4 Things God Wants You to Know About the Rest of Your Life
Joshua 14:7-12
Introduction
At first glance, this story doesn’t seem too remarkable. But when you know the story behind the story, it is incredible.
It actually begins 45 years earlier when Moses was still alive and leading the people … 12 Spies… Descendants of ANAK the Anakim... The people wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Fast forward… Caleb is now 85… He remembers the Promise of God… He is not ready to quit…
Let me share 4 Things About the Rest of Your Life.
I. God Has Big Plans for Your Life
CALEB believed this truth… God had promised the land…
I think if you interviewed people on the streets or even in our churches and asked if they really believe that God has a plan for their life, that we would be surprised at the answers. "I just work in an office pushing papers all day." "I just work at the packing plant."....
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope."
Caleb knew that God had a plan for his life.
Do something for me and for yourself right now. Say in your heart, “God has big plans for my life.”
II. God is Not Going to Tell You What the Plans Are… (all at once)
How many of us have been tempted to pray this prayer, “God show me the rest of my life”…
To realize God’s plan for our lives we must walk by faith and walk in faithfulness. Several times in this passage Caleb says of himself and others say of him that he wholly followed the Lord his God… We have to walk by faith and walk in faithfulness.
Let me illustrate. We're here at church on Sunday night and all the lights go out. All we have is a flashlight. We turn the flashlight on but the light stops several feet in front of us. But if we will walk where the light ends, we find that a miracle has happened. There is more light.
That’s the way it is with God. We find His specific will by following His general will for our lives.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
GOD HAS BIG PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE… HE’S NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE ALL AT ONCE… WE HAVE TO WALK BY FAITH AND WALK IN FAITHFULNESS…
III. God Has Been Preparing You All Your Life for What He Wants You To Do Now
Caleb was the perfect one to lead the people into the Promised Land… I think his courage gave the young men the courage they needed…
All of the experiences of your life have molded you to be prepared for God’s plan. Some of you have faced great challenges and been through significant valleys.
When I was 15 my mother died. Some of you have faced that. Many of our children at the Children’s Home have faced that same challenge. When I became a pastor within a span of 2 months, our Chairman of Deacon’s wife died at the age of 40 and my Secretary's husband died at 41. Both had teenaged children. I was able to minister to them in very significant ways because I had been there.
I thought of David. He was the shepherd boy who became a hero who then became the king. God was preparing him all along the way.
Reflect on your own life and remember times when God has already shown you this truth. He sent someone to you at the right time and the right place and they were ready and they blessed your life.
God wants to do that every day through you…….
IV. If You Will Follow God's Plan, He Will Bless and Use You To Change the World
Caleb is now at the same place he was 45 years earlier. Caleb knows that it is not going to be easy but he is certain that with God’s help that they will prevail and enter the Land of Promise.
Let me tell you what I didn’t read for you. When they divided up the battles, Caleb chose the Anakim (Giants)…
I think you know the end of the story. The Giants are defeated and the people enter the land. God’s plan may not be easy but it is always too early to quit…
Galatians 6:9 – “Do not grow weary in well doing for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint (quit).”
Painting of Jesus – “I never said it would be easy. I just said that it would be worth it.”…
GOD HAS BIG PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE, HE'S NOT GOING TO SHOW YOU THE PLANS ALL AT ONE TIME, HE'S BEEN PREPARING YOU ALL YOUR LIFE FOR WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO DO TODAY, IF YOU FOLLOW GOD'S PLAN HE WILL BLESS YOU AND USE YOU TO CHANGE THE WORLD
CONCLUSION
How are you going to be remembered? What will your life’s legacy be when you are gone?
Matthew West – One of the most popular Christian artist today. 5 years ago, relatively unknown… Surgery on his vocal chords. He could not speak a word for 3 months.
The song that came out of his experience is THE MOTIONS…. I don't wanna go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day, without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?"
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? You can’t answer that question tomorrow. You have to answer it today. Why? Tomorrow may not come. You may not be interested in serving Him tomorrow. God may want to use you today to change someone’s life forever.
God has a plan. What do you need to do to be ready? DO IT. DO IT NOW……And we will watch as God uses you to change the world for Christ.
