S)"15 Joshua said to them, 'If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.'"
Joshua 17:15 (NASB)
O) Make no mistake, God is gracious and He blesses us with unwarranted, undeserved, unearned gifts all of the time. Referring to the sons of Joseph, here, God gave them an inheritence, a lot of the Promised Land. It was a gift straight from God. What we see in this passage, though, is that God's gifts are often layered. There's the surface level, which is the lot He gave them. Then, there's another level to be attained if Ephraim and Manasseh will put in the work for it. God provided the initial blessing, which would have been enough for them, even if it was cramped. When they asked for more, though, God was going to make them work for it.
A) I feel very blessed, most of the time. In my work, for example, I feel like my job is pretty easy and I certainly make enough money. At the same time, I could certainly use more money, though. The tricky thing for me is to balance the value of various factors. How much is extra money worth, in terms of my time, energy, stress, etc. In the above verse, God lays out the cost of getting more land, showing the sons of Joseph what it will take. God didn't command them to go conquer that additional area, but He provided the opportunity. I definitely want to take opportunities the LORD gives me, but I do recognize the need for counting the cost ahead of time. The biggest thing, though, is that if I ever feel like I want God to bless me more than He already has, then I need to expect it will take work, even... hard work! o.O
P) Father, You've been so good to me and I really can't ever complain. You meet all my needs and even bless me with so many trivial and superficial things, just to add to my happiness. I thank You that the love I receive from You is so much more than toys, though. I know that sometimes I shy away from hard work, because I struggle with laziness sometimes, but Holy Spirit, strengthen and encourage me when I should work hard for something. Help me prioritize and have Your long term perspective on when things are worth it and guide me toward the right opportunities. Thank You for the work I have, for the work You'll continue to provide. Help me be a faithful steward over my position. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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