Deuteronomy 6:23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors.
All of life is about movement. The blood coursing through our veins and arteries is moving, always pulsing forward. When it stops, we stop. Economies move forward or backward. Whole nations express their identity by moving their boundaries. Russia has just recently expressed their movement through the war in Ukraine.
Our life in the Spirit is one of movement. We move out of our past sin and disobedience into a life of holiness and compassion. And I think some people miss the second part of this equation. They move out of, but they don’t enter in.
Israel was taken from bondage. They were to move from Egypt into the Promised Land in one easy movement. But all the signs and wonders, the direct communication they received while observing the fiery mountain, none of that was sufficient to prepare them for moving into the Promised Land.
Obedience to exit is not the same as obedience to enter. Many of us can remember where we were before our life in Christ began. We can remember the futility of our thinking and behaviors. We were glad to give that stuff up.
But at the same time, we have gotten glimpses of what life fully in Christ would be, and we have not moved into it. We have stayed in the “somewhere in between” space spiritually. We have left, but we haven’t fully entered.
Israel is reminded in our text that the were to move out of the past and into their future. They were not to wander in the wilderness forever. There was a place, a place of abundance which would be provided by the LORD, if they would only move forward in their faith.
It can be hard, once we have left the past, to fully embrace a life of holiness, forgiveness, mercy and grace. We want that for ourselves, but it is another story when it comes to being a vessel through whom the LORD wants to funnel these same things. It is difficult to pass along His character to those in our world with whom we have daily contact.
We are so quick to embrace mercy and grace for ourselves, but not so quick to pass it along to others. We have moved out of our past, but not fully into our future. We have moved out, but not in.
And just like Israel, it would take time to subdue the Land. The LORD tells us that He won’t get rid of all the inhabitants too quickly. He will slowly remove them so that the LORD’s people have time to adjust to a new way of life. They must become good stewards of the blessings the LORD will bring to them in the Land.
Are there areas in your life that you haven’t moved from? You have sensed the LORD telling you to leave them, but you are hesitant to let go. You trust your wisdom about what is good and best for your life, more than you trust Him.
Take some time to reflect on your choices and begin to make the choices that honor Him above yourself. Make the choices that others will see and honor the LORD who enabled you to obey. Get out of the LORD’s spotlight. Let Him get the glory.
The Arnold Journey 