Well, I've just about had my fill of Gideon for the week! Do you ever feel like God has something to say and He doesn't want you to miss it? Well, this is it for me I think. Last week I began Beth Moore's Breaking Free study with my small women's group. I've done it before but am looking forward to tackling it again with a different group of women. The entire first video, the introduction, is all about Gideon. Beth Moore is very insightful. I could listen to her speak for hours and not get bored. She is a great teacher.
Today at church Scott Brown was speaking. Now, I find this strange because last week I mentioned him on my blog. I love it when he speaks - no offense to Mark Norman, who is an extraordinary pastor, but Scott Brown is a great fill in. His message today was all about Gideon, and it was really spectacular to hear a story from the perspective of a Jew. It just makes so much more sense, so many more insights I would have never picked up on had I just read this story myself.
So, what is God trying to tell me? Interestingly, a little bit of what Beth Moore and Scott Brown said together, probably. Scott mentioned the significance of the angel of the Lord having Gideon "pour out" the broth on his sacrifice (among the MANY other things he brought up!). This particular point coincides with the whole idea of Breaking Free. Beth and Scott both made the point that God can use us only when we are emptied, or poured out. In fact, He prefers us to be broken, contrite, not full of ourselves but emptied so He can fill us. In Scott's illustration, he explained that the broth was the most valuable part of a meal because it took the longest to prepare. It's the part of the meal that we slave over, we put our best into and be asked to pour out our best effort is God basically telling us He can't use what we put our human effort into the way He can use us if we are filled with Him. It has to be His effort to be of value to Him.
This was a real challenge to me, not because I haven't heard of this idea before, but because I needed the reminder. It's perfect as a starting point for Breaking Free, which is likely why Beth Moore uses the same story to begin the study! Duh! But hearing Scott's message today really hammered that into my brain. How many times do we just do things we are good at and expect that that is acceptable to God? How often have I thought to myself, "I could never do that! I'm so much better at..." and headed off in the wrong direction? What are the things I am doing right now that are useless to God?
Scott Brown said (and I find this SO true) we define our lives these days by the things that we do. Instead of being "human BEings" we are "human doings". God is more interested in our character than in our activities. He would rather we become what He wants us to be rather we do the things we think He wants us to do. Instead of searching God's will for what we should "do" in life we should be searching for God's will in who we become.
Some great points to ponder as I start this study. I hope I can really ingrain some of these truths into my everyday thinking, decision making, learning to say "no" strategies! I'm guessing they will put Scott's message online this week if anyone's interested...
Today at church Scott Brown was speaking. Now, I find this strange because last week I mentioned him on my blog. I love it when he speaks - no offense to Mark Norman, who is an extraordinary pastor, but Scott Brown is a great fill in. His message today was all about Gideon, and it was really spectacular to hear a story from the perspective of a Jew. It just makes so much more sense, so many more insights I would have never picked up on had I just read this story myself.
So, what is God trying to tell me? Interestingly, a little bit of what Beth Moore and Scott Brown said together, probably. Scott mentioned the significance of the angel of the Lord having Gideon "pour out" the broth on his sacrifice (among the MANY other things he brought up!). This particular point coincides with the whole idea of Breaking Free. Beth and Scott both made the point that God can use us only when we are emptied, or poured out. In fact, He prefers us to be broken, contrite, not full of ourselves but emptied so He can fill us. In Scott's illustration, he explained that the broth was the most valuable part of a meal because it took the longest to prepare. It's the part of the meal that we slave over, we put our best into and be asked to pour out our best effort is God basically telling us He can't use what we put our human effort into the way He can use us if we are filled with Him. It has to be His effort to be of value to Him.
This was a real challenge to me, not because I haven't heard of this idea before, but because I needed the reminder. It's perfect as a starting point for Breaking Free, which is likely why Beth Moore uses the same story to begin the study! Duh! But hearing Scott's message today really hammered that into my brain. How many times do we just do things we are good at and expect that that is acceptable to God? How often have I thought to myself, "I could never do that! I'm so much better at..." and headed off in the wrong direction? What are the things I am doing right now that are useless to God?
Scott Brown said (and I find this SO true) we define our lives these days by the things that we do. Instead of being "human BEings" we are "human doings". God is more interested in our character than in our activities. He would rather we become what He wants us to be rather we do the things we think He wants us to do. Instead of searching God's will for what we should "do" in life we should be searching for God's will in who we become.
Some great points to ponder as I start this study. I hope I can really ingrain some of these truths into my everyday thinking, decision making, learning to say "no" strategies! I'm guessing they will put Scott's message online this week if anyone's interested...
2 comments:
Gideon's story is one of my favorites. A man cowering in fear from his enemies is suddenly arrested by God's countervailing view of him, resists for a while, then pours out his prior misconceptions before walking in the fulfillment of God's vision for his life. I love it!
It truly is a great story - and it reveals such a loving, empowering God! My father was a "Gideon" for a while - as a child I always wondered what that meant!!
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