“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
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
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