That's my dawg
I remember back in the day me and my friends would call each other dawg. and to us, this was a good thing. a term of endearment if you will. you wanted people in your life that would call you dawg. it meant you were cool. it meant people saw you as loyal and reliable and down for the cause.
And it was always something pretty awesome when one of the really cool guys, you know, those guys that everyone wanted to be like, would right there in the middle of a big crowd, shout out, “Hey Dawg, what’s happening?”
I like to spend time in “Free Flow Contemplation” trying to connect with God and my soul. Just letting my thoughts run free while focusing them on God. “Free Flow Contemplation”, at least that’s what I call it, you’d probably call it daydreaming, but that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve got my morning routine which includes doing my studies and devotions and having some prayer. Then I just kind of sit there for a bit and ponder the things of God. For example, I think contemplating the Cross and exactly what Jesus did for each one of us is absolutely one of the best things we can spend time doing.
So when I get to thinking, I like to think about eternity... heaven... everlasting life with Jesus. What is it going to be like? What is He going to look like? What am I going to look like? Am I going to need sunscreen? How about sunglasses? I hear there’s gonna be a lot of light there. And, how is Jesus possibly going to have any time for the rest of you when He’s going to be so caught up and concerned with me?
I’m really looking forward to walking down those streets of gold in heaven, checking out the scenery, and hearing Jesus as He points to me and says, “Hey, that’s my dawg!”
Now, I don’t know if Jesus is going to be saying, “Hey, that’s my dawg,” or if He’s going to be all consumed by my presence. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that when I get to heaven it’s going to be me giving all the praise to Jesus rather than the other way around. But, thinking thoughts like those I just shared helps me to want to live in such a way that pleases Him. And, if I’m going to daydream, I’m going to daydream about Him and the things He promises. I surely haven’t found anything better to be daydreaming about.
The Apostle Paul often teaches us to think of the things of Heaven... to fixate our minds on the things above.
So all of this thinking about what it’s going to be like in the presence of Jesus brings forth a couple of pretty big questions in my mind. I think they are questions that if answered well and applied well might just be able to keep us on the right path right here and now. And so I submit these two questions to you for your consideration: One, how is it that you want to be seen by God, by Jesus? And two, How do you see God? Do you see Him as He says He is, able and willing to fulfill His promises to you and lead you into the Promised Land? I think it’s really easy to neglect who God says He is and to forget that there is an incredible promise waiting at the end of this life that makes all of our effort to be obedient and do the right things worth it.
Now, I’m not saying that if we do all the right things He’s going to see us or love us any differently than He already does. The way I read Scripture tells me that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing we can do to make God love us less. He just loves us. It’s kind of His thing.
All that being said, the simple fact of the matter is that I’ve got to live with myself. Every day I’ve got to face the questions that come along with me being how I am. Am I doing well? Is God pleased with me? Does Jesus want to hang out with me? Does He think of me as His dawg? Does He see me as loyal and reliable and down for the cause? Because I want Jesus to see me as His dawg!!! Think about that.
So as I was saying... I’ve got my little morning routine with God, and while it involves a lot of contemplation about eternal things, it also involves reading my Bible – probably another pretty important thing for all of us to be doing. In my scripture studies lately I’ve been really fascinated by names and their meanings and how you can really get to know someone’s character by knowing the meaning of their name. For instance, Jesus means “He will save”. Makes sense, right?
So anyway, I’m in Scripture, going through the book of Joshua, and I come to our verses. And if you want to follow along in your own Bible I’m in Joshua chapter 15 verses 13 and 14. (read Joshua 15:13-14 NLT)
Now, I’ve got to point out a couple of key things here. First, this Anak guy and his sons are literal giants. Like really really big people. They inhabited the land of Canaan, which is the land that God swore to give to Israel. They’re the ones that the people of Israel were scared of rather than being strong and courageous because they knew God was on their side. Second, who is this Caleb guy that God had so much faith in and said, “Yeah, you’re the one to drive out these giants?” I’ve got to know more about Caleb. How am I going to find out more about Caleb?!? Naturally, I look up the meaning of the name Caleb, and wouldn’t you know... HIS NAME MEANS DOG! And I’m like, “THAT”S IT! THIS GUY IS GOD’S DAWG!” God sees Caleb as loyal and reliable and down for the cause! But why? What is Caleb’s story? What has he done to prove himself as loyal and reliable?
I’m glad you asked! We’ve got to dig a little deeper into Caleb’s background. (read Joshua 14:6-14)
So what’s happening here is that the Hebrew nation has finally made it to the place God has been trying to lead them for 40 years. It was a trip that should have taken only 10 days or so. But, as we know, the people had a hard time following simple instructions. Instead of 10 days, it took 40 years and a lot of lessons that had to be repeated again and again. Either way, they’re there, and it’s taken another five years of fighting their way towards being able to settle in the land.
So the Promised Land is now being divided up amongst the tribes of Israel, and Caleb is talking to Joshua. A key thing to understand here is that out of the original six hundred thousand(ish) men, plus all the women and children, so we’re talking well over a million people that God and Moses originally freed from slavery in Egypt... these guys are the only two that made it all the way to live in the land flowing with milk and honey.
And since Joshua is in charge of divvying up the land, Caleb is reminding him of a little mission that they went on for God 45 years earlier and how Caleb handled his role in that mission like a champ and that because he’s God’s dawg he demands to have the land promised to him… he’s basically saying, “Ok God, I showed up, I was faithful, I’ve followed you wholeheartedly, and I’m ready for everything you promised me!”
WHO IS THIS GUY, this DAWG? How is he so confident that he is able to DEMAND that God fulfill His promises? I WANT TO BE LIKE THIS GUY!!! WHAT’S HIS SECRET? We’ve got to dig a little bit deeper into Caleb’s background... because if we keep digging we will always find what we are looking for. In this case, we go back 45 years to when the people have been freed from slavery in Egypt and they are on the verge of experiencing everything God has promised them.
By the way, what’s your Egypt? Where did God rescue you from, and where is God trying to lead you?
So there they are, right there on the edge of the Promised Land. Turn in your Bibles a little bit to the left, to the Book of Numbers chapter 13. If we look closely we might just get some insight into Caleb receiving the promises of God. If we look close enough, we might just come away with something, or maybe even five things, to apply in our own lives so that we too can experience the promises of God.
So Numbers chapter 13 starts off like this... (read Numbers 13:1-4)
And if you skip down to verse 6, it says that Caleb was the leader selected from the Tribe of Judah.
So this is implicative of the fact that Caleb was already excelling right where he was at. You see, we always seem to want what we don’t have and we want to be doing something bigger and better rather than simply excelling right where we are. Jesus says that if we are faithful with what we have more will be added. We have to start by excelling right where we are. There are so many people that want to be doing something great, yet they fail to excel right where they are. So here’s the first point of application for us: be an individual right where you are who makes a difference every day by accomplishing the tasks in front of you with excellence.
Keep reading in verse 17… (read Numbers 13:17-20)
So this was their mission. This is what Moses, the guy God put in charge, the guy who got his instructions from God, told them to do. And remember, these are important instructions that are going to help them enter into the Promised Land. Everyone involved in this mission should be listening to understand so that they can understand what’s at stake.
Keep reading in verse 21… (read Numbers 13:21-24)
So Caleb went in to explore the region as he was instructed. He did what he was told to do. This is the second point of application for us: DO WHAT YOU ARE ASKED TO DO! You know what’s wrong with society today? Most people have lost the ability to do what they are told to do. Look around and you’ll see a lot of lost people trying to do it their own way and getting the same negative results and consequences that they’ve always gotten. If we want to be successful in this life... and I’m not talking worldly success, I’m talking the kind of success that really matters... we have got to learn to follow simple instructions.
I think one of the reasons we have such a hard time following simple instructions is that we want to be in charge. We all want control, and we’re willing to do things that are not the right things to hold on to that sense of control. All of this is because we’re scared. We’re fearful. We make believe like we’re the masters of our own ships, and as we are about to see, we even go as far as questioning God and His vision. When we do so we are not only messing with our own lives, but we tend to have a destructive effect on the lives of those around us.
Picking the story back up at verse 25 (read Numbers 13:25-14:4)
You know what really impresses me about Caleb? It’s that he was not afraid to stand up for what was right in the eyes of God. This is application point number three for us: have the courage to stand up for what is right in the eyes of God. How often do we shy away from doing or not doing what Jesus would have us do or not do just because we want to fit in? How often do we go along with the crowd because it’s the easier thing to do?
I’ll ask the questions again… How do you want to be seen by God, and how do you see God?
It seems to me that long before they had even gone in to explore the land, Caleb was convinced that God’s way was the only way. It seems he was convinced that if God led them to it He was surely going to get them through it.
Remember when we read that Caleb followed God wholeheartedly? Well this was no small task, because instead of going directly into the land they had just explored, as God had intended, Caleb had to walk in circles through a desert for the next 40 years as everyone he knew grumbled and complained and made his life more difficult.
Do you think YOU would be questioning God by this point? But not Caleb... the story says that Caleb followed God wholeheartedly! And this is our next point of application: no matter what happens, no matter the obstacles, no matter the unknowns, no matter what other people think or say or do... FOLLOW GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
It’s because Caleb knew that he had followed God with everything he had that he believed God could and would deliver on His promises. Caleb knew the reality of God’s promises due to the fact that he followed God through thick and thin.
And here’s the fifth and final thing I want you to take away from the life of the dawg: believe that God can and will deliver on what He promises you. Faith is more than just believing in God. Faith is believing in God and all of His promises.
