I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me into the land; as my strength was then, so my strength is now. Give me this mountain.(Joshua 14:11-12)

Joshua and Caleb are standing with Moses on the banks of The Jordan River getting ready to cross over into The Promise Land. Standing with them is a whole new generation of Israelites ready to seize the land that had been promised to their forefathers. Suddenly, after 40 years, a change in leadership takes place.  Joshua becomes the new leader.

Do you ever wonder why God chose Joshua as the new leader and  not Caleb?  I do. After all, Caleb was with Joshua when they were sent with the 10 spies to check out the land before entering. Unlike the negative report given by the other ten spies, Caleb proclaimed with Joshua: “There are no giants in the land of Canaan. We can possess it!” (Numbers 13:30)

With faith like that, how did God arrive at choosing Joshua as the new leader and not Caleb?  One day my “wondering question” concerning Caleb was answered in a way that satisfied my mind, based upon my own life.

I prefer the background. I don’t like to be out front – no facebook live for me; no speaking to the multitudes; I am just as content alone as I am  in a crowd.  I also have a laid-back personality that sometimes keeps me from confronting people. Lord knows, if you are in leadership, people definitely will need to be confronted.

Now, I don’t know if Caleb was like me in that respect or not. But, one thing I do know is this: though Caleb wasn’t chosen as the new leader of the Israelites, Caleb had a God-given dream and a promise that he would possess a certain piece of land in Canaan.

·       That dream  never left Caleb throughout all his years of wandering around in the wilderness with the complaining unbelieving Israelites. 

·       The dream never left him when the nay-sayers there were giants in the land.

·       That dream never left him when he was misunderstood and persecuted for his beliefs.

·       That dream never left him even when Joshua was chosen as the “out-front” leader of the Israelites. 

·       That dream  never left him  even in his old age. (Joshua 14:10) 

·       Despite his surroundings and age, he followed the Lord wholeheartedlyin pursuit of his dream and the purpose for which God had called him. (Number 14:20-24)

I, too, have a God-given dream, a promise, and I believe a specific purpose for which God has called me. I shout from the roof top as Caleb did: 

“Give me this mountain!”

Personal reflection: Goal setting and sharing:

List 3 goals that you would like to accomplish (at home, at work, with family, etc) that will allow you to live out purpose

1.      Does this story relate to your own life?  If so, how?

2.      What do you see are any obstacles you need to overcome in order to fulfill your dream and purpose? 

3.      If I could go back, what would you have done differently? 

Martha Bush