In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It is apparent by this statement from Jesus that His heart for us is far more than just salvation and eternal life; it is “Abundant life”, by which we enter into all that He has for us now. But the book of Joshua makes us aware, that, though abundant life is to be found in the land of grace (the land of promise), it still has many obstacles and enemies that must be defeated to be enjoyed.
Based upon Numbers 13, clearly the 12 spies saw the fruitfulness of the land of promise, but they were also very aware of the obstacles in possessing the blessings as well, and like many Christians, ten of those spy’s chose to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles.
There is an interesting observation to make regarding this, and it is to be found in the two water crossings, to which Paul references as a typology of a baptism in 1 Cor. 10:1-4, 11. The first such crossing was the Red Sea crossing in Exodus, which symbolizes our being set free from the bondage of the world of sin and death. And having passed through the Red Sea, they made short order of the journey to the land of promise, only to choose to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles, and there they wandered for 40 years. Forty years of living life outside the promises because of fear, and forty years of eating dust, wandering around getting to the end of themselves.
That is where the book of Joshua brings us into yet another baptism; this baptism is through the Jordan, the river of life, and does not speak of salvation, but rather the Holy Spirit’s baptism to enter into the promises. Power was granted for them to face the obstacles and enemies of abundant life. So how about it, are you tired of wilderness living? Are you ready to step into the river of the victorious Christian life, abundant life, well perhaps it’s time for a fresh filling of living water?