Joshua 19 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“These were the portions that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the L_rd’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.” Joshua 19:51

Under Joshua’s leadership, every Israelite was a co-inheritor of G_d’s promise, concerning the land of Canaan. This meant that every tribe and every family was given a portion. Not every tribe & family was of equal proportion, but each received the inheritance G_d determined. Most importantly, each received an inheritance chosen specifically for them, by G_d, Himself.

In a similar way, the Bible tells us that followers of Yeshua are “co-inheritors with Messiah”. And who is allowed to follow Yeshua? John 3:16 states, “…that WHOSOEVER believes will not perish, but have eternal life”.

To ensure a peaceful life in their inheritance, there were three requirements of the Israelite: 1) They had to receive it. 2) They had to drive out its former inhabitants, believing G_d’s promise of victory. 3) They had to continue to honor the L_rd

I want to make it clear that salvation is by G_d’s grace, through faith. Salvation is not the end-result of an accumulation of “good works” we may accomplish. Eph 2:8-9

That said, faith without works is dead. There is a difference between “works” that lead to salvation, and “works” which are the result of salvation. If you want to have peace as a believer…not necessarily the absence of conflict, but rather the presence of peace in the midst of conflict…you have to believe the L_rd’s promise and fight to drive out those “former inhabitants”. If you trust Him, He will go before you and accomplish all you could not achieve without Him.

To maintain the peace and joy of our salvation, it is not enough to simply “receive” our inheritance through Messiah, and then live as if nothing ever happened. Salvation is not about a single moment…it is a moment that results in movement. We must become disciples: followers who discipline themselves to continually seek the L_rd’s direction and faithfully follow it.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins
Daily Devotional, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014