A Life of Faithfulness

Footnotes

[1] 14:15 Kiriath-arba means the city of Arba
[2] 14:15 Hebrew He

Hugh Stephenson

Brother Chuck!! You are in the top tier of men I know who I’d nominate to be in the Caleb Club! Love this devo, (no surprise), and love your focus on Caleb. What a model of Godly manhood he is. Q1. Part of the challenge for me in following God wholeheartedly is that He has me in a period of waiting that is now several years long. So, interestingly, following Him means waiting patiently. In most ways I am ready to devote my time and energy to mission and ministry. My young partner is 45 and we’ve spent 20 years together as I have helped him grow into the role I now occupy less and less. He is very close to 100% ready and moves forward steadily. Yet, I have no clear call from Him to fully cut the rope. Over the last ten years I have seen my surrender to His timeline rather than mine lead me to His path. He has cracked the door open. Counsel to me has been to not walk up and kick it open. Wait for Him to open it fully. Until then, He calls me to full, total, and complete engagement in the missions and ministries where He has equipped and placed me. And with the same level of focus and intensity as the last 10 years. Q2. My primary mountain is creating margin to allow for physical and mental rest. Also to cease using coping mechanisms like food and ESPN to distract me. Q3. God’s faithfulness has been demonstrated to me so often I have lost count. As I have been faithful to His call into partnership, (Genesis 1:26-28), and His call to complete focus, (Hebrews 12:1-3), He continues to fulfill promise after promise. As I have noted, the ones that provide the greatest blessing to me are joy, peace, and rest, (John 15:10-11, Philippians 4:6-7, and Matthew 11:28-30).

Hugh Stephenson

Happy birthday Caleb!!! What a remarkable figure Caleb is. In thinking about this moment in Israel’s history and his life I go back to Joshua 13:1. Specifically, “…and, there remains much land to possess.” In modern metaphoric parlance I might say, “There remains much ground to take.” God knows I’m no longer 19 or weigh 145 pounds. Yet he still tells me, “…and, there remains much land to possess.” Stretching the analogy…God has enabled me to conquer my own “wildernesses” of addiction, alcoholism, fear, anxiety, materialism, navel-gazing-self-focus and much more. His Conquest of my heart now complete…he tells me to refocus on the next part of His plan for me, (and for many others)… “Wholly follow the LORD” For Caleb, that meant to do the job that was left undone 45 years ago.

Hugh Stephenson

“Caleb was still as strong—in faith, as well as in body—as he had been 45 years earlier, even though he was now much older. He was continuing to trust in God to fulfill His promise concerning the land, rather than in his personal physical ability to take it from the enemy. Caleb's name means "according to the heart." "It would have been natural for Caleb to ask for a 'soft spot'—a portion of land already conquered where he could settle down and spend the rest of his life raising a few vegetables or flowers. Instead, at 85, he asked for the very section that had struck terror into the hearts of the ten spies. ... This courageous old warrior, who did not expect to receive his inheritance without exerting himself, is a splendid example for an age which increasingly looks for cradle-to-casket protection."[315] "Consecration is the source of undecaying strength; because it allows the soul to draw on the strength of God [cf. 2 Cor. 4:16]."[316] "Old age is often characterized by 'the pride of life.' The lust of the flesh is peculiar to youth; the lust of the eyes, the desire of increase in earthly things to enjoy them, comes with middle life, and in old age the temptation is 'the pride of life.' But not so with the man of faith."[317] John Cawood identified Caleb's outstanding characteristics as: uncompromising convictions, unreserved commitment, unalterable courage, and unwavering confidence.[318] "Joshua 14 thus sets forth two major points, which continue to have value for the people of God. Life in all its dimensions is to be lived according to the plans set forth by God, not by the greedy, selfish plans designed by man. Blessing comes ultimately to the man who totally follows God."[319] "One of the remarkable things about the Bible is its attention not only to nations and peoples but also to individuals. This underscores the fact that He who 'loved the world' provided the means of redemption whereby 'whoever believes' may be saved. In a generation of apostates Caleb remained true to the Lord, and for his faithfulness he was singled out as a recipient of God's gracious blessings."[320]

Michael Sisson

Re: Jos 14:10-12 Jos 14:10-12 (NASB) “Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, >>>I am eighty-five years old today. “I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.<<< “Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for >>>you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken.”<<< Caleb must have been a real life Hub McCann (SECONDHAND LIONS; https://youtu.be/0FAdEzhorq4). Even at 85, neither his strength, nor his resolve had wavered. More importantly, neither had his faith. Not even giants could deter him from taking hold of what G-d had promised. Be like Caleb.

Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Chuck, and bless you for how you glorify God through re:gen! In a culture that idolizes youth and tends to despise old age, how refreshing it is to encounter Caleb! I wonder if he didn't keep up with his exercises (no need for a gym, it was hard enough just to survive for 40 years of wilderness wanderings plus 5 years of conquest warfare) to keep himself fit and ready to take the land God had promised him through Moses. This is very familiar to me since my beloved husband Ray has worked out 5 days a week for most of our married life because he takes seriously the responsibility of caring for a wife with a disability. Reading this chapter reminded me of Moses' blessing of Asher in Deuteronomy 33:25, "And as your days, so will your strength be." Isn't that the BEST? For one to remain strong as long as s/he lives? I have seen plenty of people whose strength petered out years before they died, weak and frail. A couple of years ago I got to teach Psalm 90, where Moses prays, "Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." So I did. It was sobering, Checking my teaching notes, I read, "If I live to be 70, I have 1247 left." And in February, I blew past that milestone. By God's grace, I still feel like I have a lot of life left in me. So this is my prayer: Lord, let me be a Caleb, strong to the end in Your strength, serving You fully until I step from this life into the next like moving from one room into another.

Michael Scaman

Caleb wanted to conquer Hebron. That is where Abraham dwelt by the oak of Mamre (singular) and later the great oaks (plural) of Mamre (with the passage of time). Some say it was conquered back in Joshua 11 and ten re-conquered Caleb was earlier promised land by Moses long long before. It was where Sarah was buried and it was a habitation of giants. Caleb was strong to the end and had a legacy since the man who married his daughter was the first Judge Caleb saying "Give me this mountain" was an inspiration for a couple books written bythe late Helen Roseviere who I heard at an Urbana conference way back at University of Illinois. A followup book that things were often hard was "He Gave Me a Valley" She spoke at the "call for endurance of the saints at Desiring God a few years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HvPSnptXi0 She even talks about this passage form Joshua and the now 85 year old wholehearted Caleb in her talk. Caleb was a bit older than Helen. Her heroes besides Jesus included Caleb, Polycarp the bishop, Rhondina the slave girl all persevered in faith.

morgan houghton

1. In your daily life, how are you following the Lord your God wholeheartedly? Are there areas in your heart that are not fully surrendered to God's desires for you? I think that He is teaching me more about dwelling on Him and how I need to depend and trust in Him daily in all areas of my life, not just in my relationships with him. And unfortunately yes I think He is working in my heart on friendships and my commitment to serving at this point in my life. 2. What are some of the "mountains" in your life currently? Are you fully submitting to God's will as you face giants and mountains? I think these would be just the unknowns of the future, worrying about my transition from college to back home and wondering what my friendships will look like and my church community since it is different from the church ai was attending at school. Doing my best to submit these to Gods will! 3. Look at God's faithfulness to Caleb. How have you seen God's faithfulness in your own life? Such a cool testimony to read. He has been so faithful to carry me through every season and provide a way through every. single. time.

Amy Lowther

1. In everything I do, I use God’s values to make choices, to get things done, and to help others. My heart is fully surrendered to God everyday. 2. Currently, I am fully surrendered to God as I settle into a new job that has lots of good opportunities. 3. God’s faithfulness has been present in my life to organize, budget, shop, eat, and sleep.