March 4, 2020 Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional :- UNCOMPLETED AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
THE DAILY FOUNTAIN
DAILY DEVOTIONAL OF THE
CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
DATE: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020
TOPIC: UNCOMPLETED AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
READ: JUDGES 1:27-36 (NKJV)
27. However, Manasseh did not drive out [the inhabitants of] Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
28. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
29. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
30. Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.
31. Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.
32. So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
33. Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
34. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley;
35. and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.
36. Now the boundary of the Amorites [was] from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.
THE MESSAGE:
We see from these readings the inability of the tribes to completely defeat the inhabitants of the lands within their allocated territories. God’s clear instruction was for them to completely root out these nations and not to form any alliance with them. Many tribes decided to put them to tribute instead of looking for ways of overcoming them. In our reading two days ago, Judah showed that combined effort achieves much. Other tribes seemed not to have copied that blueprint, neither did they ask God how to tackle the issue. These nations later became thorns in their flesh (Judges 2:3).
When God gives us an assignment, He expects us to thoroughly handle it and bring it to conclusion. Many of us have many unfinished businesses both physically and spiritually. Many of us enthusiastically have started many projects which have remained abandoned or uncompleted till today. Jesus stated in Luke 14:28-32 that before embarking on any project, we should first calculate what it will cost to complete it. God never abandons projects. Even our lives are work in progress; we need not cut corners or compromise. We have to go to God in prayer and ask for the way forward.
PRAYER: Oh my Father, may You help me to tackle all unfinished businesses in my life and may my efforts never become fruitless ones.