by Chuck Swindoll
Joshua 14:12
One of my all-time favorite Bible characters is Caleb. Check out his brief biography in Joshua 14:6–14. Talk about a guy who stayed fit! By the time we meet him in this section of the Scriptures, he’d reached the age of 85. Matter of fact, it may have been on his 85th birthday that Joshua recorded Caleb’s testimony, because we read, “I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me” (Joshua 14:10–11). He was referring to the time when Moses sent the spies into the land of Canaan to check things out before the Hebrews invaded the Promised Land to claim it as their own. When that first occurred, Caleb was 40 years old. So, no less than 45 years had passed since all that happened, and Caleb was declaring how healthy he still was.
The last thing Caleb wanted to do was find a rocking chair and kick back. That’s the kind of can-do attitude and determination that keeps us healthy for 85 years . . . and beyond!
What makes his story so exciting is that the man—at 85 years old—was still at it. He was ready for a brand-new challenge. And what was that? Please take the time to read Caleb’s brief biography for yourself in Joshua 14:6–14. When you do, you will find that he was asking permission to take on the “hill country.” In other words, he was ready to scale the mountainous region. And guess what was up there? Not only fortified cities but also the oversized people known in that day as the Anakim. Huge people. Today, we would call them giants! Amazing!
Here was this 85-year-old man in such great shape, and he asked for the opportunity to climb more mountains and take on the giants who lived up there. And in case you wonder about his attitude, listen to it: “I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken” (Joshua 14:12).
Don’t you admire that kind of spirit? Of course you do—we all do! I’m convinced Caleb thought like that because he kept himself fit, physically. He stayed active. He refused to listen to the majority, who probably urged him, “Relax, man, hang it up.” No way! As the old fellow out in the country used to say, “He stayed ready to keep from gettin’ ready!”
That man remains a wonderful example for all of us. Especially we who are approaching the age when it’s a lot easier to give in to our laziness and quietly retire to the back porch and watch life pass by. Don’t go there! Instead, become a member of the Caleb Wannabe Club!
That means you remain strong in your discipline to exercise regularly, positive in your daily mental attitude, and deeply committed to a consistent walk with the Lord. Speaking of that, I should have mentioned earlier that no less than three times in Caleb’s biography we read the same statement, He followed the Lord “fully.” Remember that.
Are you ready to join the Caleb Wannabe Club? I’m there. C’mon—get in line!