Recently, I have been preaching a series titled "Old Testament Heroes" at my church.

Now keep this in mind. I am aware that there is only one true hero in the Bible, and that is the Lord God himself. He is the subject of the Scriptures, and he is the only one deserving of our praise and worship.

At the same time, the Lord has used men and women throughout history to do wonderful and marvelous things in our world. We can learn from many of these folks whose stories are in the Bible.

I have chosen to speak on two men who stand in contrast to each other, and yet who made a great impact on their world. Josiah was only 8 years old when he was elevated to the kingship. Clearly, he was surrounded by many counselors and helpers to assist him in the work. But we are told that he served for more than 30 years, and that great reforms were made in Judah during his reign.

Josiah reminds us that one is never too young to serve the Lord.

Caleb, on the other hand, was 85 at the time he asked for his apportionment of the Promised Land. He claimed to be as strong and as vigorous as he had been at age 40. He was committed to serve the Lord "with his whole heart," and again he made a difference in his world.

Caleb reminds us that one is never too old to serve the Lord.

I find people who claim to be too young or too old to serve. Some young people constantly defer to their elders. They do not believe they have the wisdom or experience to do the work of the Lord. But that is not the case.

Paul told Timothy not to allow anyone to "despise your youth."

I became a pastor at the ripe old age of 23. Was I intimidated? Sure. But that just led me to depend more fully on the Lord for his help.

Then there are those who say it is time for them to rest and allow the younger folks to have their turn. But the Bible never speaks of retirement. Moses was 80 when he started leading the Hebrew children.

The bottom line is simple. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been called to serve him. You are neither too young nor too old. You are prepared and gifted for the place he has for you.

That leaves only one question. Will you serve him?