“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” (Joshua 14:12)
I am always impressed when I read these words of Caleb. The past forty five years of his life had been spent enduring the wilderness wanderings of his people and fighting the battles necessary to conquer the land of promise. Now, at age eighty five, the time had finally come for him to receive his own inheritance in the land. Seems like a great time to slow down and let someone else do the hard work. For once, do the easy thing. Pitch your tent on a quiet cul-de-sac out of harm’s way and cheer others on to victory.
Not Caleb. He is still volunteering to do the difficult thing. “Give me the tough job,” he says. The sense I get from reading the text is not that everyone else declined the task, so Caleb reluctantly says, “Well, I guess I will have to do it if no one else will.” No, it appears that he was anxious for the opportunity. What a great example!
The Lord could use some “Calebs” yet today -- servants who volunteer for the difficult tasks. Instead of waiting for someone else to step up, let’s challenge each other to step out of our comfort zones. Teach the Bible class that intimidates you. If you don’t know how to teach, then learn! Support the missionary or the one training for ministry even though funds are tight. Commit yourself to being there for your spiritual family even if it is inconvenient. Reach out to that hurting person even if you don’t know them well.
Lord, please help me learn to ask for “the hill country” in my service to you. Give me the courage not to shy away from the difficult things.
God loves you!
Mike
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