March 17 – Never too late!

“Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago.” (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV)

If you’re going to follow God’s calling on your life, you’ve got to believe it’s never, never too late.

Joshua sent 12 spies into the Promised Land, when they returned they reported that the land was too hard a place for God’s people to settle. Because of their unbelief, they were destined to wander around in the desert for another 40 years, and, as a result, an entire generation died because they did not believe in God’s promises. But Caleb and Joshua believed, and lived.

When the Israelites returned to the Promised Land 40 years later, Caleb was 85 years old and living his second chance. He said, “Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago” (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV).

“Give me the mountain country.” I love that! The land Caleb wanted was full of giants and cities fortified with great walls. He was saying to God, “Give me the biggest assignment. Give me the hardest city. Give me the place with the biggest giants. Give me the mountain regions. I don’t want some easy place. I know I’m 85 years old, but I’ve still got it in me to do great things for you.”

People today are living longer. Take a look at the card section of any supermarket, and you'll see an entire section that offers birthday cards for the 80^th, 85^th, 90^th, 95^th, and even 100^th birthday! As a child I didn’t see those kinds of cards, it made the headlines if they reached 80!

Some of you think it’s time to hang it up your boots. No way, it’s time to get them down and dust them off! Do you think God’s going to let you live 30 more years just to play golf?

Here’s a word that’s not in the Bible: retirement. You may stop working, but you keep serving the Lord. You have more wisdom and experience now, and God's not going to waste that.

At the age of 85, Caleb began the greatest mission of his life. He wasn't prepared to sit comfortably and watch the world go by. Moses was 80 when God called him to set God’s people free. Abraham was 79 when he received God’s call. Despite their ages these men were physically active, but what about poor health? Frail bodies, declining abilities? Ministry has little to do with what we can or can't do. Ministry is about God working through us – Simeon and Anna are proof of this (Luke 2:21-38). Maybe God has that in mind for some of us?

If you are in the Caleb generation, you have to believe that it’s never too late to start on your life calling. The best is yet to come!

Scott Allan Matthews sings “Wherever you Lead” for today's music. Click on the picture to listen.