Wholly Follow

In Joshua 14 verses 8, , 9, and 14 we read about Caleb. Caleb and Joshua were the only two of the twelve spies who voted to go take possession of the land. Fact is, they were the only two of the whole nation. I have always said the majority can vote not to do the will of God. Caleb and Joshua courageously opted to go into the promised land. God rewarded them both by allowing them to be the only ones from their generation to get to enter.

Caleb and Joshua suffered the same punishment as the rest of the nation. 40 years of wandering aimlessly in the desert until the rest died.

In the above three mentioned verses there is a phrase repeated three times to describe Joshua. He "wholly followed." That means he consecrated himself to fully and diligently pursue and run after God and what Yahweh was doing. What a great epitaph the Bible paints of Caleb. Forever preserved in Scripture that Caleb wholly followed God.

If God were writing your epitaph could He say you wholly followed Him? That does not mean that Caleb was perfect. He sinned just like the rest of us. God saw something different in Caleb than the others in his generation.

Caleb remained on the relentless pursuit to run after God by faith and obedience. He consecrated his life to that task. He did not take the path of least resistance. The context of those scriptures was that he wanted the hill country for his possession. Anyone well versed in military strategy knows the high ground is advantageous. That meant Caleb and his band would have to fight from downhill and work their way to the top to dispossess the land, at age 85 mind you. Dangerous. Risky. Faith fighting.

I know many who at age 85 no longer follow. They feel they have earned the right to take the easy path. I love that Caleb wholly followed and did not use his age as an excuse for not trusting God for a risky assignment. That inspires me to wholly follow God all the remaining days of my life.

I want to awake daily in the full out sprint of chasing God and His call. It is the most worthwhile pursuit. The quest of a lifetime. The adventure to surpass all other adventures to wholly follow God and Jesus.

We used to sing, "Wherever He Leads I'll Go." I love that song. It sums up the life of Caleb. It is what we should all strive for. Sadly, so many hold back. For security. For selfishness. For fear. For lesser things that can never satisfy. Several times Jesus said, "Follow Me." I don't believe that message has changed. He is looking for people willing to adjust their lives devoted to going hard after Him and His purposes. Though none go with us, like Caleb's generation, may we still follow. No turning back!No turning back!