Kenneth L. Samuel: Possessing What's Ours
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Send men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites...
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said. 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'" - Numbers 13:1,30
I own a fairly modern MacBook Air PC, but I can hardly create a flyer, create a Power Point presentation, do a Podcast, or even execute a successful 'cut and paste' maneuver. And when it comes to the more intricate operations of downloading, uploading and providing links, I'm at a complete loss.
I own the PC, but I'm a long way from fully possessing it... in the sense of fully exploring it, to get the maximum use out of it. It's one thing to have something . . . it's another thing to fully possess what you have.
According to Exodus, God had given the land of Canaan to the Israelites, but the Israelites still needed to fully explore and take full possession of what they had been given. Most Israelites were reluctant to do so, but Caleb and a significant minority were ready and willing.
We often fail to realize the full potential of what's already ours.
Sometimes we abandon relationships before we try and test the full promise of what it really means for two to become one. And we leave churches often before we ask God to show us our real purpose in the congregation. And we fail to fully offer our gifts of service because we refuse to serve outside of our comfort zones.
Is there anything more wasteful than coveting what you don't have...while what you do have lies unappreciated and under-developed?
Prayer** **
God help me to be conscious of the wonder and the depth and the promise of all that you have given me. Amen.
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