Too Little

Joshua 19:47

And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

The part of the inheritance that was given to the tribe of Dan seemed to be too little for them. Instead of complaining about being too little, they chose to take matters into their own hands to go to battle and take more land. The result of this tribe taking the initiative not to settle with what they felt was too little resulted in their inheritance growing.

What I love about the tribe of Dan is they did not give excuses or complain about their inheritance being too small. Instead, they took the initiative to do something about it. This tribe realized that you must exchange excuses for initiative if you want to grow as a believer or as a church. Anyone can find excuses for not growing, but there must be the initiative to do something about it if you are going to grow. You cannot expect people to give you growth; you must have the initiative to choose to grow if you will grow. There are five mindsets these people had that helped them to grow, and you must have the same mindsets if you want to grow.

First, they saw that their land was too little. You must always have a mindset that your church is too little and that you must do something to make it grow. There is nothing wrong with a little church, but you should not strive to stay little. You must have a great vision if you want to grow. Vision is critical to growth, and a vision always says what you have is too little and you must do something to make it grow.

Second, they chose to get up. Notice the words, went up; these are words that tell us they would not settle at being too little. You will never grow if you settle for where you are as a church or a believer in your Christian walk. You must get up and do something to grow. Nobody has ever grown by sitting and settling with their present growth. Your vision should motivate you to get up and do something to grow.

Third, they fought to grow. You will not grow without a battle. Many times your battle is with yourself. You will often battle with personal failures and the failure to meet your expectations. There must be something within you that does not become weary with the battle. Many step into the battle for a short time and quit because the battle didn't agree with their lives that they wanted to live or their schedule. You will not grow as a believer or a church without the inconvenience of fighting for growth.

Fourth, they took the cities. These people had a conquering mindset. You will not grow if you quit. Growth is a result of trading in an excuse-filled, quitting mindset for a conquering mindset. Growth is not easy, but the challenge to conquer what it takes to grow is a critical mindset to grow as a believer and as a church. You must choose not to stop short of your vision, but keep on fighting until you can take the vision God has given you for yourself and your church.

Fifth, they possessed their land. You will never grow in the LORD without making the Christian life your life. You will never be a contributor to your church’s growth unless you make your church yours. Possess your church. Possess the Christian life. Don't look for another life or church, but choose to possess these and do what you can to grow personally and to help your church to grow.