I Want A Piece Of That

I had seen video footage on the TV showing how beautiful the snowfields looked and I thought, "I want a piece of that!"

Deuteronomy 11:1-32

Reference:  v.11  But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drink rain from heaven. (NIV Bible)

Explore:  As it's Winter in Australia I decided it would be a great idea to go skiing.  I had seen video footage on the TV showing how beautiful the snowfields looked and I thought, "I want a piece of that!"  So the vision was set: Linda would ski at the snow this Winter.  For a few days I lived in the excitement of going to the snow but if this vision was to become a reality I needed to start planning my ski trip fairly soon.  That's when I started hitting hurdles.  We couldn't justify spending a great deal of money at the moment so staying on the mountain was not an option.  I couldn't go to the snow on my own as I didn't know how to connect chains to my car tires if needed.  I didn't have any skis or ski gear so I would need to hire all of this.  And then my greatest fear of all, maybe I will have forgotten how to ski!  While the vision had been so majestic, all the hurdles I had to cross to get there seemed to dim the potential of it coming to fruition. 

Application:  The picture painted of the Promised Land to the people of Israel was absolutely stunning – even better than my vision of the snow fields.  Moses was constantly reminding the people about how great the Promised Land was going to be.  He would tell of a place that was flowing with milk and honey and the Israelites would think, "I want a piece of that!"  The thing is, I've read this story before and remember that the first time the Israelites get to the Promised Land they chicken out because the hurdles seem too great.  Even though God had promised it to them, He had declared it would be theirs, He reminded them how great is was going to be, they were still overwhelmed by the hurdles they had to cross to obtain it. 
This can happen in our lives too.  We may have a vision for our life, we may feel called by God to do something, or we may feel a desire to follow someone else's vision for God's church and we say, "I want a piece of that!"  But there is little doubt that we will soon come up against some hurdles along the way and often it's at that point that our vision starts to waver.  'It costs too much'; 'I don't have enough time'; 'I don't know enough'; 'I can't see six steps ahead…' and soon enough we are stopped in our tracks.  But this is not what God desires for us.  Just as He proclaimed a Promised Land over the Israelites, He proclaims a life of purpose, value and love for you as well.  There will be hurdles along the way but we must be strong and courageous (just like God told Joshua to be when he did inherit the Promised land – Joshua 1:6-9) and we will reach our vision.  It's not always easy, but it's worth it in the end.
(By the way, I did overcome my hurdles and made it to the snowfields.  Best skiing day yet!)

Prayer:  Lord, You do have a vision for our lives and yet we can get so overcome by the hurdles that we face.  Give us Your […]

Deuteronomy