USING OUR RESOURCES - 2 Samuel 10:7-12 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. Joab said, If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight. Once again, Israel found itself facing a formidable enemy. The Ammonites were in battle formation at the entrance to the city gates and their hired mercenaries, the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah, were set up to fight in open country. Joab looked at the situation, then called on his military prowess and planned his battle strategy according to what he knew best. That done, he said to his men, Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight. In other words, he used the resources available to him to accomplish the job, then left the outcome in Gods hands. Many people get so caught up in allowing God to control their lives that they just sit down and wait for God to act. Theres a popular story about a man who gets caught in a flood. As the water continues to rise, he stands on the roof of his house and prays for God to save him. When the water is lapping around his ankles, rescuers in a rowboat come by, but he sends them away saying, God is going to save me. When the water is to his chest, another rowboat comes by, and he sends this one away, too. When the water is to his neck, a helicopter arrives, but he waves it away, again stating that God will save him. Then he drowns. When he gets to heaven, he demands an audience with the Lord. He asks the Lord, I prayed for you to save me, and you said you would. But I drowned! Why didnt you save me? The Lord answered, I sent you two rowboats and a helicopter! What else did you want? You and I must learn to have a balance between our God-given capabilities and our faith. Like Joab, we should use the resources we have available - our God-given talents, our God-given intelligence, our God-given experience, and whatever else the Lord has put at our disposal. We should use them to the best of our ability and to the glory of God. We exercise our faith by leaving the outcome in Gods hands. ©2013 Dogwood Ministries, Inc.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:13:55 +0000
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