Marsha's Musings: Following the Lord Wholly (Deuteronomy 1:36)

except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ (Deuteronomy 1:36 ESV)

What does it mean to follow the Lored wholly as Caleb did?  I can think of a few things.

1. It means trusting in God in spite of overwhelming odds.  There were giants in the land!

2. It means being willing to take the heat and stand up for something that is different than what the crowd wants to do.  The others said it was too hard and they would be defeated.  But Caleb said the opposite.

3. It means looking at the possibilities instead of the difficulties!  It was a land flowing with milk and honey.  They brought back a giant bunch of grapes that took two men to carry on a stick between them. So optimism instead of pessimism is in order. 

4. I'm sure this was true of Caleb:  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30 ESV)