Caleb - Believer

Topic:               Believe

Scripture:          Joshua 14:13-14

Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance… because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel.

Devotion:

As we reach the end of this series on Caleb, we move to the “B”s.  Brave, Bold, Believer, looked Beyond, model Behavior, and Barely known come to mind.  I’ve been thinking of Caleb, the Believer.

C – Conflicting

A – Available

L – Layman

E – Example

B – Believe

How easy is it to believe?  The engineer in me wants to have proof.  I like facts, figures, pictures or anything that helps demonstrate the truth.  In my job, it’s necessary and appropriate, but in my spiritual life, that doesn’t always work.  In James 11:1, faith is described as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” 

If ever anyone from the Old Testament embodied this, it would be Caleb.  He believed Moses could bring the Israelite people out of Egypt.  He believed they could survive in the desert.  He believed they could conquer the giants in the Promised Land.  He was about 40 when they left Egypt so no telling how long he had believed he would be released.  He wandered through the desert for a couple of years eating mostly manna believing he would reach the Promised Land.  He believed that his people could defeat the giants, because God had already said the land was theirs.  For Forty years he believed that God would give him land, and the power to take it, and God rewarded his faith.

What are the things God has promised us that we should believe in?  Do I always believe in them?  Am I willing to wait a couple of years for His answer? Am I able to wait 40 years without giving up? 

Caleb - Example

Topic:               Example

Scripture:          Joshua 14: 6-9

Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’

Devotion:

As we reach “E” I came up with Enduring, Eternal perspective, Exciting, Exactly the same, Excuse free, and Extremist - but I chose Example. 

C – Conflicting

A – Available

L – Layman

E – Example

B –

What do you want written on your tomb stone?  The internet is full of funny epitaphs.

·         Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake.  Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.

·         I told you I was sick.

·         He never killed a man that didn’t need killing.

·         Here lies an atheist, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

·         The children of Israel wanted bread, and the good Lord sent them manna, Old man Wallace wanted a wife, And the devil sent him Anna.

In many cases today, it seems that names and dates alone are most common.  This led to the phrase, “It’s all about the dash” meaning the life lived between birth and death are all you really have, and the memory others have of your life is all you really leave behind.  I thought of that as I read Caleb’s conversation with Joshua.  In particular:

I brought him back a report according to my convictions… I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.

If that’s not an example to aspire to, I don’t know what is.  Whether we realize it or not, whether we want it or not, we are examples to the people around us.  The only thing we can influence is what kind of example we are. 

Today, I’m asking myself, do I follow God wholeheartedly, and does that fill me with the convictions He would have me exhibit?  And what kind of an example am I?  Will I be able to honestly write that I “followed my Lord wholeheartedly and lived according to my convictions” on my grave stone?

Caleb - Layman

Topic:               Layman

Scripture:          Jeremiah 13: 6, Joshua 14:13

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since.

Devotion

The “L” characteristics/traits I came up with for our hero of the week include Layman, Leader, Leaning (on God), Limited, Looking beyond, and Loyal and there are bound to be more. 

I chose “Layman” to think about today. 

C –  Conflicting

A –  Available

L –  Layman

E –

B –

When I was in high school, I thought about being a full time youth minister.  I talked to my favorite uncle about it, and his advice has served me well to this day.  He said, if I was really called to full time ministry, I would never be happy or successful in any other vocation.  But he also said I was pretty young to determine that, and he suggested I go to college and get a degree that I could use to support myself and my family, and God would show me how He wanted to use my life.  I started in engineering, and never really looked back.  As I have grown and have been honored to know several full time ministers in a close and personal way, I have also been given the opportunity to serve my God in many ways.  One day, I realized what Uncle Hubert was saying to me – God needs laymen (and women) too.  In church pews.  In volunteer organizations.  At the office.  In neighborhoods. 

Did you notice that Caleb was from the tribe of Judah?  (And he was given the choicest parcel of land after the 40 years in the wilderness.)  It got me to thinking – he was not a priest or formal church leader.  The children of Levi (the Levites) were the spiritual leaders, and they were not even given land.  The other tribes were to support them.  Today, the “church” typically provides a minister a salary, but there are so many other ways a minister needs support.  Moses needed someone to investigate the promised land and stand up for what God revealed to him.  What does God and our church staff need from the laity today?  Our pastor may need someone to pray for him.  He may need someone to buy him a cup of coffee and ask how he’s doing.  He may need someone to do a task. 

Are we prepared and ready to be the lay leaders God calls us to be?  Do we serve our God, our church, and our community and our ministers as wholeheartedly as Caleb did? If we do, He will reward us.

Caleb - Available

Topic:               Available

Scripture:          Numbers 13: 1-3, 30

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites; from each of their ancestral tribes you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.’ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them leading men among the Israelites. These were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; ⁵from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; …

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’

Devotion

Onward through our acrostic odyssey, we get to “A”.  Here, I present options to you:

Able, Accepting, Action oriented, Alert, Alive, Amazing, Attentive, good Attitude, Available, Awake, Aware, and un-Afraid.  Twelve this time, and there are bound to be more. 

I chose “Available” to think about today. 

C –  Conflicting

A –  Available

L –

E –

B –

According to Biblegateway.com and using the NIV, I looked up the name “Caleb” to see what I could learn about him from his life before our lesson.  Guess where the first reference is?  Verse 3 in our text, after a lead in that says he was a leader.  Not much detail, and I’m sure today there would have been thousands of lost Israelites Googling him to find out every email and text message he ever sent to see if he was acceptable to lead them, but not then.  He was known as a leader, and he was available to serve his God and his community when he was called on.  This wasn’t a great assignment either – he was first separated from his family for 40 days and then, along with Joshua, stood against a large majority and eventually ended up walking around in the sand for years.  But he was available to serve and in the center of God’s will.

Are we available?  Or are things like work, hobbies, community service, church work, little league coaching, and exercising getting in the way of doing something God wants done?  Notice two things:  First, not everyone is called to lead, but we are all called to do what God wants us to.  Those can be things like DAILY quiet time and bible study, or serving your spouse.  Also notice, that none of the things I listed as getting in the way are necessarily bad things.  We need jobs, families, communities and churches, but we also need to listen and be available.  God has blessing in store that we miss if we don’t. 

What other “A” characteristics are showing up in your life when others see you?

Caleb - Conflict

Topic:               Conflict!

Scripture:          Numbers 13:30 through 14:3 (Message version)

Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, "Let's go up and take the land—now. We can do it." But the others said, "We can't attack those people; they're way stronger than we are." They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, "We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it's a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them, we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers." The whole community was in an uproar, wailing all night long. All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: "Why didn't we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don't we just head back to Egypt? And right now!"

Devotion:

I usually prefer the simple to the complex.  In our five thoughts on Caleb, I realized that we can simply use his name as an acrostic for traits/characteristics Caleb demonstrated.  My challenge was, once I started thinking about this and talking to some of my breakfast group, to keep my focus to a single characteristic for each letter. 

For “C” alone, and with out too much effort, I came up with nearly a dozen “C” traits:

Called, Challenged, good Choices, Chosen, Competent, Complete, Conflicting, Consistent, Content, Courageous, and not a Coward.  I’m sure you can come up with even more. 

I chose “Conflicting” to think about today. 

C –  Conflicting

A –

L –

E –

B –

So many times, we think our Christian Life (or family life, of school life, or work life, or…) is supposed to be a tranquil existence.  Some churches and ministers profess “happy Jesus all the time” as a friend of mine calls it.  Give to get to give, and let’s all just smile and love each other and we’ll all be healthy, wealthy and happy. 

Here’s where I confess, in my life, it just isn’t so.  With being married, a teenaged daughter at home, experience serving on committees and in leadership in the church, and a job, I have seen conflict.

Tracy and I have shared over twenty years, and blessed in this marriage with her enduring love and support, many times I have been willing and able to stand up for things that truly mattered.  For things I believed were best for my family.  For the right decision on issues that impact people at work and the funds my employers entrust to me.  For the stand God would have me take at church and in all the other situations too.  Sadly though, I have not always stood my ground.  I have not always made the right decision, or taken the right stand.  When I have been wrong or just failed to act, I have seen those around me pay a price, but I can’t say I have experienced anything like Caleb did.  He did what was right – he trusted God, spoke up for his faith when almost no one wanted to hear it.  He took what became a very unpopular position, and ended up taking laps in the desert with his friends watching his peers die for forty years anyway. 

Are we willing to take an unpopular position and risk publically conflicting with the majority for things we know are true and right?  Today, let “C” characteristics be on your mind, and either take one of those above, or one of your own, and think about how Caleb demonstrated this trait.  Pray and ask God to help you demonstrate that trait too – for His Glory. 

Experience

John 4: 39-42

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

My 15-year-old daughter now has her learner’s permit.  She has been riding with me since the trip home from the hospital when she was about 26 hours old.  She’s seen me and others drive many miles, in two countries and who knows how many states under all kinds of weather and traffic conditions day and night at varying levels of legality (I have been guilty of speeding at times, and probably tailgating once or twice).  I have talked way more than she has listened on the proper ways to drive and all the things that go with that (rolling stops vs. REAL stops, look in the blind spots before changing lanes, you have to look in your mirrors, you don’t need to change the radio right now, etc.). 

She is doing a great job as a novice driver, and I’m proud of her, but the more time I spend as her designated rider, the more I see her learn things for herself.  It’s OK for the wheel to return to straight by itself.  Brakes can be pushed lightly, coasting to slow down works and so on.  I have realized that no matter how much I tell her or show her, she has to learn some things herself. 

In our scripture today, the woman told her friends, but they had to hear for themselves.  They had to have the personal experience, and all the words and examples of others pales in comparison.  Same for Haley.  She is going to be a great driver.  She already knows what muscle cars are.

I close with our last “Don’t” from John 4:  Don’t just trust others when you can experience God your self.  Are you trying daily to add to your experiences with God?

Sharing

John 4:28-30

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

I have a best friend who was with me during some very difficult times in my life.  Dennis was the youth director who first gave me a chance to work with youth, to lead others, and to write and teach.  He’s only a couple of years older than I am and I was one of the first calls on January 14^th 1984 when his first daughter was born.  I watched the last M*A*S*H episode at his house.  His two year old daughter used to ride to lunch with me after church on Sundays (making some of the youth sit in the back!)  In 1988, he moved from Houston to the Dallas area and our time together was reduced.  Our friendship was not.  I discovered recently that his position is being eliminated and he will be seeking a new job for what is probably the first time since he was in college.  I went through something similar about five years ago and spent six months looking for a job and asking God why He was allowing this.  I came out with a great job, a solid respect for God’s hand on my family and me, and the knowledge that I don’t have to understand everything God does or allows to happen.  How is this related to our scripture?  Our “daily don’t” today is “Don’t be afraid to share what you have experienced.”  The woman in our story told her friends about Jesus.  I  plan to ask God to use me when I call Dennis and share my experiences. 

God allows us to experience things to help the body of believers, and our role is to share.   It can be evangelism like in our verses or to meet a difference need we see.  Do you have an opportunity to share your experiences and help another? 

Spin

John 4:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

Definition #11 on dictionary.com for the word “spin” is:  Spin - Slang . to cause to have a particular bias; influence in a certain direction: His assignment was to spin the reporters after the president's speech. 

I think of spin when politicians on all sides try to use the same information to make opposing points.  I think of the press and PR firms trying to explain why the superstar athlete role model was arrested for everything from DUI to weapons and assault charges and more.  I thought this was something our generation had developed, but our scripture today shows it has existed since Jesus’ day. 

The woman at the well was honest with Jesus.  He asked a question and she answered it.  Partly.  She tried to spin her sinful situation into the most neutral to positive light possible without being untruthful.  And Jesus saw right through her.  He knew her.  He loved her.  He wanted her to open up and be completely honest with Him and with herself. 

I know I spin things; especially the things about me that I don’t like so much.  I talk about my parents, but not about Dad’s alcoholism.  I talk about changing jobs, but not about being asked to leave.  I talk about the challenges my son faces, but I don’t tell the whole story.

Spin’s not always bad – there are things that should be private to protect others and things that are long forgiven.  Not everyone can be trusted with what could be painful memories.  But sometimes spin is bad.  We can’t spin God.  Even if we think we can hide things or leave things out when we talk to Him, He knows.  Jesus sees right through me.  He knows me.  He loves me.  He wants me to open up and be completely honest with Him and with myself.

That leaves us with our “Don’t” for the day:  Don’t try and spin God!

Nao Entende (I don’t understand)

John 4:

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

When we lived in Brazil, one of the first phrases I learned was “Nao entende”.  It means “I don’t understand”.  I used it a lot. 

I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things that I don’t understand.  I don’t understand some small things (Why is there not always Bluebell^® Ice Cream in my freezer?  Why does the other line always move faster?).  I don’t understand some technical things (How does the Wii know where the controller is and what it’s doing?  How does it know that I don’t like to lose?)  I don’t understand some silly things (How can two cats eat so little and need so much litter?  Why do rabbits lick your head?)  I don’t understand some spiritual things (How can Jesus love me enough to die for me?  Why does there have to be such an evil nature in humans?)  And most recently some philosophical things?  (Why do people have to learn so many things the hard way?  Why do bad things happen?  What’s the future going to bring now?)

I’ve come to realize that just because I don’t understand doesn’t mean that things are not happening exactly like God wants them to.  In our scripture today, there are three examples of people being puzzled at what Jesus was doing, and that’s our “Don’t” for today:  Don’t expect to understand all that God is doing with you and around you.

Help!

I was Baptist nine months before I was born, and grew up with a lot of don’ts.  Most of them were negative things as I look back and didn’t do anything to guide me to a closer relationship with my Savior.  This week, I want to share with you some don’ts from John that feel new, and positive.  The first one is “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

John 4:1-7

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

When I prepare to write devotions, I always pray and trust God to give me something I can share with you. 

“You need to see an Oncologist/Hematologist as soon as possible.”

He has never failed to give me a message and the words that bring the scripture to mean something personal to me.

“Don’t miss this appointment; change what you have to, but don’t miss it.”

Sometimes, the lessons have come easily.

“We want to do some more tests, but I believe it’s a form of leukemia.”

And sometimes God has used a 2 by 4 to get my attention.  

“The tests have confirmed it…”

In the scripture above, Jesus set an example I need to follow more often.  He was thirsty and asked someone to meet His need.  A simple yet perfect example!  As Tracy and I have ridden the recent whirlwind, at times we felt overwhelmed – at times numb.  Yet we had a need.  We needed to feel in some tangible way, that things were going to be ok.  With the intent of trying to comfort Tracy, I sent one email.  An email that went to friends and loved ones (all of who are now family). Afterwards, I looked at the list and realized that over 100 people in 13 states and 2 countries were praying for Tracy and our family.  We received emails, phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts, flowers, visits, fruit, and hugs.  It was overwhelming to realize the power of prayer and to feel God’s presence around us.  It was more than OK to ask for help, and God provided an abundant response to our need. 

What need do you have today that you need to ask for help with?  Don’t be afraid to ask.