What Are You Waiting For?

We read the following in Joshua 18:1-3...

"Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. Then Joshua said to the children of Israel, 'How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?'"

The Israelites had come a long way. About 47 years prior to Joshua 18, they had been slaves in Egypt. For forty of those 47 years, they had wandered aimlessly through the wilderness of Sinai, an impossible and unsuitable environment for ANY large group of people to inhabit. Only with the help of an unbelievably patient God had Israel survived. Then, for seven years, they had fought battle after battle in order that they might ultimately conquer the land of Canaan, the "promised land," a land flowing with milk and honey. Those seven years were characterized by both high and low points; they had won many decicive victories, to be sure, but had experienced the shame of defeat as well, such as in their first attempt at Ai.

These forty-seven years on top of the 400 years of Egyptian bondage had offered very few opportunities to relax, and so I think it's understandable that Israel wanted to take it easy for a little while. Sure, there was more work to be done. There was the business of traveling to their various tribal allotments and beginning their new lives, planting crops, raising livestock, establishing themselves, etc. A few tribes had more work to do than others, and farther to travel than others...but they all had to expend at least SOME effort.

Here's the thing, though. For Israel to conquer the land and then NOT inhabit it...it's like building a house and not moving in for the simple reason that you don't feel like carrying in all your furniture. Sure, there's more work to be done. But it's worth it! Once you get your furniture all moved in and the dishes in the cabinets and the clothes in the dressers and the pictures on the walls...then you can REALLY relax and enjoy the fruit of all your labor.

The problem is, sometimes it's easier to settle for 80% completion than it is to push for that 100%...to get the job done, and to do it right. You think to yourself, "I've made it this far, and I'm better off now than I was before...so I'll just take it easy from here on out."

Sadly, there are a lot of Christians who fall into this same trap. Like the Israelites, they have wandered through the wilderness of life and have dealt with a lot of uncertainty and hardship. Now, finally, they have conquered sin and have been saved. They study the Bible for a while and go to church, and they reach a point where they have "basic" knowledge. They're meeting the "minimum requirements" of Christian living, so to speak...and in their mind, they're better off now than they were before. They're like Israel at Shiloh. "Look at how far I've come." "Look at what I've gone through." "I'd like to take a break for a while."

But there's more work to do! Like Joshua said to Israel (and I'm paraphrasing)...

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

It's great that you're no longer in the bondage of sin. It's fantastic that you're no longer wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of life. I applaud all that you've done to overcome the odds and to become a Christian. It's great that you've gained some basic knowledge of the Bible and that you're happier now than you were before you were converted.

But you haven't achieved maximum potential! As content as you may be right now, and as much as you may dread more studying and more faith and more work...you have to understand that it's worth it in the end.

Trust me. I know what I'm talking about because I've had to learn this lesson. I am a Christian and there have been several times in my walk with Christ where I reached a "plateau" and became complacent. Then, after a while, I'd start to struggle and wonder why. I'd realize my lack of progress and would again push forward, studying more and praying harder...until I would inevitably reach another plateau and become complacent again. At each plateau I'd be more knowledgeable, more spiritually-minded, and happier as a Christian than I was before...and the temptation was to settle for 40%, and then 50%, and then 60%, and so on. It was only after the fact that I'd realize how much better 60% was than 50%.

I encourage you, dear reader, not to become complacent. Do not make the mistake of settling in "Shiloh." It may be comfortable in Shiloh, but please know that there's a lot more work to do, and that you'll be infinitely more happy when you finish the job. Pray for the discipline and the courage to raise the bar and to pursue loftier heights of spirituality. It's sometimes a difficult task, but it's always so worth it.

So...what are YOU waiting for?