1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,309 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello. Thank you for listening to your daily 2 00:00:13,330 --> 00:00:16,669 Speaker 1: Bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day 3 00:00:16,989 --> 00:00:19,250 Speaker 1: to learn more about God and His will for us. 4 00:00:20,130 --> 00:00:22,550 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jennifer Slattery, and after this short word 5 00:00:22,570 --> 00:00:25,820 Speaker 1: from our sponsors, we'll continue with our series, Bridge for 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,860 Speaker 1: the Journey, Trusting God One Step at a Time, with 7 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:45,070 Speaker 1: a discussion on today's Bible verse. Joshua 17, 14. Today's 8 00:00:45,130 --> 00:00:48,790 Speaker 1: Bible verse is Joshua 17, 14. The people of Joseph 9 00:00:48,830 --> 00:00:51,310 Speaker 1: said to Joshua, Why have you given us only one 10 00:00:51,350 --> 00:00:55,130 Speaker 1: allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a 11 00:00:55,230 --> 00:00:59,790 Speaker 1: numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly. When 12 00:00:59,870 --> 00:01:03,410 Speaker 1: I first began pursuing a career in publishing, jealousy and 13 00:01:03,590 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: comparison frequently stole my joy and hindered my relationships with colleagues. 14 00:01:09,220 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: This caused me to grumble and doubt God's goodness when 15 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,500 Speaker 1: others experienced success in this area instead of celebrating what 16 00:01:16,540 --> 00:01:19,620 Speaker 1: he was doing in and through them. I didn't recognize 17 00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:22,860 Speaker 1: this at the time. But my ugly attitude stemmed from 18 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:26,100 Speaker 1: a scarcity mindset that acted as if God only had 19 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:31,300 Speaker 1: so many blessings or opportunities to hand out. This turned 20 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:36,890 Speaker 1: what could have become collaborative interactions into competition. I wonder 21 00:01:36,930 --> 00:01:39,690 Speaker 1: if the people of Joseph fell into that same faulty thinking. 22 00:01:40,410 --> 00:01:43,250 Speaker 1: As they watched Joshua distribute land to the other tribes, 23 00:01:43,930 --> 00:01:48,090 Speaker 1: one question seemed to dominate their thought. What about us? 24 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: Did they maybe fear that God had forgotten about them, 25 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: would shortchange them, or that he'd allow their countrymen to 26 00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:00,820 Speaker 1: take more than their fair share? Regardless, their question suggests 27 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,770 Speaker 1: they didn't trust the Lord to adequately care for them 28 00:02:03,780 --> 00:02:08,970 Speaker 1: and their families. Notice the tension in their statement. On 29 00:02:09,010 --> 00:02:12,470 Speaker 1: the one hand, they acknowledged God's blessing. They seemed to 30 00:02:12,510 --> 00:02:15,230 Speaker 1: recognize that he was the one who'd grown their families 31 00:02:15,570 --> 00:02:19,990 Speaker 1: and multiplied their people, while also implying that that Joshua 32 00:02:20,030 --> 00:02:23,690 Speaker 1: had withheld what was due them. As if God hadn't 33 00:02:23,770 --> 00:02:27,550 Speaker 1: placed Joshua in his role or overseen the distribution of 34 00:02:27,590 --> 00:02:31,030 Speaker 1: the land, or maybe they doubted or didn't understand the 35 00:02:31,070 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: Lord's character, that he shows no partiality, loves each of 36 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: his children equally and unconditionally, and delights in caring for them. 37 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,740 Speaker 1: And so they focused on their perceived lack rather than 38 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:50,579 Speaker 1: their abundant provider. I say perceived because of Joshua's response. 39 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: If there are so many of you, he said, and 40 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough 41 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest 42 00:02:57,980 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: where the Perizzites and Raphaites live. Did you catch those 43 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,389 Speaker 1: two if statements? It's almost as if he's saying, if 44 00:03:05,490 --> 00:03:08,030 Speaker 1: you really feel you need more usable land than you 45 00:03:08,070 --> 00:03:11,870 Speaker 1: presently possess, then do what you need to do. To 46 00:03:11,910 --> 00:03:15,010 Speaker 1: which they replied, in essence, we can't. The people are 47 00:03:15,110 --> 00:03:19,690 Speaker 1: too powerful for us. Joshua's response implies that the problem 48 00:03:20,110 --> 00:03:23,380 Speaker 1: wasn't the size of their inheritance, but the strength of 49 00:03:23,410 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: the enemies standing on it. God had already allotted them 50 00:03:26,620 --> 00:03:29,739 Speaker 1: the area Joshua told them to clear. What they lacked 51 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,540 Speaker 1: wasn't land, but the confidence to step forward in the 52 00:03:33,620 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: victory God would secure. Do you sense the contradiction in 53 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:43,340 Speaker 1: their statements? God has blessed us by multiplying our people, 54 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: but not by giving us what we need to live. 55 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,300 Speaker 1: He's blessed us by growing our families, but he won't 56 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,890 Speaker 1: or can't empower us to overthrow the people occupying the 57 00:03:54,930 --> 00:03:59,590 Speaker 1: land we want. Despite all the times he promised to 58 00:03:59,630 --> 00:04:02,330 Speaker 1: go before them, drive the people out of the area 59 00:04:02,430 --> 00:04:07,170 Speaker 1: for them, and give them the land. Yet, maybe what 60 00:04:07,330 --> 00:04:10,010 Speaker 1: they needed most wasn't for Joshua or any of the 61 00:04:10,030 --> 00:04:13,990 Speaker 1: other tribes to step in and remove their obstacles for them, 62 00:04:14,290 --> 00:04:17,270 Speaker 1: but to speak words of encouragement into their soul, which 63 00:04:17,330 --> 00:04:19,770 Speaker 1: is what Joshua does at the end of this chapter. 64 00:04:20,450 --> 00:04:23,150 Speaker 1: He assures them that they will indeed receive more than 65 00:04:23,210 --> 00:04:27,820 Speaker 1: the one portion, but they won't gain this passively. Instead, 66 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:32,180 Speaker 1: he rephrases his previous instructions, stating, Clear as much of 67 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:35,030 Speaker 1: the land as you wish. and take possession of its 68 00:04:35,150 --> 00:04:38,469 Speaker 1: farthest corners, and you will drive out the Canaanites from 69 00:04:38,510 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 1: the valleys too, even though they are strong and have 70 00:04:42,620 --> 00:04:47,020 Speaker 1: iron chariots. In other words, the Canaanites couldn't prevent the 71 00:04:47,060 --> 00:04:50,940 Speaker 1: people from grabbing hold of what God had ordained, unless 72 00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: the tribe of Joseph allowed this by allowing fear or 73 00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:59,349 Speaker 1: comparison to override the truths they knew. Here's what this 74 00:04:59,390 --> 00:05:02,790 Speaker 1: means for us. we can easily fall into the same 75 00:05:02,830 --> 00:05:05,349 Speaker 1: trap as the tribe of Joseph. When we believe there 76 00:05:05,390 --> 00:05:09,630 Speaker 1: are a finite number of opportunities or resources, our tendency 77 00:05:09,650 --> 00:05:12,789 Speaker 1: to fixate on our lack can blind us to the 78 00:05:12,870 --> 00:05:17,580 Speaker 1: opportunities God has already placed before us. And in that space, 79 00:05:18,380 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: the obstacles can begin to feel bigger than necessary, and 80 00:05:22,260 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: the power and provision of God can begin to feel 81 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:29,420 Speaker 1: far too small. The more we recognize the limitless power 82 00:05:29,500 --> 00:05:32,540 Speaker 1: and resources of the one standing with us, however, the 83 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,100 Speaker 1: more we trust him to give us all we need 84 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,850 Speaker 1: to do all he's asked in our pursuit of the abundant, 85 00:05:39,950 --> 00:05:44,250 Speaker 1: the thriving, the flourishing life he's promised us. And he 86 00:05:44,290 --> 00:05:47,990 Speaker 1: did promise that in John 10, verse 10. And so 87 00:05:48,010 --> 00:05:51,109 Speaker 1: my question is, is there an area in your life 88 00:05:51,370 --> 00:05:58,420 Speaker 1: in which a scarcity mindset has begun to challenge your faith, 89 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,980 Speaker 1: has begun to create a sense of competition instead of collaboration, 90 00:06:03,339 --> 00:06:09,490 Speaker 1: that has begun to create jealousy rather than celebration of 91 00:06:09,589 --> 00:06:12,969 Speaker 1: God and who he is and all he is doing 92 00:06:13,350 --> 00:06:17,330 Speaker 1: to build his kingdom. And if so, invite him into 93 00:06:17,370 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: that space and say, Lord, change my heart. Turn my 94 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,610 Speaker 1: heart onto the things of you. And that's a prayer 95 00:06:24,650 --> 00:06:28,289 Speaker 1: you can pray every time you sense a scarcity mindset 96 00:06:28,350 --> 00:06:34,030 Speaker 1: beginning to take hold. Let's pray. Holy Father, you are 97 00:06:34,050 --> 00:06:39,370 Speaker 1: a God of abundance, of limitless power, limitless resources, limitless 98 00:06:39,570 --> 00:06:42,270 Speaker 1: love for each one of us. You love each of 99 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: us with all the love there is. And scripture promises us, 100 00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:50,300 Speaker 1: assures us that you show no partiality. And we thank 101 00:06:50,339 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: you for that. When we begin to fall into a 102 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: scarcity mindset, when we begin to focus on building our 103 00:06:57,220 --> 00:07:01,420 Speaker 1: kingdom instead of celebrating and cooperating in all the ways 104 00:07:01,460 --> 00:07:05,370 Speaker 1: that you are building your kingdom, remind us of your 105 00:07:05,380 --> 00:07:08,310 Speaker 1: promise to care for us, of your promise to provide 106 00:07:08,550 --> 00:07:13,690 Speaker 1: for us, of your promise to lead us to thriving life. 107 00:07:14,070 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: And after you've reminded us of those foundational truths, We 108 00:07:18,740 --> 00:07:23,460 Speaker 1: pray that you would ignite within our souls a growing 109 00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: desire to align with your will and your ways. And Lord, 110 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: give us a glimpse of heaven. When we will stand 111 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,790 Speaker 1: before your throne, we will stand engulfed in your presence. 112 00:07:36,850 --> 00:07:40,790 Speaker 1: We will stand surrounded by your people, those we have 113 00:07:40,910 --> 00:07:44,870 Speaker 1: linked arms with here on earth to bring your salvation 114 00:07:44,990 --> 00:07:51,790 Speaker 1: to the farthest reaches of the earth. You are transforming lives. 115 00:07:51,850 --> 00:07:56,870 Speaker 1: You are rescuing souls. You are rebuilding families. You are 116 00:07:56,990 --> 00:08:01,930 Speaker 1: breaking addictions. You are setting people free for all eternity. 117 00:08:02,490 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: And you have allowed us to play a part in it. 118 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,780 Speaker 1: What joy. What an honor. What a privilege. You have 119 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: entrusted us, as scripture says, with the gospel. May we 120 00:08:14,700 --> 00:08:20,250 Speaker 1: carry you. that truth and share that truth well and 121 00:08:20,270 --> 00:08:23,130 Speaker 1: it is in the name of your son our savior 122 00:08:23,170 --> 00:08:24,730 Speaker 1: that we amen