Judges 7

Judges 7

So God thought Gideon had too many people, so he told Gideon to first get rid of the ones who were afraid, so his army went from 32,000 down to 10,000. God decided again that this number was too big so he told Gideon he was to take his men down to the river to drink, anyone who brought their hand to their mouths to drink was going to be sent home, but if you lapped up water like a dog then you would stay and fight. Only 300 lapped like a dog and with that, Gideon found his army. So I like Gideon because he uses his brain especially when he goes in to defeat the Midianites by surrounding their camp with the three hundred men, blowing their horns the raising their torches and chanting. The Midianites fled in fear of what was happening, Gideon and his men pursued and captured and killed the two leaders, Oreb and Zeeb.

This is a classic case of God wanting people to know that it isn’t Gideon who gets the glory but should be God. God made sure of this by shrinking his army down to 1 percent of its original size, and if I am Gideon I wouldn’t be too happy about this because I would get any person that could throw a rock to be on my team, but this isn’t the case. Gideon delivers Israel due to God’s grace and sovereignty for his people. This is as much of an issue of pride as anything in the bible, we need to realize that it isn’t us who is doing ministry, but God in us. I am not responsible for my ministry, but God working through me can do amazing things, I am merely a broken vessel that God has chosen to use just like he chooses all of us for a specific purpose.

The Word

Judges 6
So again we have Israel beginning to do evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Midianites took them over. And this was a low time for the Israelites because they pretty much destroyed all their crop and were like locusts amongst their farms and labors. Then we fast forward to the angel of the Lord who goes and sits under Joash’s oak tree. Gideon is working and then comes over and talks to the Angel of the Lord. It is funny because throughout this whole passage Gideon is constantly questioning and testing God, making sure this is God’s will for his life, rather than just assuming what he is doing is right. He goes to get an offering for the Lord to test him and it is instantly consumed by fire, he puts fleece on the ground tells God to make the fleece wet but not the floor and he does then he tests him again telling God to make the floor wet but not the fleece and he does that too. And it is only then that Gideon realizes the God is going to deliver Israel through him.

I like how Gideon is constantly testing and questioning and confirming, making sure that this is the will of God for his life. There would be nothing worse than Gideon trying to defeat the Midianites without the hand of the Lord guiding him. I think we need to be more like Gideon and make sure that before we tackle big things whether it be in ministry or in life, that we are confirming God’s will for our lives and that his will would be the most important thing. Because if we put God’s will before our own then pride gets out of the way, then we don’t have to worry about beating ourselves into submission.

Shaving Cream Night

Just wanted to show you all our shaving cream night for the Jr. High. There were 35 of us total and it was a blast. We got the opportunity to hang out, do some worship and then get ready to smear each other with shaving cream for the rest of the night. It was awesome!

Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace
is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander
in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until
Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes. And when He comes to get
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.

Dog Vomit

I feel like a lot of times Israel is like a two year old who is constantly testing his limits, then when he gets hurt he runs crying back to daddy. Like hey I want to go jump this fence with rabid dogs on the other side, even though dad told me not to, then they get bit and torn to shreds and come crying back to dad saying save me save me. Granted this is the story of us and our sin as well. We know we shouldn’t, we do, we cry, we repent, we sin again, and so on and so forth. We are funny and it reminds of the verse that says a man will return to his folly as a dog returns to his vomit. Two days ago my dog puked and the licked it up, we are my dog, Israel is my dog.