No Sooner...

“Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town.  No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals…and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of their enemies on every side.” Judges 8:27-35.

What is important to know is that Yahweh had set up the central place of worship in Shiloh which was 35 miles away.  It was to be the seat of His presence and worship for Gideon and all of the Israelites.  But instead of leading the region to Shiloh to worship he set up the ephod in his own town ensuring his leadership and worship would be more convenient.  This set up a people who aligned worship with convenience instead of sacrifice.  So it is no wonder that as soon as their leader died they returned to their old ways and failed to worship God.  Gideon displayed spiritual laziness in his circle of influence and failed to show sacrifice by example.  Although he was positioned to lead he led by his own earthly desires and convenience.

Every one of us has a circle of influence, be it our families, friends, workplace or churches.  How do we lead?  How do we worship?  Do we set up our worship in ways that are convenient or is our worship based on our wholehearted commitment to the Lord?  ‘Good intentions are not enough – not enough to honor God, not enough to sustain your spiritual growth, not enough to keep your spiritual legacy intact for generations to come.’ Gideon, p. 173.  If you died today what would your children say about your faith?  Would your grandchildren be able to reminisce of conversations with you about God?  What would your friends remember most about their time spent with you?

Things of this earth only last for a while but our legacies will last into future generations.  In order to make an impact in this world we must focus on the next world with Jesus.  ‘Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above…Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things…Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature’ Colossians 3:1-5.

How will we be remembered by those in our circles…participating in the earthly comforts or walking mindfully in the things of the Spirit?

Not To Us!

“And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring’…and each man threw a ring … The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels… Gideon made the gold into an ephod… and it became a snare to Gideon and his family” Judges 8:24-27.

 When I was caregiver for my father-in-law I made sure that others were aware of all that I was accomplishing on his behalf.  Even as I type that sentence it makes me sick to my stomach but we are all called to lives of spiritual transparency for the benefit of others.  People constantly praised me for the ‘sacrificial season’ in which I found myself … one ring tossed upon another… this compliment…that praise… gold upon gold that formed a garment of pride and approval.  In our passage this morning it is important to know that seventeen hundred shekels is equivalent to 43 pounds.  Gideon’s ephod was so heavy that he had to drape it over something as opposed to wearing it.  It became a snare as it developed into an object of worship. An ephod was a garment that clothed the high priest for the purpose of hearing from God.  Gideon’s pride separated him from the very thing that would have ensured God’s ear.  Gideon might have refused the kingship earlier, but built thrones to himself regardless. 

When we assume the position of glory that is meant for God alone we are creating ephods to drape around our lives.  We stack the praise and approval of others layer upon layer until we can no longer move around.  The heaviness of maintaining our own thrones becomes a snare in our life and the lives of those we love.  What is meant for God becomes what we take from God.  ‘Gideon verbally rejected the title, but lived in a way that revealed he had assumed the position.  It’s easy to say the Lord is our King, but our actions will tell the real story.’ Gideon, p. 168.

This morning we must examine whether our actions reflect God’s heart or our fleshly desires.  We must analyze whether we are more concerned with our comfort or His glory.  When those around us are tossing rings in our direction we must be sure that our actions match our words.  ‘Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory’ Psalm 115:1.

Instead of clothing ourselves in self-made ephods we must clothe ourselves in Christ. ‘Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.’ Romans 13:14.

Walking on Our Inheritance

“The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance” Joshua 14:9. 

Many times when I read Scripture God turns the prism in a different light for application and instruction.  This morning was no different as I considered the only two options in which we walk – walking in the land of the spirit or walking in the flesh of our heart’s emotions.  We are reminded in Jeremiah 17:9 that ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.’  When we walk out our emotions we walk with a terminal condition … one that snuffs out the spirit.  Our inheritance will be quick to anger … an attitude of entitlement … a judgmental and bitter spirit. 

‘Emotions don’t have intellect.  They don’t think clearly or wisely.  They can’t make the best decisions and steer you in the most appropriate direction.  They only want to be soothed and coddled, appeased and pacified.’ Gideon, p. 159.  Walking in the flesh are baby desires for a baby faith.  As we spiritually mature we are called to grow up and out of our emotions.  We are encouraged to lay our emotional pacifiers down and replace it with the milk of the spirit.  If we were all to caudle and nurse our hurts we would be a spiritual kingdom of faithless babies. ‘Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you tasted that the Lord is good’ 1 Peter 2:1-3.

The goal is to become more Christ like as we walk out our inheritance.  Jesus walked on earth in the power of God and we have that same ability through the power of the Holy Spirit.  He is the counselor and the teacher whom God has sent to cure our sick hearts.  One of the greatest weapons against our emotions is allowing our feet to walk in the land of the spirit.  We have a promise regarding where we plant our feet.

‘Do not be deceived…A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap…Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers’ Gal. 6:7-10. 

And then, on one marvelous and remarkable day we will step up to God’s throne and receive our spiritual inheritance and walk out eternity with Jesus…the good and perfect land.

Our Gold Earrings

“He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool” Exodus 32:4.

Most people know the story of the Israelites and the golden calf.  Moses was up on the mountaintop talking with God while the Israelites were down in the valley impatient and indignant.  They grumbled and complained, allowing their discontent to master over them.  They handed over the power to another and became a participant in building an idol against God.  Aaron could not have crafted an idol without his audience providing him with the offering.  This morning as I consider this old story in a new way, I noticed that the very thing that became an idol was something that God had given them as blessings … gold earrings from their plunder.  ‘And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed … so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.  Every woman is to ask her neighbor … for articles of silver and gold … And so you will plunder the Egyptians’ Exodus 3: 21.  Not only had the children of Israel become mastered by their desires but allowed God’s blessings to master over them. 

Every one of us has been given an amazing plunder of blessings to enrich our lives.  But then the clouds move in and the times get tough and we hand over our gold earrings to Satan.  We throw love into the fire and bitterness is formed.  We hand over our compassion to Satan and he hardens our heart so we are disconnected from the pain of others.  Within our discontentment we elevate our gold earrings to idols by allowing them to master over us.  We hand him our weaknesses when we fail to guard our minds and hearts in Christ.  Just as Aaron was careless with their offerings, Satan is intentional with our offerings.  He knows that when we allow something out of balance in our lives to continue we hand him our gold earrings.  He has the tools and the time to watch our golden calves emerge from the fire.  Satan cannot build images without our cooperation.  He lights the fire and we supply the gold, forming calves of sin that master over us.

May our prayers include that the Lord will take our greatest weakness and supply His greatest weapon against the tools of the devil.  May we be reminded this morning that whatever our biggest temptation is Satan cannot use it against us unless we hand him the control.  By living out of balance through our emotions and/or desires we run the risk of casting an idol and breaking the first commandment. 

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me" Exodus 20:2.

The Outer Loop

“The Israelites said, ‘Rule over us…because you have saved us.’” Judges 8:22

These were haunting words from the children of Israel as they pled for Gideon to step into the position of authority over them.  Repeatedly they have searched for someone to worship in place of God.  They were determined to have a visible and tangible target for their praise.  Ever since the Bible introduced us to God’s chosen people the cycle has been the same.  His children grant Him authority …they get disgruntled or spiritually lazy and their lives get out of control, driving them back into the arms of God.  Once they experience some success they give authority over to another only to continue the damaging cycle.

Sound familiar?  It seems that when we are having a little bit of success it is easy to take our eyes away from the One who gave us that success.  He gives us the tools we need to prevent weaknesses from mastering over us.  We all know our weaknesses…they are no secret to us.  We certainly know what ensnares us, rolling out the red carpet to enslave us.  We appropriate power to certain things that are not spiritually good for us.  We forget that ‘while all things are permissible they are not necessarily beneficial.’ 1 Co. 10:23.  And yet through our actions we invite them to rule over us, and give them credit for enriching our lives or helping us feel better.  We may not be as blatant as the children of Israel but we must be honest with our hearts.  If we know our weaknesses and we choose to participate in them, we invite them to become our idol and take the seat of control over our lives.  How do I know this so well? 

For many years I invited spending to rule over me and gave it the credit for making me feel better about my life.  The cycle was set and it had to be broken for me to be free.  The answer was not in avoiding stores all together but allowing God to change the way I thought about spending.  Many times the success of things not mastering over us is not in isolating ourselves from it but giving God the chance to manage within it.  Our strength comes from Him and so does our self-control when dealing with our weaknesses.    Left to our own abilities we will falter and fall but when we allow God to master within our flaws we are guaranteed success.

The answer is in the availability.  Do we avail and invite God into the most difficult temptation in our lives or do we keep Him on the outer loop kidding ourselves that we can achieve success without Him?  May we all invite God into our temptations and avail Him the power to change us from the inside out. 

Self-Appointed Judge

“‘They were my brothers, the sons of my mother!  As the LORD lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.’  Turning to his only son, he said ‘Kill them!’  But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.” Judges 8:19-20.

Where on earth did our God-focused servant go?  You know and I know…he went to that place where every one of us goes when someone has wounded us or the ones we love.  Gideon doled out his treatment of others based on their actions …conditional grace…a spirit of entitlement…an attitude of retaliation.   Our spiritual hero crumbled into self-appointed judge.  To make matters worse he poured out his bitterness and resentment in front of his young child attempting to pull him into his courtroom as executioner.  ‘Yahweh’s directives are no longer Gideon’s primary concern.  He is now making decisions based on the actions of others.  What the kings had done become the stimulus for what he will choose to do.  Gideon is driven forward not by the voice of God but by his past pain and emotional devastation.’ Gideon, p. 142. There are so many things wrong with this picture, and yet we find ourselves feeling a little uncomfortable at this juncture of our story.

Why?  Because before we even finished the last paragraph most likely someone popped into our mind.  We thought of that person who did not keep their word or the person who intentionally hurt our child.  We thought of the child who rebelled against their parent or the adult who turned their back on our loved ones.  The actions or non-actions of others cannot determine the amount of grace we extend to them.  If that were the case, not one of us would be bound for eternity.  We are the only ones who appoint ourselves as judge over another.  We stack our case against others and build a legal brief that could bring down nations…but instead we are ones that risk being brought down.  God will not allow us to rule our own self-made nations as Daniel 2:20-21 states.  ‘Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.’ 

Jesus made it very clear in Luke 6:37-38 when talking about judging others.  ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’

Lord, forgive our judgmental spirits and release us from our self-appointed roles.  Remind us that Christ had every right to judge the actions of others and yet He chose Your focus.  He did your work and crawled up on that cross and died so that we are eternity bound.  In your precious name, Amen.

No Bread to Give

“Gideon…exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit…said…‘Give my troops some bread; they are worn out’… ‘Why should we give bread to your troops?’ Judges 8:4, 6.

Gideon came upon the city of Succoth and requested food for his weary men.  Although the pursuit wasn’t over the troops were totally depleted of energy, nourishment and stamina.  The battle was far from complete, but they needed to refuel to finish the task at hand.  And, what did their fellow countrymen do?  They refused to feel compassion for the needs of others.  They placed their own needs and agenda ahead of those who were in need.  ‘In withholding assistance [and compassion] they were passively siding with the enemy and disavowing their brotherly responsibility.’ Gideon, p. 138.

We have all been there…feeling entitled to our own agenda and challenges, passively saying ‘No bread to give.’  We see those who need our compassion, but because of our own issues we say, ‘No bread to give.’  We disagree with the way others live their lives so when they reach out to us we say ‘No bread for you.’  When we withhold bread from others we withhold the Bread of life.  Bread was meant to be shared as Christ broke his body for each of us.  It is not up to us to determine who is worthy of the Bread.

On the other side of this coin are times when we are the depleted ones.  Each of us will experience pursuits that leave us completely weary and depleted requiring the bread of others.  We must be careful not to reach out to Succoth…people who are unwilling to share their compassion or time.  We cannot spend mental energy on who hasn’t been there for us, but must reach out to receive from those who have the heart of God.  We are going to experience times when we are tapped out emotionally, mentally or physically.  The ultimate Bread is the sustaining Bread of life in Christ Jesus.  In our lack we experience his excess.  We must keep our eyes on the goal up ahead while we pursue our resolution in any situation.  ‘Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ Phil 3:13-14.

Great advice…forgetting the past that wounded us and reaching towards the spiritual destinies that were meant for us.

Duet in the Desert

“Then the men of Ephraim said to him, ‘What is this thing you have done to us ’” Judges 8:1.  “Then the men of Ephraim…said, ‘Why did you cross over to fight against the sons…without calling us to go with you’” Judges 12:1.

Let’s face it…there are some people you just can’t please!  Such was the case with the tribe of Ephraim.  Centuries before, Jacob gave his grandson Ephraim the birthright over his older brother, Manasseh.  Generation after generation the Ephraimites seemed to gain more prosperity than the tribe of Manasseh. The Ephraimites became a people who were self-centered, feeling superior and entitled to certain things, while looking down on others.  They were used to the good life and were protected from the peripheral battles on the edge of the land since they were situated in the middle.  Instead of being grateful for their position in the territory they griped and complained about the victory Gideon’s army had without them.  Even though the victory blessed them, all they could focus on were their own self-centered circumstances.

Walking along life’s path is difficult to say the least.  We will lose some things and will gain some these…we will experience some joy and we will suffer some pain.  Some seasons will be peppered with peace while others will roar like lions.  One thing for sure…the path to peace will never be through a critical and judgmental spirit.  When we focus on the things we do not have in this life we lose sight of our beautiful blessings, and where God has positioned us.  If we find that we are in a season of lack we can be sure that God has placed us there to show us some things about ourselves and develop deeper dependency on Him.  I know for myself that some of the past times when I have felt the loneliest and most isolated were the times when He whispered liberating revelations into my heart.  God is in the business of removing…revealing… restoring and redeeming.  We must trust that whatever situation we have been called to is the intentional hand of God moving us to higher ground.   

‘Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.  There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Anchor a door of hope.  There she will sing as in the days of her youth…’ Hosea 2:14-15.

Resurrecting Sin

“The men of Israel were summoned from Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian” Judges 7:23.

These were the very men who God told Gideon to send away.  God had given Gideon success in the battle because he was faithful in laying something down…his resources.  It was when Gideon reached out for those forbidden men that began Gideon’s spiritual dissent.  What happened after God gave him success that made Gideon pick up what God had asked him to lie down? …selfishness…pride…weakness…a sense of entitlement?  Gideon reactivated what God had sidelined, and everybody was affected by his bad decision.    ‘So when God defeated the Midianites that fateful night, Gideon seemed to slip back into his old pattern…’ Gideon, p. 128.  It compromised both his role as spiritual leader of the group and his relationship with God.

As Christians we are no different than Gideon.  We all have things in our lives that we have battled and failed in our own strength.  We are riddled with areas of weakness that we surrender over and over again only to fall victim to our lack of self-discipline.  We know we don’t want to walk by our weaknesses and yet we do.  Even Paul, a spiritual champion, experienced this after turning and following Christ.  ‘I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do, but it is sin living in me that does it’ Romans 7:18-20.  How can we be encouraged this morning when a man who lived and died for Christ felt this way?  We can be encouraged through 1 Co 10:13:  ‘The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.’

We must take note that the escape route He provides is in direct correlation with the level of obedience in laying it down.  When we give into sin we lose our spiritual standing, we damage our testimony before others and we will not have the success that God intends us to have.  God will be faithful in guarding our minds and hearts against sin, but we must be faithful in not resurrecting it.  No one will be asked to lay down anything greater than what Christ Jesus laid down for us – His very life.

Weaknesses - Friend or Foe?

“Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside…‘Follow my lead…do exactly as I do.  When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then…blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord…’” Judges 7:16-18.

I am unsure as to why I have always been insecure but I really don’t remember a time when I was not.  This certainly mushroomed into adulthood and put me on a crash course to prove myself.  I was constantly measuring myself against others and seldom measured up.   My insecurities have certainly been a source of weakness for me and it is something I must work through even today.  Today’s Bible Study has blessed my spirit so much that I wrote certain truths down on an index card to carry with me throughout my days.  When the Lord gives us truth … truth that will be a spiritual game changer…know that Satan will try to steal it from our hearts.  We must be intentional in tucking God’s revelations deep in our hearts where Satan cannot reach. 

Gideon went into the battle arming his troops with the weakest of weapons…a trumpet and an empty clay pitcher with a torch inside.  At the appropriate time, he promised to blow the trumpet first, signaling each man to sound his trumpet, shatter the clay vessel and expose the light.  By doing this it appeared to the enemy that they were surrounded by a powerful and vast army.  Imagine if one man blew his own trumpet early instead of waiting on the leader to signal the exact time.  Imagine if the clay pitchers were not fragile enough to break.  What would have happened if this plan had not been executed perfectly?  Defeat would have happened instead of victory. 

God has made each of us with certain weaknesses that roll out the red carpet for His strength and power.  They are not something we should try to change but realize that our weaknesses are cracks that allow His light to shine through just like the clay pitchers.  It is when we are our most fragile that we are broken before the world for His light to illuminate.  We will experience defeat when we blow our own horn instead of waiting for God’s signal and speaking His words.  My Bible Study states that the pitchers’ value was twofold…its importance didn’t come from its composition but rather its contents.  Our importance is not based on our earthly resume but what we carry in our hearts.  Secondly, the pitchers’ importance came from its weakness.  We all have the privilege of carrying the Light of God in our hearts, but must be transparent enough for others to see the cracks.  You cannot see the Light without the cracks.  The best news I heard this morning is a truth I will not soon forget.

‘Your weakness is not a liability.  It is one of your greatest assets.  God’s presence and power are best seen when our large, impressive personalities aren’t getting in the way.  So welcome His light into your weakness, and let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!’ Gideon, p. 125.

Dancing In The Dark

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God created in advance for us to do” Eph. 2:10.

Before the controversial issues surrounding Michael Jackson, there were amazing gifts… incredible music…unbelievable dancing…unimaginable success.  That young man was the epitome of talent.  One of my favorite Michael Jackson videos was the Billy Jean video.  Today in my Bible Study I learned that the producer of the video had to pull Michael aside and plead with him to reign in one of his greatest gifts…dancing.  He could only dance onto the squares that had been predetermined and prewired to light up, and if he danced on any other squares they would fail to illuminate.  Michael knew the success of the video was predetermined based on the discipline of his movement.

God has given every one of us a gift in serving Him and accomplishing the work He predetermined for us to accomplish.  We were all prewired to follow the path that He set before us.  As we walk in His guidance He will show us where we are to walk that will best illuminate His glory.  He may ask us to reign in our gifts from time to time, allowing both His perfect timing and circumstances to align for our brightest performance.  When we do not follow the steps He lights up for us, we find ourselves in the dark tapping our feet and exerting useless energy.  The video is running but we are not doing our part in dancing on the right squares.  If we fail to step upon the squares that God meant for us, how will His glory illuminate through our lives?  God is the producer of our lives and the script of our movement is in His word.

‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path’ Psalm 119:105.

Going Down to the Camp

“But if you are afraid to go down, go… down to the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened” Judges 7:10.

In January, 2007 God laid upon my heart the task of finishing and having published a book my 99 year old grandmother had been working on over the past 15 years.  I had only been pursuing a deeper relationship with God for a year and felt extremely inadequate for the calling.   I had dabbled in writing at the Spirit’s enabling but was certainly no match for this task.  I went to visit her in the assisted living home to speak to her about the completion of her book.  She was overwhelmed with the fact that God always fulfills what He promises His children.  With her blessing I looked at the bookcase which housed random years of journals.  They were in no particular order so I just grabbed the top journal and began reading different months of writings.  I felt like a trespasser onto her property until I read an entry she had recorded on July 31, 1997.  She wrote, “At hand, however is the completion of this book - that is doing my part on it.  The financing, getting an agent, getting it published and distributed is God’s work.  He has promised to take care of it.  I rest on Him.”  It was at this point I realized that God had given me both an invitation and privilege to be upon this holy ground and to play a part in fulfilling His promise to her.  Like Gideon, God went before me and planted confirmations and encouragement that would strengthen my heart for the task.

It can be scary to face our callings but callings were never meant to be easy.   Some callings are heartbreaking as we are asked to walk in life with the loss of a loved one.  Some callings are brutally challenging as we are asked to care for a disabled child.  Some callings are daunting as we are asked to lead a huge congregation.  Callings require faith…they require a humble heart…they demand constant knee service.  But like Gideon, when we are called we can depend on God to be our hope and confidence.  He will go before us, lead us into the task required, show us the way to be victorious and strengthen our hearts when we feel dispirited.

There were times along the way while finishing her book that I needed those precious confirmations.  It was so dear that God used the written words of my grandmother to comfort my soul and walk along beside me through her journals.

 

So if you are anxious about the journey for which you have been called, 'Go down'...to your knees and you will hear what He has to say and afterward your heart will be strengthened.

Tossing & Turning

“The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Phil. 4:6-7.

Anytime I am led to the same Scripture in one day I know to stop and meditate on that verse.  It is one of the wonderful ways that God communicates with me.  The passage above was given to me twice this morning.  With this being one of the most well-known passages it is easy to skim over it with familiarity but miss out on fresh blessings and revelations.  I am so grateful that I didn’t just read it with my mind but with my heart this morning.

I am involved in the planning of a Heartwarming Event for On Eagles Wings Ministries to furnish the Hope House, a home for the healing of rescued girls from sex trafficking.  As the Event is nearing I find myself dwelling on challenging aspects during the night when I should be sleeping.  Last night, as I laid my head on the pillow I thanked the Lord for involving me in this ministry and the event.  I asked Him to please turn off my mind and let me have a restful night’s sleep.  I was so pleased to experience a good night’s sleep without laying there awake for hours like other nights.  It wasn’t until this morning with these verses that I realized my heart had prayed this passage last night and our Father had answered the prayer.  I wrote down my prayer this morning applying the event to this passage and realized at the end of my prayer He had already answered it.  It was through my request and laying down my anxieties last night that He activated His peace.  It was His peace that guarded my mind from fearful thoughts allowing me to rest in Him.

We all have a Father that wants to activate every one of His promises in our lives.  When God promises peace He wants to give it to us.  When God promises comfort we must simply reach out for it.  When God promises His wisdom we must stretch our minds to receive it.  The completeness of Christ is always there for every circumstance and our part is to give thanks, ask, believe and receive.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” James 1:6-8.

I am so thankful that we have a stable and sharing God who wants the very best for all of us in every situation.

A Bowlful of Blessings

“…‘look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor.  If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save…’ And that is what happened.  Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew – a bowlful of water” Judges 6:37-38.

I have stated many times that I am repeatedly blessed by the commentaries of my Bible Study.  This morning was no different as I learned the beautiful symbolism of dew from heaven.  ‘Throughout Scripture, dew is used as a sign of divine grace and favor.  Dew is frequently a symbol of a special endowment in God’s kindness and approval expressed to His people.  Like dew, grace is a surprising gift that cannot be handmade or manufactured.  God extends it to humanity as a miracle from on high.’ Gideon, p. 109.  Well no wonder my grandfather was named Dewey.  He was a minister and walked in God’s favor until his final breath.  He was such an amazing man of God...truly a special endowment from God.

This made me consider this passage in a completely different way.  The passage states that the soaked fleece was lying on dry ground.  How thirsty that ground beneath must have been.  How similar is this when we as Christians follow Jesus.  When we walk in the Spirit of God we become drenched with His favor and grace while those around us are thirsty and empty.  As we move about our day filled with His living waters He throws us out among the people who have a parched heart.  We are to wring ourselves out and share His grace and favor among those whose hearts are broken and need comforting.

It is no accident that we are placed in the lives of others who are hurting.  God’s throwing out the fleece is His way of allowing the living waters that He places within us to flow into another.  Our hearts cannot be barriers of this flow or we may find ourselves becoming less saturated with His kindness and approval.  There will be seasons where we find ourselves parched and thirsty for His comfort due to our own challenging times.  Faithfully, He throws out the fleece for us…those people drenched with His favor and kindness placed just in the right situation for the blessings. 

Either way…we have a bowlful of blessings.

Burnt Rue

“The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.'  And Gideon did so” Judges 6:20.

I usually only blog on weekdays but I couldn’t resist since what happened this morning was such a testament to yesterday’s blog.  I have dear friends who are walking the journey of terminal illness in their family.   Oddly enough, I had offered to make gumbo for dinner tonight so I got up and began preparing by chopping, boiling, sautéing, stirring, etc…  The main element that can make or break gumbo is how flavorful the rue is once stirred into the rest of the ingredients.  As I was chopping and sautéing, the rue was baking in the oven requiring me to stir every ten minutes.  As I chopped I presented this dish back to God and asked that He would flavor the gumbo with His comfort and strength.  It was at that point I smelled burning rue!  I immediately jerked the oven door open and began assessing the rue…it wasn’t that bad…it might be alright…  I was immediately spoken to in my spirit.  The message…Is this really the best you have to offer back to God in service? You have just asked God to bless this and infuse it with His comfort and strength…you have asked for God’s best but are you giving it yours?  Sheepishly, I took the rue outside, put the pan down and poured it out.  I prepared new rue…flavorful rue.  My spiritual takeaway was that if we are to truly serve God and ask for His best we must do our best in the little ways He wants to bless others.  When we ask for God’s best for our own life He doesn’t give us burnt rue.

I couldn’t believe the parallel of yesterday’s blog with today’s personal message.  I prepared the gumbo, I presented it back to the Lord through my prayers for Him to bless, He asked me to put the burnt rue down and pour it out.  With my new rue in the gumbo I know my service of dinner tonight is blessed and infused with God’s best because I truly gave Him my best.  This morning the message that came to mind was that I cannot blog one day and live my life another way the following day.  What I read, study, mediate and blog on I must apply to my life.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” James 1:22-25.

A Few Good Things...

“Gideon went in, prepared …Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And Gideon did so” Judges 6:19-20.

One entrée for which I am known by my family and friends is my Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. It is delicious but I know that in order to prepare it I must set aside a lot of time. There is a lot to chop up, mess up and cleanup to present this dish to my loved ones. I cannot imagine if after presenting a bowl of gumbo the recipient simply instructs me to lay the bowl down and pour it out onto the ground. WHAT??? That is what happened to Gideon after he slaved in the kitchen to offer what he considered his best to the Lord. But the Lord had others plans for his gift.

I know for myself it can be tough to sit at home and write…blog…answer messages from those who have asked for advice. It seems sometimes that I am only involved in a few ways of service with not much interaction with people. I have to remember that God gave me my gifts and talents and that He chooses where to pour it out blessing others. I am to prepare each morning by studying the Scripture; I am to present it on my blog and lay it down without having my own expectations of my service. Lastly, I am to pour it out by allowing God to let it flow into the hearts of others. My grandmother always got on the floor after each writing project was finished and would spread out the pages around her. She would commit and offer her gift back to God as an act of worship. She was my 20th century Gideon and I cherish the image of her doing this.

No matter what God has called us to do with our gifts we should never lose our humility in the knowledge that we were deemed worthy. We must not have our own expectations of how others should respond to our gifts. Lastly we should pour out our service at the feet of the One who bestowed us with our gifts. The power is not in the gift but in God’s enabling through the gift. How can He trust us with future service if we are not faithful and grateful in our present service? We will experience true joy in the Lord when we have given our all in the small things of God instead of scanning the horizon for the big ways to serve Him. He determines the where, when and how of the work of our hands.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’” Matthew 25:23

The Red Carpet

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and there He waits on high to have compassion on you” Isaiah 30:18.

A few days ago our grandchildren were over at our house.  Previously, Kherington and I had discussed feeding the ducks the next time she came over.  As soon as she arrived she recalled the promise and looked to me for its fulfillment. As I was getting dinner started among a million other things she watched anxiously as the ducks began swimming away to the other side of the lake.  She dissolved in a pool of tears and despair as she watched what seemed like the desire of her heart disappearing.  Her hand in mine and bread in the other hand, I peacefully walked her down to the edge of the lake and asked her to trust Emmy and be patient.  I explained that if we stand on the water’s edge and begin throwing bits of bread into the water, the ducks will return.  Hesitantly she began tossing the bread into the water still unbelieving.  But, I knew something Kherington hadn’t yet learned…patience is always required in waiting on our dreams.  After five minutes of throwing bread the ducks and ducklings made their way back and Kherington learned a valuable lesson that day.  It is a Christian principle that we would all do well to incorporate daily into our spiritual life – Our patience rolls out the red carpet for God’s mercy, grace and blessings.  Gideon, Priscilla Shirer.  On the flipside of that, God’s patience rolls out the red carpet for our spiritual development and righteousness.

Since the Garden of Eden, God’s heart has been bent on saving us, changing us, using us and strengthening us.  Repeatedly, mankind has detoured off of God’s plan and God has patiently thrown out the bread luring us back into His arms.  He sits on the sideline of our lives and tosses out those bits even if we are on the other side of His will.  He is not anxious, mad or disappointed but rather determined to bring us back to Him.  He need not fret or worry because He knows that if He waits at the water’s edge long enough, like the ducks we will glide back to Him. 

If He loved us enough to die for us then He certainly loves us enough to wait for us.  His patience is long-suffering and He longs…pines…aches for the opportunities to comfort and lavish His love upon us.  We in turn must be patient in our desires and sit next to Him faithfully watching the perfect plan of God unfold before our very eyes.

All Tapped Out

“The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’…Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon” Judges 6:14, 34.

Our daughter Caroline has been away at college and graduated this past December. She was fortunate enough a year or so ago to have landed a job in her major during her senior year. In mid-July she will be moving home after her lease expires, and is currently looking for a job. She has had her own resources to support herself over the past three months but that will soon change. She will have to rely on our resources until her bank account is built up again. Because of our loving relationship with Caroline, Bruce and I are more than happy to provide for her during a time when her funds are not enough. Through our relationship she has access to the resources we have that will supplement whatever she lacks. In considering this, I am reminded of Gideon this morning as God was requiring him to move in faith, relying only on Him. The Lord promised him that as he moved in his own strength God’s power would supplement the rest. Because of his relationship with God, Gideon had access to all of God’s resources.

I am blessed this morning to be reminded that whatever we lack God provides through our relationship with Him. When we are faced with a situation that requires more than we are able to accomplish on our own, we can know that we have a Father who has a bank account of provisions. He not only is able but He is waiting for us to come to Him to exchange our lack for his excess. I love the order of commands that God laid out for Gideon. He placed the call on his life – go! He then gave him the promise – deliverance! He followed up with the confirmation – Am I not sending you? Then he completed the call with His power – the Spirit came upon Gideon. God supplemented whatever Gideon lacked and the results were deliverance.

‘We must remember the unseen supply within us instead of being distracted by what is around us. We have a power source in our souls that give us the authority to access through Christ – anytime, anyplace. Our resources are in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We must tap into the power source, and prepare to be surprised by His ability operating in our lives.’ Gideon, p. 91.