“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” ~ William G.T. Shedd
JUDGES 6-7
God calls Gideon to rescue the Israelites out of oppression from the Midianites...
11The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
13“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”14The 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?”15“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”16The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Jesus defines the challenges of faith through a parable...LUKE 8:1-21
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.6Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”...
11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
JOURNAL
God calls Gideon...who would never be considered as a hero to be the leader that rescues the Israelites. In addition to being lowly among his family...his clan is not well thought of either. This though is the beauty of God and his power. God continually takes the meek and does great things through them. The powerful and those who can do things entirely on their own...God tends to humble and the humble he tends to lift up.
The parable Jesus tells falls right in line with God's way of doing things...Jesus identifies those whose hearts are committed solely to him...instead of those whose life is among the thorns, where the word and God's love is choked by "worries, riches and pleasures".
I know that this hits me right between the eyes. The world with all it's worries, riches and pleasures seems to be so overwhelming. It is very difficult to remain focused on God's word, retain it and "produce a crop". The distractions always go right to my core and my biggest fears. To many this may seem as if Jesus is painting an impossible picture for his disciples, because he knows the future, he knows how they will run in fear and will abandon him in the time of his greatest need. Yet Jesus knows that this battle is about to change...he knows that he will become their strength and will give them a new heart and with this new heart they will be more than conquerers.
The parable Jesus tells falls right in line with God's way of doing things...Jesus identifies those whose hearts are committed solely to him...instead of those whose life is among the thorns, where the word and God's love is choked by "worries, riches and pleasures".
I know that this hits me right between the eyes. The world with all it's worries, riches and pleasures seems to be so overwhelming. It is very difficult to remain focused on God's word, retain it and "produce a crop". The distractions always go right to my core and my biggest fears. To many this may seem as if Jesus is painting an impossible picture for his disciples, because he knows the future, he knows how they will run in fear and will abandon him in the time of his greatest need. Yet Jesus knows that this battle is about to change...he knows that he will become their strength and will give them a new heart and with this new heart they will be more than conquerers.
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)
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