Wise Risk

Matthew 25:1-13. Wisdom is clearly characterised here as planning ahead for problems. If the bridegroom had come when expected, the wise virgins may have looked foolish because they brought un-necessary oil. Is it happened, the wise were vindicated because the bridegroom took longer than any of the virgins expected.

We are expecting Jesus to return, but we are foolish if we do not live in such a way that we can live on faithfully for many years and that our children and children's children will do so after us.

Caution is often described as lack of faith by those in the church who are not accustomed to being opposed. Caution is a form of wisdom, but we ought not be too cautious (Eccles 7:16) because we must live by faith. To know the right path we must be willing to take risks that we are able to stand by even if everything goes wrong.

Judges 7 // Gideon, The Man of the Hour

Judges 7. Much has been made of the fact that God commanded Gideon to send away almost all the soldiers he had accumulated. It is not typically recognised that considering Gideon's strategy, he only needed a small number of men anyway. It would have been more comforting however to know that thousands of men were not far away, ready to help if Gideon's plan didn't work. It was Gideon's plan by the way, not God's. God probably gave Gideon the wisdom to come up with it, but God is not recorded as telling Gideon to do what he did. Rather, God gave Gideon the confidence to go ahead, and God made the plan work by ensuring that the Midianite coalition did not trust each other. We tend to look to God for instructions at times when He wants us to grow up and think for ourselves.

On the other hand, God also instructed Gideon to dismiss most of his soldiers. Gideon was willing to risk having no human backup for his plan. This stands out most to us, probably because it is something we never do.

At the moment the modern application of this I am thinking of is church offerings. I have never heard a church say it would accept a certain sum in offerings and no more. Yet we read in Exodus 36:6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.

When I give offerings, I understand that I am giving them to God. But I sometimes have a hopeless sense that I am fuelling an unquenchable fire. If the church has needs I appreciate knowing how much is needed so I can get a sense of how much I am contributing. This problem is much worse in the endless secular charities and not-for-profit organisations that are always asking for money, as much as possible, with no indication what it would take to actually solve the problem. Charity does not seem to be so much about solving problems as salving consciences.

God does not want anyone to take the credit for what He does. Why? Because He is vain? No, because He is the only being capable of preserving life in the Universe. If created beings do not see God as the source of power, rather than each other, then they will be vulnerable to reject Him and die. Let God moderate how much of our own strength (money and time) we invest in "His" cause, so that when His actual goals are realised, He will take all the credit. We need to do all the things that He has taught us to do: obey his commandments, show love to those around us, and tell others about His impact in our lives; but we must restrain our unquenchable desire for vainglory.

People should be called to live sustainable lives in the way they spend their time and money. The church should also behave responsibly and decide what it needs to do before it appeals for money to do it.

Judges 6 // The Preparation of Gideon

Judges 6. Gideon must have been the son of a local chief, because when he destroys the local places of worship (pagan) his father threatens anyone who speaks against it with death. Gideon calls his family the least in the tribe of Manasseh, this would be referring to the Abiezrite clan.
After this, Gideon is able to raise an army. His notoriety from destroying the pagan shrines was probably the reason he was able to attract soldiers. Soldiers from Asher, Zebulon and Naphtali come to help fight the Midianites, who were raiding in Jezreel, in the tribe of Issachar along with other local enemies of Israel. The Midianites had been raiding and laying waste from south to north, and now Gideon would meet them in battle.
Ever cautious, Gideon made sure that God was with him by laying out a fleece.
What I find most striking about this story is that Gideon challenges the angel with skepticism that God still works in his day. We typically think this way, but Gideon was thinking this way before David, Elijah and Daniel lived and did miraculous things. Our doubts about God's involvement mean nothing. God could be just about to do a miracle, as He did for Gideon, and we would not know it.
The account of Gideon begins with "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord" not "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord"as in other places. This may be chronologically one of earliest incidents described in Judges.

Inside Out

Matthew 23:23-39. Holiness must be both inside and out. Holiness inside (faith, love) must not be without holiness outside (works, standards). Holiness outside must not be without holiness inside. Faithfulness must be in both big and small things. Faithfulness in small things (diet, offerings) must not be without faithfulness in big things (witnessing, charity) and vice versa. There are two types of sinners: those who want to be considered sinful, and those who want to be considered spiritual. Both are equally sinners: the first sin inside and out, the latter sin inside but not out. When Jesus becomes Lord of our lives He changes the inside and the outside begins to change too. People begin to notice changes in our lives. These changes may be perceived as either good or bad by our friends. The drunkard becomes boring to his drinking buddies when Jesus comes into his life. The religious fanatic becomes apostate to his brethren when Jesus comes into his life. The religious “moderate” becomes fanatical to fellow churchgoers when Jesus comes into his life. The harsh man becomes sensitive to those who love him and weak to those who do not care about him when Jesus comes into his life. The weak woman becomes courageous to those who love her and strict to those who do not care about her when Jesus comes into her life.

Following Jesus will not make us popular with everyone. It will bless our relationships with those that love us, and wear away our relationships with those who do not. This is a great blessing. I want Jesus in my life.

Finishing Well

2 Timothy 4:6-8. Finished. Paul finished strong. May I also finish strong. When running long distance races I would struggle over the finish line. Sometimes I won these races, but it was always a struggle to get over that finish line. I could not put on that universally assumed final burst of speed. I could not finish strong. Why not? I believe it is because I did not train regularly, and so I reached exhaustion quickly. My natural athletic ability gave the appearance of superior fitness, but the end of the race proved that it was superficial.

Natural ability can give others the impression that I am extra spiritual or holy. Only by living each day in the grace of Christ and spending time training with Him will that be true for me. Natural ability may bring a level of success without training. But with training it will bring greatness.