Judges 7, Proverbs 15, Philemon

This chapter of Judges tells of another, most unlikely, battle and victory for the Israelites. A pattern is emerging. God approaches a person who seems to have certain abilities and gives him or her an assignment far outside those abilities. The assignment is daunting, with huge ramifications. The person takes some persuading, but eventually obeys. God does a miracle and His assignment is accomplished.

1. What is God's assignment for you?
2.  How far outside your comfort zone is your assignment?
3.  Will you obey?

Proverbs 15 is primarily about words. What we say indicates the state of our hearts. How was Gideon's battle won? Partly with words: "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" These words of the soldiers indicated the faith in their hearts. There is power in our words. We need to make sure the condition of our hearts and minds produces wise speech. If we pay attention to what we way, the content and attitude of our words, and discover not wisdom, but foolishness, sorrow, scoffing, anger, strife, disdain, or pride, we need to recognize the problem. We are not living a life of obedient faith and God cannot accomplish His purposes through us.

What was God's assignment for Philemon? To receive Onesimus back into his household, not as a run-away slave, but a brother in Christ. Unheard of. And outside Philemon's legal rights.

What was God's assignment for Onesimus? To go back to the man he ran away from and face the consequences, even though he didn't have to as long as nobody told Philemon where he was.

I can imagine that neither man relished his assignment. We aren't told the outcome, but since the letter is included in the Bible, we assume Onesimus did go back and that Philemon accepted him as a Christian brother. Only obedience to God and His power at work could have accomplished this reconciliation.

1.  Is there someone to or about whom your words might indicate a need for reconciliation?
2.  Is this the God-sized assignment He has for you?
3.  Will you obey and let God do the work?

Check your heart condition. Begin saying the right words. And watch to see what God does.

Judges 6, Proverbs 14, Titus 3

God called Gideon a "mighty man of valor" while he was still hiding in the wine press. God saw what He had in mind for the future.

Gideon could only see the present . . .  and he had questions. "If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?"

God didn't answer Gideon's question. He gave an assignment. This is where we tend to push the pause button in our lives. We want our questions answered before we proceed. But Gideon obeyed.

The first assignment didn't look like what it was. Tearing down idols and thus making the whole community angry might not have been Gideon's idea of valor or how to save Israel from the Midianites. But he obeyed. He trusted God to fit all the pieces together.

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Verse 14 adds, "The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above."

We who have been saved, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy . . ." have a responsibility "to be ready for every good work." The Bible is full of instructions for right living and we are to follow them. But we are also to follow God's leading in assignments. He lives in us and will, by the Holy Spirit, manifest Himself in such a way as to accomplish His work through us. Even if it doesn't look like what He says it is.