Scripture
But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of the land. Numbers 14:24
Observation
Joshua and Caleb didn’t just have a different perspective than the other 10 spies who searched out Canaan, they lived differently. Long before they ever crossed the river into The Promised Land they followed God. God says this in verse 34, “‘Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy.’ Where Joshua and Caleb saw possibilities the other spies only saw problems. Caleb lived out the fact that if it was promised to them then he would trust God to keep His promises. In fact, the Hebrew phrase for a “different attitude” describes a man who followed behind God so closely that he didn’t miss a single move. Like a foreigner following a local trail guide up the treacherous mountain of Kilimanjaro there’s no way he was going to let him out of his sight as they embarked on this climb. Caleb could see the view in his heart before he was ever able to see it with his eyes. In fact, he had to wait another 40 years for the older generation to die off before he was able to enter into the promise God gave him here. Notice God says, “I will bring him into the land he explored.” God promised it, God would provide it, all Caleb had to do was believe it and then he received it. Not just Caleb, but his future generations.
Application
The choices I make now to follow Jesus will determine the inheritance my boys and their families will walk into. A week ago we started the 40 Days of Following fast. Lent, a spiritual journey leading up to Easter, often involves fasting and repenting. This positions our hearts to truly receive the Promised Land of salvation through what Jesus did for us on The Cross and through The Resurrection. Every day it’s about the challenge of not just checking a religious box but taking my faith out of the box and checking in with Jesus throughout the day. In just one week it’s become clear how often I simply live independently from His Spirit. By simply choosing to intentionally ask the question, "What Is Jesus Doing?" I'm becoming more like Caleb every day. I have come face to face with some giants as Caleb and the other spies did. My friend St. Nick just discovered he has two types of cancer the treatment of which is not covered by his health insurance. My other friend’s wife just discovered she has rheumatoid arthritis. I have a friend who wants to quit his job due to a hostile work environment. The Grills family are figuring out what life looks like without the patriarch of the family who has gone on to be with the Lord. These are just a few of the giants I’m facing with my friends and family this week. How will I follow Jesus through this? Will I panic and fear and miss out on the promises of God to heal, provide and restore? I want to follow so closely to Jesus that I see my giants from God’s perspective. To Him these mountains are molehills. God looks down on my giants and has already conquered them on The Cross.
Prayer
You are my trail guide. I’ve never been this way before. It isn’t easy following You because You move differently then I expect and you call me to do more then I’m comfortable with. You lead me up the impassible, improbable, and impossible. If I can just stay close to You I will see the view You’re calling me to. Let me see it now even half way up the mountain. Let me see it now even staring down these giants. Let me see it now by seeing you now. Even as I am typing this I received a text from Jordan Ciervo who’s daughter was just pinned under a car resulting in a broken femur and shattered pelvis. You are bigger than this! Come Holy Spirit and heal her!
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