With God, I Like My Odds

"I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me [into the land]; as my strength was then, so my strength is now." --Joshua 14:11 In the book of Numbers 13:30, the Bible says, "We are well able to conquer it." As a quick reference, of the twelve spies to survey the promised land, the Bible says that only two came back positive that they'd be victorious with God's help. Two dream chasers. Two true believers. When everyone else was negative, these two were wide-eyed and hopeful. We can take it, they said. I'm talking of course about Joshua and Caleb.

Now take a look at today's top verse. That's Caleb talking. See, when he and Joshua first surveyed the promised land, Caleb was a 40-year old, modern day Billy the Kid, only with Godly morals and a conscience. Funny, not sure if you ever saw the movie Young Guns, but when Billy the Kid (played by Emilio Estevez) was completely surrounded and in a seemingly impossible scenario, he was the only optimist. The rest of his clan of regulators had all but given up and surrendered, but not Billy. Oh no sir. In fact, as they realized just how badly they were outnumbered, what did Billy say? "I like these odds." That's Caleb. Courageous, optimistic, full of hope.

What about you during DREAM WEEK? Imagine yourself in the old West, crawling up to the ledge of a canyon to overlook your dreams. Shhh, you're quiet so you don't call any attention, but down in the ravine is your heart's desire. College maybe. A different job. Weight loss. Recovery. Married life. The bank loan. Being alone. What goes through your mind? It's too late, too soon, too much, too little, too...???

Friends, if God is behind the dream -- like He was in Caleb's -- it's never "too" anything. Caleb along with Joshua were the only two faith-bearing spies to believe that with God anything was possible. And because of that, God inspired the dream that one day the promised land would be theirs. A dream and a promise Caleb never forgot. I get the chills just telling you this, but when Caleb spoke today's verse, he was 85 years old. That's right. Caleb had to wait a generation of 40 years before he could realize God's dream in his life. But he stayed faithful, fruitful, young, able and eager. Not even a lifetime of heartbreak were enough to remove his resolve for the dream God placed in his heart. All he knew was that when the time was right, he'd be ready. Even at 85 years of age - with God - Caleb liked his odds.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: Don't you just love dreaming? Me too. But now more than ever, I'm in love with the Dream Giver. God is bigger than anything I can imagine, and He wants more for my life than I could ever want. That's why I fight tooth and nail for whatever that is. I'll admit, I've been dreaming a lot lately. Studying, praying, asking, over and over. And if it takes a generation for me to realize it, I want to take Caleb's example. I like my odds. What about you? What is God inspiring you to do? And like Caleb, what work do you have to do while you wait for God's timing? Could be spiritual, financial, social or even physical. Who's with me? Who likes their odds?

(photo credit: pxleyes.com)