August 26, 2007
Do you know who invented the microwave oven? What about the cell phone? What about toothpaste? Are you appreciative of what they did in the past? Are you affected in any way by what they did in the past?
(if you are curious about the impact of toothepaste on your life, just thank Dr. W.W. Sheffield you don't look like this:
See, what you do now impacts the future. (Definition: Future-Any point after right now (so, that could be 15 seconds from now, 15 minutes, tomorrow, next month, or even 25 years from now...you know...the FUTURE!)
Let's think about that for a minute: Does what I do and who I am now affect the future, and how?
1. The amount you focus on your school work NOW (either a lot or a little), will impact your grades in the future (either positively or negativly).
2. The practice you put into playing an instrument now will affect your ability to play in the future.
3. Your obedience or disobedience to your parents now will impact their trust of you and your freedom in the future.
So, it is clear that the way we live and who we are NOW affect the future. If it hadn't been for those pioneering men in the past 150 years, we may be without the advanced technology we have today. What they chose to do then has impacted no only their life, but millions of lives.
What about in your relationship with God? Can what you do and who you are NOW affect how God can use you in the future? Does God even WANT to use you? I would say that YES, God definitely wants to use you. 1 Timothy 4:12 is an encouragement to live as an example to other believers of what being like Christ is all about. So, will he use YOU though?What type of person does God use? Let's look at the first half of the story of Gideon in Judges 6. I think we will find 6 characteristics that Gideon displayed that God may be looking for in you so that he can use you to impact the NOW and LATER!
A little background: Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites because of their sin (sin brings conflict...just a little something you should remember). They finally cry out to God and God IMMEDIATELY responds to them and reminds them that he has rescued them in the past, and he'll do it again...if they obey. Then, he appears to Gideon. So let's see why he chose Gideon:
1. Gideon was already at work against the enemy of God and Israel (Judges 6:11).
-Gideon was beating out some wheat in the wine press to keep it away from the Midianites. He was already struggling against the enemy that God would have him fight. He was already working behind the scenes in his everyday life, doing what he knew he should be doing. In other words, he was well-directed in his daily activities before God even called him. What about you? Are you well-directed in your daily activities, working behind the scenes already doing what you know God would want you to do?
2. Gideon recognized the Problem: the People were Separated from God. (Judges 6:13)
-He knew the problem was that the people had abandoned God's law and so God had left them to captivity. He knew that relationship needed to be restored. We are living in a world that has abandoned God. Do you even care? Do you see the sin around you and desire to see the lost AND the church surrendered to God?
3. Gideon was Humble (Judges 6:14-16)
-Gideon was the youngest in the smallest family in their area. They didn't have much and he wasn't a big shot, and he knew it. If you think of yourself to highly, God is not going to be able to use you, because YOU will get in the way of HIM. In the grand scheme of things, Gideon knew he was really nothing apart from God.
4. Gideon was Willing to Sacrifice and Serve (Judges 6:17-20)
-Preparing a kid and baking the cakes was not necessarily an easy task. Gideon was ready to serve (in this case to confirm God's call which we'll look at in number 6). Gideon takes the time to sacrifice some of his own goods (remember...small poor family in the midst of a seige where he is hiding grain in a wine press). What are you willing to sacrifice? God can only use you if you are willing to put in the work and give up YOUR life for HIS life for you.
5. Gideon was willing to Start with Himself and His House (Judges 6:25-32)
-Gideon tore down the Baal and Asherah, built and altar to God and sacrificed a bull with the wood from the Asherah to God. He was willing to clean out his house first. Are you willing to let God clean you out? If not, he won't be able to use you.
6. Gideon confirmed God's Call (Judges 6:17, 36-40)
-We are blessed to have the Bible, the Holy Spirit and a great community of believers in H2O and at Water's Edge through whom we can confirm God's call in our life. That is one of the purposes of the church and the Word, to help each other know how God wants to use us. Gideon was not so blessed. He did, however, see the importance of confirming that this new and CRAZY direction for his life was from God and not from something else. He wanted to make sure that he was doing EXACTLY what God wanted him to do. How often do you take council in the Bible or the church for the direction of your life? Are you sure you are involved in the activities God wants you involved in? If you get involved in the wrong place, you may forfeit the opportunity that God has for you.
What you do now DEFINITELY affects how God wil luse you in the future. Not following God now wil lnot necessarily keep him from using you in the future (although it may), the future will just be further away.
So, be encouraged in this:
DON'T WASTE THESE YEARS!!!
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