Jos 17:14 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
Jos 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.
Joshua encouraged the children of Joseph to be what they claimed. They said they were a great people, and Joshua compelled them to act in a manner that reflected who they said they were.
We who are called Christians need to act in a manner that goes along with that name. We need to claim the promises, blessings, and victories God has for us in Canaan.
If we say we believe the promises of God, we need to stand on them.
If we are called by the name of the Lord Jesus, we need to experience the victory He provides through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
If we are Christians, do what Christians should do. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and defeat we need to go “cut down wood for ourselves.”
As God had provided great blessings in Canaan for Israel, His redeemed people, He has abundant blessings for His born again children today. So lets claim His victory, and experience the peace that comes through prayer, and be the people that we are.
Let’s not just sit and admire what God has done in and through others, let’s go up to the wood country and cut down the trees of God’s promises for ourselves, claiming what He has for us.
“If thou be a great people”…Let’s Be the People We Are.
Pastor Whitman
Well said! Stand up for what you believe in and don’t be afraid. We who are saved are filled with the Holy Spirit. Reading in Acts this morning about what the disciples and apostles accomplished being filled with the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection in the face of the condemning Pharisees is an amazing testimony to us. We have that same Holy Spirit in us!