanent home, is not the END goal. We’re not done, and God’s not done. Let’s be serious about continuing to live purposeful Holy lives. As we prepare ourselves and continue to till the soil of our hearts, God promises to not only show up but to do wonders amongst us.
Secondly, we must keep the Lord at the fore front (ahead) of us as we continue to journey on.
The temptation at times like this is to tell the stories of our great journey but no longer to live them. We’ve found our promise land, our place of rest. We’ve had amazing times of God’s faithfulness. We have hero’s of the faith to reference and marker stones to point at. But remember God is not done with us. If we keep him out in front of us instead of in our rear view, we will continue to be led into the future he has planned for us.
God of all – We consecrate ourselves in preparation of what you will do next. We invite your spirit to dwell among us. We are excited for our future in you. Lead on great King! Amen.
