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

Knowledge to Build On 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.

Life in the Now Do you ever wonder why God does things the way He does?  I do.  One of the things I have often wondered is:  “why did God choose Joshua as the new leader and not Caleb?”  After all, Caleb was with Joshua when they were sent with 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.

Those who know me well know that I prefer the background.  I don’t like to be out front.  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 that Caleb had a God-given dream and a promise that he would possess a certain piece of land in Canaan.  I, too, have a God-given dream and a promise.

I have come to realize that I don’t have to be labeled as a “leader of the multitudes” as Joshua, to possess my God-given dream. But, just like Caleb, I  have to:

1. Follow the Lord wholeheartedly, even if I have to wander around in the wilderness among unbelievers. [Numbers 14:20-24]
2. Keep my dream alive no matter how old I am.  [Joshua 14:10]

Then I can say as Caleb did:  “Give me this mountain!’

What about you?  Has God given you a dream and a promise?  Don’t settle for the flat land; go for the mountain!