Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It's Monday, the twenty
fourth day of November in twenty twenty five. Hello, my
name is El David Harris. I am your host, and
this is your Daily Portion where we give you God's
word every single day, and today is no exception. We
are continuing in our lesson study series Lessons of Faith
from Joshua, and our caption for today is the Land
as a Gift, The Land as a Gift. Before we
get into that, I'd like to say welcome to everyone
joining us, especially those joining us for the very first time.
I'm asking you to go over to your Daily Portion
dot com. Please join our online community. Pick up the
Your Daily Portion Life application guide and let us know
where you are in the world at your daily portion
dot com. This is one of the ways that we
continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, Father,
thank you, thank you for giving us land as a gift.
In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen, and a man again, okay,
by show of hands. By hands, I mean like typing
a one in the chat. Which of you own land?
Which of you own land? Okay? And when I say own,
I am not talking about mortgage, I said, meaning the
only thing that you owe is taxes. When it's time
to pay land tax or property tax or whatever, your
taxes and your jurisdiction. How many of you own land?
You see? That is an amazing thing. Like having land
to own is amazing. And a lot of people around
the world will never actually own anything on planet Earth.
Will mortgage it, we'll lease it, will rent it, will
will rent to buy, but never really get to the
part where we buy because we owe it to a bank.
You feel me. So I'm grateful that God has shown
us in his word the blessing of ownership. Because God
gives land as an inheritance. God gives the people land
as an inheritance. And of course we've been studying this
at nauseum, so I don't really need to continue to
explain it in in great detail. But let me read
from Christ's object Lessons, page three hundred and fifty one.
And for those who are new, you can just scroll back.
You can see the dates. You can scroll back and
get caught up as you see fit. And it reads
God desires that the things which he has entrusted to
us shall be regarded as sacred trusts that means holy
or set aside for a holy use, to be used
for His glory and the blessing of humanity. Okay, so
let me go back to the first question, how many
of us own? And it wasn't a trick question, but
I do want to make a shift in our perspective
because you know, considering some of you actually have land
that is completely paid off. You may even have a
home or some other structure built on it. In the
case that you do, you're still a steward. We're all stewards.
The son that came out of my lowings and out
of my wife's womb. I'm a steward of Josiah. I
can't even say I own Josiah because Josiah was given
his life by God. God gave Josiah his life. He's
answerable ultimately and responsible ultimately to God. And so really
we can start by reflecting here, right, what blessings in
your life remind you that you are living on God's property.
It doesn't matter what it is you tell me. I'm
not going to give you examples. You type it in
the chat. How about how does viewing yourself as a
steward or somebody managing other people's things, God's things in particular,
instead of an owner change your daily priorities? You see,
I am actually wired. It's weird the way that I'm
you know, God created me. I'm actually wired to do
better for others than I do for myself. That's that's
the way I was born. That is the way that
might be behavior style leads. Now it's possible to make
a shift in my mind, et cetera. But so I
don't really need anybody to coach me through that. I
really do understand how this thing works. But I'm saying
that I naturally do better with other people's things and
being responsible to and for them then I am with
my own things. So whatever your style is though, how
does that change? Like, how does it change your perspective
when you're managing for other people and this other people
really is God? And finally, what do you think or
what do you like? What would it look like part
of me for you to live with the pilgrim kind
of faith? Meaning if you do own property on planet
Earth or you are a steward, you are a steward
on planet Earth of whatever God has given to you.
But you know you're passing through. This is not your
final destination. That God is going to take you to
Heaven for a thousand years and then back to the
Earth made new. How does that change? How does that change? Okay,
trusting God as your true landlord? Is that a good
word for you? I don't know. But he's your benefactor
for sure. He's the one that gave you your inheritance. You're
the He's the one that you're answerable to. So am
I and so Canaan reminded the place of Canaan reminded
God's people that ownership belongs to God alone. Now, I
don't want you to be like, you know, regretful if
you typed a one in the chat a little bit earlier.
Now we know where we were going. As heirs of
His promises. We two live as strangers and pilgrims, grateful
for every blessing, and yet longing for the ultimate inheritance
that is built by God himself, where the gift of
land becomes our eternal inheritance. And so you know, the
Bible actually says here in First Peter, chapter two and
verse eleven, dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Or
let me say it again, dear friends, I urge you,
as foreigners and exiles. I've been a foreigner in places
before and exiles, so I've never been in exile to
keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul.
So God is saying, while you are a stranger in
this planet Earth as it is now, while you are sojourning,
or you're a pilgrim passing through, do not get distracted
by the stuff. The trappings that is on planet Earth
are on planet Earth. Those temptations that those sins that
so easy to beset us, those things that they flash
on social media. And now artificial intelligence is glorifying and
magnifying even more, sensationalizing even more. God is telling us
to pay attention and don't get caught up with that.
Don't get caught up with that. Finally, let me read
from Deuteronomy, chapter six and verse three. Pay attention God's
people here therefore, oh God's people, and observe to do
what God has told you to do, that it may
be well with thee in the land that floweth with
milk and honey. You see, when Adam and Eve were
exiled from Eden, it was because they did not they
were not careful to observe and to do what God
told them to do. And when they were dispossessed of
that land, now they were wanderers. They're wanderers. So God
is saying, I want you to be stable. I want
you to be settled down and to be able to
steward the best thing that I intended for you from
before there was a beginning. And no longer have to
be a nomad, no longer have to worry about where
your next meal. Not worry, but be concerned about where
your next meal is going to come from, whether the
land is going to really give you what you want,
or you have to work harder to get it. No
more worries with childbirth and all of the things that
come as a result of our sin. So what God
is saying to us really is God has given us
everything as a gift. We have the privilege of being
great stewards of these things until Jesus returns, and when
he returns, he will give us our ultimate inheritance. Make
it a great day, peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,