And Gideon made an ephod … which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. Judges 8:27.
The people of Israel, in their gratitude at deliverance from the Midianites, proposed to Gideon that he should become their king, and that the throne should be confirmed to his descendants. This proposition was in direct violation of the principles of the theocracy…. Gideon recognized this fact; his answer shows how true and noble were his motives. “I will not rule over you,” he declared; “neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.
”But Gideon was betrayed into another error, which brought disaster upon his house and upon all Israel. The season of inactivity that succeeds a great struggle is often fraught with greater danger than is the period of conflict. To this danger Gideon was now exposed. A spirit of unrest was upon him. Hitherto he had been content to fulfill the directions given him from God; but now, instead of waiting for divine guidance, he began to plan for himself. When the armies of the Lord have gained a signal victory, Satan will redouble his efforts to overthrow the work of God….
Because he had been commanded to offer sacrifice upon the rock where the Angel appeared to him, Gideon concluded that he had been appointed to officiate as a priest. Without waiting for the divine sanction, he determined to provide a suitable place, and to institute a system of worship similar to that carried on at the tabernacle. With the strong popular feeling in his favor he found no difficulty in carrying out his plan.
Those who are placed in the highest positions may lead astray, especially if they feel that there is no danger. The wisest err; the strongest grow weary…. It is a solemn thought that the removal of one safeguard from the conscience, the failure to fulfill one good resolution, the formation of one wrong habit, may result not only in our own ruin, but in the ruin of those who have put confidence in us. Our only safety is to follow where the steps of the Master lead the way, to trust for protection implicitly to Him who says, “Follow me.”
Conflict and Courage p. 129
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for John who is having hernia surgery today.
—–Please pray for Eileen as she is in physical therapy after back surgery. Rose
—–PLease pray for B who is having spiritual issues and also needs a good job. L
—–Please keep praying for Breann has Type I Chiari malformation. Is being examined by neurologist/neurosurgeons. She has been reviewed by 15 neurology students as a teaching case because the condition is so hard to diagnose. Mary
—–Please pray for my brother Jim as he gets his gallbladder removed today. Rose
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Dear Friends,
About twenty years ago, Eileen rescued a plant arrangement that someone in the apartment complex where she was living had thrown away. It was about a foot tall, flower pot and plant included, and consisted of a small snake plant, a cane plant, and a plant we were not sure of, but it looked like a miniature cross between a palmetto and a palm tree. Whether the person who got rid of it was just tired of it, didn’t like the arrangement, or just threw it away because it looked a little bedraggled, I don’t know. With some tender loving care, that arrangement got so tall that it would have grown through the ceiling if we had turned it so it would have gotten even light. Instead the top of the two palm trees bent toward the light. If the person who threw out that plant arrangement could have seen how it grew with tender love and care, they would be very surprised.
So it is with our life. Others may look upon us as worthless and a bit bedraggled. They may see someone that they feel is not worth saving, but “the LORD seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 When our Dear Saviour looks upon us, He sees what we can become if we allow Him into our heart. He pities our sinful condition and offers us His cleansing. Indeed, His Great Heart of Love breaks when we are far from Him and He yearns to make us a beautiful ?plant? for His Glory.
Unlike Eileen’s rescued plant arrangement that had no choice in the matter, we do have a choice. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16.17 We can accept His free gift or we can reject it. We can allow Him to change our heart and help us to obey, or we can shut our heart’s door to His knocking and turn away. Our Loving Saviour pleads, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa 1:18 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him and he with Me.” Rev 3:20 What wonderful fellowship we can have with our Creator and Redeemer if we will only open the door and invite Him in. What cleansing and growth we can experience if we will allow Him to root out and eradicate the sins in our life.
May we allow our Dear Saviour to have full reign in our heart, to change us into His likeness, to make us into something beautiful for Him is my prayer.
Rose