01- 13- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Joshua 14:11- 12)
THE FAITH OF A BORDERLINE BELIEVER
11- “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12- Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.”
What is a borderline? The definition of borderline as according to Webster dictionary: A line that establishes or marks a border.
2. An indefinite area intermediate between two qualities or conditions: The borderline between love and hate is often thin. adj. 1. a. Verging on a given quality or condition: borderline poverty. b. Of a questionable nature or quality: an applicant with borderline qualifications.2. a. Psychology Relating to any phenomenon that is intermediate between two groups and not clearly categorized in either group: a borderline state showing the characteristics of both neurotic and psychotic reactions. b. Relating to a condition characterized by a pattern of instability in mood, interpersonal relations, and self-image, and manifested by self-destructive, impulsive, and inconsistent behavior: the borderline syndrome.
With just the definition of the word “borderline”, we can already picture in our minds what kind of faith does the borderline Christians has. There are Christians who claimed to be faithful or they claimed to be serving the Lord, but they don’t want to go all the way with the Lord and His Word. The example of the children of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh is an excellent picture of the believers who lives beyond their borderline. (Numbers 32:25- 27; 30- 32) 25- “And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 26- Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: 27- But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith. 30- But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. 31- And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. 32- We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.”
We need Christians who could say and do the things, like what Gad and Reuben did in the presence of Moses and of God. (25). Notice, in verse 26, they also made their love ones follow after them which is a good example of a family who are united for the service of our King. In verse 27, we see here not only their courage to go forward for the Lord and to fight in the Name and for the Name of God, but also their faith. They did not hesitate, they were single minded, they were not impulsive or inconsistent with their stand, but they were focus. Joshua chapter fourteen is a good chapter about stepping out of our borderline as we exercise our faith. The faith of the borderline Christians are not as the same as those who really have Faith in God; I’m talking about those whose faith are really active and working not only for them but also for the work of the Lord. The borderline Christians is like a wave says Apostle James, they’re unstable and weak. (James 1:6) “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
(Joshua 3:15- 17) 15- “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16- That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17- And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”
