Jesus is the ultimate man of valor, and we have his life dwelling in us through our baptism and faith in him. It is only through faith in the power of the cross that our hearts can be cleansed, our minds renewed, and our character transformed.īeing a man of valor is more than just a matter of following steps one to ten or following Plan A over Plan B. All of us are destined to become mighty in the Lord, and the key lies in our daily decisions to love God and trust in his power and promises rather than relying only on our own abilities. God truly does choose the foolish and weak of the world to shame the wise and self-sufficient (1 Corinthians 1:27). Instead, we are moved to lay down our self-sufficiency at the cross and live each day guided by the Spirit, and in the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of our sinfulness and frailty, and we find that we are not condemned. As we ask the Holy Spirit to shine his light into our hearts, our sins and weaknesses will be rooted out. Wouldn’t it be great if we heard God speaking the same words to us that he spoke to Gideon! As we turn to the Lord in our weakness, then deep within our spirit he will assure us that his strength is sufficient for us and that he will be with us. But who among us could stand on his own merits in the light of God’s glory and majesty? After all, we men are supposed to be tough, strong, and self-reliant. I am the first to admit that this is hard for men to do. This realistic view of who we are before God and our dependency on him is just as critical for us today as it was for Gideon. And he accomplished this with only a few hundred men. By the grace of God, Gideon was given strength, courage, cunning, even audacity, to rescue his nation Israel from a desperate state of bondage and defeat all its enemies. He never forgot his dependence on the Lord, and, most importantly, he never forgot that God was with him at all times. Throughout all of Gideon’s mighty victories and conquests, he never forgot who he was before God. This is how the Lord responded to these humble words of Gideon: “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them” (6:16). Listen to what Gideon said to God in response to his call: “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15). In addition, he knew that his own human strength was insufficient to accomplish God’s purpose for his life. Perhaps Gideon’s greatest attribute was that he acknowledged his weaknesses, his limitations, and his insignificance before God. Yet, God looked into Gideon’s heart and called him a man of valor. And when God called on him, he was beating out wheat in a wine press so the Midianites wouldn’t find it. In fact, he had probably never ventured beyond his own farm. This is all true, but when God spoke these words, Gideon was a lowly farmer, hiding in the back country of Israel (Judges 6:11). His deeds make Mel Gibson’s heroics in Braveheart and The Patriot look like a Sunday school picnic!” Didn’t he take a band of 300 men and defeat an army of thousands. Now some of you may be thinking right now, “Wait a minute. In the Old Testament Book of Judges, God said to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12). However, whatever the circumstances in which we find ourselves, God calls us to be men of valor. Most of us will never have to act in such extreme situations. They showed all Americans and the entire world what it means to be men of valor. (Matthew 25:21)ĭuring and following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, we witnessed many brave firemen, policemen, and rescue workers risking, and sometimes losing, their lives to save others. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong. The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.
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