Winston Churchill went a step further in saying: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” So true...so why do we stop after a success or failure?
Let's learn from an Octogenarian...
Let's start by reading Joshua 14: 6-13 (emphasis, mine)
A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.’ “Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.” So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. (NLT)
To put it in perspective, 45 years ealier Moses sent 12 men to spy out the land of Jericho. The question wasn't whether or not the land will belong to them it was when will the land belong to them. As we know 10 of the spies did not even believe it was ever possible. They said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large;” (Numbers 13: 27b-28 -NKJV)
Joshua & Caleb didn't agree...Caleb said: “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13: 30 -NKJV)
Then it was 10 vs. 2 - the 10 responded: “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Let me pause here and ask: "If the land devours its inhabitiants how come there were still people living there?" A classic example of how we put stumbling blocks in our Prospecting path. Ok back to the topic.
They had successfully gotten into the Promised Land and even shared the inheritance - now everyone could rest or even retire. Not Caleb at 85 - obviously he was hale and hearty (we talked about that last month). He kept "prospecting" - reaching out for more...no, for all that God had promised him. That's exactly how we should live our lives - irrespective of your age...prospecting, reaching out for more and all that the Lord has promised us. Have climbing faith - get over, around, through or under the mountains in your way. Wishing you prosperous prospecting - be like Caleb, start by finding out what God has said about you in His Word if you don't already know then follow God wholeheartedly. God bless.
P.S. Long piece huh! With due respect, what did you expect when I started by saying that we should learn from an Octogenarian? It really means: "get ready to listen...or read."
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