Sunday, March 18, 2018

Defeat Before Victory

...”The Israelites asked the Lord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?”... (Judges 20:28 NLT).

God’s ways are sometimes mysterious. We should not think it too strange when a just cause initially encounters defeat.  Nor should we assume that in the short-term that success is an endorsement of our pursuits.  If Israel had stopped after two tries, this story would have had an altogether different ending.

This story in the Book of Judges chronicles how Israel unites against the tribe of Benjamin to punish them for a detestable act they had committed.  Though clearly directed by the Lord to attack them, they were twice soundly routed by this tribe.  Some has suggested that Israel did not ask God how they were to attack.  Others have speculated that they were overconfident in their ability to win the battle.  Whatever the reason, it is clear that you can initiate a righteous cause and experience significant failure.

There is a pivotal question asked in the Scriptural reference. Should they try again or quit?  If I had to choose someone to be on my ministry team, I would select perseverance over talent every time.  Of course, I would prefer to have someone talented and persevering, but if I had to choose, I would take the latter.  How many times does God ask us to do it over and over again, until we get it right? How often have we doubted the Word of the Lord because things did not go as planned initially?  God always accomplishes his purposes, but sometimes we experience defeat before we can see victory.  As the commentator, Matthew Henry once wrote, “We may lose a battle but we will win the war. Right may fall, but it will always rise again.”


 Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email: 
kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website:
https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The Debt We Owe

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.  
(Psalms 71:18 NASB). 

Every believer in every generation has a story to tell.  We owe a debt to all future disciples of Christ to tell them about the goodness of God.

I am among the first of the Baby Boomers.  Those of us born on the leading edge of this generation have entered the seventh decade of our existence. We need to be thinking about what we will leave to future generations to perpetuate the cause of Christ.   We are indebted to past believers for their stories which encouraged us in our faith.  We need to pay that debt forward by providing accounts of God’s faithfulness in our lives.  It is admirable to speak about the goodness of God, but we need to leave something that will transcend our earthly existence.  This will only happen if we record our experiences.  We need to get our pencils, pens, and computers operative.


I know what some of you are saying to yourselves; I am not a writer.  Then, find someone who is and get them to help you.  Or, take an adult education writing class.  There are plenty of those at little or no cost. Where there is a will, there is a way.  You may think you don’t know where to start.  Begin with how you came to know Christ.  All heaven rejoiced over that event, which should highlight its importance.  If you write for no other reason than for your descendants, it will be worth it.  It’s doable, just get started and watch what God does.  Let’s not pass into eternity owing a debt.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email: 
kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website:
https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com