Caleb, one of two faithful Hebrew spies, urged conquest of Canaan despite the difficulty. In Joshua 14:10-112, he pressed his claim to the hill country in Judah, despite the challenge of evicting the Canaanites. And despite being 85 years old. He obviously had as his life-theme what the Psalmist later wrote in 92:14, “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”
We may not be willing or able at 85 or 90 to wage warfare to conquer land. But if we’re in reasonably good health, we should retain an interest in serving Jesus in some capacity. Remember: God has nothing for us to do ONLY if we think we’re finished. Otherwise, if we’re willing, he can still use us. Consider two stories that illustrate. Bob Shaw accompanied as listener on an evangelistic call where his partner did the talking. As the partner talked to the prospect, Bob noted the family’s Great Dane dog eyeing him. Watching him approach, Bob didn’t know what to expect. He DIDN’T expect what happened next. The dog put a paw on Bob’s leg; then the other paw on his other leg. While Bob instinctively leaned back in his chair, the Great Dane began to inch his way into Bob’s lap. And before he knew it, the Great Dane had become Bob’s lap dog. A tornado tore into a Mississippi town on Sunday. One of the members and his wife stopped at a cafe before going to church. The twister hit soon after. The owner herded all patrons into the restaurant cooler just in time. The man, a big guy, stood at the door holding it closed—while the tornado rammed head-on into the cooler, trying to rip it open and snatch the people out and away. The man later said he could hear his wife behind him praying fervently to Jesus. And while he was agreeing with everything she said, he could think only of holding that door closed! Here’s the lesson. When we serve Jesus, we may find ourselves holding the dog while someone else does the evangelizing. Or we may find ourselves standing behind and praying for the one standing ahead holding the door. Both the dog sitter and the prayer-warrior are essential to the success of the obviously necessary person. If all we do is hold the dog, do it for Jesus and he will bless it. If all we do is pray for the worker, he will bless it. Remember...we’re all Christ’s servants, and nobody’s master. Remember...it doesn’t matter who gets credit. Remember, all that matters is that Christ gets the GLORY. And that way, all of us SHARE as equal partners in what he possesses. And no one will ever feel slighted! Amen.
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