Easy to Miss Spiritual Closures

[S] Joshua 19:51; 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 --
⁵¹These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

²⁶Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
²⁷but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

[O] Both of these passages reference a point of closure. Joshua encourages the 7 tribes (Joshua 18:2) to hurry up and take possession of their land that God has given them. What's the waiting for? So they end up dividing the land by casting lots and in verse 51 it says, "So they finished dividing the land." The Canaan had already been conquered but this step of taking possession of the shares from each of the tribe was required to complete God's task for the Israelites. I also often leave God's tasks unfinished when it appears to be done already on the surface. It's almost getting into the point of spiritual complacency.

And then Paul also talks about how God gave us the freedom to follow or not follow Him to the max. I can do a very comfortable job of following Him or I can go all out for Him. The choice is mine just like the 7 tribes of Israelites who neglected to go that extra step of possessing the land and instead was in their own comfortable state. I like Paul's description of not running without aim, not beating the (empty) air but to discipline to the point of being a slave (for the purpose of preaching of the gospel to others). This is type of a commitment and endurance that I like to model after in living out my personal life for God as well as a leader within the ministries God placed me in.

[A] Continue to discipline to use the early morning hours for having my personal devotion with Jesus to allow Him to set my day's agenda for me. I feel I've been comfortable enough and need to work in this area as the last possession of the Land God promised me.

[P] Dear God, with Your strength I know I can take possession of the Land completely. I know I can conquer the morning hours to dedicate to a time spent with You. I will awaken the dawn as the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 57:8. In Jesus' name. Amen.