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Day 63, or March the Fourth. Retire or not? That is the question.

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Our thoughts today are from Joshua chapter 14, verses 11 and 12.

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I'm still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out. I'm just as vigorous to go out

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to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that

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day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there, and their cities were large and

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fortified. But the Lord helping me, I will drive them out.

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First the big picture surrounding these verses. There is much detail about land boundaries

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given in the book of Joshua. These are exciting days for the children of Israel, and God wanted

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there to be no doubts that each tribe was given their due allocation, which confirmed

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God's fairness and sense of equality.

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Now our action step for today. Caleb, who was eighty-five years old when the land was

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being divided amongst the tribes, had a privileged place as one of the two faithful spies who

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survived the wilderness wanderings, and were then able to enter the promised land. He was

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offered a portion of land, and Joshua, his fellow spy, allowed him to choose. As an old

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man, Caleb acted like a youngster. He didn't want an easy path, but preferred a challenge.

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None of this retirement stuff for Caleb. None of this easing down due to old age. What an

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example to all of us! Of course, we are not all physically able to respond like him, but

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the principle of keeping going for God is clear. A question many are asking today is,

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how old will I be before I am able to retire? If Caleb were here, he would interject and

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demand a testing job that, with God's help, he would be able to do to the glory of God.

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Retirement is not a biblical concept. Some may point to Numbers chapter 8 verse 25, which

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states, and they must retire at the age of 50. But read on into the next verse, which

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tells us, after retirement, they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards

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at the tabernacle. So biblically, a change of job is allowed, but an inactive retirement

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doesn't seem to be an option.