Many years ago there was a lady known for her delicious homemade pies. Her name was Flossie. As everyone knows, older experienced cooks make the best pies. Miss Flossie and her husband owned a fruit farm so she always had good, fresh ingredients for her pies.
She had given a pie to a family in her church. One Wednesday night as the family left to go to that night's church service the mother of that family mentioned taking Miss Flossie's glass pie plate back to her. One of the sons in this family over heard his mother. He wanted to take the pie plate back. He wanted to let Miss Flossie know how much he enjoyed her pie.
This boy couldn't have been older than six at the time and his mother didn't think it was a good idea for him to be responsible for this glass pie plate. Using all his persuasive skills though, he was able to convince his mother that he would be careful and that nothing would happen to the pie plate. The mother finally gave in.
The boy carried that glass pie plate in both hands while walking slowly towards the church building. As he started up the few concrete steps to the door, he tripped. You know the result. That glass pie plate of Miss Flossie's broke into hundreds of pieces. That boy felt as low as a six year old boy could feel. That is until his mother saw him. Then he really felt bad.
His mother was obviously upset, disappointed and mad at the boy. As he listened to her he didn't think he could feel any worse; until she told him he would have to tell Miss Flossie what happened. He stood there waiting for the old lady to show up, hoping she would stay at home this night. His heart sank when he saw her pull into the parking lot. The moment of truth was at hand.
As Miss Flossie approached him he felt even worse than he ever thought possible. Miss Flossie greeted his mother and gave the boy a hug. He began to tell the woman what had happened, that it had been an accident, that's he'd tried to be careful, that he was sorry. He had broken her pie plate. He now waited knowing that as bad as things had been for the past few minutes they were probably going to get worse. He'd have to pay for the plate. He might have to work at the fruit farm. His parents would punish him. Miss Flossie would punish him.
Then she hugged him. Miss Flossie hugged the boy, told him it was alright, don't worry about that old pie plate. The boy was stunned as she went on to ask what his favorite flavor of pie was because she was going to bake a special one just for him. Thinking this was too good to be true the boy yelled out, "Blueberry" as quickly as he could before she changed her mind. The lady hugged him again as she told him he'd have his own blueberry pie the following Sunday and he did.
Did that boy deserve that pie? Had he done anything to earn that pie? Of course not. If anything he deserved to be punished for his actions, not rewarded. Yet he was rewarded. He was given a gift that he didn't deserve, that he didn't earn and it was given solely out of love. What the boy deserved was justice. What he got was mercy.
So it is with us. We don't deserve the salvation given to us by God. We certainly can't and didn't earn it. It has been given to us because of His love for us, no other reason. Do we appreciate it? Do we cherish it like the boy cherished his blueberry pie? Do we look forward to that final reward? If we were given what we've earned, what we deserve because of our sins, we would all be in trouble.
I've eaten many blueberry pies since that night in the mid-70's. None tasted as sweet and delicious as that blueberry pie Miss Flossie made for me. I can't even eat, see or hear about blueberry pie without thinking of Miss Flossie, love and mercy. Cherish and appreciate His love, His mercy, His salvation. If we do it will show in our lives to others and help make us stronger, more Christ centered Christians and it will certainly be sweeter than a thousand blueberry pies.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Another Thought on Gideon
It's my belief that too many people today focus on the New Testament to the exclusion of the Old Testament. Paul wrote in In Romans 15:4, Paul tells us, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
While writing specifically about Old Testament examples, in I Corinthians 10:11, Paul says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” It’s obvious from these passages that the stories and examples from the Old Testament are there for our learning. It’s up to us to take advantage of these lessons given to us.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I taught a class on the book of Judges a couple of years ago. As a result of that study I gained a greater appreciation for Gideon. I believe there are several great lessons in that man's story that we can apply to our lives to make us better New Testament Christians. The following is what I wrote about how Gideon dealt with doubt and faith. I hope you find it useful even though it may be considered lengthy by internet standards.
There’s not a person among us that hasn’t been affected by doubt. It’s human nature. There are countless ways that we let doubt creep into our lives. We worry about jobs and income. We may worry about whether we’re good parents or good spouses. Some may worry about their health. Perhaps we worry about whether we’re doing all we can as Christians in our service to God.
Gideon was worried about the future. He was concerned in Judges 6:12-16 about his future and the future of his country. Of course Gideon wasn’t the only person in the Bible that was afflicted with doubt. One of the most striking examples that come to mind is when Peter tried to walk on the water with Jesus.
Even after he and the other disciples heard the voice of Jesus tell them to have courage, to “Be of good cheer” (Matthew 14:27). Peter doubted. He asked again if that really was Jesus out on the water. Even when he was reassured by Jesus a second time, Peter doubted. Jesus asks him pointedly in verse 31, “Why did you doubt?”
The Apostle Thomas has been come so synonymous with the word doubt that even to this day the phrase “Doubting Thomas” is a part of our vocabulary today. This was a man who spent the biggest part of three years following, listening, watching and learning from Christ. Yet he doubted when presented with the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
The account of Jesus appearing to the disciples after his resurrection is also given to us in Luke 24. It would appear from verse 37 of that chapter that Thomas wasn’t the only one who doubted what he was seeing and hearing. In Matthews telling of this story in chapter 28 we are told candidly in verse 16, “Some doubted.”
Jesus knew it was human nature for us to have doubts. He warned against it and tried to reassure us not to have doubts when he spoke to his followers about the withered fig tree. He tells us of the power inside us that can be unleashed only when we remove doubt from our thinking. Those passages (Matthew 21:20-22 and Mark 11:20-24) also give us the antidote for doubt; growing in and increasing our faith.
So it was with Gideon. In the exchange he has with the Angel of the Lord in Judges 6:12-16, before Gideon speaks, he in already hearing positive words from the Angel. From verse 12, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” He’s given three positive thoughts from the Angel. He is told that God is with him. He is told that he is mighty and that he is a man of valor. Yet in the very next verse, Gideon doubts.
Think about how we today handle doubt. Gone unchecked without a positive thought or an uplifting word from another, doubt can eat away at a person until there is no confidence left. It’s easy to imagine that if Gideon still doubts after hearing these reassuring words from the Angel, that he certainly was filled with a greater degree of negativity before this conversation.
The Angel once again in verse 14 tries to reassure him. “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” Here again are two positive messages. Gideon is told that he is mighty. He is also told for the second time that God is with him. Yet in his follow up, his reply in the very next verse, Gideon still has reservations. Like Thomas in the example mentioned earlier, he needs physical reassurance. He must for his own mind, to assuage those doubts be shown. He even makes excuses for himself. He comes up with reasons why he believes he’s not capable of great things. He is weak. He comes from a small, weak family.
Doubts will rise up and cloud our thinking. There’s no way around that. It’s the response to doubt, fear and reservations that will determine the type of servant we will be though. There is nothing wrong with having doubts about ourselves or a particular set of circumstances. The problems arise when we allow those doubts to overcome our faith and our overall attitude.
Fear and doubt are not things God gives us or leaves us with. They are things that come about because we fail to recognize our own ability; ability given to us by God. They can be great motivators, great tools, and great launching pads for us to pick ourselves up from. They can motivate us to achieve greater things in life than we thought possible. Or, they can paralyze us. Fear and doubt can also be the starting point for a downward spiral that in the lives of some end up ruining lives and ultimately separating that person from God forever.
God understands our doubts. He understands we have doubts. If we let Him, He will use these times to convince us of His sufficiency and His love. He will use these times and these feelings to lead us to an increased faith. We must take the first step which involves stepping out of fleshly thinking and into the thinking of faith; into the realm of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul found himself in such a condition when dealing with what he himself called his “thorn in the flesh”. Not once, not twice but three times he says he asked God to remove this trouble from his life. He recounts for us in II Corinthians 12:9 that Christ told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” The problem wasn’t taken away from Paul. The difference was that through his faith and because of his faith he knew he now had the means to deal with the problem.
Paul told the Corinthians in chapter 1 of the same book about his feelings as he encountered trouble in Asia. He says in verse 8, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” In the next verse though he admits that it wasn’t him who had the answers, it was God. Again, in that same letter he affirms that all sufficiency comes from God and not from man (3:5).
Then there are the words of Jesus who tells us in John 15:5, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.” Is it easy to put away those negative feelings of doubting and despair? Of course not. That’s not the point. The point is whether we use those moments to our own advantage and to the glory of God. That’s what we see Gideon do.
Gideon wasn’t expected to be able to overcome his doubts and problems by himself and neither are we. Abiding in and with God he was able to “bear much fruit”. Why should we be any different? When confronted with doubt, if we don’t listen to those words of Christ we not only sink deeper in doubt but that leads to other negative problems. Left unchecked those doubts can spiral into deep fear, inactivity, and depression.
When confronting his fears and doubt, Gideon throws himself to the Lord and allows himself to be used as an instrument for God. He is ready to overcome, step up and move on to great things. In a way he uses this time to vent his frustrations, to reflect on what he feels are his weaknesses. But he’s not ready to live in that condition. He’s ready to use this opportunity to step away from that doubt, draw closer to God and go on to greatness. Can we be any different?
While writing specifically about Old Testament examples, in I Corinthians 10:11, Paul says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” It’s obvious from these passages that the stories and examples from the Old Testament are there for our learning. It’s up to us to take advantage of these lessons given to us.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I taught a class on the book of Judges a couple of years ago. As a result of that study I gained a greater appreciation for Gideon. I believe there are several great lessons in that man's story that we can apply to our lives to make us better New Testament Christians. The following is what I wrote about how Gideon dealt with doubt and faith. I hope you find it useful even though it may be considered lengthy by internet standards.
There’s not a person among us that hasn’t been affected by doubt. It’s human nature. There are countless ways that we let doubt creep into our lives. We worry about jobs and income. We may worry about whether we’re good parents or good spouses. Some may worry about their health. Perhaps we worry about whether we’re doing all we can as Christians in our service to God.
Gideon was worried about the future. He was concerned in Judges 6:12-16 about his future and the future of his country. Of course Gideon wasn’t the only person in the Bible that was afflicted with doubt. One of the most striking examples that come to mind is when Peter tried to walk on the water with Jesus.
Even after he and the other disciples heard the voice of Jesus tell them to have courage, to “Be of good cheer” (Matthew 14:27). Peter doubted. He asked again if that really was Jesus out on the water. Even when he was reassured by Jesus a second time, Peter doubted. Jesus asks him pointedly in verse 31, “Why did you doubt?”
The Apostle Thomas has been come so synonymous with the word doubt that even to this day the phrase “Doubting Thomas” is a part of our vocabulary today. This was a man who spent the biggest part of three years following, listening, watching and learning from Christ. Yet he doubted when presented with the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
The account of Jesus appearing to the disciples after his resurrection is also given to us in Luke 24. It would appear from verse 37 of that chapter that Thomas wasn’t the only one who doubted what he was seeing and hearing. In Matthews telling of this story in chapter 28 we are told candidly in verse 16, “Some doubted.”
Jesus knew it was human nature for us to have doubts. He warned against it and tried to reassure us not to have doubts when he spoke to his followers about the withered fig tree. He tells us of the power inside us that can be unleashed only when we remove doubt from our thinking. Those passages (Matthew 21:20-22 and Mark 11:20-24) also give us the antidote for doubt; growing in and increasing our faith.
So it was with Gideon. In the exchange he has with the Angel of the Lord in Judges 6:12-16, before Gideon speaks, he in already hearing positive words from the Angel. From verse 12, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” He’s given three positive thoughts from the Angel. He is told that God is with him. He is told that he is mighty and that he is a man of valor. Yet in the very next verse, Gideon doubts.
Think about how we today handle doubt. Gone unchecked without a positive thought or an uplifting word from another, doubt can eat away at a person until there is no confidence left. It’s easy to imagine that if Gideon still doubts after hearing these reassuring words from the Angel, that he certainly was filled with a greater degree of negativity before this conversation.
The Angel once again in verse 14 tries to reassure him. “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” Here again are two positive messages. Gideon is told that he is mighty. He is also told for the second time that God is with him. Yet in his follow up, his reply in the very next verse, Gideon still has reservations. Like Thomas in the example mentioned earlier, he needs physical reassurance. He must for his own mind, to assuage those doubts be shown. He even makes excuses for himself. He comes up with reasons why he believes he’s not capable of great things. He is weak. He comes from a small, weak family.
Doubts will rise up and cloud our thinking. There’s no way around that. It’s the response to doubt, fear and reservations that will determine the type of servant we will be though. There is nothing wrong with having doubts about ourselves or a particular set of circumstances. The problems arise when we allow those doubts to overcome our faith and our overall attitude.
Fear and doubt are not things God gives us or leaves us with. They are things that come about because we fail to recognize our own ability; ability given to us by God. They can be great motivators, great tools, and great launching pads for us to pick ourselves up from. They can motivate us to achieve greater things in life than we thought possible. Or, they can paralyze us. Fear and doubt can also be the starting point for a downward spiral that in the lives of some end up ruining lives and ultimately separating that person from God forever.
God understands our doubts. He understands we have doubts. If we let Him, He will use these times to convince us of His sufficiency and His love. He will use these times and these feelings to lead us to an increased faith. We must take the first step which involves stepping out of fleshly thinking and into the thinking of faith; into the realm of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul found himself in such a condition when dealing with what he himself called his “thorn in the flesh”. Not once, not twice but three times he says he asked God to remove this trouble from his life. He recounts for us in II Corinthians 12:9 that Christ told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” The problem wasn’t taken away from Paul. The difference was that through his faith and because of his faith he knew he now had the means to deal with the problem.
Paul told the Corinthians in chapter 1 of the same book about his feelings as he encountered trouble in Asia. He says in verse 8, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” In the next verse though he admits that it wasn’t him who had the answers, it was God. Again, in that same letter he affirms that all sufficiency comes from God and not from man (3:5).
Then there are the words of Jesus who tells us in John 15:5, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.” Is it easy to put away those negative feelings of doubting and despair? Of course not. That’s not the point. The point is whether we use those moments to our own advantage and to the glory of God. That’s what we see Gideon do.
Gideon wasn’t expected to be able to overcome his doubts and problems by himself and neither are we. Abiding in and with God he was able to “bear much fruit”. Why should we be any different? When confronted with doubt, if we don’t listen to those words of Christ we not only sink deeper in doubt but that leads to other negative problems. Left unchecked those doubts can spiral into deep fear, inactivity, and depression.
When confronting his fears and doubt, Gideon throws himself to the Lord and allows himself to be used as an instrument for God. He is ready to overcome, step up and move on to great things. In a way he uses this time to vent his frustrations, to reflect on what he feels are his weaknesses. But he’s not ready to live in that condition. He’s ready to use this opportunity to step away from that doubt, draw closer to God and go on to greatness. Can we be any different?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Really...Are We Even Close?
The goal of the New Testament church is to follow in the footsteps and examples given to us by the first century Christians. This is or should be true of the individual Christian, their congregation and the church as a whole. That blueprint we should hope to follow is given to us in the New Testament. It's the individual Christian's responsibility and hopefully their desire to do so. When those individuals do so they form a working, growing, relevant congregation. When those congregations do so they form a church rooted in love and good works and will make an impact throughout the world. I look at how we follow some of those New Testament examples and I wonder just how close we really are to what they did.
I'm not hear to bash good works by individuals or congregations. I'm going to assume we're doing what we feel we can. I just hope we can look closer at whether we're actually doing all we can particulary when compared to the church talked about at the end of Acts 2.
I hope of course hope that we are as stated in verse 42 of this chapter continuing, "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, the the breaking of bread, and in prayers." Congregations of faithful Christians are following that example. Of course we can always improve the amount of time we devote to fellowship and our prayer lives. What I wonder about and want to focus on here are the later verses in this chapter.
Beginning with verse 44 and continuing we read, "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of hear, praising God and having favor with all the people..."
While we're at it, let's also read verses 32 through 35 of chapter 4. "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need." WOW!
I'm not talking to you about this matter. I really am talking with you about it. I can't say that I've ever sold a house, taken the proceeds from the sale, given that money to my elders and told them to give it to those that had need. I'm not even going to claim that I've been a part of, "breaking bread from house to house". What about you?
Am I overanalyzing this or are we really not as close as we'd like to claim in following this example? Yes (I hope)we enjoy moments of fellowship with each other outside of our worship services. As I write this though I realize that in the five plus years my family has worshipped at our current congregation we've never had other Christians over for a meal. I look forward to changing that.
How much are we doing to make sure the needs of our fellow Christians are met? When we hear of someone in need are we willing to part with "our" money as generously as we should? Many congregations have food pantries and clothes closets. We might take up a special collection if we know of a family facing extreme financial hardships. Too often though it seems we have these assets to serve the community at large at the exclusion of those right here in our Family. Doesn't it seem to you that the church in Acts took it much further than that?
If we aren't doing enough we should have the desire to improve on our track record if for no other reason than we claim to want to follow the New Testament. However these verses not only point out our shortcomings they also tell us of great rewards for those that do try to pattern themselves after these verses.
Acts 2:47 shows the reward for really looking after each other is, "having favor with the people." Even better than that, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." How favorable is your congregation looked upon by the people in your community? Think about how many baptisms were conducted at your location in the last year. Were they occuring daily, weekly or even monthy? Now who is falling short, us or God?
Look at what happened to the church in 4:32 and 33. They, "were of one heart and one soul..." "And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked..." Aren't these things we should all be seeking? Paul writes in Romans 15:5 for, "...the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus..." How and when will that happen? It happens when I look out for you, you look out for me and we commit ourselves to truly being the Christians we should not only want to be but the Christians we can be. Do we have the faith to do these things? Really...are we even close?
I'm not hear to bash good works by individuals or congregations. I'm going to assume we're doing what we feel we can. I just hope we can look closer at whether we're actually doing all we can particulary when compared to the church talked about at the end of Acts 2.
I hope of course hope that we are as stated in verse 42 of this chapter continuing, "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, the the breaking of bread, and in prayers." Congregations of faithful Christians are following that example. Of course we can always improve the amount of time we devote to fellowship and our prayer lives. What I wonder about and want to focus on here are the later verses in this chapter.
Beginning with verse 44 and continuing we read, "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of hear, praising God and having favor with all the people..."
While we're at it, let's also read verses 32 through 35 of chapter 4. "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need." WOW!
I'm not talking to you about this matter. I really am talking with you about it. I can't say that I've ever sold a house, taken the proceeds from the sale, given that money to my elders and told them to give it to those that had need. I'm not even going to claim that I've been a part of, "breaking bread from house to house". What about you?
Am I overanalyzing this or are we really not as close as we'd like to claim in following this example? Yes (I hope)we enjoy moments of fellowship with each other outside of our worship services. As I write this though I realize that in the five plus years my family has worshipped at our current congregation we've never had other Christians over for a meal. I look forward to changing that.
How much are we doing to make sure the needs of our fellow Christians are met? When we hear of someone in need are we willing to part with "our" money as generously as we should? Many congregations have food pantries and clothes closets. We might take up a special collection if we know of a family facing extreme financial hardships. Too often though it seems we have these assets to serve the community at large at the exclusion of those right here in our Family. Doesn't it seem to you that the church in Acts took it much further than that?
If we aren't doing enough we should have the desire to improve on our track record if for no other reason than we claim to want to follow the New Testament. However these verses not only point out our shortcomings they also tell us of great rewards for those that do try to pattern themselves after these verses.
Acts 2:47 shows the reward for really looking after each other is, "having favor with the people." Even better than that, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." How favorable is your congregation looked upon by the people in your community? Think about how many baptisms were conducted at your location in the last year. Were they occuring daily, weekly or even monthy? Now who is falling short, us or God?
Look at what happened to the church in 4:32 and 33. They, "were of one heart and one soul..." "And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked..." Aren't these things we should all be seeking? Paul writes in Romans 15:5 for, "...the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus..." How and when will that happen? It happens when I look out for you, you look out for me and we commit ourselves to truly being the Christians we should not only want to be but the Christians we can be. Do we have the faith to do these things? Really...are we even close?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Gideon's Trumpet
I wanted to talk about this story of Gideon early on for a couple of reasons. I had the idea of naming this blog by that title or something similar. Also, I grew to have a new appreciation and deeper understanding of Gideon thanks to an adult Bible class I taught on the book of Judges.
The story of Gideon is found of course in Judges chapters 6 through 8. The specific story I reference is from chapter 7. This is the familiar incident when God tells Gideon to prepare for battle against the mighty army of the Midianites. We're told in chapter 7 verse 12, "Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts..."
To show Gideon and the Israelites that He was in charge and I believe to also test their faith, God told Gideon cut the number of his soldiers to 300. When the time came to attack the Midianites, Gideon commanded them in verses 16-18 to follow him in blowing trumpets and breaking pitchers as they invaded the enemy camps. The following verses recount what happened as the men did this; they soundly defeated the enemy.
Now you and I both know neither the trumpets nor the pitchers by themselves were capable of doing anything. Placed in the right hands, with faith and with the help of the Higher Power, they accomplished great things. The Israelites weren't victorious that night because just because they blew trumpets and broke clay pitchers. They were victorious because they had faith, they used the tools they had and they did what they were capable of doing and they trusted God to take care of the rest.
So perhaps this blog should be named for those trumpets and or pitchers. I can't do anything by myself. What I'm able to accomplish is done with the help of God. I have faith in God. I want to try to use what I have, what I've been given to further His cause. With His guidance and my effort I believe we can do great things in this world full of modern day Midianites. I believe we all can.
Regardless then of what title or name is at the top of this I hope we'll all take that lesson to improve our lives, walk in faith and further His cause.
The story of Gideon is found of course in Judges chapters 6 through 8. The specific story I reference is from chapter 7. This is the familiar incident when God tells Gideon to prepare for battle against the mighty army of the Midianites. We're told in chapter 7 verse 12, "Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts..."
To show Gideon and the Israelites that He was in charge and I believe to also test their faith, God told Gideon cut the number of his soldiers to 300. When the time came to attack the Midianites, Gideon commanded them in verses 16-18 to follow him in blowing trumpets and breaking pitchers as they invaded the enemy camps. The following verses recount what happened as the men did this; they soundly defeated the enemy.
Now you and I both know neither the trumpets nor the pitchers by themselves were capable of doing anything. Placed in the right hands, with faith and with the help of the Higher Power, they accomplished great things. The Israelites weren't victorious that night because just because they blew trumpets and broke clay pitchers. They were victorious because they had faith, they used the tools they had and they did what they were capable of doing and they trusted God to take care of the rest.
So perhaps this blog should be named for those trumpets and or pitchers. I can't do anything by myself. What I'm able to accomplish is done with the help of God. I have faith in God. I want to try to use what I have, what I've been given to further His cause. With His guidance and my effort I believe we can do great things in this world full of modern day Midianites. I believe we all can.
Regardless then of what title or name is at the top of this I hope we'll all take that lesson to improve our lives, walk in faith and further His cause.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Here We Go
I've decided to carve out my own little piece of the internet world. I'm glad you've visited regardless of your reason for being here. I've thought about this blog long before I decided to start it.
I'm a 38 year old man; a Christian. I would think of myself as a good guy, a nice guy trying to do the right thing. From time to time I realize there's more I could do. The creation of this blog is the result of one of those realizations. That's a lot of what I hope to accomplish here. That's mainly why my name isn't on this blog. I don't think who I am is important here. I hope though that what I say might be...at least some of the time. I certainly don't mind telling anyone who I am; just ask.
I don't have all the answers. I'm still trying to figure a lot of things out as we all are. What I do have are my thoughts and the answers I've found to this point in my life. I hope they make you think. My goal is to talk about issues of faith and our walk with God. From time to time though I may stray onto other topics that I have an interest in. Again, this is my piece of the web so I make no apologies for that.
Why am I doing this? The internet as you're aware is not the Godliest of places. In trying to make myself a better example for others I thought I might use this area for something positive regardless of how small this part is. Also, I find writing helps me clear my mind a lot of times. Finally, my ultimate goal would be to either encourage others or instruct others. I hope to encourage fellow Christains and instruct those who are still searching for Him.
I know with forgiveness there's no need to "make up" for a person's past. That past is gone so there's nothing to make up for. So instead of saying I'm trying to do that, let's consider that I'm trying to improve my future and hopefully someone else's along the way! Let me know if I can be of help.
I'm a 38 year old man; a Christian. I would think of myself as a good guy, a nice guy trying to do the right thing. From time to time I realize there's more I could do. The creation of this blog is the result of one of those realizations. That's a lot of what I hope to accomplish here. That's mainly why my name isn't on this blog. I don't think who I am is important here. I hope though that what I say might be...at least some of the time. I certainly don't mind telling anyone who I am; just ask.
I don't have all the answers. I'm still trying to figure a lot of things out as we all are. What I do have are my thoughts and the answers I've found to this point in my life. I hope they make you think. My goal is to talk about issues of faith and our walk with God. From time to time though I may stray onto other topics that I have an interest in. Again, this is my piece of the web so I make no apologies for that.
Why am I doing this? The internet as you're aware is not the Godliest of places. In trying to make myself a better example for others I thought I might use this area for something positive regardless of how small this part is. Also, I find writing helps me clear my mind a lot of times. Finally, my ultimate goal would be to either encourage others or instruct others. I hope to encourage fellow Christains and instruct those who are still searching for Him.
I know with forgiveness there's no need to "make up" for a person's past. That past is gone so there's nothing to make up for. So instead of saying I'm trying to do that, let's consider that I'm trying to improve my future and hopefully someone else's along the way! Let me know if I can be of help.
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