Saturday, March 19, 2011

Little By Little

I'm using the daily reading plan in my study Bible this year. The goal is to read through the Bible this year. I have been amazed at how the passages for the day line up with the Bible study we are doing on Thursday evenings.

This morning, part of the reading had me in Exodus 23. Verses 23-32 were so in line with what we are studying right now. I loved that. (Also in Psalm 78 and that totally wrapped up the last couple of weeks. But that is another post.)

As much as seeing God orchestrate the passages to go along with our study thrills my heart, that was not what stuck out to me this morning.

Exodus 23:29-30 was the zinger for today.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.

God is referring to the Hivites, the Canaanites and other "ites" who are currently occupying the Promised Land. What struck me was that God could have blinked and removed these idol worshipping enemies of his people from their Promised Land, but he didn't.

He told them it would be a process. Why? So that the land would not become desolate. They needed that land healthy, not overrun with weeds. Even though he could blink and make them all go away, he knew his people needed time. Time to increase before they possessed the land. Just blinking it into being was not beneficial for the land OR his people. There were things they still needed to do and learn before they were ready to enter their Promised Land.

Little by little. As we have been asking God to show us our idols and then taking steps to remove them, I am so thankful God is that way with me.

He is firm enough to say, "this has to go" but gentle enough to work it out little by little. (And then we work on the next thing.)

Little by little.

One step closer to entering the Promised Land.

3 comments:

Leah Adams said...

I love that God is not afraid to tell us things have to go. So often I cling to things that needed to go long ago, but they are comfortable, familiar. Reminds me of my memory verse for these two weeks...Jonah 2: 8---those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the GRACE that could be theirs.

Thanks for stopping by over at The Point.

The Stokes Family said...

Great post Stephanie. It is SO amazing to me how God is saying the same things to me in so many areas of my life right now . . . the same message comes across, the same passage of scripture, etc. God is SO good, I think He tells me multiple times to make sure I actually get it, lol! Love the study we are doing together . . . what a challenge it has been.

Rachel said...

the title caught me right away!! I loved reading this and remembered I wrote a post ages ago with the same title but different scripture. We're on the same page girl. I know you're too busy right now to read it...but if you get the chance it may encourage you!

love,
rachel

http://histreasuredpossession.blogspot.com/2008/10/little-by-little.html