To Be Continued....

To Be Continued....

6 Signs That You’re Getting Old

1. Your back goes out more often than you do.

2. You’re proud of your lawn mower.

3. Your arms are almost too short to read the newspaper.

4. You sing along with the elevator music.

5. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

6. People call at 9:00 p.m. and ask, "Did I wake you?"

I’m not over the hill but, at 44, I’m probably starting the back nine. I don’t think of myself as old and I try to stay in halfway decent shape. I played softball this year and I walk a mile most days. So when Cody wants to wrestle I figure, no problem. And we wrestle.

The problem is next morning when I wake up and I’m 144, or at least I feel like it. I have aches and pains in parts of my body that I didn’t know I had. And I realize that I’m not in as good shape as I told myself and my body is telling me this in no uncertain terms.

The story of Caleb begins forty-five years earlier when he was 40 and one of the 12 original spies sent to spy out the Promised Land and it’s inhabitants. After 40 days the 12 returned and told of the land of milk and honey. But 10 of them also warned that the people living there were giants and that they could never defeat them. And Israel believed the 10. The problem was, the 10 faithless spies measured the giants against their own strength. The 2 faithful spies measured the giants against God’s strength.

This is why the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years. God would not allow this unbelieving generation to enter in, so He waited for them to die in the desert. Only 2 of that generation lived to enter the Promised Land. The 2 faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb!

So let’s consider the life that Caleb had. For 40 years he had been stuck wandering the desert with the unbelievers. They complained, but he didn’t. They wanted to go back to Egypt, not Caleb. They worshipped idols, but he would have none of that.

Caleb had been dreaming for 45 years now of the land that God had promised him. Here he is, 85 years old, and he steps up and says, “I want what God promised me 45 years ago. Give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke that day.”

Now, from what I can see, none of you that have reached or passed retirement age have let that slow you down. Those of you in your 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s still lead active, fulfilling lives. I mean, by the age of 85 many people are preoccupied with dying. But most of you remind me of Caleb. You’re not done yet. You’ve still got things to do, places to go.

Now, we could understand if Caleb wanted to rest a little bit, if he wanted to just watch the youngsters take over and fight the battles. You know, move to Florida, play a little euchre, have some iced tea in the shade, and talk about the “good old days”. He could have said the Joshua, “Okay, Josh, I’m 85, I’ve done my share. Now get those young guns in there to clear out the bad guys and give me the land the Lord promised me.”

But that’s NOT what Caleb said. (Read vss. 11-12) Caleb doesn’t want to retire. No way! He’s still full of zip and vinegar. He’s ready to take on the enemy himself. He has the strength. He has the desire. So what does Caleb do? He picks the biggest, baddest dudes there. He doesn’t want to take on just anybody, he wants the number 1 contender.

He says, “give me this hill country… with the Anakites and their large, fortified cities. The Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the Lord said.” Caleb said, “I’m 85, but take your best shot, cause with the Lord on my side, I can whup anybody you got.”

What do we learn from this story? Caleb was 85 and took on the biggest enemy in the Promised Land. But our society tends to put old people out to pasture. Society feels that “old people” have outlived their usefulness. Let’s put them in a “home” and get them out of the way of progress. People past retirement age are often considered to be of little value.

But I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t matter how old you are – 60, 70, 80, 90 – as long as you’re alive God has work for you to do. And your age is no deterrent to God.