JUDGES MOMENT – (20MAR19) The Israelites had once again done
evil in the sight of the Lord, so He allowed the Midianites to oppress them for
seven years. Nevertheless, when they cried out to Him, He chose a man name Gideon,
who was from the weakest clan in Manasseh and was the least in his family to
deliver them. This, at least, was how Gideon viewed himself, but the Lord disagreed
and called him a Mighty Warrior by name. Just as Gideon, we oftentimes do not
see ourselves as God views us. We look at our flaws, weaknesses, and shortcomings
as if God cannot possibly use us, or that He mistakenly knocked at the wrong
door intending to find someone else more qualified. We may rerun negative words
that have been spoken to us, over us, or about us and believe that we are
useless to the kingdom of God. God, however, never makes mistakes in who He chooses,
and He constantly uses people who are the “least likely” to do His divine will.
Why is this? God is edified when we are humble at heart and have to rely
totally on Him. God uses people who do not feel as if they have already
arrived, but those who think they will never make it. These are the ones that
He can use the most. Remember that God used Abraham, who was from a family of
pagans; Sarah, who was too old; Jacob, who was full of tricks; Joseph, who was
a rejected dreamer; Moses, who was a stuttering murderer; Rahab, who was in
prostitution, and Jael, who was just a housewife. Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF THE DAY – (20MAR19) When the angel of the Lord
appeared to Gideon, he told him that the Lord was with him. Gideon, however,
respectfully had questions concerning this statement because he did not see any
evidence of the Lord being with him or the other Israelites. He had not seen
the power of the God whom he had been told about who did many wonders in Egypt,
so he was having a hard time believing that God was anywhere to be found. And
yet, there was God – speaking to him through His heavenly messenger. Do you
sometimes find it hard to see evidence of God in your life? Do you doubt that
God hears your prayers when you pray? Israel had rejected God and for a time, He
had left them to their oppressors, but His ear was never far from hearing when
they finally cried out to Him. God is always there with you even when you feel
that He is silent. Sometimes He speaks the loudest when He seemingly is the quietest.
Just stay tuned in so that you can hear His still small voice. Something to
ponder…
JUDGES MOMENT – (20MAR19) Gideon started out with thousands
of men at his command, but God told him that he had too many. God did not want
the Israelites to think that they were responsible for the victory that He was
about to hand them, so Gideon’s army was reduced to three-hundred men. God
fought on their behalf by confusing their enemies and Israel was finally delivered
from their oppressors. Many people place their trust in 401(k)s, IRAs, bank
accounts, jobs, insurances, stocks, and more. They believe that these things will
cushion them during the days ahead. Although it is good to plan for the future,
those plans should not be without God. God is our only security and where we
think that we may have it all mapped out, God oftentimes allows surprises to
come our way in order to test our faith. Gideon could not place his faith in
his army’s might, but he had to believe and trust in God. We must also never trust
in our own might regardless of how many resources we have, but place all of our
trust in God. In the end, He will ensure that He is the One who gets the glory for
without Him, nothing would be. Something to ponder…
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