“1 The Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. When they surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, they saw that the region was a good one for livestock. 2 So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said: 3 ‘The territory of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 which the Lord struck down before the community of Israel, is good land for livestock, and your servants own livestock.’ 5 They said, ‘If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.’
6 But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, ‘Should your brothers go to war while you stay here?'”
Numbers 32:1-6
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Can there be two things that will please God, yet one is less desired? It seems that is the case here with these three tribes in Numbers 32. God had something already planned for them, something already allotted as inheritance in the Promised Land, but they saw something they thought was worth having ‘now’ and asked about being given that instead. And since they agreed to go ahead and fight with the rest of their brothers before permanently settling in this different inheritance, it was allowed.

This seems like a diminished faith, or a weariness that led to a diminished desire and subsequently led to content ten with less than what God wanted for His people. God allowed them to remain there, but they had to know that they were settling for less, and that they would still have to struggle for it like everyone else.

I do not understand churches that operate this way, churches that look at their situation and say, “This is good enough.” and then choose to stagnate. They determine that it is going to be too much work, too much commitment, to move forward into anything different, and so they just stall out where they are. Sure God allows it, and there will be good done, but so often it could have been better, but we chose less instead.

As we look at the commissioning that Christ has given us to GoLove others, making disciples that make disciples, I cannot comprehend a desire to stall out, to grow content, and to say ‘Good enough.’ It doesn’t make sense to me. Will there be work? Sure! Is it going to be easy? Most likely not. But most things worth having have to be worked for, struggled after and are hard fought. But if God is leading that effort, then it is the work that should be done, the ‘good fight’ as it were, and it will all be worth every effort that He guides us through, but only if it is His will and He is our guide. If it is just a human effort and human desire, it will fall flat every time. God’s glory is our goal as we work and strive for what He has guided us toward.