Today's reading: Deuteronomy 1-3
"I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it..." Deuteronomy 1:8 NLT
Let's dig a little more deeply this morning.
Moses is telling the Israelites what God has told him. He's passing on information. Filling them in. Getting them on the same page.
And what is it he's telling them?
Well, to truly understand, we must grab the old dictionary.
The word for today: occupy
1: to engage the attention or energies of
2a: to take up (a place or extent in space) b: to take or fill (an extent in time)
3a: to take or hold possession or control of b: to fill or perform the functions of (an office or position)
4: to reside in as an owner or tenant
He gives the land, the Chosen People were required to engage their energies and attentions, to physically take hold, to fill up, to make it theirs and to live on it.
God did His part, they struggled in doing theirs.
We do the same thing.
God has given us so much power, His power. And we? We hesitate. We make excuses. We question our abilities. We doubt He's 'meaning' us. We tremble. We worry.
Are you doing what He's asked you to do with what He's given you?
I'm not ...but I'm going to start!
