Who doesn’t love that pink, mechanical toy rabbit, donning those cool sunglasses and flip flops, beating on that huge bass drum that bears his logo? The Energizer Bunny, marketing icon and mascot of the Energizer Company in the United States and Canada, first appeared on the scene in 1988 and is still a constant reminder that with the right batteries, you can keep going, and going, and going. But truth be told, as we age, our energy level wanes and the spring in our step mellows, as we watch the aging process degrade our joints, affect our bone density, and sap our overall body strength. How can we accomplish anything for Christ saddled with a body that is in a constant energy downturn? How do we stay consistent in our service to Him?
If I could choose a Bible character most in character with the Energizer Bunny, it would be Caleb, “the son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite.” This guy NEVER lost his zeal! When we first meet this incredible man, his is one of twelve men chosen to “search the land of Canaan,” representing the tribe of Judah, for he was a “ruler among them.” He and his 11 cohorts were assigned the task of spying out the Promised Land and reporting back to Moses. They were to “see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many.” After completing their task, only Joshua and Caleb displayed the courage and faith necessary to enter and conquer the land. Israel rebelled against God, and as punishment were directed back into the wilderness, until all those “from twenty years and upward” were dead and gone, “save Caleb…and Joshua.”
So Caleb, through no fault of his own, is consigned to endure the wilderness wanderings once again. Imagine what it would have been like for Caleb to slowly become one of the few senior citizens in a group of people at least twenty years his younger…as they wandered, complained, and murmured for forty more years. As he resigned himself to be a godly example to those young ones around him, what would sustain him, keep him going? One thing: his consistent devotion and submission to his God, he would resolve in his heart that he would “wholly follow the LORD,” regardless of where he was in his walk with God. He would keep going, and going, and going…
“Forty and five years” later, Caleb was “as strong” as he was the “day that Moses sent” him on that reconnaissance mission, same zeal, same courage, same faith…at eighty-five years old. And he wasn’t ready to retire from the battle, as he pleaded with Joshua to “Give me this mountain…I shall be able to drive them (the deadly Anakims) out, as the LORD said.” I want that inheritance for my children, and their children, and I am ready to fight for it. I am up for the battle, allow me to attain what God has promised.
What a consistent man of God! He was employed by God in his youth, patiently followed God during his midlife years, and was an energized senior saint when his days on earth came to a close. He ran his race and finished well; he never waned. May I have the same consistency of zeal in my walk for Christ, for it is the key to a life of service and testimony. C is for Caleb; C is for Consistency!
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Lord, help me to be consistent in my autumn years. Help me to be a light for those who follow, a testimony of the power and grace of my God. Although I am tired at times, help me to finish strong!