Gideon - From Good to Not So Great

Gideon was a man of mediocrity. He battled fear, discouragement, and disbelief. Yet God slowly but surely moved Gideon from good to great. When Gideon finally believed God’s promises and acted upon them, the Lord used him to conquer the Midianites and save Israel.

If the story ended there Gideon would forever be remembered as a man of greatness. Unfortunately, not all stories have happy endings.  Gideon did something that led not only his family, but his nation into disfavor with God.  In one simple act Gideon went from good to not so great.  His legacy is forever tarnished.

No man wants to go from good to not so great.  No man wakes up one morning and decides that today would be a good day to ruin his legacy.

Casting Crowns sings a poignient song, "It's A Slow Fade".  The chorus describes the slow fade,

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking

Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking

Come and join us on this Saturday morning at 7:00 am at the "Band of Brothers" as we learn from Gideon's experience about how to detect and avoid the "slow fade."

Legends - Abraham

We're off to a good start with the Band of Brothers. Last Saturday we looked into the life of Abraham. The key word we looked at in relation to Abraham was SECURITY! What God asked Abraham to do would have rocked most of our worlds, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Gen. 12:9) In effect God was asking Abraham, "Abraham are you willing to give up what you have to gain something even better?" The problem for Abraham was he didn't have any idea what that better would look like or where it would be or when he would receive it. If he wanted what God was offering he'd have to forsake his sense of security?

Around whom or what do you tend to build your sense of security? What happens to your world when everything you've depended upon for security is removed from you? Abraham is a lesson of NOT building our security around the "comfortable known" but rather around God.

So let me ask 5 questions based on Abraham's journey:

1. Do I trust God with my future? Is his will part of my decision making? (Gen. 12:1-7)


2. Do I trust God with my interests even when I seem to be receiving an unfair settlement? (Gen. 13:8-13)


3. How have I demonstrated my continued trust in God during those times when I have been required to wait? (Gen. 15:7-11)


4. In what occasions of my life have I acted simply in obedience to God, and not because I understood the significance of what I was doing? (Gen. 17:9-27)


5. In what ways has my life demonstrated that I will not allow anything to come before God? (Gen. 22:1-12)

You've got to love Abraham! His response is seemingly immediate and childlike, "So Abrahm left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abrahm was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran." Don't you love that! Seventy-Five years old and instead of settling into the nursing home he embarks on a journey that would cause most twenty-five year olds to think twice. You can do that when your security is not built on the "comfortable known" but rather built on the one who leads you into the "uncomfortable unknown" - God.