Thursday, October 6, 2011

Clay Pots

I was thinking about Gideon this morning...

Have you ever had the feeling the Lord is calling you to ministry, and you just do not want to? I mean, you get all clammy, and light headed and you want to crawl in a hole somewhere? Maybe you just don’t feel worthy enough? Our first response may be, "Who, me? Sorry, Lord? I think you have the wrong number!" Sometimes we feel like we are nothing but a clay pot, not worth a thing. We feel kind of ugly and awkward, and dusty from sitting on the shelf.

Gideon… poor guy! Talk about a very humble, maybe even humiliating character in the Bible. Well, at least at first. The Lord came to him while he was hiding out from the Midianites at the threshing floor. Amazing! The Lord called to Gideon with a title, the character of how Lord saw in him. 'Thou mighty man of valour!’ Umm… Who, me?

The Lord seeks to use a humble servant. He loves to take what you were and make you what you will be in Him. A clay pot is exactly what He wants to use for His glory. He is constantly looking for those in whom He can show Himself strong. As believers, we have treasure inside of us that the world is desperately seeking. It is the gospel, the key to life and death. If we hide the gospel, we only hide it from those who need it! The Lord commands that we shine in this dark world. We are earthen vessels.

So, how do we get what is inside of us out? We take our earthen vessels and become broken vessels. To have a spirit that is humble and willing to serve the Lord. To come to Him in our weakness and let Him be our strength. Just to fall at His feet and admit that we need Him for the task at hand.

Oh, back to Gideon. He took his puny army of 300 and surrounded the camp of the enemy. All they had were trumpets, clay pots, and a flame. That’s it. But, in their willingness to do the work the Lord had called them to do, they blew those trumpets with all their might, broke their clay pots and the light shined out from them. The enemy was defeated that day. They were victorious doing nothing more than letting their light shine.

The Lord is calling each one of us to His service in one way or another. You can do this! Take heart! The Lord sees you victorious already! The Lord is with you wherever you go! Walk in victory today and fear not, thou mighty man of valour!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Back To The Valley

Well, we are back from the mountaintop, and I suppose in the swing of our daily schedules. At our last Tuesday night study, we talked about how Jesus would go up to the Mount of Olives frequently and considered why He did. Having just come down the mountain from our Redeemed retreat, we KNOW why He spent so much time there!


The Mountain:  A place where the valley disappears underneath us. A place of reflection and meditation. A place where the stars are brighter and it seems that creation takes a breath around us. And, indeed, a place where our physical person stands closer to eternal home!


I just wanted to encourage you! The enemy will be hot on our tails to discourage us from the work the Lord did in removing the chaff off our souls, dusting off our walking shoes of faith, and setting us up in strength and boldness to leave a remnant for the travelers behind us!


Stay strong, ladies! Stay put in your Promised Land territory. You are in the House of Bread even if it feels famished. Take heart, dear Ruth! Your Redeemer lives!


Personal challenge for us:
        * Can we trust the God of the valley, just as firmly as we do the God of the mountain?
  * Will we have faith that the one Who holds you and leads you has your absolute best in mind, come what may?
  * Will we take our Remnant of Blessing, hold it high, and say in the face of the valley…. BUT GOD!?
Have an absolute blast with your Goel as He lavishes
His blessings and benefits on His beautiful bride!