Gimme Mine
Text: Joshua 14:6-15
Title: You are just getting started
Introduction: I saw a commercial the other day for Secure Horizon Heath plan. This was health plan exclusively for senior citizens. The commercial’s slogan was, “at 65 you are just getting started”. I just came by to tell some senior saints that because of your faithfulness to God over the years, it is time to redeem the promises He has given to you. So don’t let your age stop you. Just like this commercial, “at 65 you are just getting started. Therefore, you can demand your promises. And it is ok because you have been serving faithfully knowing God honors faithfulness!
We enter our story today as Joshua, Moses’ successor is now dividing the land that the Lord has promised the children of Israel according to tribe. Here in verse 6, it time for the children of Judah to get what the Lord has allotted to them. The Lord revealed something to me in this text. Judah means praise. Praisers can be confident that they will have promise! However, here in our text, an old man approaches the leader of Israel with a special request for his piece of the pie. He just wanted what the Lord has specially promised him 40 years ago. Caleb, who along with Joshua was a faithful spy who caught a glimpse of what the Lord had promised the children of Israel. Caleb was not going to let what he was promised be overlooked. He had to reminder his leader and colleague that he was not to be forgotten. My beloved, from this text, we are reminder of the principle of prayer. When we see blessing are being giving out we sometimes have to remind God in prayer what he has promise. If you don’t think that you have a blessing promised to you, all you have to do is read the Word. God spoke through Moses to tell Caleb all that he was promised. Today, we have the Word of God that records down thru the prophets and Jesus our promises from God. So when you see blessing going out, you have to remind God from His Word to let yours fall your way. God, you got give me mine!
But often times, we have to make sure that we are credible before we ask for anything. Parents you know what I am taking about. Your children ask for a $150 pair of sneakers but you know that they don’t deserve it because their behavior does not warrant the gift. However, Caleb in our story runs a litany of things that tells why he is deserving of his inheritance from God. Here in verse 7, Caleb tells Joshua he was 40 years old when he was sent out to spy out the land of milk and honey. This tells us that Caleb was a servant who took a risk to do God’s business. My senior saints know it has been risky serving the Lord in all your years. It has been risky because you have suffered years of trials doing the Lords work. It has been risky because of the sacrifice you have made when others wouldn’t. Caleb risks his life as spy to serve the Lord but it was worth it from what He saw. The text said that he brought back word in his heart. This means he gave and accurate report with conviction of the good of the land he saw. Others brought back a negative report that the land the Lord promise was to difficult for them to possess the land. This report discouraged the people. But Caleb said it was worth it. To my seniors, even though serving him has been risky, it has been worth it because you have seen the fruits of your labor. You have seen miracle happen. You have had prayers answers. You have seen people blessed. It is all because you served the Lord and saw what He promised! And you know for yourself it worth the risk of serving the Lord.
Next, the text tells us that not only we can expect the promises of God because we served but that we have been faithful doing it. The text says that Caleb wholly followed the Lord and would be rewarded for it. The operative word in text is “wholly” which means with your whole heart. You served the Lord with your total being! This also tells me something. Because this adjective is here, it tells me that you can possibly serve the Lord without giving it your all. To wholeheartedly serving the Lord means that you are joyful when you want to be mad. It means selfless service without being recognized because you know it is not about you. It is about the Lord. In verse 9, the scripture tells us because Caleb wholeheartedly served the Lord, that every where you have trodden shall be not only his inheritance but his children’s as well My beloved, your faithfulness to the Lord triggers generational blessings. That is why your children are so blessed and don’t even know why that got so much favor from God. They don’t even go to church yet. It is because you have been faithful.
vv. 10-11
Another reason why you in your golden age can have the gall to demand your promise is the fact the Lord has kept you all of this years. Caleb in verse 10 says “behold” look at me. Look how good I look at my age! The Lord kept me alive for 45 yrs since He made me that promise. I know some saints can testify about how the Lord has kept them thru hardship and pain. Caleb in the text has seen some things over the years. And you have too! Caleb saw the children of Israel suffer thru the wilderness and is alive to tell about it. My beloved, over the years you have seen some things and had some experiences. Others who have been there with you did not make it alive to tell about it. But thanks be to God, the Lord kept you! You survived while others did not make it. If you look back over your life, you can’t help but praise God because He kept you thru dangers seen and unseen. You can also testify like Caleb in verse 12 that you are strong as you were back then because not only did the Lord kept me, He preserved me! You senior saints from the south know about preserves. You get a jar and put some fruit and sugar and seal it tight so no air could get in. This is similar on how the Lord preserves you thru the years. But he did not seal you in a jar. You are sealed in the Holy Ghost. And you are just as anointed, just as strong because the Lord has kept you and preserved you. So now you can say, “gimme mine”.
Caleb is ready for his inheritance. Verse 12 reminds us that we make a request to God that we have to be specific. Look at the text. Caleb says “give me this mountain that the Lord spake…”You got to know exactly what you want! Also, this text shows that Caleb understood the kingdom principle of dominion. In Genesis, God gives Adam dominion. Adam had privileges and rule in the earth. God also gives us privileges and rule over what He blesses us with on earth. As we see in the text, Caleb’s dominion does not come easy. It may take some battles. In the text, Caleb knew for himself that there were some giants to fight and some walls to break down. But He also knew that if God was for him who could be against him! And with the help of the Lord, he would be able to drive out the enemies and possess his inheritance. My Beloved, you still have some blessing coming your way. But you may have to fight in your old age. You will be able to drive the enemies out because the Lord is strength and He will fight your battles. So give me this mountain! You could testify that you might old but you are strong in Lord So, give me mine!
Caleb got his inheritance! Look at verse 13-14. The text says Joshua blessed him with Hebron because he “wholly followed the Lord God of Israel”. Hebron was the very place He spied out! This tells me there are some blessings in the very place I have been serving. Hebron means join together, or fellowship. The Lord blessed Caleb with fellowship. That means in your later days when you feel that you are all alone God has promise you fellowship with no one other than himself. He promises to never leave you or forsake you! As a senior saint, your inheritance is that you get spiritually closer to Jesus than every before! It is through your years and tears that you got to know him and all the promises that He has for you!
Lastly, the scripture tells us that Caleb inheritance, the land of Hebron has rest from war. Not only is God going to give you good fellowship with him but He is also going to give you rest for all wars you fought over the years. He is going give you rest from strife. He is going to give rest from you crazy family. He going allow you to kick you feet up and relax because of what He has promise you. I can here Jesus says to the senior saints come up to me and will give you rest! The Lord has kept you alive to give you rest from your weary journey.
Celebration: Caleb claimed his inheritance because he fit the criteria to be blessed. Caleb knew the promise of God. Caleb served the Lord obediently for years. For the bible tells us that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And Caleb was preserved by God thru the wilderness. He met the criteria to be blessed! To my seniors you have met the criteria. I am here to tell you because you have served the all these years, God has an inheritance for you.
As a senior saint everywhere you go from the store to the movies there is something called a senior citizen discount. You get free access into some places. You don’t have pay want other people have to pay. It is all because of your long life and experiences are now being honored. People will show you acts of kindness in your golden years. My beloved, God has a senior citizen discount straight from heaven just for you! It is called His favor! You got it coming to you! God has some promises just for you. Today is the day you can declare, “gimme mine!” Give me my blessing! Give me my peace. Give me my healing because God promised! Do not let your age stop you!
