CBC Worship Ministries: Devotional Blog

Joshua 1:2 - "Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Great Sea on the west." If you've ever purchased a home, you know that one of the very important things that you need to have done is a survey of the property. A survey defines your property limits - that is, your boundaries. Why? Well you don't want a lawsuit over a fence that extends on someone else's property, or a barn, garage, shed that happens to sit on the edge of your neighbor's yard. A survey clearly marks out what property is yours. I find it very interesting that after God tells Joshua to to get ready, He clearly defines the property the Israelites will possess. Don't you think it's rather curious that God so specifically defined the boundaries for the Israelites? After all, He is God, He could have given them twice the amount of land. But He didn't.
He gave them a parcel of land carved out of the landscape of the middle east. And He was quite clear as to the boundaries.

If there is anything you learn as you grow older is that boundaries are important. Whether they be physical or social, there are boundaries. Adults understand the need for "personal space". Adults understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate contact. Adults understand that there are questions you can ask others, and then there are questions that are very off limits. It's all a part of the maturation process - to come to understand and appreciate boundaries.

I like to think that God has carved out boundaries for our "move out." Not boundaries to limit us, but to protect us. Not boundaries to confine us, but to define us. We can't reach the whole world, we know that. We can't reach the entire state of New Jersey, small as it is. We can't even really claim that the all of Mercer County is ours. But know this - God has marked out our boundaries and given us a "territory". He has set it aside just for us to claim.

The great thing about this is that we don't have to compare what God has given us to the church down the road, or across town. We don't have to compare worship center capacities, or who has the coolest tech toys (although I do get very jealous I must admit). You see, just as God clearly laid out a territory for the Israelites, He has a ripe field ready for us to harvest. He also gives us boundaries to protect us from ourselves - from our own egos. It is not our influence that is important - it is that the message of salvation be preached and proclaimed. Do we want our church to grow? Of course! Do we want to reach as many as possible? Absolutely! But we also must never think that God "needs" us. Yes, God wants us to be shining lights in a dark world. Yes, we are to do our very best to be meeting the needs of those who are seeking spiritual answers. But let's remember who is in control and who provides those answers - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.