Give Me This Mountain

Fall Series: “Expecting An Encounter” Installment Eight, All Saints Sunday

Joshua 14:6-15 {Caleb demonstrates that we get what we aim for so aim high}

What is the single quality considered by many to be that which determines success? Aside from all
other personality traits if you have this quality your chances of success are much higher. Aside from
all other personality traits if you lack this quality your chances of success are much lower. There are
many things you may have in your favor such as high intelligence and natural ability, but if you lack
this quality, those other strengths can't make up for it. You may have deficiency with natural ability
and raw intelligence, but if you have this quality, research shows it's the single most determining factor
for success. What is this single quality? It's a small five letter word, D-R-I-V-E.
Some of you will remember a couple summer ago we did a series that took the slogans from well
known commercials. There is one I saw recently that I'd now add to my all time favorite list. It's the
slogan from Gillette, “Your best never comes easy.” The slogan is presented after showing the life of
famous athlete Shaquem Griffin. He was born with only one hand. In high school, he was told the lack
of that hand would prevent him from playing well. He ended up a high school star. In college, he was
told the lack of the hand would prevent him from playing well. He ended up a college star. As he
prepared for the draft combine, he was told the lack of that hand would prevent him from playing well.
Halfway into the NFL season, he is proving to be a NFL star.

There are many abilities we might possess but if we lack drive it will undercut whatever natural
ability we possess. There are some abilities we may lack altogether but if we possess drive it will
magnify whatever we do have. Today is All Saints Sunday. It is the time of year when we honor what
it means to live as a saint. If there was a quality we could hold up under a light for consideration then
it's this underestimated and underappreciated quality of “Drive.” These days it's apparent we live
during a time where many are looking to receive something for nothing. There is an entitlement
mentality that runs deep and it's carried over into the spiritual life. Although grace is an extravagant
gift, we are not to presume upon grace and live as if we are deserving of God's blessings. Scripture
goes out of its way to show such a mentality misses the point.
Take a stroll through our local “Books A Million” and count how many self help books have the

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word “fast” or “quick” in the title. We want a book that tells us how to lose weight, “fast.” We want
advice that tells us how to get rich, “quick.” No author can't expect to sell many books that promote
physical fitness as this idea, “Your best doesn't come easy.” Last year we presented Dave Ramsey's
Financial Peace. Although I had heard of his teachings I'd never seen his popular study series. When
we viewed it I was surprised he could attract an audience. From the introduction, he says that Financial
Peace doesn't come from get rich quick schemes. There is no formula. There is no magic bullet. His
approach is to encourage people to accept the discipline and sacrifice it takes to live responsibility.
Financial peace then happens as a by-product of striving.
The point Ramsey made in this series was that nothing worth achieving in life is accomplished
quick or easy. What is enjoyed as a reward is derived as a fruit of what one is willing to invest. Joshua
14 captures how the quality of drive cooperates with grace and enjoys the fruits of God's blessings. In
this passage, God's people have finally made it from Egypt and they are standing on the outskirts of the
promised land. Now is the moment they will settle these territories and plant roots. As chapter 14 tells
the story, we are introduced to a character who's claim to fame occurred 45 years before. Consider
when the Hebrews left Egypt, historians believe a million people were part of the exodus. They were
close to occupying the land 45 years before. Just as they were prepared to enter, Moses sent 12 spies to
scout out the land and come back with a report.
Ten of the spies came back and reported the people were mighty. They were well armed and
appeared highly skilled for military conflict. These people were much more fierce than the Hebrews.
Perhaps they had best make the trip back to Egypt and inquire whether it was possible to get their old
jobs back. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, were young men at the time. They saw all the same
qualities that the 10 spies reported. All of that was undeniable. However, the 10 were forgetting the
most important variable of all. God had promised to give His people victory. At that point, God said
none of the unfaithful would inherit the land of promise. In order to inherit a prepared place one must
establish a prepared character. The best doesn't come easy. There's honor in excellence. Out of that
original million who left Egypt only Joshua and Caleb entered.
Notice what is going on with the distribution. Joshua isn't passing out deeds and then one by one
the land is occupied. This is a decision on who is willing to fight for what is occupied. Caleb
announces, “Give me this mountain.” Caleb doesn't proclaim this because it's a lovely view and will
serve as prime real estate. The mountain is the most challenging geographical location to conquer.
Forty five years ago Caleb was a young man and ready to take this very same mountain. It was to serve

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as a witness to God. When the flag is planted at the top of the mountain, it would serve as a model to
everyone, your best doesn't come easy. There is honor in excellence. When the flag is planted, it is
witness that God inspires us, empowers us, does great things through us.
Wait a minute, Caleb is now 85 years old. Has his memory failed him? Does he not realize his
limits? Caleb is well aware of his age and his limits. He announces, as long as I have breath I'm living
life to the full or die trying. I didn't come all this way to think about what could have been. How
tempting that we evaluate possibilities like those 10 spies. What am I naturally fit to do? What am I
naturally qualified to do? What am I naturally capable to do? At the end of the analysis, if my fitness,
qualification, and capability fall short, then I talk myself out of what would have been and could have
been an adventure with God. This is an opportunity to showcase divine fitness. This is an opportunity
to showcase divine qualification. This is an opportunity to showcase divine capability. Had Caleb
done this at 40 years old, it's still a miracle, but to do this at 85 years old, people notice. God enables
us to live beyond our limits.
Rewind 45 years before. People like Joshua and Caleb are often accused of living naive.
Typically, we put people into one of two categories. You are either an idealist or realist. If you're an
idealist, then you are dreamer and you let your imagination run wild. If you are a realist then you bring
the idealist back to earth with a thud. The idealists are known as the optimists. The realists are known
as the pessimists. The realist says to the idealist, you like to think of all the possibilities that might
exist. We're here to tell you about the possibilities that do exist. You like to think of the land of milk
and honey. We're here to tell about the fierce army that presently stands in the way. Caleb and Joshua
weren't fanciful dreamers. They didn't live in a world of wish fulfillment. They saw the size of that
army no differently than the others but they figured in another factor.
If things looked obvious then we'd need no trust. If things looked obvious then dependence on
God isn't required. If things looked obvious then faith in supernatural power isn't called upon. Had
those ten spies forgotten the numerous ways God had provided for them? The problem is that
challenges rarely look the same way twice. God helped us back there with the Red Sea, but all we had
to do was walk through it. This challenge looks different because we're actually having to fight for it.
God desired His people to grow and mature. The best rarely comes easy. The value of the reward is
dependent on what is invested. Joshua and Caleb realized that even though the challenge looked
different, they would apply the trust, faith, and dependence they had learned in the past to this new
situation. Move forward knowing God will lead the way.

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 For Joshua and Caleb there was joy in serving as a witness. They loved the reactions of joyful
disbelief from people who saw and responded, “You did what!” Remember when the spies got it right
the second time? Joshua sent spies into Jerricho. They saw the threatening army. Things got so
unsettled, Rehab the harlot had to hide them when their lives were at risk. All of this would appear that
the enemy held the upper hand. Those spies told Rehab, get things in order because our God is getting
ready to conquer the people you just hid us from. Basically all we have for weapons are these trumpets
but it's enough to get the job done. What a thrill to live this bold. Rehab was convinced. She was
risking everything to join them. It's not that these spies were less realistic than the 10 who had entered
the territory years before. They weren't naive and they weren't blind optimists. They saw what was at
stake but they trusted in God.
There's a temptation to believe if God's hand is involved then it should involve something
for nothing. Joshua and Caleb had learned years before that you get what you aim for so aim high.
Give me this mountain was Caleb's way of leaving behind a legacy. It was a witness to future
generations that I was dedicated to the higher things of God. I was willing to lay my investment for the
rewards God provided. All through the Bible we're commended to not short sell grace. Don't
undervalue grace. God's pleasure is in a people who demonstrates an investment. They show by their
drive that they understand the worth. They show by their drive that they honor what excellence
deserves. This is not salvation by works. This is a display of investment.
Caleb shows that grace doesn't empower us to assume the position of spectators. Grace empowers
to assume the position of contributors. When we take inventory of our lives and find ourselves lacking,
then we are in the right position to become vessels of a greater glory. It would have been impressive
for a 40 year old to announce, “Give me this mountain.” It's even more incredible when it comes from
an 85 year old. He wants everyone young and old to see the hand of God operating. This isn't possible
unless grace sustains it. With every ounce of ability I have I desire to make life an exhibition of
supernatural inspiration. People that will stand back will not conclude, “My how strong Caleb is!”
They will conclude, “That had to be divine giftedness.” Give me the grace to have out of the ordinary
ambitions, a grace to do what no one thinks naturally possible.
Our culture today is not so different from Joshua and Caleb's. They too lived during a time when
the temptation was to gravitate toward the path of least resistance. I'll take what comes easy. I'll take
what comes with the little or no effort. I'll take what asks only the minimum. There's simply no
substitute for good old fashioned spiritual ruggedness. I didn't come all this way from Egypt to sit in

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the audience. As long as I have breath, give me the grace to accept what I can do that isn't possible
without divine inspiration. Give me the grace to live beyond my limits. Give me the grace to not make
decisions by human standards. Give me the grace to think beyond what 9 out of 10 specialists say.
Help me not to gravitate toward the lowest common denominator. Much of our problem isn't out and
out sin, but it's the tendency to look for spiritual minimums.
Has there ever been a moment you gave yourself to something wholeheartedly? You were the first
one to practice and the last one to leave? Sometimes natural skill isn't everything. A legendary coach
was interviewed and asked how he had such a good record drafting players. For many it's like
throwing darts. They come to the combine and prospects perform some skills. They run the 40 yard
dash. The do the high jump. They do the bench press. All those variables might be off the charts but
they don't tell the complete story. We call it today, “The X factor.” It's the variable that doesn't reduce
to a decimal point. It's bigger than the decimal point. It's passion. It's heart. It's hunger. It's
willfulness. It's tenacity. It's resilience. It's grit. It's what it means to live “All-In.”
That coach said when he went to sign players that was the quality he wanted to see more than any
other. In the heat of action it's the one behavior that can rise above. All the other variables will wilt in
the heat. Give me this mountain is a witness that says, God, use me as you will. This is not my
comfort zone. If I listen to instinct I'll gravitate toward comfort and ease. Who expects the 85 year old
man to volunteer for any conquest of land much less the toughest territory to conquer? In the end,
what will give higher glory to God? Caleb chose what would exceed his capabilities. If God doesn't
empower, it won't get done. At the same time, though grace is the inspiration, Caleb doesn't exempt
himself from the sacrifice. Help me push myself to the extreme. Excellence is worthy. Give me this
mountain is Caleb's gift of praise. With every step, with every act, with every strain, with every push
forward, it's given as an act of praise.
One of the most inspiring lines in all the Bible comes at the conclusion of the chapter. “And then
the land had rest from war.” They are bigger than us. They are meaner than us. They have more
weapons than us. We are out sized, out manned, out gunned, but not out done. We have one thing in
our favor that they don't have. We have a God whose name we carry with honor. We have one thing
in our favor that they don't have. We are witness that shows you get what you aim for so aim high. It's
a mentality like this that led to the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams. There's much that's easy to
wish for. Everyone has wishes for a desirable outcome. They have preferences for a desirable
outcome. They have dreams for a desirable outcome. Caleb was willing to invest in a desirable

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outcome. He was willing to give of himself through grace to show there is honor in excellence. We
want to show by our actions we value grace highly.
In an age when so many are looking for something for nothing, it's refreshing to encounter
someone like Caleb who offers a different kind of witness. He shows that the prize we desire is worth
the price. We invest ourselves accordingly. We give it the highest priority. We give it our highest
passion. We give it our highest perseverance. This is the mentality that finds what is sought for. The
promise is not that you will find me when you seek me apathetically. You will find me when you seek
me with all your heart. You hold nothing back. You leave nothing all the table. You settle for nothing
less. The best never comes easy and it's our acceptance of that which shows our lives are ignited by
supernatural influence. It's our drive toward it that displays an inner fire.
Helen Keller was another person who lacked more natural ability than she possessed. In the end
she could proclaim, “Life is either daring adventure or it's nothing.” The problem that besets
Christianity today isn't so much an attitude of out and out sin. It's the problem of minimizing. I'll do
something for God as long as it's not inconvenient. I'll do something for God as long as it doesn't make
me uncomfortable. I'll do something for God as long as it won't require breaking a sweat. I'll do
something for God that involves as much as possible as reward and requires as little as possible in
return. Give me this mountain is another way of saying help me to have a maximizing mindset. So
much of thinking in Christian circles is a minimizing mindset. Help us to secure the best benefits by
putting in the least investment. With such a mentality, excellence is reduced. Not only is excellence
reduced but value of reward is removed.
Just as in Joshua's day, we wonder, “How can we know God is working in our lives?” That's
the defining question. On All Saints Sunday, Joshua 14 gives us the answer. We can know God is at
work in our lives when we are moving into a maximizing mindset. When our prayers start to turn
toward, “Give me this mountain” type actions. When we are ready to redefine our priorities for what
matters. When by our behavior people around start to notice us striving so that God might increase and
we might decrease. To those who are watching it will appear unusual and out of step with what is
normal. They might even wonder, “How are you able to make such sacrifices for God?” We can know
God is at work when we're more focused on the joy before us.