If you recall the story from Numbers Chapter 13, you’ll remember Caleb’s faithfulness when Moses sent out 12 men to spy on the land of Canaan. Because of that faithfulness, the land was promised to him, and so, rather than simply allotting a piece of land to Caleb, Joshua gave him a choice when it came to splitting that land 45 years later.
And what did Caleb choose? To dwell in the land of the giants.
“I am still as strong today as I was 45 years ago,” he said, “and I’m just as ready to go out to battle now as I was then. Give me the land that the Lord promised me that day, and let me go after the giants. With the Lord on my side, I will drive them out just as he said!” (paraphrased from Joshua 14:10-12)
How often are we willing to say, “Give me this trial?” How many of us are willing to courageously take on a giant like David who “ran” to meet Goliath.
The Bible tells us to take joy in the trials we face. In fact, James invites us to look at these trials from a different perspective. To see them as an opportunity to grow in steadfastness and strength.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3, NIV)
Some Christians look at scripture as a candy bowl in which they pick and choose their favorite colors to satiate their appetite. They’re ready and willing to do the light lifting when it comes to serving the Lord, but shirk back when the going gets tough. It’s the child-like faith that takes God at His Word and stands by each promise He’s made. It’s the child-like faith that believes God will deliver us from our enemies.
Notice Caleb’s words in Joshua 14:12, “I will drive them out, just as He said.”
Caleb’s courage wasn’t based on a loose perception of God, or his own ability to fight, it was based on God’s promise, “just as He said.”
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Tilling the Soil
Read Numbers 13:26-33, Numbers 14:5-9, and Joshua 14:6-15.
Planting Hope
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3, NIV)
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About the Author
DARLENE SCHACHT is an award-winning and NYT best-selling author. She is the founder of Time-Warp Wife Ministries, an online publication that encourages women to live Christ-centered lives.
Her passion for scripture and hunger for truth is the driving force behind a unique ministry that offers Bible studies and daily marriage prayers. Darlene is joined by her husband Michael on the daily podcast “5-Minute Marriage.”
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