Good morning and happy Saturday. I hope that you had a good week. Last Sunday was a very special day in the life of our church. We had a wonderful service to celebrate our 5th anniversary as a church. It has also been 9 years since we first launched the campus that we called Fellowship International. The service itself was wonderful as Omar led us in an incredible time of worship. Pastors Fitsum, Edwin, and I all shared about the things we believe God is leading us to do. I spent some time talking about the history of the church and how God has led us to this point in the life of the church. It was a great day. If you are interested in listening to the service, it is now available on our website.
As most people know, I am a planner. I always have been, that is the way that God created me. I like organizing projects, figuring out how to make things work, completing tasks, and even budgeting. I was able to use those skills in the road construction business prior to going into full time ministry. It has also been vital in the myriad of roles that I have been involved in ever since. It has enabled me to accomplish a lot of things in the time that I have served. However, there is something that is always a challenge when you have one gift that is dominant over your other giftings. By the way, did you know that there is a spirit gift called administration? Some people wrongly assume that means you can type fast or just file paperwork. It is actually more what I have been describing about organization and planning. Anyway, when you have a gifting that is very dominate, there can be a tendency to use it without giving much thought as to where it came from or why it has been given to you. It can seem more second nature or something of that sort. That is why it is important that we all, regardless of our giftings, remember our reliance upon the Lord. He is the One that gives us our gifts, talents and abilities, and He desires for us to use them for His glory.
I was thinking about this last night, a passage that ties in with this came to mind. It is found in the book of Judges, chapter 9.
1Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)—2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. 3 However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,4 they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loadedwith worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.5 They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” 7 The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?” 8 “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”
9 They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt,10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.11 And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is.13 And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.” 14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.
Keep in mind, this was after Joshua was chosen and then installed to take Moses’ place of leadership. He was given God’s promise that He would be with him and lead him wherever he went. God would give him success so long as he remained faithful. The Israelites crossed the Jordan, set up a memorial, then defeated Jericho. They suffered at setback at Ai but then the Lord used it to teach them a valuable lesson. Then we come to chapter 9 and read about how they failed without even being in a physical battle. Nevertheless, the spiritual battle was and is always ongoing. Obviously, verse 14 is key, which informs us that they, “did not inquire of the Lord.” How tragic. God’s people taking matters into their own hands and leaving God out of the equation. They must have assumed that they could handle this situation on their own. They listened to what the Gibeonites told them, they saw with their own eyes the condition of the their clothes and supplies, and they even sampled the provisions. Based on what they could see, touch and hear, they determined their course of action. Sadly, they forgot to include the Lord, the very One that said He would guide them and protect them on the conquest of the promised land. And, of course, it made their lives more difficult.
As a word of caution, if we are not careful, that is what can happen to each of us. When we make decisions based solely on what we can observe, based on our own experience and wisdom, we can fall into the trap of excluding God from the process. Even if He is the One that has supplied us with our gifts and abilities, we must continue to recognize our dependance upon Him. Never forget, Satan is a deceiver, and he is far better at it than the Gibeonites could ever have been. Therefore, regardless of what we are doing, the plans that we are making, the decisions that need to be made, take the time to inquire of the Lord. It is the most important step in all that we do.
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
0 Comments