Hi Folks:

Hope your week is going well. Last week was quite full, and this one will be also, with funerals on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm a little tired, but at times like this I'm reminded of something someone said to me when I was a camp counsellor. "God knows how much rest you need." So, I'm trusting that God will get me through everything I need to do this week.

Hmmmmm, as I think about it, shouldn't I trust God for this every week?

We're wrapping up Joshua. I'm at a little bit of a loss to know how to proceed next. Usually I have a pretty clear idea of what's next. However, am also trusting God will direct in this.

Take care,

Troy

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The Promised Land lay open before the people. The transjordan tribes were in place east of the Jordan River. All that remained was for the rest of the tribes to settle their land.

Even though the land was divided and allotted, there were still going to be battles which the tribes would have to fight for themselves. Joshua reminded them that the key to their success was obedience and faithfulness.

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.... The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God." (Joshua 23:6-11)*

Its sad to read only a few chapters later (in Judges) that most of the tribes still had not completely taken the land. They knew what was necessary, they had the resources, but they didn’t follow through.

Why? I think the reason was that they confused the prize for the goal. They thought the land was the goal, and so when they arrived they figured they had it made. There was nothing more to do but enjoy the benefits of blessing - or so they thought.

The goal, however, was not to arrive in the land. Rather, it was to be faithful to God. "Be very careful to love the Lord your God." The land was actually a fringe benefit, a kind of side-effect. In a sense it was the "prize" for obedience.

We mix up prizes and goals all the time. "All I want is to be happy." That’s fine if we consider that peace and satisfaction are by-products of spiritual growth. But if the pursuit of happiness alone is the goal, we find ourselves going from one thing to another in a fruitless search.

It’s the same with homes and property. If our life’s goal is to have a good job, health, and a comfortable home in a nice neighbourhood, then we will miss out on the fulness of God’s blessing because these, too, are "prizes," not goals.

Don’t misunderstand. These are all good things, and I desire them for myself. I’ve got a long list of things I would love to have in addition. I don’t know if I can express how deep my desire is to have a boat (larger than my 8ft rowboat). I’ve thought of different ways I could justify the expense. What a great way to spend time with the boys (no pun intended).

But here I go, confusing prizes and goals. I can bond with the boys without a boat. In fact, in our financial situation, it would take time away from my family to pay for it. So much for bonding time.

It occurs to me that when we confuse prizes and goals, several things happen.

- we spend so much time trying to achieve the prize that we forget about God and the people we ought to love the most. At the very least, we short-change them.

- spiritual apathy sets in because we think we have arrived. We think, "God must be pleased with me because I am so blessed. I don’t need to do any more."

- discontent develops because we have achieved the prize. So, we set our sights on "bigger, better, or nicer." But satisfaction eludes us.

- we compromise what we believe to achieve or keep the prize. Put bluntly - we lie, cheat, or steal.

- we lose our faith when something happens to the prize.

I want good things for me, for my family, and for my church. And these are not always selfish things. But if I don’t have a clear idea of the difference between a prize and a goal, I’ll lose both, just like the Hebrew people.

"Lord, help us to be more faithful to you, seeking your will in everything, to see your priorities, and not confuse prizes and blessings for goals."

Hope this helps. Be OnFire.

Troy

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ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. This letter published April 8, 2006.