Activating The Getting

I was just reminded of a difficult truth while I was reading more of Joshua.
It's a principle I actually don't like because it's not easy for me to accept.
And I'm guessing that you, just like me, need a reminder of this particular truth because somehow we tend to easily forget (very conveniently) the difficult truths.
Here's what I read:

"So the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they conquered it and settled there." (Joshua 21:43, NLT)

Gave. That little word packs so much punch. It (the word gave) seems almost like an inappropriate word here because it's not like the Israelites just sat around and God just rained down a wrapped gift. Israel had to work their butts off in order to receive this gift. Just because God wants to offer something as a gift does not mean we don't have to do anything in order to receive that gift. We will often have to take the step of obedience in seemingly ridiculously overwhelming situations, much like the Israelites did (i.e. conquering Jericho was no normal situation) in order to activate God's gift. Afterall, God loves to stack up the odds against us so that He can receive more credit for the gift in the first place.

Stop sitting, wishing, waiting to receive God's blessings in your life. Go, get off your butt, trust God, and watch the miracle theater begin! He has specific blessings in store that He'd love to give to those of us who have enough trust, obedience, and character to receive it.