The Last Mile

Joshua 17:14-18

In terms of the telecommunications industry there is nothing as valuable or as difficult as something called "the last mile." The last mile represents the connection from a company's relatively easy regional infrastructure of coaxial, fiber optic or some other kind of communications medium - to the customer's house. It's most valuable because when you connect a customer to the network the money begins to pour in. It's most difficult because it requires so much individual work to accomplish. \r
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Recently Verizon Communications® came through our neighborhood and installed fiber optic lines. We waited anxiously because we knew the promise of lightning fast Internet service would soon be available. But once the lines were laid they just sat there and our Internet speed didn't change a bit. It wasn't until another company came and installed that last connection from the street to our house that things changed.\r
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It was a big gamble for Verizon, which spent gobs of money laying these cables in hopes customers like us would sign up for service. \r
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In terms of our study in Joshua, looking at a life of victory in Jesus Christ, the tribe of Joseph faces that "last mile" dilemma. Together with the rest of the tribes, Joseph subdued the main enemies in the land. But now they face what might be a bigger challenge: subduing the land and challenging the last few enemies that appear to have a technological advantage. \r
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Their state of mind, their plea to Joshua, and his response can teach us as we face that "last mile" challenge in our lives as well.\r
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Joseph's land grab happened before the tribes other than Judah got their inheritance. They were taking advantage of a small window of opportunity.\r
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They admitted they were a numerous people but would not use that strength - they didn't want to work or fight. \r
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They apparently didn't even mention the obstacles to Joshua, just that they wanted more land. They were apparently holed up in the hill country of Ephraim, to the south. It's interesting that right after this incident, God has Israel set up the Tabernacle in Shiloh, in the hill country of Ephraim.\r
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The two obstacles: a forest to be cleared, iron chariots to be overcome. The Valley of Jezreel is mentioned - an area that is and will be key militarily for Israel and the Middle East. \r
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Chapter 18 says "the land lay subdued before them" but the lack of a coherent enemy did not mean the absence of struggle. \r
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Joshua essentially says to them that they underestimate their own power and will not only clear the forest but will possess their land "to its farthest borders" and will drive out the Canaanites "though they possess chariots of iron and are strong."\r
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Once the initial work of victory in the Christian's life is complete that's sometimes when the hardest work begins: the work of removing a forest so you can plant crops and build cities, and the work of rooting out a strong but nimble enemy that makes life unstable. \r
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In a way then you have two kinds of work ahead in your "last mile": removing natural obstacles so you can increase the fruit in your life, and subduing an unnatural enemy that keeps you on the run. We talked about those two in our survey of chapters 16-19. In my view the forests can easily represent the flesh, that natural part of us that is not like God. Though we become a new creature when we receive Christ, the flesh does not disappear. It becomes dormant and it is up to us to allow the Spirit's work to destroy it.\r
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The chariots of iron represent temptations that keep us from a stable Christian life. In our case the forests seem to big to cut down and the temptations seem too difficult to withstand.\r
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In this study I want to focus on the solutions to these problems in the life of a Christian.\r
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1. They feel penned in\r
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All Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) know is that they don't have enough land. Do you sometimes feel like you are penned in as well? It's a feeling of dissatisfaction with your life, like there is more out there but you can't really put your fingers on it.\r
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2. They are unaware of their true state \r
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They don't mention the obstacles in their way to Joshua. In fact, they knew them full well but didn't want to admit it. They want more land but what they need is to work with what God has given them. This happens to us too. \r
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3. They complain to God to give them the easy route\r
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The easy answer isn't always the best answer. We want to have a successful and victorious life in Christ but we want God to do all the work. As we've seen in Joshua, it starts that way but then God wants us to participate, and as we do that we see Him work more through us instead of for us (do you get the distinction?)\r
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4. Joshua first encourages them to discover who they are and turn their liability into an asset. \r
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He says "if you a numerous people go up by yourselvesâ?¦" Joseph thought that being large meant they were crowded together and were uncomfortable. But Joshua wants them to think of it in terms of what that really means: strength.\r
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I think sometimes we Christians don't realize who we are - sons of the King, ambassadors of a new kingdom, and soldiers in a new army. We have on all this armor and all this knowledge from the Scriptures and all this blessing of the power of the Holy Spirit and we just go around knocking into each other. We need to think in terms of getting out there. The same thing happened to the disciples after Jesus' resurrection. They basically saw God do great things but where not fulfilling Jesus' commission to go into all the world. So God brought a persecution that scattered them all about, and then the gospel really started spreading. (Acts 8)\r
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5. They came up with excuses \r
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If it's not the forest it's the chariots of iron. Joshua tells them to go up and cut down the forest and make room. Instead of acknowledging that as a possibility they bring up another excuse - that their chariots in the valley are too technologically advanced. \r
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Do we do that too? We feel penned in and God tells us to go to work on untapped areas of our flesh that he wishes to clear away. It takes work to chop down trees and plant crops. We want the work done for us. So instead of acknowledging God's direction we come up with another excuse: temptations of life and the power of the enemy are too strong for me!\r
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So look at what Joshua does next:\r
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6. We underestimate the power and victory that are ours\r
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Here's what he says: \r
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- You ARE a numerous people\r
- You HAVE great power\r
- You get only one life, one allotment but you will have total VICTORY\r
- The victory is yours if you CLEAR the forest and DRIVE out the enemy\r
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So how can we also respond to Joshua's words?\r
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You are a numerous people\r
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Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ESV\r
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You have great power\r
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Ephesians 3:16-21 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.\r
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20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ESV\r
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You will have total victory\r
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1 Corinthians 15:56-58 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ESV\r
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You must CLEAR and DRIVE\r
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Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ESV\r
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To "work out" means to put energy into it. \r
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Philippians 3:10-15 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ESV\r
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("press on" means to pursue, "straining forward" means to stretch forth)\r
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So I guess the bottom line from this section is that when you are feeling penned in, perhaps He is telling you that it's time to lay down the "last mile" in your life. To dealve into virgin territory and conquer even more difficult enemies. Don't ask God to make it easy for you, but look for areas in your life that can be dedicated and remodeled, and look for areas where you are weak for the Lord to make strong - not out of your own strength, but out of the energy and desire you have to see God's Spirit do the work in you!\r