Joshua 14:8 “…but I wholly followed the LORD my God.”
Fully Following
Earlier this spring, a man named Jeff Smith was removing a stump with his tractor when it unexpectedly flipped, pinning him to the ground. The closest help to him was his teenage daughters, but they were obviously overmatched by the 3,000-pound tractor. Well, they did what could do and amazingly lifted the tractor off of their dad just enough so that he could wiggle himself free.
Isn’t that incredible? A teenage girl and her sister moved a tractor and saved their dad’s life! In the Bible, we read about Caleb, a man who was not a teenager—he was an old man! His story is just as amazing.
In Joshua 14, we read of Caleb’s effort. Just like Jeff Smith’s daughters, Caleb gave 100% of what he had. Caleb said, “I wholly followed the LORD my God.” There is a difference between following and “wholly following.” You can seek the kingdom of God, but it is a different matter to “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 6:33)
We not only read about Caleb’s effort, we read about his time. There is a big difference between giving 100% effort one day and giving 100% effort your entire life. Caleb gave 100% effort 100% of the time. He ended his life well.
God continues to give you life for a reason. That means you should continue to live your life for Him. Do you live with purpose? Are you completely following the Lord?