The Land and the People are all Yours
[1] After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, [2] “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. [3] Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. [4] From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. [5] No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. [6] Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Joshua 1:1–6 ESV
After 40 years of wandering, Joshua was given some direction. “Go into this land and wherever you step is yours,” God said. Then God gave them some boundaries. There will be more detailed boundaries later, but for now this river, this land, this sea, is all yours, Joshua. This is the land that God reserved for His people, and He would help them to take it, live there, and keep it.
Ever since Jesus said “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me, so go make disciples,” Christians have been taking over land too. God doesn’t want you to make room for his people in your neighborhood by sword, though, but by loving your neighbors so they become His people! In Joshua, God’s people moved into cities already built, farms already established, and homes already prepared for daily life. In the same way, there are blocks and blocks of people around you waiting to die to their sin and live for God right in the homes they have now.
God has given each one of us a sort of stewardship over our neighborhood. You know the boundaries in your head; you might even know the names of the streets. How would you react if God said “Every porch that the sole of your foot will tread upon I will bring to your church, just as I promised to Billy Graham.” Would that be exciting?
What if God said, “Be strong and courageous. You will cause these people to each tell another house about the good news of Jesus, that people can be free from their sin.” Would that be exciting?
Because all of it is true. God loves you and your neighbors so much. In Acts 17:26, Paul says that God decided the times and places that people would live so that they would seek after God. That means that you live where you live, with the people you live near, so that all of you would seek after God! Let the Christians seek after God so that those away from God would come to know Him.
I know this is an excellent thing to write about on a day that is raining. Sketch out a map, on paper, from memory, of all of the neighbors that you know. If you live in an apartment you’ll have to be creative with your drawings. Pray for all of them. Pray that the Christians would grow and pray that the non-Christians would come to faith. Then on a sunny day take a walk, and fill in all the blanks on your map.
Be strong and courageous. God will never leave you or forsake you. He’ll be with you the whole time.