Living In The Fullness

Living in the Fullness

Joshua 13:33

How are we to live our lives in full possession of the promises of God, or better yet, how are we to live our lives to the fullest?

What I have found in my 40 years of being a Christian and pastor is that I had to stop trying to change the circumstances and begin to learn how to be content within them. This is what looked at the other week when the Apostle Paul said,

“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” (Philippians 4:11 NKJV)

For a lot of people their circumstances stink, and they’ve become disillusioned. They’re dealing with issues like illness and constant medical problems. Their marriage hasn’t been all they thought it would be and is on life support. They’ve lost their job and haven’t been able to find work, and either their funds have run dry or they’ve lost their home because of it. Or maybe they’re dealing with one of the many other difficulties or troubles that come with life.

They’ve become disillusioned with not just life, but with God as well.

How can they, or better yet, how can we live life to its fullness and get through to the other side?

To answer this question I think it’s important we get a grip on what it means to have the Lord as our inheritance. What should living in the fullness look like, and what should we be doing? God gives us the perfect picture in the life and possessions of the Levities.

“But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.” (Joshua 13:33 NKJV)

In the book of Numbers, the Lord gave Moses these instructions when it came to the Levites. “The Levites shall be Mine.” (Numbers 3:45)

We often view the tribe of Levi as separate and apart from our Christian lives, but that would be a mistake. Truth is, we’re not much different.

It began with their progenitor, Levi, when his father, Jacob, cursed him. The story is found in Genesis 34.

After the rape of their sister Diana by the king’s son, Jacob and his sons entered into a peace agreement with them. As a condition of peace, the men of Shechem had to undergo the rite of circumcision. On the third day, they were in great pain. That’s when Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, ransacked city and killed all the men.

This forced Jacob to flee the area. As a result he cursed his two sons on his deathbed saying, “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:7 NKJV)

There are several areas that that are similar to our Christian lives.

First, we are also under a curse, one that has been passed down from generation to generation from the progenitor of the human race, Adam. It is the curse called sin.

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12 NKJV)

But God is in the restoration business. He never allows the past, once forgiven and repented of, to prevent us, like He did for the Levites, from having that special and unique place of service as God called them to be His priests.

The second likeness is that as God’s priesthood the Levites were not to possess any land of their own, rather they were scattered throughout the land because God was their inheritance.

We are also a priesthood and tribe scattered around the world.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)

Seeing we are a priesthood like the Levites, what does this life look like? This can be seen in what the tribe of Levi was called to be.

Warriors

When we think of the Levites, this is the last picture we’d conjure up. Normally we see them in their priestly garb offering the sacrifices in the Temple, but when God’s honor was at stake, they were warriors.

When Moses came off the mountain with the Ten Commandments the people were caught up worshipping the golden calf. Seeing people fall into the worship of idols, look at what Moses said and who was the first to respond.

“Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is on the Lord's side – come to me.’ And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.” (Exodus 32:26 NKJV)