MIGHTY MAN OF VALOUR

Today’s Reading: Judges 6

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Some of the excavations from the tel of Jericho show the foundation of an old tower and walls. The Tower of Jericho is an 8.5-metre-tall (28 ft) stone structure. Regular readers will remember “The Palace of Eglon” and the fact that Jericho was rebuilt by the Midianites who were still settled here at the time of Gideon.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Judges 6:12

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!”

When God calls a person to service, He chooses someone who is humble and has a heart to serve others. That person, genuinely called of God, will be sensitive to God’s leading day by day. It has been said that God is not looking for ability, but availability. He often equips the most unlikely people for His purposes, great and small. God uses people who are willing to risk everything for His cause. Gideon did this when he destroyed the altar of Baal and the image which his own father had built. When Gideon built an altar to the Lord and burned the wooden image under the sacrifice to the true God, he established his leadership. He was also very human and needed confirmation from God. The sign of the wet and dry fleece gave him additional confidence.

The God-called leadership of the Church was confirmed with signs of God’s presence. In Acts 2:42-47 we read of God’s confirmation of His call on the lives of the Apostles. The sign which indicated God’s call on Gideon was that the people supported him. When we recognize the call of God on someone’s life, we need to support that person in any way we can.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, help me to find ways to support those You have genuinely called into some form of leadership in Your cause. I know I can’t support everyone, therefore guide me in knowing where to put my support. Bless my Pastor and in particular those who are effective in bringing new people into a relationship with You, O God. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

When the Roman Catholic Bishop of Calgary, Bishop Henry, took a strong stand in favour of “one man, one woman” marriage, he was maligned terribly by those who opposed his stand. I called him on the telephone and my first words were a quote from the angel who appeared to Gideon. I quoted the old translation of the words found in Judges 6:12, “Hail, thou mighty man of valour.” He laughed and so did I. He encouraged me in my campaign to see marriage retained as it had been throughout human history. We lost that battle in the House of Commons and in the Senate of Canada. I received a call from the then Prime Minister, Paul Martin, who wanted to thank me for a book I had sent him. It was kind of him to call. However, the conversation went downhill when I said something to this effect… “Sir, you have led Canada in a direction which will eventually prove to be most destructive to the human family…God’s plan is one man, one woman.” I believed that to be true then and still do today…and I speak the Truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). I love people and, therefore, I want only what I believe would be best for everyone. I believe I’m following Jesus in this. Check out Matthew 19:4-6.

Yours to encourage all who serve the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to take a stand for what is right in God’s eyes,

David

Here is a view from the tel of Jericho showing some of the modern town of Jericho. In the distance is the traditional Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by Satan following His baptism in the Jordan, not far east of here.