March 22 - Old Faithful

 Read today’s texts first: Joshua 12-14;1 Corinthians 7

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

May what was said of Caleb be said of me:
He has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly!

Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, it’s the time I used to visit my good friend I lovingly called “Old Faithful.” I’m not referring to my gushing friend in Yellowstone, although this old geezer has visited that old geyser many times (each May on student tour). I am talking about my beloved Craftsman lawn mower with its reliable Briggs and Stratton motor. Two decades old, zero maintenance, never flush the fuel tank, never change the oil, started first pull every spring. I loved my mower! Faithfulness is one of my core values. Although I don’t always live up to it, I aspire to!

That’s why the story of Caleb inspires me. He and Joshua were the only two of the ten spies who believed Israel could possess the promised land, giants and all. God said Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly (Numbers 13:30; 14:24,30). He lived up to his name, which literally means “faithful,” “whole-hearted.”

Caleb, Joshua, and Moses were the only grown men to survive the wilderness wanderings, with God’s help. And knowing God was with him, at the ripe young age of 85, Caleb asked for the hill country of Hebron. Guess why? Because that’s where the giants lived, in the most fortified cities in all of Canaan. Love that guy, maybe more than my mower! God loved him too, and helped him take the land for himself and his family (14:6-14).

“Lord, You gave me this appreciation for the quality of faithfulness. Now I pray that I can live up to it and finish my life well. Like Caleb, if I need to face a few giants in my old age, I can “mow” them down with Your help!”