Judges 1:28 "And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out."
Almost is probably the biggest word in the Bible, if you think about it. Is there a difference between winning and almost winning? There is a huge difference! In the book of Judges, almost is the difference between the blessings of complete obedience to God and the turmoil of not utterly driving out the Canaanites. In the matter of salvation, almost is the difference between Heaven and Hell. King Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28) The word almost carries a lot of weight, but it holds no weight in God's court!
Are you winning, or are you almost winning? Are you obeying, or are you almost obeying? The children of Israel chose compromising instead of conquering. Although this compromise was more lucrative, almost obeying was simply delayed defeat. Ultimately, Israel was defeated by women, not warriors; by religion, not heathenism. In other words, Israel set themselves up for a prolonged defeat. They were investing in something that would ultimately conquer them!
In stark contrast to almost obeying, we find that Caleb "expelled thence the three sons of Anak." (verse 20) The sons of Anak were not wimpy weaklings-they were giants! (And Caleb wasn't exactly a spring chicken, either!) Caleb's complete obedience was not because he had more ability than the other Israelites; the difference was that he "wholly followed the LORD." (Joshua 14:8) There is a profound difference between almost following God and wholly following God!
The key to completely obeying versus almost obeying lies in the decision you face today to obey or to compromise. In what area of your life are you most likely to almost obey? That is the area that you are almost going to win! May we be the "wholly" kind of Christians, not the "almost" kind of Christians!
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