Verse of the day: Joshua 18:3, Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?
What are we waiting for? What is the hesitation? Like Joshua, we need to ask ourselves, “How long will I neglect to go and claim God’s promises?” “How long will I neglect God’s command to go share the Gospel?” “How long will I neglect going forward and claim the blessing of gaining heavenly reward for being a blessing to others here on earth?” It amazes me that we strive, to our hurt, to gain the things of this world that are so elusive; yet, we fail to serve God in order to gain that which He promised was ours, if we would just live life for His glory. Proverbs 23:4-5 tells us this about pursuing earthly wealth, “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells the parable of the foolishness of choosing to pursue earthly riches over the pursuit of God. The Word of God says, Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” How many of us know with all certainty that we will still be here tomorrow? The Bible tells us that life is like a vapor and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:13-15). Let us stop and seriously consider this…how much heavenly reward would we personally receive, right this moment, if the Lord decided to take us home right now or He chose to come back right now? What have we truly accomplished for Jesus as a Christian? How many opportunities to tell people about Jesus have we passed up? How many opportunities to give to others or serve the Lord (maybe by serving others) have we passed up? How many blessings are passing us by because we are more focused on earth than we are on heaven? How many blessings are we missing out on because we are refusing to step out by faith to do something in our service to Jesus? When we are afraid to give, or refuse to, because we want to hold on to what we have, let us be reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” When we are afraid to serve the Lord, or become discouraged because serving God seems to bring suffering, let us remember 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” The bottom line is that everything we do, in Christ, and in His Name, done by faith, will render a heavenly reward. This is God’s promise to those who are His. Colossians 3:3-24 tells us, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us that our labor for the Lord is not in vain, so we must be steadfast in serving Him. Galatians 6:9-10 clearly states, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Israel prolonged the receiving of God’s blessing because they hesitated. I ask, “What are we waiting for to begin reaping the promised blessings of God?” Is it because what this world has to offer is more real to us that what God promises He has in store for us? We must decide NOW.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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