Readings for today: Joshua 15-17, Luke 4:42-5:26
The key is not how we start the race but how we finish. I remember running in my first 5K when I was a young boy with my brothers. It was the Denver Symphony Run in downtown Denver. I remember the day was dreary and rainy. I remember pushing my way to the front of the start line with my brothers. I remember the starting gun going off and the three of us sprinting to the front of the pack. We led the race for about the first 50 yards. You probably can imagine what happened next. We spent the next three miles alternating between jogging and walking as we struggled to finish. It was a painful experience.
Israel sprints out of the gates in their conquest of the Promised Land. They win victory after victory. Joshua’s leadership is exceptional. His tactics strong. His strategic decisions brilliant. Always in the right place at the right time. Anticipating. Attacking and counter-attacking. It reminds me of the movie,When We Were Soldiers, and how Colonel Hal Moore seemed to make every right move. The first campaign comes to an end. Israel is now firmly and deeply entrenched. They are the new power to be reckoned with in the region. But Joshua cannot be everywhere all at once so now it is up to each tribe to go out and secure their allotment. They are to go out with the same boldness and courage that so marked Joshua and complete the conquest. They are to place their trust in God and His ability to fight on their behalf. But they fail. They fall short. They lose heart. So the Jebusites remain in the territory of Judah. The Gezerites remain in the territory of Ephraim. Other Canaanites remain in the territory of Manasseh. As they struggle to uproot those already living in the land, they start to grow afraid. Afraid the military might of those who oppose them. The iron chariots and those fortified in the hill country. They are afraid they won’t succeed. They take their eyes off of Yahweh. They forget His faithfulness. They give into their fear and the conquest is never fully completed.
Finishing is hard. How many folks start this race we call the Christian faith only to wither along the way? Their dreams turning to despair as they battle the inevitable disappointments along the way. Their hopes shattered by the trials and tragedies and trauma that often happen. Their initial love quenched by suffering and pain and heartache. Jesus knows how hard this life can be. He knows how hard it is to hold onto faith when if feels like the whole world is falling apart. Most importantly, He knows the fickle nature of our hearts. He even tells a story about it. There was once a farmer who went out to plant his seeds. Some seeds fell on the hard path. Some seeds fell among the rocks. Some seeds fell among the weeds. Other seeds in good soil. Each tried to take root. The seeds on the path had nowhere to go so they were eaten by the birds. The seeds among the rocks had no place to put down roots so they sprung up quickly but then died. The seeds that fell among the weeds also sprung up but were eventually choked off. Finally, the seed that fell on good soil produced a bountiful harvest. Are you allowing the Spirit to till the soil of your heart? Are you allowing the Spirit to provide all the nutrients you need to make your heart a welcoming place for the gospel? Have the seeds of the gospel found purchase in your heart? Or did they spring up only to die for lack of roots? Did the cares and the worries of this world choke off your faith? Or are you producing a harvest of righteousness? Are you finishing the race?
Readings for tomorrow: Joshua 18-19, Luke 5:27-39