I’d like to say that I am very
disciplined. But that would be the lie of the century! I
rarely follow guidelines or have a routine, and I don’t always do the things I should, only when I feel like (which is not often).
So when I got the conviction to
start this blog, I had to laugh. Me, start a blog with regular articles? You’ve
got to be kidding me! Me who could barely maintain a diary, me who was always
late for any event (school, church, socials, etc), me who hardly followed my
personal study timetable? No thanks, I’ll pass.
But I have come to understand
that God has a very funny way of doing His things. He rarely chooses the
Perfect, but perfects the Chosen.
When He called Gideon in Judges
6:11-24, He referred to him as “Mighty man of Valour!” But Gideon was clearly
not that. For starters, he was so terrified of the Midianites (the enemies of
Israel) that he was threshing wheat in a winepress! Talk about epic fear.
Secondly his clan was the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh and as if that
wasn’t enough, he was the least in his father’s house. In all ramifications, he
was not a man of valour.
Had the Lord gotten it wrong?
The Bible shows us over and
over, that when God looks at a man, He doesn’t look at what he is currently but
what he could become. So when God looked at Gideon, He saw his potential as a
man of valour. This later proved to be true, as God used Gideon to save the
Israelites from all their enemies.
The same thing happened to
Moses, a frightened ex-murderer on the run from Egypt. For forty years he lived
in the wilderness, too scared to go back. But then God called him to go back,
not just to sneak in, but to confront Pharaoh. To confront the person he feared
most, to do the impossible. We all know how the story
ended. Moses went, not in his own strength, but trusting and leaning on God, he
eventually led the Israelites out of Egypt.
When God calls us, He rarely
does so because we are ‘qualified’, He calls
us when we are incapable, so that
His strength may be made known in our weaknesses and that all the glory will be
His. There is no way of taking praise for what you know is not yours.
Why do
you think the likes of Noah, Moses, David and other great men and women of God
were humble? They knew their greatness came from relying on Him, not on any
strength they had.
Maintaining this blog has been
the same way for me. I never knew I could write, or even write as often as I do
(yes I know I don’t write as often as I should, but hey, I’m a work in
progress, remember :-)).
But as I agreed to listen to God’s prompting even though I felt terrified, He has continued to amaze me. I look at the articles I write and I wonder where this knowledge came from. It’s definitely God, I am all too aware of my weaknesses. I know there are still other areas that need to be dealt with in my life, but I thank God I am not where I used to be!
But as I agreed to listen to God’s prompting even though I felt terrified, He has continued to amaze me. I look at the articles I write and I wonder where this knowledge came from. It’s definitely God, I am all too aware of my weaknesses. I know there are still other areas that need to be dealt with in my life, but I thank God I am not where I used to be!
Perhaps you are facing the
prospects of a new opportunity/challenge, and you are wondering how you will
cope. Listen you’ve got it in you! God wouldn’t give you that opportunity,
dream, or challenge if you didn’t have the potential to do an excellent job.
Just don’t go off in your own strength. Keep your eyes fixed on Him daily, and
He won’t disappoint you. He will give you grace and strength to do the
impossible.
If He could do if for others
(plus me) you are not too difficult for Him. Just trust Him and step out of the
boat, He won’t let you sink.
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Image2 courtesy:http://jeknetwork.typepad.com/.a/6a00e554e8872388330120a5d92a10970b-320pi
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Great write up!! Sometimes we tend to try and rely on our own strength or even 'over analyse' the situation to the extent that it prevents us from making any kind of move! Thanks for the timely reminder that we need to trust in His abilities and not ours.
ReplyDeleteHows baby?:-)
Fola
I couldn't agree more Fola! Thanks for your kind comment, you are truly an encouragement.
DeleteBaby is doing very well and adding weight daily :-).
Hope you are keeping well.
God bless dear.
Ds a word of encouragement.Thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emilia for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment. God bless you dear.
Delete