Low Provisions - Joshua 1

This week you have spent time considering the old patterns and the ominous presence that blocks your blessing. A few of you have taken the brave step of interacting here on the blog to help others see that we are all on this journey together. Today, let's close out the week by considering the low provisions that often block our blessing.

Joshua told the leaders of Israel to gather their provisions because in three days they would be crossing over the Jordan River. This group of Israelites were not willing to be Wilderness Wanderers any more. They were going to end up on the right side of the Jordan. We don't know all of the provisions they gathered, but we do see their response. They gathered what they had available and prepared for the battle ahead.

This preparation was different from the preparation of their parents and grandparents. In the past, all Israel could do was think about what they didn't have. Not enough food. Not enough shelter. Not enough water. Not enough of anything actually. They remembered the plenty that the Egyptians had and forgot that even in Egypt Israel didn't have much to call their own. Their grumbling over what they didn't have cost them their blessing. Our grumbling over what we don't have costs us our blessing, as well.

Why do we spend so much time looking at what others have and evaluating our usefulness based on those standards? Why do we underestimate the skills and provisions we have? In Sunday's message I mentioned the slow response of folks for Compassion 329. Since then, I have had a few reach out wanting to participate, yet we still need more help. Even now, folks have not been willing to say, "yes, I can help one month by teaching a 4H group how to cook a dish, sew a button, work with wood, can tomatoes, make jelly." I know we have folks with these skills,  yet still so many are letting perceived low provision block their blessing. Who among us has the skill to organize? Could that skill be used to organize shelves for our new Compassion Center? Who among us can smile and greet someone in need? Who among us will make the move to the right side of the Jordan and remove the block to his or her blessing? What about you? What about today?