Being Caleb

Dear Friends,

This morning I was reading in the book of Joshua, and I came across the following statement in Joshua 14:11: “I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.” At first, that statement didn’t really mean much to me. Then I realized that the guy saying it was 95 years old! His name was Caleb, and he's probably one of the lesser-known heroes of the Bible. The reason Caleb could be called a “hero” is because he had a long, fruitful walk with God - in which he put God first, and gave God his best.

After reading Caleb’s statement, I took some time to ponder his life a bit - because honestly, I want what Caleb had. I want spiritual longevity. I want my walk with God to be a long and fruitful one. I want to fully follow God through every circumstance and stage of life. I don't want my relationship with God to be one that starts and stops.

As I thought about all of that, it occurred to me that, if I want to have spiritual longevity, I need to do what Caleb did. I need to put God first, and give Him my best. The truth is, it’s hard to make God a priority in daily life - isn’t it? It’s seems like a normal part of our walk with God is that, when our lives are in trouble, we expect God to drop everything, run to us, and take care of our problems. But then, when it comes to us being with Him, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to make it happen. So while there always seems to be enough time to squeeze in some TV watching, or book reading, or social media - we regularly seem to lack the time to really study the Word, or to spend time in prayer, or to joyfully serve others. And so we end up going through the day without putting God first, or giving Him our best.

That's what I was challenged with this morning as I thought about Caleb. If I want longevity in my walk with God, then I've got to make Him my top priority. And if my heart is right with God, then it will show up in the way I spend my time and in the way I live my life. And if I am fully following God then - just like Caleb, I’ll want to give God my best - not my leftovers. That was the secret to Caleb's spiritual longevity, and it's the secret to ours as well.

So today, let’s ask God to help us be more like Caleb. Let’s ask God to help us fully follow Him, and then let’s intentionally choose to truly give Him our first, and our best.

Amen?

Daniel