Billy Graham preached in person to more people in the 20th century than any other evangelist. He proclaimed the good news to an estimated 100 million during his crusades, with nearly 3 million coming to faith in Jesus. In an interview with NBC in June 2005, he was asked how he would want to be remembered. The then 86-year-old Graham said, “I hope they’ll say that he was faithful.”

Caleb was also an octogenarian who desired to serve God faithfully. In Joshua 14, he recalled how 45 years earlier, as a spy for Israel, he had given an “honest report” for Israel to take the land of Canaan (v.7). But due to the unbelief of the nation at that time, they didn’t follow his advice and everyone 20 years and older died in the desert—except Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 32:11-12). Now, as an old man, Caleb acknowledged that God had kept him alive all those years in the desert so that he could enjoy God’s promised home in Canaan (Numbers 14:24).

God is faithful. So was Caleb. Three times Scripture declares that Caleb “wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:8,9,14). In other passages, Caleb is consistently described as one who had followed God completely (Numbers 14:24, 32:12; Deut.1:36).

None of us knows how long we’ll live. Some of us might make it to 85 years, or older. But the issue is not the length but the depth of our faithfulness to God.

Will you, when you are advanced in years, be able to say, “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God”? (Joshua 14:8). The following words from God are telling: “Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to Me” (Numbers 14:24). Let’s pursue that kind of faithful life (Matthew 25:21).