1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello and thank you for listening to your 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: daily Bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each 3 00:00:17,140 --> 00:00:20,300 Speaker 1: day to learn more about God and His will for us. 4 00:00:21,100 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jessica VanRoekel, and after this short word 5 00:00:24,940 --> 00:00:29,980 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, we'll continue our series entitled, trusting God 6 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,230 Speaker 1: one step at a time with a discussion on verse 7 00:00:33,690 --> 00:00:49,900 Speaker 1: from Joshua chapter 14 verse 14. Today's Bible verse is 8 00:00:49,950 --> 00:00:54,730 Speaker 1: Joshua chapter 14 verse 14. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb, 9 00:00:54,790 --> 00:00:59,110 Speaker 1: son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, ever since because he followed 10 00:00:59,170 --> 00:01:04,190 Speaker 1: the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. You know, I'm 11 00:01:04,209 --> 00:01:07,270 Speaker 1: growing older, and some would say I'm looking older. The 12 00:01:07,330 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: calendar says that I can't argue with the truth that 13 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,660 Speaker 1: I've been in this world for half a century. There 14 00:01:12,700 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: are stages in life where we seem to live primarily 15 00:01:15,780 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: in the rearview mirror. We remember how we used to 16 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: be or what we used to do or even what 17 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,180 Speaker 1: God used to do. Our histories tell the story of 18 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,110 Speaker 1: how our lives intersect with God's story, and it can 19 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,149 Speaker 1: be tempting to look back with longing. Caleb had an 20 00:01:32,310 --> 00:01:35,690 Speaker 1: incredible history, but he didn't spend the rest of his 21 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:39,530 Speaker 1: life remembering when he was 40. He kept looking ahead. 22 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:43,169 Speaker 1: He's a reminder to ask ourselves if we're allowing our 23 00:01:43,230 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: past faithfulness to become an excuse not to embrace God's 24 00:01:48,020 --> 00:01:52,110 Speaker 1: present invitation. At 40 years old, Caleb came with a 25 00:01:52,170 --> 00:01:55,010 Speaker 1: report of faith to the tribes of Israel. He and 26 00:01:55,070 --> 00:01:58,770 Speaker 1: Joshua measured the giants in the land against God's strength 27 00:01:59,050 --> 00:02:02,450 Speaker 1: rather than measuring the giants against human strength, like the 28 00:02:02,530 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: other spies did. At 80 years old, Caleb fought to 29 00:02:07,020 --> 00:02:12,100 Speaker 1: conquer the land. Now, at 85, he received his inheritance 30 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: of land, which still meant a fight against the Anakamites. 31 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,769 Speaker 1: The promised land had been mostly conquered. and it was 32 00:02:19,850 --> 00:02:22,690 Speaker 1: time for it to be divided amongst the tribes of Israel. 33 00:02:23,340 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: The east side of the Jordan had been given to 34 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:29,020 Speaker 1: the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. Now it was 35 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: time for the other tribes to receive their land west 36 00:02:32,380 --> 00:02:35,980 Speaker 1: of the Jordan. God had commanded Moses to divide the 37 00:02:36,020 --> 00:02:39,870 Speaker 1: promised land by lot. When Caleb came before Joshua and 38 00:02:39,910 --> 00:02:43,989 Speaker 1: the elders, he reminded them what Moses had said about 39 00:02:44,050 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: him in Deuteronomy 1, verses 35 and 36. This is 40 00:02:48,820 --> 00:02:51,980 Speaker 1: what Moses said, To Caleb will I give the land 41 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,620 Speaker 1: he has walked upon and to his children because he 42 00:02:54,639 --> 00:03:00,500 Speaker 1: has wholly followed the Lord. Caleb referred to this phrase 43 00:03:00,740 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: wholeheartedly following the Lord, not as a prideful statement in 44 00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:07,169 Speaker 1: what he had done, but as a reminder of what 45 00:03:07,350 --> 00:03:10,750 Speaker 1: Moses said about him. And instead of asking for the 46 00:03:10,870 --> 00:03:14,750 Speaker 1: easiest piece of land, Caleb asks for the mountains where 47 00:03:14,810 --> 00:03:18,900 Speaker 1: giants still lived. Let's chat a bit about what it 48 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: means to wholeheartedly follow the Lord. The original Hebrew indicates 49 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:28,380 Speaker 1: it is an overflowing or abundance. Caleb's heart wasn't sort 50 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: of committed to God. His commitment overflowed. The way he 51 00:03:33,220 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: lived paints a picture of a faithful follower of Christ, 52 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,250 Speaker 1: even when other people's choices kept him in the desert 53 00:03:40,530 --> 00:03:45,530 Speaker 1: for 40 years. Because of his faithfulness then, he received 54 00:03:45,570 --> 00:03:51,260 Speaker 1: a special inheritance now. Holy following the Lord demonstrated total 55 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:56,060 Speaker 1: commitment to God in Caleb's life. Joshua granted Caleb's request, 56 00:03:56,620 --> 00:04:00,700 Speaker 1: commended his bravery, and prayed for his success in undertaking 57 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,580 Speaker 1: the Anakims. We can learn how to age well when 58 00:04:05,620 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: we consider Caleb. He was just as strong at 85 59 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,940 Speaker 1: as he was at 40. But more than that, his 60 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,140 Speaker 1: spiritual life reflected a faith that grew stronger through the 61 00:04:17,180 --> 00:04:21,750 Speaker 1: passing years. Those who follow God faithfully and wholeheartedly when 62 00:04:21,790 --> 00:04:24,349 Speaker 1: they are young will have both the credit and the 63 00:04:24,410 --> 00:04:27,500 Speaker 1: comfort of it when they are old and the reward 64 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,820 Speaker 1: for it in eternity. We can imitate Caleb's boldness in 65 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,740 Speaker 1: asking for what God promised him. Caleb may have looked 66 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: back to remember the promise and how Moses described him, 67 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:43,710 Speaker 1: but he didn't live in the past. He lived up 68 00:04:43,870 --> 00:04:47,029 Speaker 1: to what Moses said about him. He lived with an 69 00:04:47,330 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: eye toward the future, by cultivating a full conviction and 70 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,830 Speaker 1: firm belief in the promise of God. Today, we can 71 00:04:55,870 --> 00:05:00,110 Speaker 1: develop a wholeheartedness toward God by keeping close to Him, 72 00:05:01,170 --> 00:05:04,630 Speaker 1: aiming for God's glory and not our own, and thirdly, 73 00:05:04,750 --> 00:05:10,540 Speaker 1: to conform ourselves to God's will. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, 74 00:05:10,570 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: thank you so much that you've given us biblical examples 75 00:05:15,620 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: of heroes in the faith. And Lord, I believe Caleb, 76 00:05:19,250 --> 00:05:21,390 Speaker 1: is someone that we can look up to, that someone 77 00:05:21,430 --> 00:05:24,830 Speaker 1: that we can model our lives after. He didn't ask 78 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:28,770 Speaker 1: for the easiest land to be in his inheritance. No, 79 00:05:28,810 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: he asked for a mountain. In his old age, he 80 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: knew he still had the fortitude and the strength to 81 00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:40,339 Speaker 1: conquer a mountain. Lord, we face mountains. Sometimes the mountains 82 00:05:40,380 --> 00:05:43,370 Speaker 1: we face hit us when we're young, and sometimes they 83 00:05:43,430 --> 00:05:45,370 Speaker 1: hit us in our middle age, and sometimes they hit 84 00:05:45,410 --> 00:05:48,029 Speaker 1: us at the end of our years. But God, you've 85 00:05:48,110 --> 00:05:52,140 Speaker 1: called us to a life of faithfulness. Lord, stir in 86 00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: our hearts a desire to live wholeheartedly for you and 87 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,820 Speaker 1: you alone. Lord, let us remember Caleb, who looked back 88 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,570 Speaker 1: to remember the promise, but didn't stay stuck living his 89 00:06:04,630 --> 00:06:08,070 Speaker 1: life through rearview mirror, going, remember when I did this 90 00:06:08,150 --> 00:06:13,090 Speaker 1: for God? Remember when God did this? No, he's looking ahead, saying, 91 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,720 Speaker 1: Look what God can still do in me. Look what 92 00:06:16,790 --> 00:06:19,250 Speaker 1: he's going to do in my life. Lord, give us 93 00:06:19,290 --> 00:06:22,770 Speaker 1: a faith like Caleb. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.