Joshua 19

“These were the portions that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.” Joshua 19:51 (HCSB)

Under Joshua’s leadership, every Israelite was a co-inheritor of God’s promise concerning the land of Canaan. This meant that every tribe and every family was given a portion. Not every tribe and family were of equal proportion, but each received the inheritance God determined. Most importantly, each received an inheritance explicitly chosen for them by God, Himself.

In a similar way, the Bible tells us that followers of Jesus are “co-inheritors with Messiah.” And who is allowed to follow Jesus? John 3:16 states, “…that WHOSOEVER believes will not perish, but have eternal life.” In short, anyone.

To ensure a peaceful life in their inheritance, there were three requirements of the Israelite: 1) They had to receive it. 2) They had to drive out its former inhabitants, believing God’s promise of victory. 3) They had to continue to honor the Lord.

I want to make it clear that salvation is by God’s grace, through faith. Salvation is not the end result of an accumulation of “good works” we may accomplish. Ephesians 2:8-9

That said, faith without works is dead. There is a difference between “works” that lead to salvation and “works” that are the result of salvation. If you want to have peace as a believer - not necessarily the absence of conflict, but rather the presence of peace in the midst of conflict - you have to believe the Lord’s promise and fight to drive out those “former inhabitants.” If you trust Him, He will go before you and accomplish all you could not achieve without Him.

To maintain the peace and joy of our salvation, it is not enough to simply “receive” our inheritance through Messiah and then live as if nothing ever happened. Salvation is not about a single moment; it is a moment that results in movement. We must become disciples: followers who discipline themselves to continually seek the Lord’s direction and faithfully follow it.